Louisiana’s Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA) broke ground on August 10, 2023 on the Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion project at Mississippi River Mile 60.7 in Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana. Representatives of many state and federal agencies, non-profits, and the surrounding communities attended the kick-off of this important restoration and land-building project.
Confined to a tidal pond system near Grand Isle, Louisiana for more than a year, a mother dolphin and her calf were successfully relocated to open water in mid-June by Louisiana Marine Mammal Stranding Network and partners.
The Deepwater Horizon Louisiana Trustee Implementation Group has approved seven new Monitoring and Adaptive Management Activities Implementation Plans (MAIPs).
Of the seven, five of the MAIPs will center on data collection. All of the activities address needs that were identified in the Louisiana Trustees’ Monitoring and Adaptive Monitoring (MAM) Strategy, published in 2021. The goal of monitoring and adaptive management is to maximize benefits to the natural resources targeted for restoration, and report on the outcomes of restoration actions.
The budget for the seven activities totals
Louisiana’s coastal areas are a mosaic of habitats that support regionally, nationally, and in some cases, globally important populations of migratory and resident bird species such as brown pelicans, tricolored herons, clapper rails, and Wilson’s plover.
One of Louisiana’s largest wetland restoration projects to date is ahead of schedule, and is on track to be completed months earlier than anticipated.
The Louisiana Trustee Implementation Group, the agencies charged with restoring Louisiana’s natural resources after the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill, has approved $2.26 billion in funding for the Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion project. The implementing partner, the Louisiana Coastal Restoration and Protection Authority (CPRA), will use the funding to construct a large-scale sediment diversion to reconnect the Mississippi River to Louisiana's Barataria Basin estuary.
To make the most of our efforts, we work hard to leverage funding from other sources and strive to engage other restoration partners. For example, the McFaddin Beach and Dune Restoration in eastern Texas funded by Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA), the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation’s Gulf Environmental Benefit Fund, RESTORE, the state, and the county. In addition, there are several projects intended to restore an adjacent salt marsh project funded by the Gulf Environmental Benefit Fund. This collaboration has increased the restoration footprint and reaps far greater
We are restoring resources in multiple locations across the Gulf.
Many of our projects are designed to benefit multiple restoration types.
Today marks ten years since the Deepwater Horizon oil spill occurred. The rig explosion led to the largest marine oil spill in American history and caused the loss of 11 men and injury to 17 others. For months, millions of barrels of oil flowed into the Gulf of Mexico. Many coastal communities were severely impacted. In these trying times, we recognize the human cost of the oil spill, and continue to extend our deepest condolences to those whose loved ones were lost or otherwise injured.
On this day, we, the Deepwater Horizon Natural Resource Damage Assessment Trustees, want to provide an