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Who are the GCRP partners?
The GCRP combines the efforts of the NOAA Community-Based Restoration Program the Gulf of Mexico Program's Gulf Ecological Management Sites program, Gulf States natural resource agencies and the Gulf of Mexico Foundation.

The NOAA Community-Based Restoration Program provides funding for on-the-ground restoration projects, technical expertise in implementing the projects, and valuable experience in promoting and managing locally driven restoration activities.

The Gulf of Mexico Program brings to the partnership a collaborative resource management network involving the five Gulf States, nonprofit organizations, and academic institutions. Participants in the Gulf Ecological Management Sites program have worked cooperatively to establish goals to guide the Program, to identify 134 ecologically significant habitat areas across the Gulf States, and to develop a GEMS information network to serve as a tool for disseminating information and for site planning and management.

The natural resource agencies of each of the five Gulf States (Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Louisiana Department of Natural Resources, Mississippi Department of Marine Resources, and Texas Parks and Wildlife Department) support individual state GEMS managers who participate in and serve as points-of-contact for the GEMS program.

The Gulf of Mexico Foundation coordinates the GCRP partnership efforts and administers the grant funding.

What is the Caribbean GCRP?
GCRP has recently expanded into the Caribbean area and begun four new projects. The GCRP network established throughout the Gulf of Mexico has proven very effective over the past five years and long-range plans include establishing a similar network in the US territories of the Caribbean. Built in conjunction with two successful programs, NOAA’s Community-based Restoration Program and the USEPA Gulf of Mexico Program’s Gulf Ecological Management Sites, GCRP projects in the Gulf are on target to restore nearly 14,000 acres of coastal habitat and generate over 2.3 million dollars in match funds. To date, in the Gulf, 16 projects have been completed and 21 projects are underway.

The GMF, as administer of the grant, made contact with several natural resource managers in Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands (VI) at the onset of the program. The GMF's Executive Director Quenton Dokken traveled to Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands in October 2005 and, after discussing the partnership and restoration goals with different people in various agencies, selected two people as potential managers for their areas: Paige Rothenberger, a marine ecologist with the Virgin Islands (VI) Division of Coastal Zone Management (CZM), and Craig Lilyestrom, director of the Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources.

They discussed long range plans which include designating certain areas as having priority for protection/conservation/restoration similar to the GEMS program in the Gulf region. A couple of similar programs already exist, such as the Areas of Particular Concern, which could mesh well into a “GEMS-like” network.

With the assistance of Paige and Craig, and NOAA Habitat Restoration Specialist Daphne Macfarlan, the GMF circulated a request for preproposals throughout the US Territories of the Caribbean. The four Caribbean projects chosen for funding began April 1, 2006. The GCRP will contribute $82,500 to help fund these projects. The projects plan to restore nearly 97 acres and will contribute approximately $201,906 in matching funds and services.

Gulf of Mexico Community-based Restoration Partnership selected as recipient of the first NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service Sustainable Fisheries Leadership Awards.