In order to improve hurricane forecasting, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has introduced a new, high tech tool for use in the National Weather Services hurricane forecasting arsenal. This new tool is a high-altitude Gulfstream-IV jet that is expected to improve landfall and intensity forecasts by as much as 20 percent.
This This specially equipped aircraft is the first of its kind in the world and will begin hurricane surveillance operations during this year s hurricane season.
Forecasters will have the ability to obtain atmospheric data at high altitudes where steering currents direct the motion of hurricanes. Data from the jet will supplement the low-and mid-altitude data collected by "hurricane hunter" aircraft used to penetrate hurricanes, thereby giving forecasters a more complete picture of the atmosphere in, over, and around a developing hurricane.
Hurricane prediction models that have been in use by the National Hurricane Center in the Gulf area have reduced errors in 24 landfall forecasts by more than 25 miles in the past three years. The addition of this new Gulfstream-IV jet will improve forecasting accuracy even more.
The Gulfstream-IV will be housed with NOAA s other "hurricane hunter" aircraft at the Aircraft Operations Center (AOC) and flown by pilots of the NOAA Corps, the agency s commissioned service. AOC engineers will be responsible for maintaining and designing modifications for NOAA s aircraft.
The names for this year's storms are: Ana, Bill, Claudette, Danny, Erika, Fabian, Grace, Henri, Isabel, Juan, Kate, Larry, Mindy, Nicholas, Odette, Peter, Rose, Sally, Teresa, Victor, and Wanda.
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Office of Coastal Restoration and Management--Meet the Staff -- Part III
The Field Engineering Section implements coastal restoration projects and ensures that the completed projects are operated and maintained properly.
These coastal restoration projects are funded by either the Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection and Restoration Act (CWPPRA), the state through the Wetland Trust Fund, or both.
The specific tasks accomplished by the Field Engineering Section include project management (construction inspection and oversight) and coordination of post-construction activities (operation and maintenance).
The Section presently has a total of seven personnel working either in the main DNR office or in the two field offices, located in Abbeville and Thibodaux.
Engineering Manager Van Cook works in Baton Rouge and manages engineering activities at the Abbeville and Thibodaux offices. He also serves as a project manager for the Big Island project and other projects. Van holds a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Louisiana Tech University and an M.B.A. from the University of New Orleans. He has worked at DNR for six years and enjoys walking in New Orleans, investing in the stock market, following political events, and playing chess.
Garrett Broussard is an Engineer Supervisor. He manages daily field operations and various coastal restoration projects out of the Abbeville Office. He holds a B.S. in Civil Engineering from the University of Southwestern Louisiana, and has worked at DNR for seven years. Garrett spends much of his spare time chauffeuring his children, but manages to find a little time for golfing and softball.
Stanley Aucoin is a Natural Resource Program Specialist for the Field Engineering Section. He oversees project management and construction inspection. Stanley attended Nicholls State University and enjoys hunting, fishing, and music. He has worked at DNR for three years.
Mel Guidry is a Natural Resource Program Specialist. He is responsible for the management of various projects through the design, construction, operation, and maintenance phases. Mel has 15 years of engineering experience and has worked at DNR for seven years.
Gail Regan is the Office Coordinator, coordinating policies and procedures for office efficiency and maintaining the Abbeville computer network and other equipment. She has worked at DNR for seven years.
Rodney Thibodaux is an Engineer Advanced. He manages various coastal restoration projects, and is the newest member of the Field Engineering Section. Rodney holds a B.S. in Civil Engineering and an M.B.A. from the University of Southwestern Louisiana.
Arthur Long is also an Engineer Advanced. His responsibilities include engineering and construction of wetlands projects and protection of barrier islands. He holds a B.S. in Engineering from the University of Tennessee and took graduate courses in Engineering and Physics at North Carolina State University. Long is a licensed professional engineer and has been with DNR for almost five years. He is married and enjoys flying, reading, and horse ranching.
The Interagency Affairs Branch of the Coastal Management Division includes the Consistency Section, Local Programs Section, and Coastal Nonpoint Pollution Control Program Section.
The Consistency Section is charged with determining whether activities of governmental agencies are consistent with the Louisiana Coastal Resources Program (LCRP). The section is responsible for ensuring that direct federal agency activities and federally-funded, licensed, and/or permitted activities are carried out in a manner consistent with the state s program. Examples of federal projects include offshore oil and gas exploration and development, navigation, channel maintenance, flood control, and freshwater diversion.
The Local Programs/Coastal Nonpoint Section oversees the development and approval of local parish coastal management programs (LCP s) by the state and federal government. Upon development and approval by the state and federal government, the local parish becomes the permitting authority for uses of local concern. Once approved, the LCP Section monitors routine LCP operations and maintains oversight of grants and budgets for LCP operations. Technical assistance and coordination with state and federal agencies is also provided by the section. The state still retains authority over uses of state concern. A total of eight coastal parishes have approved Local Coastal Programs.
The Coastal Nonpoint Pollution Control Program (CNPCP) involves the joint development, by DNR and the Department of Environmental Quality, of a program to reduce pollutants from a wide array of Nonpoint sources that may impact the coastal zone by addressing management measures and problem issues. This program is being developed by CMD staff with input from other agencies, user and producer groups, as well as the public.
Greg DuCote is the Program Manager for CMD s Interagency Affairs Branch. He is responsible for overseeing the three elements of Interagency Affairs. These elements are Local Coastal Programs, Federal Consistency, and the Coastal Nonpoint Pollution Control Program. Greg received his B.A. from the University of Southwestern Louisiana and has done graduate work in Anthropology at LSU. He has worked at DNR for ten years. Greg is married and enjoys fishing, hunting, snow skiing, scuba diving, and golf.
Jeff Harris is a Coastal Resource Coordinator and supervisor of the Consistency Section. Jeff received his B.S. in Geology from the University of Wisconsin in Green Bay and his M.S. in Geologic Oceanography from the University of Rhode Island Graduate School of Oceanography. He is married and likes to fence and read science fiction. Jeff also works with Habitat for Humanity. Jeff has worked at DNR for five years.
Brian Marcks is a Coastal Resource Management Specialist III. He received his B.S. in Education, M.S. in Botany, and his Ph.D. in Botany from the University of Wisconsin. He reviews federal, state, and local government projects for consistency with the Louisiana Coastal Resources Program, including Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) projects, environmental impact statements, and five-year plans. Brian has worked at DNR for 12 years and enjoys fantasy football.
Jon Truxillo is a Coastal Resource Management Specialist II. He received his B.S. in Agribusiness in 1987 and his M.S. in Agricultural Economics in 1993 from LSU. Jon is a Consistency Analyst in the Interagency Affairs Branch. Currently, he is working on the beneficial use of dredged material from major navigation channels. He likes to cook, dance, and play the drums. Jon has worked at DN for over two years.
Phil Pittman is a Coastal Resource Management Coordinator. He received his B.S. and M.S. in Zoology from Southeastern Louisiana University. Phil is responsible for coordinating all aspects of the development and implementation of the Coastal Nonpoint Pollution Control Program and for coordinating and supervising all aspects of the eight approved local coastal management programs. Phil is married and enjoys hunting, fishing, golf, tennis, softball, nature photography, and scuba diving. He has worked at DNR for 20 years.
Ed Britton is a Coastal Resource Management Specialist III. He received his B.A. and M.S. in Geography from the University of Tennessee and his Ph.D. in Geography from LSU. Ed assists the Program Manager and Coordinator for the Local Programs Section and Coastal Nonpoint Pollution Control Program in facilitating the twoway flow of communications between CMD s Local Programs Section, the parishes, and other entities. He has worked at DNR for over three years. Ed is married and enjoys fishing and archery.
Gary Duncan is a Coastal Resource Management Specialist. He received his B.S. in Geology from USL and his M.S. in Geology from Idaho State University. Gary assists the Program Manager and Coordinator in finalizing Coastal Nonpoint Pollution Control Program for approval by the federal government. He also compiles GIS data for use in the Nonpoint program and other interagency affairs programs. Gary is married and has worked at DNR for five years.
Faith Drushel Singh is a Coastal Resource Management Specialist II. She received a B.A. in History and Religious Studies in 1993, and in Physical Geography in 1994 from LSU. She also received her M.S. in Oceanography from LSU in 1996. Faith is presently working on a special project assessing the cumulative and secondary impacts of human activities in the state's Coastal Zone. Faith has recently joined the CMD staff. She is married and enjoys studying the climatology and meteorology of storms generated in the Gulf of Mexico as well as playing guitar and doing needlework.
Linda Pace is the Oil Spill Liaison. She received her B.S. in Physical Geography from LSU and is currently working on her M.S. in Natural Science at LSU. Linda represents CMD during oil spill events in the coastal zone to determine preventative actions to reduce environmental impacts. During these events, Linda also works with other state and federal trustees in performing Natural Resources Damage Assessments (NRDA). Her interests are birding and bicycling.
Vickie Amedee is a Secretary 2. She provides secretarial and clerical support for the division, including completing various types of assignments for all staff. Vickie is married and enjoys spending time with her family, outdoor activities, and reading. She has been with DNR for six years.
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Louisiana's GEMS
Gulf Ecological Management Sites (GEMS) are geographical areas that have special ecological significance to the production of fish, wildlife, and other natural resources or represent unique habitats. Louisiana's GEMS can now be accessed through the Department of Natural Resources (DNR's) Coastal Management Division web site at http://www.dnr.state.la.us/. In south Louisiana, GEMS are beaches, salt domes, wildlife management areas, swamps, cheniers, lakes, bays, and other natural habitat areas.
The GEMS program is an initiative of the Gulf of Mexico Program (GMP) and the five Gulf states that provide a regional framework for ecologically important Gulf habitats. GEM sites have unique values and functions but don t measure in size to such sites as the Barataria-Terrebonne Estuary, reports Greg DuCote, CMD's GEMS coordinator. He said that promoting information exchange and increased public awareness is the program s top objective.
Last year, Gulf states GEMS coordinators and other participants began the strategy for identification of sites having ecological importance to the Gulf of Mexico as a whole. The GEMS database provides the following types of information: geographical area, ecosystem function, geomorphic features, uniqueness of natural community, rare or endangered species, breeding or nursery area, interpretive and economic values, management status, site viability, and other pertinent information.
Public input on the identified sites as well as other possible sites is encouraged, particularly through Internet communications. Louisiana citizens wanting to propose new sites should contact Greg DuCote, the state's GEMS coordinator, at 1-800-267-4019 or e-mail him at gregdu@dnr.state.la.us.
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Celebrating Our Wetlands and Waterways
Louisiana's Second Annual Travel Photo Contest Underway
The focus and theme of this year's Travel Photo Contest sponsored by the state Office of Tourism is Louisiana s water resources. Lt. Gov. Kathleen Blanco of the Department of Culture, Recreation, and Tourism (CRT) and DNR Secretary Jack Caldwell agree that these resources are crucial to the tourism industry and are pleased to join the corporate sponsors in promoting this year s contest theme, "Celebrating Our Wetlands and Waterways".
The contest began May 4 and will run through September 8, 1997. All Louisiana residents are eligible and winners will be announced on November 3, 1997. The Grand Prize is a vacation for two at three Louisiana destination including meals and attractions. Complete rules are printed on the official entry form. Forms may be obtained from all Office of Tourism Welcome Centers, parish libraries, K&B stores, or by calling CRT at 1-800-964-3382.
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This public document was published by the Department of Natural Resources, P.O. Box
44487,
Baton Rouge, Louisiana USA 70804, to inform the public about Coastal Zone
Management
under authority of 16 U.S.C. 1451, et seq., and La. R.S. 49:214.21 et seq.
To subscribe to the paper version of this newsletter, please send your request to
webmaster@dnr.state.la.us.
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