Posted by National Wildlife Federation

Funding to Support 24 Projects Across Gulf States

(New Orleans – November 15, 2016) Today, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) approved a nearly $370 million investment in 24 Gulf Coast restoration projects. The projects are selected based on their ability to repair damaged areas and reduce the risk of future harm to natural resources affected by the 2010 Gulf oil spill.

Louisiana will receive $245 million of the total funding, with $100 million of that amount dedicated to the engineering and design of two keystone projects in the Mississippi River Delta – the Mid-Barataria and Mid-Breton Sediment Diversions.

In response to this announcement, Vanishing Paradise, a program of National Wildlife Federation, released the following statement:

“Today’s encouraging announcement is another step on the road to recovery for the fish, waterfowl and habitat of the Gulf Coast. This latest project roster from NFWF includes important advancements on many conservation initiatives, including bird and fisheries monitoring, hydrologic restoration and rebuilding coastal wetlands.

“The entire Gulf Coast supports robust commercial and recreational fisheries, and the warm marshes provide wintering or stopover habitat for tens of millions of our nation’s waterfowl during their annual migration. We can’t afford to lose any more of this precious landscape – we must act now to ensure it can be enjoyed by future generations.

“We are especially encouraged that $100 million has been dedicated to two vitally important coastal restoration projects in Louisiana’s Mississippi River Delta, where land is vanishing at the rapid rate of a football field every hour. The Mid-Barataria and Mid-Breton Sediment Diversions are key to reversing Louisiana’s land loss trend, by mimicking the natural land-building processes of the Mississippi River and carrying water and sediment into degraded wetlands to build new habitat where fish and waterfowl can thrive. Diversions are a critical piece of the restoration strategy for Sportsman’s Paradise.

“We look forward to working with both the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and the rest of the Gulf States to make these plans for restoration a reality.”