Federal and state agencies are proposing two projects to restore bird and sea turtle nesting habitat that was harmed during the response to the massive 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

The Deepwater Horizon Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA) trustees, made up of the state and federal agencies with natural resources damaged by the spill, released the restoration plan and environmental review for the two projects yesterday.

The projects will cost about $9 million, which will come out of oil giant BP PLC's $1 billion restoration fund.

One of the projects will address outdoor lighting in eight counties in Florida and Alabama to minimize light pollution near beaches where sea turtles nest.

When turtle hatchlings emerge from their sandy nests, they crawl toward the brightest light, which historically has been the moon or stars reflected on the ocean's surface. But when lights on shore illuminate the night sky, the hatchlings head the wrong way.

The project will identify problematic lights, and either remove, replace or retrofit them with fixtures that minimize spillover and unnecessary illumination.

The second project will improve bird nesting sites along state and federal beaches in Florida and Mississippi and the Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge in Alabama. Nesting sites will be flagged to discourage people from disturbing the area. Predator control and site monitoring will also be increased to minimize the loss of eggs, chicks and adult birds.

Project managers hope to begin work to enhance the 2013 nesting season next spring and will last four to five years.

"We are pleased to be able to move forward with these important projects that restore key nesting and wintering habitats for Florida's coastal wildlife, and we will continue to work with our fellow trustees to address the full injury the Deepwater Horizon explosion and resulting oil spill created," said Nick Wiley, Florida's co-trustee with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

Public comments will be accepted on the restoration plan and environmental review for the two projects through Dec. 10, including at a meeting in Pensacola, Fla., on Tuesday.

This is the second round of "early restoration" projects because it comes before the official damage assessment process is complete. BP and other responsible parties are liable for full restoration of natural resources harmed by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.