LAFAYETTE, La. December 8, 2008 - Governor Bobby Jindal announced appointments to the Governor's Advisory Commission on Coastal Protection, Restoration and Conservation including Ken Babcock, the senior director of conservation for Ducks Unlimited, Inc. He will serve as one of the two representatives from the conservation community.

“This is an important position for DU and clearly recognizes the amount of effort and emphasis DU commits to this important landscape,” Babcock said. DU committed $15 million to restore wetlands in coastal Louisiana through its ongoing Wetlands for Tomorrow campaign.

Ducks Unlimited has a 71-year history of wetland restoration continent-wide. It began focusing on coastal restoration in Louisiana in 1985 and has enhanced nearly 60,000 acres of coastal habitats in the state since that time. DU’s coastal projects not only benefit wildlife, but also improve water quality and lessen the impact of hurricanes.

“Historically, the Gulf Coast has wintered upwards of 13 million ducks and 1.5 million geese. That is why this area is among DU’s highest priorities,” said Babcock.

Today, natural and human-induced changes have severely compromised the region’s ability to support valuable seafood, oil and natural gas industries and decreased the area’s ability to withstand storm surges and other hurricane-related damage. Louisiana alone has lost over one million acres of coastal wetlands that were among the most productive in North America. Coastal marsh loss also jeopardizes habitat for waterfowl and other wildlife.

“This is not a local problem,” Babcock said. “The area is vital for waterfowl, other wildlife and people continent-wide. Without quality habitat on the wintering grounds, waterfowl returning to the prairies to breed won’t have the resources required for success. Migratory songbirds depend on the coastal marshes for rest and refueling before and after crossing the Gulf of Mexico. Similarly, the seafood and energy industries that serve people nation-wide depend on the health of the coastal marshes.”

Because of that far-reaching value and the scale of the problem, DU pushes important public policy efforts, builds and maintains diverse partnerships, and continually strives to increase awareness of the significance of the Louisiana coast to people nation-wide, all in addition to on-the-ground conservation work.

“Sitting on the Governor’s Advisory Commission is one more opportunity for DU to put our wetland conservation expertise to use in the effort to stem the tide of coastal wetland loss, and I am honored to represent DU in such a way” Babcock said. “DU appreciates Governor Jindal’s leadership on the coastal restoration problem, and we look forward to working with him and the rest of the Advisory Commission on this important issue.”

The Governor's Advisory Commission on Coastal Protection, Restoration and Conservation serves to advise the governor on the status of Louisiana's coastal protection and restoration program. Additionally, the commission strives to foster cooperation between federal, state and local agencies, conservation organizations and the private sector relative to coastal protection and restoration activities.

With more than a million supporters, Ducks Unlimited is the world’s largest and most effective wetland and waterfowl conservation organization with more than 12 million acres conserved. In Louisiana alone, one million acres of coastal marsh have disappeared in the last half-century, and an additional 500,000 acres are projected to be lost by 2050. This loss continues at an incredible rate. An area the size of a football field is lost every 38 minutes totaling 25-30 square miles each year!

Andi Cooper      601-206-5463      acooper@ducks.org