Federal NAWCA grant supports long-term wetland conservation
LAFAYETTE, La., November 13, 2007 – Ducks Unlimited was awarded a North American Wetlands Conservation Act grant to enhance over 1,300 acres of coastal marsh habitat in Cameron Parish. Partners contributed more than $2.2 million to match the $998,391 received from the federal grant. The project will restore high priority wintering habitat for waterfowl and other migratory birds along the Louisiana Gulf Coast.
“This project represents a continuation of long-term efforts to protect, restore and enhance important wetland habitats along the Louisiana Gulf Coast,” said Bob Dew, Ducks Unlimited regional biologist in Louisiana. “Louisiana’s coastal marshes provide some of the most important wintering habitat for ducks in North America, but much of this habitat is threatened. Louisiana has already lost 1.2 million acres of coastal wetlands, and another one-half million acre loss is projected by 2050,” Dew said.
Large areas of wetlands along the Louisiana Gulf Coast have been lost to subsidence, altered hydrology and saltwater intrusion. The overall health of the coastal marshes and the benefits they provide to the wildlife and people that depend on them are in jeopardy.
To help the coastal wetlands continue to fulfill their role, project partners will restore estuarine intertidal marsh by constructing levees and installing water control structures to manage water and salinity levels.
Greater than 75 percent of the North American gadwall population and substantial proportions of northern pintail, American wigeon, blue-winged teal, green-winged teal and lesser scaup populations annually overwinter in the marshes and flooded agricultural fields along the Louisiana and Texas Gulf Coasts. Consequently, top priority has been placed on conservation of winter and migration habitat in this region.
“Like all of our projects, the partners involved in the Gulf Coast wetlands enhancement project make it all possible,” Dew said.
Ducks Unlimited partnered with BP America, Louisiana Department of Natural Resources and USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service on this project.
“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. “It’s important that we work together to restore America’s Wetland. We are glad to partner with Ducks Unlimited on this project.”
In Washington, D.C., Ducks Unlimited’s governmental affairs staff works with Congress to raise support for annual funding of NAWCA. Congressman Charles W. Boustany, Jr. (R-La.) represents Louisiana’s seventh district where this restoration project will occur.
“The importance of restoring our coastline in Louisiana cannot be overstated, and this grant to Ducks Unlimited recognizes their continued commitment to the people of Louisiana, our wildlife, and our way of life,” said Boustany.
Senator Mary Landrieu (D-La.) also supports restoration efforts along the coast. “It is great news for Southwest Louisiana that Ducks Unlimited and its partners combined a federal grant and private dollars for a total of more than $3 million to restore the habitat for migratory birds,” Landrieu said.
“Our wetlands have been disappearing at an alarming rate, and we are working at the federal and state level to restore them. This great news compliments the legislative accomplishments of passing the Water Resources Development Act and last year’s success of finally securing revenue sharing for oil and gas revenues we generate off our coast,” Landrieu said.
“The work of private citizens, like Ducks Unlimited, buttresses these efforts. I have long supported wetlands restoration in Cameron Parish and throughout South Louisiana and will continue to fight for all of Louisiana’s coast,” Landrieu said.
To date, NAWCA has helped fund more than 1,800 wetland projects on 23 million acres in all 50 states, every province of Canada, and areas in Mexico. Thousands of partners, including private landowners, corporations and state governments have worked together to conserve wildlife habitat through NAWCA grants.
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 – natures’ most productive ecosystem – and continues to lose more than 80,000 wetland acres each year.
Contact: Andi Cooper
Regional Biologist- Communications
(601) 206-5463
acooper@ducks.org
For more information on NAWCA, go to http://www.ducks.org/nawca.
For more on DU’s coastal restoration efforts, go to http://www.ducks.org/states/44/news/pub/article1241.html.