“Recovery Cams” Show Coastal Restoration at Work – Live Online! If you’ve ever wondered if the Recovery Act is working to create jobs and help jumpstart the economy, now you can watch a few of these projects live through Recovery Cam! Magnolia Marsh: Huntington Beach, CA – The Huntington Beach Wetlands were once part of a large tidally influenced wetlands area encompassing 3,000 acres. Now, only 300 acres of historic wetlands remain, most of which has been cut off from the ocean for decades. This project will provide tidal circulation and restore 41 acres of urban wetlands by breaching a levee, creating channels, and planting vegetation. The Magnolia Marsh component is the final phase of this restoration project, which will not only restore significant habitat for birds, shellfish and coastal marine fish, but also enhance recreational use through adjacent public access improvements. Dunes Creek: Dunes Creek, IN – Dunes Creek in Indiana Dunes State Park has been buried under a parking lot for 80 years. This project will use 750 of culvert to “daylight” the stream, restoring it to its natural above-ground channel and reconnecting 7,407 acres of the Dunes Creek Watershed to Lake Michigan. The project will also open six miles of river and improve flood capacity and resiliency along the creek and offer additional flood protection for historic public facilities that serve beachgoers. Winnicut Dam: Greenland, NH – This dam is the last remaining barrier on the mainstem of the Winnicut River. Its removal effort, which also includes the installation of a fish passage structure upstream, will open more than 39 miles of upstream habitat for migratory fish such as alewives, blueback herring, and American eel. Dam removal began in September 2009. NOAA and the Recovery Act In February 2009, NOAA received $167 million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 to restore coastal habitat, support thousands of jobs, and help jumpstart the nation’s economy. Using a competitive process, the agency selected 50 high quality, high priority projects to restore wetlands, salt marsh, oyster and coral reefs, as well as remove fish passage barriers on coastal rivers and streams. In addition to improving the environment, these efforts will restore fisheries and support more resilient coasts in the face of climate change. For more information about these projects, visit http://www.noaa.gov/recovery.