Chevron will continue its commitment to restoring and enhancing critical wetlands along the Louisiana coast by partnering with Ducks Unlimited (DU) on the latest restoration and enhancement efforts at Bayou Savage Urban National Wildlife Refuge, the second-largest urban refuge in the nation. Chevron has contributed $500,000 in support of the project.

“Chevron is proud to continue our long-standing support of Ducks Unlimited,” said Leah Brown, Corporate Affairs Manager, Chevron Gulf of Mexico. “Since 2013, Chevron has contributed more than $3.5 million in support of DU’s Gulf Coast Initiative in Louisiana. The work not only benefits wetlands and habitats for waterfowl but also helps protect local communities. We thank Ducks Unlimited for their efforts.”

Located in Orleans Parish, just outside of New Orleans, Bayou Savage is considered the largest urban refuge in the United States. Project work will include the installation of three water control structures to improve water management infrastructure and enhance habitat conditions for waterfowl and other wetland-dependent wildlife.

“Bayou Savage Urban NWR contains the only public hunting lands in Orleans Parish. The refuge allows public access for fishing and crabbing year-round, with youth hunting allowed seasonally,” said Cassidy Lejeune, DU director of conservation programs for coastal Louisiana. “Current project work will benefit approximately 7,500 acres of coastal wetland and includes work along the Blind Lagoon Unit, which features a handicapped accessible boardwalk. We are thankful to partners like Chevron who make projects like this possible.”

Louisiana’s coastal wetlands are critical natural resources and an economic driver for the region. The state’s coastal wetlands protect local communities and nationally important energy infrastructure from storm events; provide nursery grounds for fish and shellfish to support a $2.4 billion seafood industry; sustain a $12.2 billion outdoor recreation economy; and provide breeding, migrating and wintering habitat for millions of waterfowl and other birds. With the highest coastal wetland loss rate of any state in the U.S., Louisiana has lost over 1.2 million acres of coastal wetlands and is expected to lose an additional 1.1 million over the next 50 years without restoration.

DU is working diligently to stop wetland loss through partnerships like the one with Chevron to restore and protect coastal wetlands on the Gulf Coast and inland wetlands elsewhere in the state. To date, DU has helped conserve more than 574,000 acres across Louisiana, improving water quality, community resilience and wildlife habitat and growing economic opportunities associated with outdoor recreation.

For more information, visit www.ducks.org, and be sure to follow DU’s Twitter feed – @DucksUnlimited and @DUConserve – to get the most up-to-date news from Ducks Unlimited.

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 16 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. DU is growing its mission through a historic $3 billion Conservation For A Continent capital campaign. Learn more at www.ducks.org.

 

 

Media Contact:

Emily Austin

601-206-5438

eaustin@ducks.org