Texas Coastal Restoration Project Wins National Beach Award
The McFaddin National Wildlife Refuge Beach and Dune Ridge Restoration Project has won the American Shore and Beach Preservation Association's 2025 Best Restored Beaches Award.
The award highlights Texas's efforts to protect vulnerable coastlines from storm damage while preserving critical wildlife habitats along the Gulf Coast.
Texas Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham praised the recognition for what she called the state's largest beach nourishment project.
'As a Texan who grew up near our coast and lived on Galveston Island for over a decade, safeguarding our beaches is a mission near to my heart,' Buckingham said.
The restoration spans Jefferson and Chambers counties within the Salt Bayou ecosystem. This 139,000-acre complex represents Texas's largest contiguous estuarine marsh system.
Still, the project's significance extends beyond size. The American Shore and Beach Preservation Association evaluates winners based on economic and ecological benefits, project success, and obstacles overcome during completion.
Multiple agencies collaborated on the effort, including the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Jefferson County, and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. Funding came partly from the Deepwater Horizon settlement through the Natural Resources Damage and Assessment program.
'The McFaddin Beach and Dune Restoration project is located where erosion and storm surges have scoured beaches and dunes and introduced saltwater to adjacent freshwater wetlands within the Salt Bayou ecosystem, the largest contiguous estuarine marsh complex in Texas,' the U.S. Department of the Interior stated in January. 'The project partially restores damage to beaches and dunes caused by the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill.'
The project included pumping sediment from offshore to fill gaps and breaches along the dunes and planting more than 150,000 native dune plants to stabilize the sand dunes.
That said, the work isn't finished. The Texas General Land Office has committed to monitoring the project for at least five years to measure its effectiveness and identify future management needs.
Buckingham, who became Texas's first female Land Commissioner in 2022, emphasized the project's dual purpose.
'I thank our Coastal Erosion Planning and Response Act Project managers and collaborating GLO divisions for their hard work to complete the largest beach nourishment project in Texas and protect the wildlife and Texans who call the coast home,' she said.
The restored area encompasses various habitats ranging from freshwater marshes to coastal grasslands and tidal flats. These diverse ecosystems provide crucial storm protection for inland communities while supporting local wildlife populations.
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