LA. CPRA Awards Ducks Unlimited $1.78 Million For Restoration Project
Conservation and Restoration Partnership Funds Awarded.
LAFAYETTE, Lou. –-(AmmoLand.com)- Louisiana’s Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority announced the selection of projects to receive funds from the Conservation and Restoration Partnership at their March 17 meeting. Ducks Unlimited received $1.78 million for the Calcasieu-Sabine Watershed Project.
“The CPRA is familiar with Ducks Unlimited and our efforts to conserve coastal habitats in Louisiana,” Ducks Unlimited Manager of Conservation Programs Bob Dew said. “We have partnered with many organizations to conserve over 90,000 acres along the Louisiana coast. This is the most important wintering area for waterfowl in the country, and Ducks Unlimited will continue to work to ensure it remains for future generations of waterfowl and waterfowl hunters.”
The CPRA divided $3.3 million among six projects selected from 21 applications. Projects were selected based on several criteria including consistency with the objectives of the State Master Plan, acreage conserved, and matching funds. Ducks Unlimited and partners will provide $195,000 in cash and in-kind services in addition to leveraging all non-federal funds to secure at least $1 million in North American Wetland Conservation Act funds.
The Calcasieu-Sabine project consists of two components. The first is to restore the natural hydrologic flow of First Bayou, situated north of Holly Beach. First Bayou provides drainage for more than 3,000 acres of marsh along Highway 27. The project will reroute excess water through First Bayou and into Mud Lake which will reduce highway and street flooding in area communities.
The second component of the project is to construct 105,000 linear feet of marsh terraces near Gum Cove in Cameron and Calcasieu Parishes. Area marshes have degraded over time due to saltwater intrusion. Terraces improve water quality, reduce wave-fetch and improve conditions suitable for plant growth which in turn reduces shoreline erosion. This component of the project will enhance approximately 1,200 acres of marsh and help restore habitats for commercial and recreational activities throughout the region.
“Ducks Unlimited is extremely pleased the CPRA included funding for restoration partnerships in its annual plan,” Ducks Unlimited Director of Public Policy for Coastal Louisiana Jennifer Grand said. “These types of partnerships are vital to restoring coastal Louisiana. We thank Governor Jindal for his continued support of the Louisiana coast and look forward to more partnership opportunities with the state in the future”
Partners on the Calcasieu-Sabine project include Ducks Unlimited, Irene W. and C. B. Pennington Foundation, the Office of Coastal Protection and Restoration, Apache Corporation and a private landowner.
Ducks Unlimited is the world’s largest non-profit organization dedicated to conserving North America’s continually disappearing waterfowl habitats. Established in 1937, Ducks Unlimited has conserved more than 12 million acres thanks to contributions from more than a million supporters across the continent. Guided by science and dedicated to program efficiency, DU works toward the vision of wetlands sufficient to fill the skies with waterfowl today, tomorrow, and forever.