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Mike Plaisance, President
Plaisance Dragline and Dredging
Ted Falgout, VP
Ted M. Falgout and Associates
Robert Naquin, Treasurer
Century 21
Henri Boulet, Secretary
LA 1 Coalition
Tim Allen
Apache Louisiana Minerals
Charlotte Bollinger
Bollinger Shipyards
Berwick Duval
Duval, Funderburk, Sundbery, Lovell and Watkins
Dr. John J. Jones, Jr.
Jones Dermatology
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ROR's 2014 Annual Report is now available online, and will be arriving in mailboxes soon! Check out what we were up to last year!!
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CPRA Viewer Now Available Online- Check It Out!
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The Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA) has recently launched a new "Flood Risk and Resilience Viewer" which displays information on coastal land change, flood risk, and impacts to communities. This innovative online-tool provides residents with access to the state's best information about how Louisiana's coast may change in the future, as well as resources to make communities and properties safer. Basically, it is an interactive State Master Plan!
The viewer uses data that was produced for the 2012 Coastal Master Plan and shows land loss and flood risk across the coast for the current day as well as 50 years into the future. Also displayed are the 2012 Coastal Master Plan protection and restoration projects that provide land building and risk reduction benefits across the coast. This information can be used by state agencies, coastal stakeholders, and community advocates in coastal planning and hazard mitigation efforts. In addition, a variety of resources are provided to enable homeowners and business owners to take steps towards reducing their flood risk.
To learn more and explore the viewer, click here.
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ROR Visits Barataria for Oil Spill Anniversary
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ROR joined our NGO partners from the National Wildlife Federation, Environmental Defense Fund, Audubon, and others for a five-year oil spill anniversary field trip for press, which included nine boats, NGO experts and media from across the state region and country.
Press included outlets from National Geographic, Associated Press, Al Jazeera America, Al Jazeera English, Houston Chronicle, Times Picayune, The Baton Rouge Advocate, Nola TV stations WWL & WVUE, radio station WWNO, Baton Rouge NBC affiliate, Houma Courier & Channel One. ROR was featured in stories on Fox 8 and later in a story with the International Business Times. The goal was to give access to the places affected the most by the 2012 disaster.
The group first stopped on Grand Terre, where a 25,000 lb tar mat was recently discovered. The group then headed to Cat Island, an iconic image from the oil spill, which on that day was only the home to a lone pair of nesting birds. The group then visited the Lake Hermitage Marsh Creation project, a post-spill project that re-created wetlands and reduces tidal exchange in surrounding marshes by using material dredged from the Mississippi River.
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ROR Annual Meeting features Congressman Graves and
CPRA Chair Kline
The annual gathering of stakeholders and supporters of Restore or Retreat featured the newly elected Congressman of Louisiana's 6th District, Garret Graves. Graves was also the former Chair of State's Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority and Governor's Assistant on Coastal Activities.
Congressman Graves was introduced by the current CPRA Chair, Chip Kline, who worked directly under Graves since the start of the office. Both recognized ROR's contribution to the region through advocacy efforts, and highlighted the State's tremendous accomplishments in restoring and protecting coastal Louisiana, but also cautioned much work remained.
"We were honored to have Congressman Graves deliver the keynote address at our annual membership meeting," said Simone Maloz, Executive Director. "And to have CPRA Chairman Kline participate was a huge bonus as well. Here are two coastal leaders who have elevated Louisiana's coastal program, and we look forward to working with them both more in the future to secure the commitment to restore and protect our irreplaceable region."
Click here for a link to the Courier article and here for a link to the Houma Times article. |
ROR to participate in Give NOLA for the Bayou Region on May 5
This is the second year for the event which is part of a national day of giving called Give Local America.
 What is GiveNOLA Day?
Hosted on Tuesday, May 5th by the Greater New Orleans Foundation, GiveNOLA Day is the community's one-day, online giving event to inspire people to give generously to the nonprofit organizations that make our region a stronger and more thriving community for all. #GiveBayou is the Bayou Region portion of the event, supported by the Bayou Community Foundation, and has 40 organizations working in Terrebonne, Lafourche, and Grand Isle participating.
How does it work?
Every dollar donated online from midnight to midnight on May 5th will be increased with additional "lagniappe" dollars provided by the Greater New Orleans Foundation and generous GiveNOLA Day sponsors. Last year, GNOF raised $2.25 million dollars from 19,000+ donors around the nation.
How can I participate?
Everybody can participate on GiveNOLA Day! Individuals can make online donations to participating nonprofits. The minimum donation is $10. All donations made on May 5th give your favorite nonprofit the opportunity to earn lagniappe dollars, awards, and hourly prizes. Money is awarded directly to the organization, and donations are tax-deductible! Terrebonne and Lafourche are also hosting lunchtime giving events hosted by the Lafourche and Terrebonne Parish Governments, where you can donate in person and pick up a great lunch for $5. Click here for more information.
Click here to check out more about the day of giving, and here for ROR's own page where you can donate directly! We hope you will consider participating in this great event! |
ROR Visits Maurepas with CPRA and RESTORE Staff
The field trip was held in conjunction with a meeting of the Diversion Subcommittee of the Governor's Advisory Commission.
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| | A cabin sits along the banks of Blind River, a proposed track of the Maurepas Diversion. |
Representatives from Restore or Retreat, the Diversion Subcommittee, CPRA leadership and RESTORE Council staff attended a field trip to the Maurepas area to view the project area proposed as a RESTORE Council project for the State of Louisiana.
Restore or Retreat planned the field trip along with Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation, and the trip followed a meeting of the Diversion Subcommittee of the Governor's Advisory Commission.
The Diversion Subcommittee was re-established to support the State's efforts to effectively implement freshwater and sediment diversions that are an integral part of the State's Master Plan. Through several meetings, the group has received updates, disseminated information, and identified informational and scientific needs related to the diversions included in the Plan. Click here for a link to a calendar of future meetings. At the Diversion Subcommittee meeting, ROR Executive Director was named co-chair of the committee, and Karen Gautreaux of the Nature Conservancy was named chair.
According to our friends at Louisiana Wildlife Federation, the River Reintroduction into Maurepas Swamp project, also known as the Maurepas diversion or the West Maurepas Diversion (and associated with Hope Canal early in its history), is designed to restore systems and processes that served the swamp before levees restrained the Mississippi River. The project has a long history in coastal restoration planning, starting with the The Louisiana Coastal Restoration Plan in 1993, the Louisiana Coast 2050 report in 1998, the Mississippi River Sediment, Nutrient and Freshwater Diversion Study in 1999, and both Coastal Master Plans in 2007 and 2012.
The Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA) has submitted Maurepas as one of their five projects to the RESTORE Council (Council) for RESTORE Act "bucket 2" money. Each council member can propose five projects for consideration by November 17th. Bucket 2 is dedicated for ecosystem restoration, and is the only bucket of RESTORE Act money (of which there are five), that the Council itself will decide how the money is spent. 
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| We are grateful for our supporters who allow us to continue working daily on saving this irreplaceable region!
Sincerely,
Simone Maloz
Executive Director
John Lombardo
Outreach Coordinator
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Quick Links
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ROR is now on Facebook and Twitter-
Today!
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