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April 2015

The Conveyance Online
Restore or Retreat's E-newsletter
Restore or Retreat Executive Committee

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

Restore or Retreat 2014 Report
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!!


CPRA Viewer Now Available Online- Check It Out!
ROR Visits Barataria for Oil Spill Anniversary
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.

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.

 



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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