Ducks Unlimited (DU) is pleased to announce it has received a grant from Cheniere, the leading producer and exporter of liquefied natural gas in the United States, to support wetland enhancements at the J.D. Murphree Wildlife Management Area near Port Arthur, Texas. This brings Cheniere’s total support for DU projects across coastal Louisiana and Texas to more than $440,000.
“At Cheniere, we are committed to making a positive impact in the communities where we live and work, and our ongoing support of wetland restoration efforts is an extension of that,” said Matt Barr, Cheniere’s Vice President of State Government and Community Affairs. “We are proud to partner with Ducks Unlimited to continue protecting our natural resources, enhancing outdoor recreation opportunities and strengthening community resilience along the Gulf Coast.”
Cheniere’s support began in 2023 with the Tolan Lake Terraces Project at the Rockefeller State Wildlife Refuge in Cameron Parish. The project, which DU recently completed, enhanced more than 323 acres of brackish marsh and protected infrastructure important for managing another 2,000 acres. Terraces help reduce interior marsh loss from the erosive forces of wave action, reduce turbidity, and enhance the production of submerged aquatic vegetation, an important food source for waterfowl as well as an important habitat for invertebrate and fisheries resources.
In Texas, Cheniere has supported two projects to enhance management infrastructure and wetland habitat on the J. D. Murphree Wildlife Management Area. Specific enhancement activities include extensive levee repairs and removing floating marsh, invasive species, and accumulated sediment from interior ditches to improve water flow. The ditches provide a means of managing water levels and vegetation for the benefit of resident and migratory species of waterfowl and other waterbirds. The effort to enhance Compartments 5, 6 and 11 is complete and impacted 2,239 acres of emergent marsh. Beginning in 2027, the effort to enhance Compartments 7-10 will improve habitat in 2,745 acres.
“The coastal marshes and prairies of coastal Texas and Louisiana are arguably the most important waterfowl wintering area in North America,” explained DU’s Director of Foundation Relations Andi Cooper. “Unfortunately, they are also under incredible threat from climate change, relative sea level rise, saltwater intrusion, erosion, and subsidence, in addition to the pressures of development. That’s why we see so much support from corporate partners along the Gulf Coast. They fully understand the same coastal marshes that provide waterfowl habitat also protect nationally important energy infrastructure and local communities.”
These projects are also supported by Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, Enbridge Energy, Sempra, Texan by Nature, TCEQ RESTORE, the North American Wetlands Conservation Act, US Fish and Wildlife Service, and other DU Gulf Coast Initiative Sponsors.
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Ducks Unlimited Inc. is the world's largest nonprofit organization dedicated to conserving North America's continually disappearing wetlands, grasslands and other waterfowl habitats. Established in 1937, Ducks Unlimited has restored or protected more than 20 million acres thanks to contributions from more than a million supporters across the continent. Guided by science, DU’s projects benefit waterfowl, wildlife and people in all 50 states. Learn more at www.ducks.org.
