Breaux Act Newsflash - Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection and Restoration Act Announcements and "Save the Dates"
***********************************************************************Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection and Restoration Act (CWPPRA)
Announcements
& Save the Dates
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CWPPRA Task Force
When: February 13, 2008 9:30:00 AM
Affiliation: CWPPRA
Location: La Dept of Wildlife and Fisheries Louisiana Room 2000 Quail Dr
Baton Rouge, La
Contact Info: Melanie Goodman (504)862-1940 or
Melanie.L.Goodman@mvn02.usace.army.mil
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CWPPRA RPT Region IV
When: February 19, 2008 1:00:00 PM
Affiliation: CWPPRA
Location: Rockefeller Refuge (Camp next to Headquarters Building) Grand
Cheniere, just South of Highway 82
Contact Info: Melanie Goodman (504)862-1940 or
Melanie.L.Goodman@mvn02.usace.army.mil
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CWPPRA RPT Region III
When: February 20, 2008 9:00:00 AM
Affiliation: CWPPRA
Location: Morgan City Auditorium West Concourse 728 Myrtle St. Morgan
City, La
Contact Info: Melanie Goodman (504)862-1940 or
Melanie.L.Goodman@mvn02.usace.army.mil
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CWPPRA RPT Region I & II
When: February 21, 2008 9:00:00 AM
Description: Region 2 at 9 AM / Region 1 at 1 PM
Affiliation: CWPPRA
Location: US Army Corps of Engineers Office 7400 Leake Ave New Orleans, LA
District Assembly Room
Contact Info: Melanie Goodman (504)862-1940 or
Melanie.L.Goodman@mvn02.usace.army.mil
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CWPPRA St Bernard CZM
When: January 23, 2008 5:00:00 PM
Description: St Bernard Parish Coastal Advisory Committee Meeting January
23, 2008 5:00 PM (Last Wednesday of the Month)
Affiliation: St Bernard Parish Government
Location: St Bernard Parish Government Council Trailer (currently),
formerly at Council Chamber 8201 W Judge
Contact Info: Charles Reppel or Shannon Arceneaux 504-278-4303 or
504-278-1584 sarceneaux0625@yahoo.com
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CWPPRA St James CZM
When: January 23, 2008 6:00:00 PM
Description: St. James Coastal Advisory Committee Meeting January 23, 2008
6:00 PM (Last Wednesday of the Month)
Location: St. James Parish Government Convent Courthouse, 2nd Floor,
Council Chambers
Contact Info: Jody Chenier at (225) 562-2262 or jody.chenier@stjamesla.com
Joan Louque 225-562-2286 or Deidra Br
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CWPPRA St Charles CZM
When: January 24, 2008 7:00:00 PM
Description: St Charles Parish Coastal Advisory Committee Meeting January
24, 2008 7:00 PM (Last Thursday of the Month)
Location: St. Charles Parish Government Parish Council Chambers, 15045
River Road, Harahan
Contact Info: Earl Matherne at (985)783-5060 or ematherne@stcharlesgov.net
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CWPPRA Plaquemines CZM
When: January 30, 2008 6:30:00 PM
Description: November 28, 2007 6:30:00 PM
Location: Engineering Conference Room, 106 Avenue G, Bellchase, LA 70037
Contact Info: Albertine Kimble (504)912-5973 or
albertine_kimbel@plaqueminesparish.com
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Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority
Public Hearings
State Fiscal Year 2009 Draft Annual Plan
The Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority of Louisiana (CPRA), will
hold the following public hearings to receive comments and recommendations
from the public and from elected officials on Louisiana's draft "Fiscal
Year 2009 Annual Plan: Integrated Ecosystem Restoration and Hurricane
Protection in Coastal Louisiana":
Wednesday, January 23, 2008 at 3:00pm
Vermilion Parish Library
Abbeville Branch
405 E. Saint Victor Street
Abbeville, LA 70510
Wednesday, January 30, 2008 at 3:00pm
Terrebonne Parish Consolidated Government
Government Tower Building
Council Meeting Room, 2nd Floor
8026 Main Street
Houma, LA 70360
The CPRA will receive written comments and recommendations on the draft
annual plan until March 3, 2008. Written comments should be mailed (to
arrive no later than March 3, 2008) to the following address:
Coastal Protection & Restoration Authority
c/o DNR
P.O. Box 94396
Baton Rouge, LA 70804-9396
If, because of a disability, you require special assistance to
participate, please contact the DNR Secretary, at P.O. Box 94396, Baton
Rouge, LA 70804-9396, or by telephone at (225) 342-2710, at least five
working days prior to the hearing.
Please visit http://lacpra.org for more detailed information and a copy of
the draft Annual Plan or call (225) 342-5175 or (225) 342-5160.
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Jefferson Parish is looking for volunteers, especially those with shallow
draft boats, to assist with placing thousands of Christmas trees into
pre-constructed shoreline fences located in Goose Bayou, east of the town
of Jean Lafitte. Volunteers will meet at 8 a.m. at Cochiara's Marina,
4477 Jean Lafitte Boulevard in Lafitte, Louisiana on the following four
Saturdays:
January 26, 2008
February 9, 2008
Please call the Jefferson Parish Department of Environmental Affairs at
736-6440 to sign up to participate in this hands-on environmental project.
Volunteers must be at least 17 years of age. Volunteers should wear
layered clothing including long pants, long sleeved shirt, and closed toe,
sturdy shoes. Hats and sunscreen are recommended. Gloves, safety glasses
and life vests will be provided. Food and refreshments will be provided
as well.
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Call for Presentations
Deadline Extended to January 29th 2008
The North American Association for Environmental Education has opened the
call for presentations to its 2008 conference in Wichita. There are eight
strands this year:
Art, Culture and Environmental Education
Best Practices for Advancing Environmental Education
Conservation Education
Early Childhood Education
Energy Education
Environmental Justice, Environmental Health, and Climate Change
Food, Agriculture and Environmental Education
Religion, Spirituality and Environmental Education
http://www.naaee.org/conference/2008-conference
Please click on the link above to visit the NAAEE Site where you will find
instructions on how to submit your paper for review.
Please forward this message to all interested parties.
Bridget Chisholm
Conference Manager
North American Association for Environmental Education
2000 P St. NW Suite 540
Washington, DC 20036
540.364.0065 office
703.618.7956 cell
bchisholm@naaee.org
www.naaee.org
Environmental Education on the Prairie Pioneering New Strategies
NAAEE 37th Annual Conference October 15 - 18, 2008 Wichita, Kansas
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Restore America's Estuaries - Conference Program Proposals
Due January 31, 2008
The deadline for the Call for Proposals for Restore America's Estuaries'
4th National Conference on Coastal and Estuarine Habitat Restoration is
quickly approaching!
Download the Call for Dedicated Sessions, Presentations and Posters, or
submit a proposal online, at http://www.program.estuaries.org.
RAE Conference October 11-15, 2008 Providence Rhode Island
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World Wetlands Day
When: February 2, 2008
Description: February 2, 2008 2 February each year is World Wetlands Day.
It marks the date of the adoption of the Convention on Wetlands on 2
February 1971, in the Iranian city of Ramsar on the shores of the Caspian
Sea. Each year since 1997, government agencies, non-governmental
organizations, and groups of citizens at all levels of the community have
taken advantage of the opportunity to undertake actions aimed at raising
public awareness of wetland values and benefits in general and the Ramsar
Convention in particular.
Contact Info: http://www.ramsar.org/wwd/wwd_index.htm
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February 11-15, 2008
2nd USGS Modeling Conference in Perdido Beach Resort in Orange Beach,
Alabama, February 11-15, 2008
The Conference will feature a wide range of modeling research projects
under four themes:
Integrated Landscape Monitoring/Modeling
Global Change
Ecosystem Modeling
Hazards and Risks
Please see the conference website (
http://geology.usgs.gov/modeling2008/index.htm ) for information on
registration and hotel reservations.
The Conference Steering Committee has been working hard to make this the
best modeling conference ever. The agenda includes three busy but
interesting and fun packed days. Perdido Beach Resort provides a focused
setting for participants to meet, network, and work together. We have 32
oral presentations and approximately 80 posters, both from the USGS and
outside agency partners. Mark Myers, USGS Director, will present the
opening remarks and has been invited to participate in the one-day field
trip. The field trip is scheduled for the mid part of the Conference and
the participants will have an opportunity to see first hand the various
modeling efforts and discuss the issues and challenges faced by their
fellow modelers. The field trip venue includes Mississippi Sandhill Crane
National Wildlife Refuge, Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve,
the 5 Rivers Delta Resource Center, and Bon Secour National Wildlife
Refuge.
Linda C. Gundersen
Chief Scientist for Geology
U.S. Geological Survey
MS 911 National Center, Reston, VA 20192
Office: 703-648-6601, Fax: 703-648-6683
Cell: 703-944-8619, lgundersen@usgs.gov
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February 14 - 16, 2008
Louisiana Eagle Expo Returns for Third Year
The Third Annual Eagle Expo will be held in Morgan City, Louisiana on
February 14-16, 2008.
The three-day event will include guided boat tours into Lake Verret, Bayou
Chene, Bayou Black and the Atchafalaya Basin. The Expo will also feature
seminars by wildlife experts, a Friday night dinner hosted by America's
WETLAND and an all-day photography workshop given by CC Lockwood.
Moving into its third successful year, the Eagle Expo is a tribute to the
return of the American Bald Eagle to Louisiana, which was recently removed
from the endangered species list in June 2007. Laws banning the use of
harmful pesticides such as DDT and greater public awareness and education
have increased the bald eagle population throughout Louisiana and the
United States. Currently, there are 284 active nests in Louisiana with a
large concentration in the St. Mary and Terrebonne Parish areas.
For a complete event schedule, costs and a registration form, contact the
Cajun Coast Visitors and Convention Bureau at 985-395-4905.
For More Information:
Carrie Stansbury
985-395-4905
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The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New Orleans District, is continuing its
series of public meetings to discuss environmental compliance efforts, as
discussed in Individual Environmental Reports (IER) and project updates on
the proposed 100-year Hurricane and Storm Damage Reduction System in the
New Orleans metropolitan area. Meetings presentation focus on specific
hurricane protection projects in the sub-basin that the meeting is
located, but Corps staff are glad to discuss any issues concerning the
hurricane protection work that the Corps is investigating in the New
Orleans Metropolitan area.
Meeting Schedule
Open House: 6:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Presentation and Discussion: 7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Feb. 7, 2008 Church at New Orleans, 11700 Chef Menteur Hwy, New Orleans
Meeting presentation will focus on the Industrial Canal (Inner Harbor
Navigation Canal (IER 11) Project. The Corps will also discuss potential
areas from which borrow materials may be obtained (IERs 18, 19, 22, 23,
and 24).
Feb. 26, 2008 St. Paul's Episcopal Church, 6249 Canal Blvd, New Orleans
Meeting presentation will focus on the three Outfall Canal/Permanent Pump
Stations and the lakefront in the Orleans East Bank area (IERs 4 and 5).
The Corps will also discuss potential areas from which borrow materials
may be obtained (IERs 18, 19, 22, 23, and 24).
Feb. 28, 2008 East Bank Regional Library, 4747 W. Napoleon Ave, Metairie
Meeting presentation will focus hurricane levees and floodwalls in St.
Charles Parish (East Bank) and Jefferson Parish (East Bank) (IERs 1, 2,
and 3). The Corps will also discuss potential areas from which borrow
materials may be obtained (IERs 18, 19, 22, 23, and 24).
Mar. 13, 2008 Our Lady of Holy Cross College Moreau Center, 4123
Woodland Dr, New Orleans
Meeting presentation will focus on the project in the Algiers, Harvey and
Hero Canal area (IERs 12 and 13). The Corps will also discuss potential
areas from which borrow materials may be obtained (IERs 18, 19, 22, 23,
and 24).
Contact:
Gib Owen
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Chief, Ecological Planning and Restoration Section
HPS Environmental Coordinator
P.O. Box 60267
New Orleans Louisiana 70160-0267
504 862-1337
mvnenvironmental@usace.army.mil
For more information or to sign up to be on a meeting notification list
please visit the following web site: www.nolaenvironmental.gov.
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Comment period will run from January 11 to February 11, 2008.
Corps releases addendums on government and contractor furnished borrow
material Individual Environmental Reports
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New Orleans District released addendums
to Individual Environmental Report (IER) 18, titled Government Furnished
Borrow Material, and IER 19, titled Pre-Approved Contractor Furnished
Borrow Material, for a 30-day public comment period today. Public
comments on the addendums are due to the Corps by 5 p.m., Feb. 11, 2008.
Today the Corps mailed printed copies of the addendums to parties who
previously indicated their interest in reviewing the documents. The
addendums are also available online at www.nolaenvironmental.gov.
"The addendums address public feedback received during the initial release
of Individual Environmental Reports 18 and 19," said Gib Owen, chief of
the Corps' Ecological Planning and Restoration Section. "IERs 18 and 19
were the first documents to go out for public review as part of the Corps'
alternative arrangements made under the National Environmental Policy
Act."
IERs 18 and 19 discuss earthen clay, also called borrow material, which
will be used to rebuild and complete construction of the Hurricane Storm
Damage and Risk Reduction System in the New Orleans metropolitan area. The
Corps needs more than 100 million cubic yards of borrow to complete 350
miles of earthen levees and floodwalls throughout six parishes.
The public comment period for IER 18 was Oct. 28 - Dec. 4, 2007 and IER
19's public comment period was Nov. 2 - Dec. 7, 2007; however, the Corps
continued to accept comments related to IERs 18 and 19 until a Dec. 10
public meeting held onsite at the Corps' office.
Minor modifications to IERs 18 and 19 coincide with release of the
addendums and are posted on www.nolaenvironmental.gov. Changes include:
Description of the role additional IERs play in the alternative
arrangement NEPA process
Clarification on how the Corps will proceed with locating and
investigating potential borrow source sites
Information regarding selection of potential borrow source sites as it
relates to wetlands, threatened or endangered species, cultural resources,
etc.
Explanation of borrow material specifications
Acknowledgement that there is a data gap as it relates to the discussion
of possibly backfilling borrow areas after excavation. Information will
be discussed in future IERs once it becomes available.
Acknowledgement that there is a data gap as it relates to transportation
of borrow material to construction sites. Information will be discussed in
future IERs once it becomes available.
Alternative arrangements allow the Corps to expedite the environmental
process required of all federally funded projects while fully complying
with the intent of the National Environmental Policy Act.
The Corps encourages the public to provide written comments on addendums
to IERs 18 and 19 by mail, e-mail or by visiting www.nolaenvironmental.gov
at any time throughout the environmental analysis period.
Questions or comments concerning proposed hurricane and storm damage
reduction actions should be addressed to:
Gib Owen, PM-RS
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
P.O. Box 60267
New Orleans, LA 70160-0267
Phone: 504-862-1337
Fax: 504-862-2088
E-mail: mvnenvironmental@usace.army.mil.
or
For more information or to sign up to be on a meeting notification list
please visit the following web site: www.nolaenvironmental.gov.
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February 18-22, 2008
International Erosion Control Association Conference
Description: https://www.ieca.org/conference/annual/aboutec.asp
Location: Coronado Springs Resort Orlando, Fl
Contact Info: https://www.ieca.org/ContactUs/staff.asp
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February 19, 2008
Nominations Sought For Top Conservation Awards
The Louisiana Wildlife Federation (LWF) is now accepting nominations for
the 44th Governor's State Conservation Achievement Awards. The program
recognizes those persons and organizations that make outstanding
contributions to the natural resource welfare and environmental quality of
the community, parish and state. There are eight award categories for
which nominations can be made. They are: professional; volunteer;
business; educator; youth; elected official; communications and
organization.
Nominations are now open and will be accepted until February 19, 2008. The
awards will be presented on March 15 at a special banquet held in
conjunction with the 69th annual convention of the Louisiana Wildlife
Federation at the Holiday Inn in New Iberia. An awards program brochure
with nomination form is available by contacting the LWF office
(225/344-6707) or can be downloaded from the LWF's website:
www.lawildlifefed.org.
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SAVE THE DATES!
43rd BTNEP Management Conference
March 6, 2008
Thursday
The date for the 43rd MC Meeting has been changed to Thursday, March 6,
2008, at 9am in the Multipurpose Room, Ellender Memorial Library, NSU
Campus.
Sandra Helmuth
www.btnep.org
1-800-259-0869
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SAVE THE DATES!
Coastal Development Strategies Conference
9th Annual Smart Growth Conference
May 5-6, 2008 Historic Saenger Theatre, Biloxi, MS
The conference will address sustainable development for the Mississippi
Gulf Coast. The Mississippi Department of Marine Resources' Office of
Coastal Management and Planning and partner, the Mississippi Gulf Coast
Chamber of Commerce, are proud to host this 9th annual regional event. A
variety of topics, strategies and tools will be presented as possible
solutions to build sustainable communities, spur economic development and
improve the quality of life in southern Mississippi.
For information contact:
Mississippi Department of Marine Resources Office of Coastal Management &
Planning
Tina Shumate
(228) 523-4122
tina.shumate@dmr.ms.gov
Leslie Young
(228) 523-4123
leslie.young@dmr.ms.gov
Susan Perkins
(228) 523-4124
susan.perkins@dmr.ms.gov
Mississippi Gulf Coast Chamber of Commerce
Katie Sandoz
(228) 604-0014
KatieS@mscoastchamber.com
Register Early!
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SAVE THE DATES!
12th Annual Save Our Lake & Coast Fishing Rodeo
May 17 & 18, 2008
19th Annual Back to the Beach Festival
May 30, 31 & June 1, 2008
http://www.saveourlake.org/
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Please share the Breaux Act / CWPPRA Newsflash with others. Events may
include but are not limited to: Coastal Advisory Committee meetings,
volunteer opportunities, Governor's Advisory Commission meetings,other
meetings, conferences, workshops, symposiums and related wetland
activities. Contact heidi_hitter@usgs.gov to post CWPPRA Newsflash
announcements. CWPPRA Newsflash has 2,000 subscribers
CWPPRA Electronic Newsflash Archive -
http://www.lacoast.gov/news/newsletter.htm
WaterMarks Library - http://www.lacoast.gov/watermarks/index.htm
Calendar of Events - http://www.lacoast.gov/news/calendar/
If you would like to receive WaterMarks magazine, please email your
physical address to Heidi_Hitter@usgs.gov
If you have moved, please send a current address to heidi_hitter@usgs.gov
WaterMarks will not be forwarded by the post office.
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