Species Benefiting From Restoration:
   • Blue Crab (Callinectes sapidus)
   • Brown Shrimp (Penaeus aztecus)
   • Red Drum (Sciaenops ocellatus)
   • Kemp’s Ridley Sea Turtle (Lepidochelys kempii)

Acres of Habitat To be Restored:
Approximately 2 acres salt mash
Approximately 2 acres beach dune

Project Summary:
The Gateway to the Gulf project will expand Artist Boat’s successful “Eco-Art Workshop and Adventure” program to incorporate an on-the-ground habitat restoration component while continuing the program’s significant educational initiatives. The project will serve 1,500 to 2,000 participants, including 50 to 60 educators. Each student participant will receive 10 hours of classroom and field-based instruction by art and science professionals, including two hours of in-school workshop instruction, four hours of hands-on, outdoor education experience via kayak or motor vessel into the Trinity River delta ecosystem or salt marsh systems of lower Galveston Bay, and four hours of hands-on involvement in salt marsh or beach dune restoration through native vegetation planting. Teacher participants will receive an additional six hours of professional development training focused on incorporating concepts conveyed by the Eco-Art Workshop and Adventure program (including the use and understanding of NOAA data products, information, and services, including NOAA Restoration Center project monitoring) into daily lesson plans and curricula. Artist Boat has provided the Eco-Art Workshop and Adventure program to 7th and 8th grade students in Galveston Independent School District (free of charge to the students and the district) for the past three years, and is committed to continued implementation of the program (including support for the program through broad fundraising efforts). The Texas Education Agency has recognized this program as a model for integrated, cross-curricular teaching and has committed to funding the program during the 2006-2007 academic year.

Community Involvement:
Students and teachers from school districts throughout the Galveston Bay region will be involved in all aspects of the project, including hands-on restoration of local habitats, as described above. Once students have been exposed to the concepts presented in Eco-Art Workshops and Adventures, the hands-on restoration component of their experience will raise their level of involvement beyond passive appreciation and knowledge of the local environment, to taking action to physically improve that environment. Taking such action has been shown by community-based restoration projects throughout the nation to reinforce in participants a sense of ownership and a stewardship ethic for public trust resources.