Media Contact: Logan McDonald Phone: (850) 595-1479 E-mail: lmcdonald@ppbep.org The Pensacola & Perdido Bays Estuary Program (PPBEP) is pleased to announce the first ever Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan (CCMP) for the Pensacola and Perdido Bay Watersheds is now available for review and public comment. PPBEP’s CCMP – A Prescription for Healthy Bays, is intended to serve as a guide for implementing monitoring, research, reporting, restoration, education and outreach, and policy priorities that enhance the community’s quality of life and economic prosperity, while improving the health and sustainability of the Pensacola and Perdido Bay Watersheds. The CCMP recommends priority actions developed in partnership with community stakeholders to address stressors that impair our waters. The identified actions are important steps to restoring our land and water, while maintaining a balance between humans and nature. This ten-year science-based, community-driven guiding document allows stakeholders to work collectively, across jurisdictional boundaries, toward a shared vision for the recovery of our waters. The completion of the CCMP allows PPBEP and its partners to leverage resources and funding opportunities to make this vision a reality. "Environmental stewardship is critical to our quality of life and economy along the Gulf Coast. Having the CCMP in place establishes a blueprint for forming partnerships and leveraging resources to create long-lasting improvements to the health and resilience of our estuaries and communities,” said Robert Bender, Chairman of the Pensacola & Perdido Bays Estuary Program. "The Estuary Program Management Conference and staff have put in an incredible amount of work to produce this draft CCMP. We look forward to sharing this with the community and receiving their comments, which will be addressed prior to release of the final CCMP in September 2022,” said Matt Posner, Executive Director of the Pensacola & Perdido Bays Estuary Program. The deadline to submit comments is 11:59 p.m. CT on Aug. 28, 2022. The draft CCMP and comment form are available on the Estuary Program’s website at https://www.ppbep.org/the-plan/ccmp. The mission of the Pensacola & Perdido Bays Estuary Program is to restore and protect the Pensacola and Perdido Bay watersheds through restoration, education, and unbiased monitoring of the health of our bays, estuaries, and watersheds. The Pensacola and Perdido Bays Estuary Program serves as a trusted source for residents, businesses, industry, and the community on issues relating to preserving, restoring, improving, and maintaining the natural habitat and ecosystem of the bays, estuaries and watersheds of Pensacola and Perdido Bays. PPBEP strives to achieve a healthy and collaborative environment by: 1. Elevating and increasing the importance, awareness and understanding of environmental quality. 2. Employing rigorous, unbiased, and scientifically sound science to inform and guide decisions, policies, and initiatives. 3. Funding programs and projects that protect the environment, increase ecological resilience 4. Building a network of inclusive, multi-stakeholder partnerships that takes into account factors affecting the environment, the economy, and the community-at-large for the benefit of improving the quality of life for all.