Gopher Tortoise Habitat Protection Part of 2019 REPI Challenge Award

Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay in Georgia was named a recipient of the 2019 REPI Challenge award.  This year, the REPI Challenge focused on promoting coastal resilience and proactively protecting at-risk species to relieve environmental restrictions on military testing, training, or operations particularly capabilities outlined in the National Defense Strategy.

The Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay project will leverage $8 million in REPI Challenge funds and $32.3 million in partner contributions to protect more than 11,000 acres of unprotected coast.  The Kings Bay project will protect the coastline from being developed, therefore preserving marsh and tidal lands integral to the absorption of storm surge. This project will also contribute to the Georgia Gopher Tortoise Conservation Initiative and the Georgia Sentinel Landscape, improving fire management, restoring longleaf pine habitats, promoting coastal resilience, and mitigating maritime and airspace operational conflicts.

Click here to read more about REPI and the Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay project.