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NEW ORLEANS, La.—Today, the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration (RESTORE) Council approved its to restore Gulf Coast ecosystems and their natural resource dependent economies following the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil disaster. The plan will serve as the guide for spending more than three billion dollars in restoration and recovery funds—an integral component of one of the largest ecosystem restoration programs in U.S. history.

The ���Ĵ�ý issued the following statement:

“It's time to put people and money to work on the Gulf Coast based on a smart, comprehensive plan,” said David Yarnold (), ���Ĵ�ý's president and CEO. “Today's decision is a huge step forward, one that generations to come will see as a turning point. This wasn't easy and we owe a huge thanks to the Council that showed the courage to lay down a big vision."

The Gulf Coast provides crucial habitat for many birds, including the Black Skimmer, with Louisiana supporting 28 percent of the entire U.S. population. Prior to the BP Oil Spill, this species had already experienced a 50 to 75 percent decline in the region since the late 1970s. An estimated 15 to 25 percent of the Louisiana-Mississippi-Alabama Black Skimmer populations were killed during the oil spill.

To learn more about the effects of the BP oil spill on the birds and communities of the Gulf Coast and to read about ���Ĵ�ý's work in the affected areas, please visit /features/birds-and-oil.

The ���Ĵ�ý saves birds and their habitats throughout the Americas using science, advocacy, education and on-the-ground conservation. ���Ĵ�ý's state programs, nature centers, chapters and partners have an unparalleled wingspan that reaches millions of people each year to inform, inspire and unite diverse communities in conservation action. Since 1905, ���Ĵ�ý's vision has been a world in which people and wildlife thrive. ���Ĵ�ý is a nonprofit conservation organization. Learn more at  and @audubonsociety.

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Contact: Jacques Hebert, ���Ĵ�ý, 504.264.6849, jhebert@audubon.org.