I am happy to be back again in your inbox to talk all the latest with coastal restoration in Louisiana and in our organization, Restore the Mississippi River Delta. As the Campaign Manager, I am responsible for tracking our work and ensuring we have the right strategies in place to accomplish our goals. Some of the big goals we have this Spring are for the successful passage of the 2023 Coastal Master Plan and the Fiscal Year 2024 Annual Plan in the Louisiana legislature.
This Coastal Master Plan has been in development for six years by CPRA (Coastal Restoration and Protection Agency) and lays out a comprehensive vision for a sustainable future for Louisiana’s coast and communities. Each year, CPRA releases an Annual Plan that outlines their project construction and spending priorities for the upcoming year – the FY’24 plan represents the largest investment the state has made to date at $1.74 billion dollars, with $1.5 billion going directly to construction of projects.
Please read on for ways to support the passage of these plans in the legislature, find out what 92% of Louisiana voters agree on, and to learn about opportunities to connect with us in the coming months!
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With Gratitude for the beauty of Spring in Louisiana!
- Katie Gruzd Daniel
Campaign Manager, Restore the Mississippi River Delta, Environmental Defense Fund
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Coastal Day 2023!
Along with CPRA and Coastbuilders, we are excited to host – and hope you can join us for - the annual Coastal Day at the Louisiana legislature on Monday, April 24th! This annual event during the regular state legislative session provides us the opportunity celebrate successes and bring attention to the ongoing issues and necessary solutions to restore the coast. The day will kick off with a tour of the Center for River Studies, include a briefing with Governor Edwards and other legislators, opportunities to meet with legislators, and end with a crawfish boil! You can read more about the schedule for the day here, and please contact Samantha Carter, Outreach Manager, Gulf Program for National Wildlife Federation at [email protected] for more information.
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Cook-Off For the Coast
The fifth annual Cook-Off for the Coast returned to Docville Farm on March 11th for the first time in three years. The 13 cook teams fed hundreds of attendees while competing in five categories, serving everything from shrimp to duck and raccoon to boar. The free community event helped raise over $15,000 for the Chandeleur Sound Living Shoreline Program, a collaboration between Nunez Community College and Chalmette High School, and the Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana’s Oyster Shell Recycling Program. We look forward to seeing you next year!
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Results Are In: LA Coastal Issues Poll 2023
Some good news that we will be bringing with us to the legislature for Costal Day is that 92% of voters in Louisiana agree that it is important for the state to have a plan to deal with coastal land loss that keeps up with the latest science! The latest coastal issues poll from Global Strategies Group, and independent polling firm shows that support for coastal issues, and key restoration solutions, remains high – consistent with results from previous years. Some of the key findings from the March 2023 phone survey of over 1.400 registered Louisiana voters are below, and you can read more here.
- Voters statewide and on the coast recognize that coastal land loss is having a direct impact and want to see action.
- Support for diversions is robust. Voters across geographies and parties support sediment diversion projects
- Keeping homeowners’ insurance rates affordable is top of mind for voters, as is protecting coastal Louisiana from storm surge and flooding.
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