For Immediate Release: July 21, 2009
Contact: Miki Teer
(225) 342-7307
miki.teer@la.gov

***PLEASE NOTE: The following media advisory was originally sent out by NOAA July 16, 2009***

NOAA and Its Partners Celebrate Six Wetland Restoration Projects in Louisiana

NOAA, along with seven public and private partners, will celebrate completion of six wetland restoration projects along the coast of Louisiana, restoring more than 300 acres of coastal wetlands in areas that were damaged by the hurricanes in recent years. The celebration will be held in the Jean Lafitte National Park and Barataria Preserve in Lafitte, La.

WHAT: Community celebration, dedication, media event, slide show of restoration projects
and optional boat tour of restored wetland within Jean Lafitte National Park and Barataria Preserve

WHO: Speakers include:
Jerome Zeringue, acting executive director, NOAA Office of Coastal Protection and Restoration
Quenton Dokken, executive director, Gulf of Mexico Foundation
Cheryl Brodnax, project manager, NOAA
Kenneth Bahlinger, project manager, Office of Coastal Protection and Restoration

WHEN: Wed., July 22, 10:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. Central Time

WHERE: Jean Lafitte National Park and Barataria Preserve Education Center, Lafitte, La.

Box lunch will be served after the speaking program and there will be an opportunity for media to interview participants and take a boat tour of the restored wetland.

BACKGROUND: NOAA's partners in the projects are the Louisiana Office of Coastal Protection and Restoration, the Gulf of Mexico Foundation, the Barataria-Terrebonne National Estuary Program, the Avoca Island Duck Club, the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation, Ducks Unlimited, and the Terrebonne Levee and Conservation District.

For more information about Louisiana's ongoing coastal restoration and hurricane protection efforts, please contact Chris Macaluso at 225-342-3968 or by email at chris.macaluso@la.gov.

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The Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority's mandate is to develop, implement and enforce a comprehensive coastal protection and restoration master plan. For the first time in Louisiana's history, this single state authority will integrate coastal restoration and hurricane protection by marshalling the expertise and resources of the Department of Natural Resources, the Department of Transportation and Development, and other state agencies, to speak with one clear voice for the future of Louisiana's coast. Working with federal, state and local political subdivisions, including levee districts, the CPRA will work to establish a safe and sustainable coast that will protect our communities, the nation's critical energy infrastructure, and our bountiful natural resources for generations to come. The CPRA of Louisiana was established by Act 8 of the 1st Extraordinary Session of 2005.