For Immediate Release: June 3, 2010
Contact: Miki Teer
(225) 342-7303
Contact: Natalie Snider
(225) 303-3567
State of the Coast Conference
Implementing a Sustainable Coast for Louisiana
Baton Rouge River Center, June 8-10, 2010
WHAT:
Over 600 scientists, land owners/managers, federal and state agency personnel, elected officials, industry and business leaders and interested citizens will be attending the State of the Coast conference next week in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA), Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana (CRCL) and US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) will host the State of the Coast conference on June 8-10, 2010 at the Baton Rouge River Center. The mission of the State of the Coast conference is to provide a forum to learn from recent advances in science and engineering as they relate to hurricane protection and ecosystem restoration in coastal Louisiana, to ensure that relevant and current knowledge is applied to existing and future coastal restoration and protection efforts and to effectively inform policy and decision making.
The State of the Coast Conference will consist of three full days of presentations by leading experts in concurrent sessions, panel discussion sessions, keynote speaking opportunities, coastal policy plenary sessions, poster sessions and social networking opportunities. Some of the highlights of the program include:
• Keynote addresses by Chair Nancy Sutley of the White House Council on Environmental Quality and Dr. Larry Robinson, Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
• CEQ Interagency Working Group Panel
Representatives of the Interagency Working Group currently engaged in the Roadmap for Gulf Coast Ecosystem Sustainability and Resiliency discuss current progress and the implications of the BP Oil Spill.
• Adapting Natural and Built Environments to a Changing Climate
This plenary session will discuss projected changes in climate and sea-level and the implications for coastal Louisiana.
• Five Years After the Storms - Are we on the right path?
In response to the storms of 2005, changes were made in the way government is organized to deal with Louisiana's coastal crisis and substantial additional public funds were allocated. Five years later, we will ask whether the changes, on top of all the efforts of the previous two decades, have resulted in a more sustainable coast and if not, are we at least on the right course.
• Special Oil Spill Session
Due to the current crisis on the Louisiana coast, a Special Oil Spill session was added to the agenda to have a science-based, informative and interactive discussion about the BP Oil Spill and its potential impacts on the Louisiana coast.
• Over 100 poster presentations highlighting research efforts in Louisiana.
A full agenda is available at http://www.stateofthecoast.org/agenda.html.
WHO:
Partners: Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA), Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana (CRCL) and US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE)
Platinum Sponsors: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration,
Shaw Environmental & Infrastructure
US Geological Survey
Gold Sponsors: ARCADIS
CH2M Hill
Environmental Protection Agency, Region 6
GEC, Inc.
Lonnie Harper & Associates, Inc.
Louisiana Sea Grant
Natural Resource Conservation Service
Silver Sponsors: Barataria-Terrebonne National Estuary Program
Brown and Caldwell
CDM
Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection and Restoration Act (CWPPRA)
Coast Builders Coalition
Conoco Phillips
Ducks Unlimited
Fenstermaker & Associates
HDR
HNTB
Moffatt & Nichol
National Wildlife Federation
PBS&J
Restore or Retreat
T. Baker Smith
URS Corporation
WHEN:
Tuesday, June 8th starting at 7:30 a.m. through Thursday, June 10th ending at 5:25 p.m. For more information on media access, please visit http://www.stateofthecoast.org/press.html.
WHERE:
Baton Rouge River Center, 275 South River Road, Baton Rouge, LA
For more information about Louisiana's ongoing coastal restoration and hurricane protection efforts, please contact Miki Teer at (225) 342-7307 or by e-mail at miki.teer@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.
