Louisiana coastal wetlands
restoration is the focus
LAFAYETTE, La.,
May 31, 2007 – A two million dollar donation by BP America was used to match
federal dollars and earn a North American Wetlands Conservation Act grant. BP’s
contribution to this grant was part of a $40 million conservation donation given
to Louisiana in 2002. The NAWCA grant, awarded to Ducks Unlimited in March,
will fund conservation activities on 11,024 acres in southwest Louisiana.
Additional partners providing funds to help secure this NAWCA grant include the
Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, Louisiana Department of Natural
Resources and several private landowners.
“Ducks Unlimited is grateful to have BP as a partner on this project and we
commend their commitment to wetland conservation along the Louisiana coast,”
said Bob Dew, Ducks Unlimited regional biologist.
In 2002, BP America donated the 71,130-acre White Lake Wetland Conservation
Area to Louisiana
for conservation purposes. The property containing fresh marsh and associated
uplands was valued at $40 million and the value of this property has provided
essential matching funds for eight NAWCA grant projects that restored or
enhanced thousands of wetland acres in southwest Louisiana.
“We realize the benefits wetland conservation has for wildlife, people and
the oil and gas industry,” said Marti Gazzier, general manager of BP government
and public affairs for the Gulf Coast. “By restoring marshes and maintaining a
sustainable ecosystem we can ensure the commercial, recreational and ecological
functions of coastal Louisiana remain intact.”
The objective of the current project is to restore and protect coastal
wetlands on public and private lands damaged or at risk of damage from
human-caused saltwater intrusion. Saltwater intrusion kills vegetation and
exposes marsh soils to severe erosion caused by wind-generated waves.
Ducks Unlimited will manage the installation of two water control structures
on Rockefeller State Wildlife Refuge. Additionally, Ducks Unlimited and several
private landowners will share the cost of replacing at least 13 inoperable
water control structures. These new structures will allow control of water levels
and help reduce saltwater intrusion and excessive flooding following heavy
rains and storm events. Managing water and salinity levels that mimic natural
fluctuations will prevent conversion of vegetated wetlands to open water.
“In some situations,
elevated freshwater conditions for extended periods can be just as harmful as
high salinity saltwater,” Dew says. “Adequate water management capability of
both fresh and saltwater is necessary to achieve desirable habitat conditions
in these situations in southwest Louisiana.”
Wetlands restored through this project will provide wintering and migration
habitat for several waterfowl species including northern pintails, mottled
ducks and mallards. Several commercially and recreationally important species
will also benefit including brown and white shrimp, blue crabs, and red drum.
In Washington, D.C.,
the Ducks Unlimited Governmental Affairs staff works with Congress in support
of annual funding for NAWCA to continue the Act’s waterfowl conservation
success. Louisiana’s
delegation has been very supportive of NAWCA, including Senators Landrieu and
Vitter and Representatives Alexander and Boustany, whose the districts the
project will take place in.
NAWCA stimulates public-private
partnerships in support of the North American Waterfowl Management Plan. NAWCA
is a non-regulatory, incentive-based, voluntary and competitive habitat
conservation grant program. NAWCA provides federal cost-share funding to
protect, restore, and manage wetland habitats for wildlife and many projects
provide outstanding recreational opportunities for people, from bird watching
to hunting.
For more information on NAWCA, go to www.ducks.org/nawca
With more than a million
supporters, Ducks Unlimited is the world’s largest and most effective wetland
and waterfowl conservation organization. The United States alone has lost more
than half of its original wetlands - nature’s most productive ecosystem - and
continues to lose more than 80,000 wetland acres each year.
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Contact: Jennifer Kross
(601) 956-1936
jkross@ducks.org