INSIGHTS

America's Wetland: Campaign to Save Coastal Louisiana
DU Lends its Support to Huge Undertaking

By Don Young, Executive Vice President

The beginning of spring brings with it new hope and optimism for conserving and restoring wetlands and providing habitat for North American waterfowl. Ducks Unlimited has been involved with this endeavor since 1937. This is our mission. The ledger reflects thousands of completed habitat projects-both big and small-across the continental landscape.

Our record speaks for itself, but Ducks Unlimited has never been an organization to rest on its laurels. That's why, late last summer, DU pledged its support to a visionary initiative called America's Wetland: Campaign to Save Coastal Louisiana. This venture is about as big as they get. Picture the enormity of the Everglades, and then scale up.

Wetland degradation in Louisiana has for decades been unrelenting. About 80 percent of the wetlands annually lost in the U.S. are in Louisiana. Indeed, authorities estimate that from 25 to 35 square miles of coastal marshes disappear each year. That shocking tally is unacceptable. Ducks Unlimited has already committed $10 million to wetland restoration projects throughout the state in an effort to help reverse those extraordinary losses. This commitment is just the beginning.

Ducks Unlimited made that pledge at the Southern Governors' Association conference in New Orleans when Louisiana Governor Mike Foster announced this campaign. The price tag is hefty for this federal/state effort: $14 billion. The ultimate costs related to continued wetland losses of this magnitude throughout the region, however, are incalculable.

Waterfowlers need not be told that Louisiana is the winter home to millions of ducks and geese and other migratory birds. But it should also be pointed out that more than 30 percent of the nation's commercial fishery catch comes from this state, and that most marine species in the Gulf of Mexico use Louisiana wetlands sometime during their life cycle. (That Louisiana is called "The Sportsman's Paradise" should therefore come as no surprise.)

In addition, more than 25 percent of the nation's energy supplies originate along the coastline. And then there is the people factor-individuals who have witnessed the loss of more than 1,500 square miles of wetlands along the coast during the past 50 years. Beyond their value to waterfowl, hunters, and fisherman, many of those wetlands acted as buffers to hurricanes and tropical storms. Without the wetlands, homes, towns, and the infrastructure of the oil and gas industry become much more vulnerable.

This issue has myriad environmental and economic implications, and not solely for people living in Louisiana. No, these wetland losses impact the entire nation. That factor should be made clear to everyone, including those in state and federal government agencies involved with securing funding for this huge undertaking. America's Wetland is a campaign deserving of our support.

In order to make this work, partnerships must be forged, bonds reaffirmed, and a cooperative effort involving government, business, private conservation organizations, and private citizens must evolve. Responsibility for the restoration of coastal Louisiana should be shared by all.

Interest has already begun to build. Shell Oil has committed $3 million in support of the campaign. Labels have been placed on Tabasco bottles (the McIlhenney Corp. is located in Louisiana) to help raise public awareness. News agencies have aired and printed special reports on the region's wetland woes.

This campaign, some say, will mark the largest wetland restoration project ever attempted. The overall effort will include sediment diversion, barrier island restoration, marsh restoration, shoreline protection, river water reintroduction, sediment and nutrient trapping, and vegetative planting. A full agenda, and DU has pledged to partner with dollars and our wetland restoration expertise.

At what price? The tab will only be a fraction of the loss if America's Wetland: Campaign to Save Coastal Louisiana is not pursued. Ducks, geese, and much more are at stake here. A fragile wetland ecosystem and a jewel for sportsmen hang in the balance.