Ducks Unlimited Uses $40 Million Value of White Lake Donation for Coastal Restoration
LAFAYETTE, La.- June 18, 2008 – When BP America donated the White Lake Wetlands Conservation Area to the State of Louisiana, they provided Ducks Unlimited and other conservation partners with the means to secure funding for coastal restoration projects through the North American Wetlands Conservation Act. The 70,965-acre donation is valued at $40 million, which DU uses as required match when applying for NAWCA grants.
“The availability of these matching funds has allowed DU to do more work sooner. In many ways, they allow DU to be more competitive in the NAWCA grant process,” said DU Director of Conservation Programs Jerry Holden. “The White Lake donation protects nearly 71,000 acres in itself and allows us to restore and enhance thousands of additional acres by using its value as match.”
To date, DU has used BP America matching funds on six project proposals to NAWCA and received five grants to deliver coastal habitat restoration in Louisiana. One proposal is still pending approval. All together, DU and its partners have secured $4,990,879 in NAWCA grant funds with an additional $1,000,000 pending approval.
These grant proposals have helped fund projects like the Rollover Bayou Project in Vermilion Parish, marsh terraces in Cameron and Vermilion Parishes and water control structures for private landowners throughout southwest Louisiana.
“BP America’s contribution has been vital to DU’s wetland restoration work in Louisiana,” Holden said.
NAWCA grants require a 1:1 non-federal to federal matching ratio. However, because of the competitive nature of NAWCA proposals nationwide, it usually takes a 2:1 match ratio to be successful. By donating the White Lake Wetlands Conservation Area to the state of Louisiana, BP America provided up to $40 million in matching funds.
“Louisiana’s coastal wetlands are vitally important to the people who live here, the state’s economy and the oil and gas industry,” said Karl Connor, government affairs director for BP America. “We are very pleased to do our part to provide organizations like DU with the means to restore America’s Wetland.”
DU plans to present BP America with a token of appreciation at the upcoming DU Louisiana State Convention on July 19 at the Lafayette Hilton. Volunteers from around the state attend the convention which begins Friday night with the annual cook-off. This is the highlight of the convention wherein local DU chapters cooking various dishes compete with each other. Saturday morning will include business meetings and the recognition of DU conservation partners like BP America. The convention will end on Saturday night with a DU banquet and auction.
With more than a million supporters, Ducks Unlimited is the world’s largest and most effective wetland and waterfowl conservation organization with almost 12 million acres conserved. 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.
Andi Cooper 601-206-5463 mailto:acooper@ducks.org