Coastal and Estuarine Land Conservation Program

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) established the Coastal and Estuarine Land Conservation Program (CELCP) in 2002 to protect coastal and estuarine lands considered important for their ecological, conservation, recreational, historical or aesthetic values. The program provides state and local governments with matching funds to purchase significant coastal and estuarine lands, or conservation easements on such lands, from willing sellers. Lands or conservation easements acquired with CELCP funds are protected in perpetuity so that they may be enjoyed by future generations. There is more information available on CELCP at NOAA’s website at http://coastalmanagement.noaa.gov/land/welcome.html.

The CELCP guidelines outline the criteria and process for states to nominate land conservation projects to a national competitive process.  The program is coordinated at the state level through each state’s CELCP lead within the state’s lead coastal management agency.

The Louisiana Department of Natural Resources, Interagency Affairs/Compliance Division is the state lead coastal management agency.  As required by the federal Department of Commerce, Justice, and State Appropriations Act of 2002 (Public Law 107-77), the state CELCP plan’s purpose is “the protection of important coastal and estuarine areas that have significant conservation, recreation, ecological, historical, or aesthetic values, or that are threatened by conversion from their natural or recreational state to other uses, and will give priority to lands which can be effectively managed, protected, and that have significant ecological value.”

Program Guidlines

**DRAFT** Louisiana Coastal and Estuarine Land Conservation Program (CELCP) Plan

NOAA CELCP Guidelines

CELCP Request For Proposals (RFP)

Current Louisiana RFP information

Projects Pending NOAA Approval

NOAA’s Funding Opportunities Webpage

Approved CELCP Projects

Projects Approved By NOAA