Sidney Coffee, chair of the Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority, will present the state's comprehensive coastal master plan in a panel discussion at the Woodrow Wilson Center located at 1300 Pennsylvania Ave. NW in Washington D.C. on Wednesday, Dec. 5 at 9:00 a.m.

Coffee will be joined by America's WETLAND Foundation Chairman and fellow CPRA member, R. King Milling; LSU Oceanography and Coastal Sciences Professor, Dr. Robert Twilley; and Dr. Donald Boesch, president of the University of Maryland's Center for Environmental Science.

The presentation, entitled: "The Convergence of Science and Engineering for Sustaining Coastal Landscapes - Case Study: Louisiana's Comprehensive Master Plan for a Sustainable Coast", is designed to bring together national policy makers, environmental organizations, scientists, engineers and others concerned with the restoration and protection of Louisiana's imperiled coastal wetlands and communities. Members of the Louisiana Congressional Delegation have been invited to attend as well. Those in attendance will be given the opportunity to ask questions regarding Louisiana's coastal restoration and protection efforts.

"Any time we can present our case in such a respected forum, it increases our ability to further our efforts with greater national understanding," Coffee said. "Many of those attending this discussion will be critical voices as Louisiana continues its progress in restoring its coastal landscape and preserving its values, so vital to the rest of the nation."

During the panel discussion, Milling will deliver an overview of the problems facing Louisiana's nationally vital, but rapidly eroding, coastal wetlands and some of the potential obstacles facing the state in its large-scale restoration and protection efforts.

Coffee will discuss some of the solutions addressed in the master plan, as well as steps being taken by Louisiana to forward the plan's implementation.

Dr. Twilley will discuss the extensive scientific and engineering review of the plan, as well as the many technical challenges facing its implementation, while Dr. Boesch will present the merits of the plan from a scientific, outside point of view.

Entitled: "Integrated Ecosystem Restoration and Hurricane Protection: Louisiana's Comprehensive Master Plan for a Sustainable Coast," the CPRA's Comprehensive Master Plan was unanimously approved by the State Legislature in May of 2007. The Master Plan is the first plan in Louisiana's history designed to fully integrate the protection of coastal assets and infrastructure with the restoration of the state's rapidly eroding coastal wetlands. It was written by the CPRA's Integrated Planning Team after more than one year of public input and review. The plan uses the best coastal science and engineering practices as a basis for its projects and recommendations. An independent team of coastal scientists and engineers reviewed the plan extensively before it was approved by the Louisiana Legislature.

Established in 1968 by Congress as a memorial to the former president, the Woodrow Wilson Center's main objective is to bridge the gap between ideas and policy in a non-partisan arena and foster an open dialogue between members of the scientific community and the Legislative and Executive Branches. Please log on to www.wilsoncenter.org for more information.

For more information about Wednesday's forum or the CPRA, please contact Chris Macaluso in the Louisiana Governor's Office of Coastal Activities at (225) 342-3968 or by email at chris.macaluso@la.gov or log on to www.lacpra.org


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.