UPDATE: Good news! The RESTORE Council awarded the River Reintroduction into Maurepas Swamp the funding needed for construction. Your comments helped. Read more about it HERE.
The Mississippi River Delta is one of ten watersheds across the Gulf that the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council (RESTORE Council) has chosen to focus on to leverage funds to address critical ecosystem needs in high priority locations. The Council awarded funding for engineering and design for the River Reintroduction into Maurepas Swamp project in 2015. The project is also a priority in the State’s 2017 Coastal Master Plan. It would only make sense for the Council to continue its support of this project so that it may be completed as soon as possible to prevent further land loss, conversion to open water, and rising salinity levels throughout the entire Pontchartrain Basin.
The Council will be voting on projects to include in its Funded Priorities List in early 2020. Prior to this decision, the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA) and RESTORE Council announce a public meeting to present the Council’s Funded Priorities List (FPL 3a). This will be the first in-person Gulf Coast public meeting held during the RESTORE Council’s 32-day public review and comment period on Funded Priorities List (FPL) 3a.
Construction of the River Reintroduction into Maurepas Swamp project could finally be on the horizon with a vote by the Council to include the project in its FPL 3a.
The public review period begins on December 9, 2019 and will conclude at 11:59 pm MST on January 10, 2020. During this time, FPL 3a will be available for public review on the Council’s website at www.restorethegulf.gov.
The two large-scale proposals under consideration in FPL 3a are the River Reintroduction into the Maurepas Swamp in Louisiana, and conservation of critical coastal habitat in the Perdido watershed in Alabama. The proposed FPL 3a will adhere to the FPL development processes committed to by the Council, particularly as they relate to best available science (BAS), public engagement and transparency, and the Council’s recently finalized Planning Framework.
During the Louisiana public meeting, the Council will present an overview of the FPL 3a and request your input to ensure restoration investments fit into the broad vision of the Gulf of Mexico. In addition to RESTORE Council members, staff representatives from the CPRA will be in attendance.
PUBLIC MEETING INFO
December 10, 2019
Center for River Studies, 100 Terrace Ave., Baton Rouge, LA 70802
6:00 pm- 8:00 pm
Advance registration for the Louisiana meeting is not required, but is appreciated. To confirm your attendance, email your first and last name to RestoreCouncil@restorethegulf.
If you cannot make it in person at the public meeting, you can watch it live on Facebook via CPRA’s Facebook page. You can also submit comments to the RESTORE Council through our Action Alert below – it just takes a few clicks and you can send it as is or edit it with your own personal message.
Maurepas Swamp is in dire need of restoration and your support can help move the project along to finally reach construction!
