The Gulf of America Alliance is pleased to announce a new project funded by our Gulf Star Program partner, 1PointFive, a carbon capture, utilization and sequestration company that is developing the South Texas Direct Air Capture Hub in Kleberg County.
Over the next two years, funding from 1PointFive, a subsidiary of Occidental, will support construction of an 800-foot living shoreline, which includes a breakwater and marsh planting, to address ongoing erosion issues at the Hans & Pat Suter Wildlife Refuge in Corpus Christi, Texas. This park provides important public access to the outdoors for both residents and visitors and is a well-known birding hotspot.
However, recent storms have caused shoreline erosion that is threatening the park’s walking trail in several places. Coastal Bend Bays & Estuaries Program, a non-profit focused on protecting the bays and estuaries in the Coastal Bend, will lead the project. They will work with volunteers to place oyster shell and plant native marsh grass to protect the shoreline. The living shoreline will reduce wave energy while also increasing marsh and oysters growing in the area. These improvements will provide habitat for fish, birds and wildlife.
“Living shorelines are one of the most effective ways we can protect our coast while enhancing habitat for fish and wildlife,” said Kiersten Stanzel, Executive Director of the Coastal Bend Bays & Estuaries Program. “This project will help preserve an important public space for our community, while also demonstrating how public-private partnerships can create lasting benefits for both people and our coastal ecosystems.”
“We appreciate 1PointFive’s commitment as a Gulf Star partner and their support to help Gulf Coast communities, like Corpus Christi, find resilience solutions that benefit people and the environment,” said Laura Bowie, executive director for the Gulf of America Alliance. “Our collaborative formula and the shared vision of our partners make projects like this possible.”
“By supporting the Gulf of America Alliance and its work, we are investing in infrastructure and initiatives that aim to help strengthen this region and create lasting benefits for the people who call it home,” said Trey Fournier, Director, 1PointFive.
The Gulf Star Program is a unique public-private partnership that leverages contributions from agencies and businesses to address key priority issues specific to the region. The Alliance provides additional capacity for these projects to reduce barriers that are often a challenge for
small communities and organizations, such as high administrative burden and match requirements. All projects in the Gulf Star Program accomplish actions co-developed by the five Gulf states to support healthy beaches, clean waters, productive ecosystems, and thriving coastal communities.
The current 2026 Gulf Star partners are: 1PointFive, the National Academies’ Gulf Research Program, Shell, Motiva Enterprises, Valero, Genesis Energy, L.P., Freeport McMoRan, Sempra Infrastructure, Chevron, Williams, Clean Gulf Associates, Alabama Power, ArcelorMittal Calvert, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the five Gulf states.
For more information on the Alliance’s Gulf Star Program visit https://gulfofamericaalliance.org.
(Photo credit: Coastal Bend Bays and Estuaries Program)