Office of Coastal Management
March 1996 
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Louisiana Wetland Plant Producers form Association
The Louisiana Wetland Plant Producers Association, is a new coastal restoration-linked business organization formed in August 1995. With five commercial wetland plant producers operating in the state, and the potential for new business on the rise, this group has joined together to promote quality with a capital "Q." The production and planting of cultured wetland plants is extremely important to the overall coastal restoration effort in Louisiana. Wetland plant producers see the formation of the Association as a positive step in assuring that high standards are maintained and good quality plants are available in adequate quantities.
The association's articles of incorporation list these purposes:
- to safeguard the economic interests and general welfare of the wetland plant producers in the state;
- to develop professional standards, standards of quality and performance, and standards of general practice for Association members;
- to promote legislation providing for proper wetland plant producer practices and development of this industry in Louisiana; and
- to enlighten the public with respect to the wetland plant producing industry in Louisiana.
In promoting these goals, the Association elected to include three classes of memberships:
- Producer Members-a person who has been a licensed nurseryman for at least one year and has at least one years experience in the production of wetland plants;
- General Members-anyone interested in the continued viability of coastal restoration efforts involving vegetative plantings, such as the general public, landowners, business suppliers, policy makers, scientists, researchers, and others; and
- Associate Members-honorary memberships granted to individuals who have supported the efforts and purposes of the Association.
Association officers include Jeff Murphy of Black Lake Marsh, Inc., located in Lake Charles, president; Daniel Broussard of Coastal Plants, located in Abbeville, vice-president; Earl Matherne of Matherne Wildlife Services located in DesAllemands, treasurer; and Pat Murphy of Gulf Coast Nursery Supply located in Hackberry, secretary.
The organizations first annual meeting is scheduled to be held at the LSU Agricultural Center on April 16.
Anyone interested in joining the Association and supporting Louisiana's coastal restoration effort is urged to contact Jeff Murphy, Black Lake Marsh, Inc., 1200 Paris Street, Lake Charles, LA USA 70605, or call (318) 762-4242.
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Oil and Gas Platform Disposal Workshop
Between 100 to 150 offshore oil and gas platforms are being removed (or sunk to serve as artificial reefs) each year from the waters over the federal Outer Continental Shelf (OCS). Thus far, about 900 platforms have been removed and 90 converted to artificial reefs. Over 4,000 platforms in the U.S. and another 3,000 elsewhere in the world will have to be removed or otherwise disposed of within 40 years.
An international workshop sponsored by the Minerals Management Service (MMS) of the U.S. Department of the Interior, which is the principal agency regulating offshore platforms, and the Center for Energy Studies at Louisiana State University will consider the technology, regulation, and environmental impacts of platform removal and disposition at the Doubletree Hotel in New Orleans on April 15-17, 1996.
Allan Pulsipher of LSU s Energy Center, chair of the workshop, says controversy created by the successful effort of Greenpeace and other environmental groups to stop deep ocean disposal, or dumping, of the Brent Spar storage facility in the North Sea and a report critical of MMS policies by the General Accounting Office (GAO) provided the inspiration for selecting the keynote speakers for the workshop.
Ambassador David Colson, who leads the U.S. delegation at negotiations dealing with platform disposal and other oceans issues, will be one keynote speaker. His remarks will be the focus for a panel including Bill Griffin of Phillips Petroleum, the principal oil and gas industry spokesman and Clifton Curtis, the principal advisor to Greenpeace.
The second theme came from a recent GAO study criticizing MMS for not paying enough attention to the environmental effects of platform removals, particularly the effects of explosives on marine life. In response, MMS asked the Marine Board of the National Research Council to assemble a committee of experts to evaluate techniques for removing offshore platforms.
Their study has not yet been released but will be available shortly before the workshop. Reportedly, the study recommends changes in MMS regulations but supports continued use of explosives. F. Pat Dunn, who chaired the Marine Board study, will report as the second keynote speaker at the workshop. Each registrant will receive a copy of the Marine Board study and a panel will discuss it at the workshop.
In addition to the speakers, participants will discuss issues in working groups devoted to abandoning wells, abandoning pipelines, removing facilities, site clearance, planning, management, and maintaining habitat (rigs-to-reefs), and regulation and policy. Their deliberations are intended to help the MMS and others evaluate and deal with offshore platform disposal issues.
For more information, please contact workshop chair Allan Pulsipher at (504) 388-4550. If you would like to register, call 1-800-256-6984.
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CWPPRA Report to Congress and Conservation Update
The Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection, and Restoration Act (Public Law 101-646, Title III--CWPPRA) was enacted and signed into law by President George Bush on November 29, 1990. The Act directed that a Task Force consisting of representatives of five federal agencies (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Department of Interior, and the Department of Commerce) and the State of Louisiana develop a "comprehensive approach to restore and prevent the loss of coastal wetlands in Louisiana." In order to ensure a comprehensive approach, coastal restoration and management activities must address not only past human development and natural degradation processes but also ongoing human development in the coastal zone. CWPPRA meets this challenge by establishing general procedures for selection and implementation of Louisiana coastal restoration projects (Section 303) and conservation planning (Section 304).
Section 303: Priority Louisiana Coastal Wetlands Restoration Projects
By the process of selection of priority list projects and other criteria, Section 303b of the Act directed that a restoration plan, consistent with the Coastal Wetlands Conservation and Restoration Plan, be developed and be submitted to Congress. This restoration plan, entitled "Louisiana Coastal Wetlands Restoration Plan," was submitted to the Congress in accordance with Section 303b in November 1993.
Section 303b, Subsection 7, stipulated further that "Not less than three years after the completion and submission of the restoration plan . . . , the Task Force shall provide a report to the Congress containing a scientific evaluation of the effectiveness of the coastal wetlands restoration projects carried out under the plan in creating, restoring, protecting and enhancing the coastal wetlands in Louisiana." This evaluation document is currently being produced by DENR s Coastal Restoration Division and is tentatively entitled the "CWPPRA Plan Evaluation".
The purpose of the CWPPRA Plan Evaluation is to serve as an extension of the Restoration Plan by discussing the accomplishments of CWPPRA to date and describing how projects selected for CWPPRA priority lists contribute towards larger basin-level restoration objectives. CWPPRA accomplishments that will be discussed in the CWPPRA Plan Evaluation include:
- Selection, design, and construction of coastal restoration projects,
- Development of the Louisiana Coastal Wetlands Restoration Plan,
- Development of the Quality Management Plan for the monitoring and evaluation of restoration projects,
- Feasibility studies for barrier island restoration and Mississippi River sediment, nutrient, and freshwater redistribution, and
- Development of the Coastal Wetlands Conservation Plan.
In a movement towards ecosystem-level planning and evaluation, approved CWPPRA projects from annual priority lists will be described in terms of the restoration objectives to which they contribute (e.g., restore freshwater inputs, barrier islands, etc.). While the specific restoration objectives depend on the hydrologic basin in which projects are located, these will be presented in terms of "critical" and "supporting" restoration objectives for each of the nine coastal hydrologic basins. While critical objectives tend to address "hot spots" of wetland loss and areas critical for hydrologic functions, supporting objectives tend to address areas of less severe or isolated loss. By assessing contributions towards basin-level restoration objectives, DENR will be able to identify those objectives which are not being addressed adequately and use that knowledge to aid in future restoration project selection. The CWPPRA Plan Evaluation will likely be completed by November 1996.
Section 304: Louisiana Coastal Wetlands Conservation Planning
The Louisiana Department of Energy and Natural Resources (DNR) has been designated as the state agency to develop a Coastal Wetlands Conservation Plan (Conservation Plan) under the authority CWPPRA. DENR has been awarded an EPA Assistance Grant and will be the lead agency for the development and submittal of the Conservation Plan to the federal agencies authorized to approve it. These agencies are the U.S. Department of the Army, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
As outlined in CWPPRA Section 304, the goal of the Conservation Plan shall be to achieve "no net loss of wetlands in the coastal areas of Louisiana as a result of developmental activities initiated subsequent to approval of the Conservation Plan," exclusive of any wetlands gains achieved through implementation of restoration projects funded through Section 303. Participation and input by the public and by federal and state agencies will be integral to the success of the Conservation Plan, both in the Conservation Plan development process and in communicating benefits of the Conservation Plan through outreach materials.
The development of a "no net loss due to development activities" conservation plan will change the federal/state cost-share under Section 303 from 25% state/75% federal to 15% state/85% federal. CWPPRA effectiveness, as a whole, depends on a comprehensive conservation and restoration strategy in Louisiana s coastal zone. In fact, a restoration program addressing only natural and past development activities can only be successful if future development activities are also addressed (in this case, by the Conservation Plan). Conservation Plan development will likely be completed about the same time the CWPPRA Plan Evaluation is completed.
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Remote Sensing Workshop Scheduled for April
The 12th annual Louisiana Remote Sensing and Geographic Information Systems Workshop will be held at the Cajundome in Lafayette, April 16-18, 1996. The goals of the workshop are
- to present and discuss current research and operational uses of spatial information systems to enhance the management of coastal and urban resources in the Northern Gulf of Mexico and
- to provide a forum for the exchange of information and ideas.
The workshop is being sponsored by the Department of Energy and Natural Resources along with the National Biological Service, Department of Environmental Quality, the Department of Geography and Anthropology at Louisiana State University, the University of Southwestern Louisiana, the National Marine Fisheries Service, the Mid-South Region and Gulf Coast Chapter of the American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ASPRS), and the Louisiana Chapter of the Urban and Regional Information Systems Association (LAURISA).
Included in the three-day workshop will be paper presentations and an interactive session for posters and vendor exhibits. The Mid-South Region of the ASPRS, LAURISA, and the Louisiana ARC/INFO Users Group will also conduct business meetings at the workshop.
Additional information can be obtained from any of the following persons:
- Bo Blackmon (504) 342-4137
- Joe Holmes (504) 765-0884
- Larry Handley (318) 266-8691 or handleyl@osprey.nwrc.gov
- DeWitt Braud (504) 388-6177
- Nelson May (601) 688-1213
- James Price (601) 688-4859
- Katherine Cargo (504) 733-3770
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Lafitte Coastal Wetlands Workshop
If you want to have a fun day learning about the future of Louisiana s coastal wetlands, join the Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana for its Louisiana Coastal Wetlands Workshop in Lafitte, all day, June 1. You will see first hand what the average person rarely sees the extensive wetlands and waterways of the Barataria Basin and numerous wetland restoration projects that are accessible only by boat, including the largest Christmas tree project in the state. Guest speakers will describe problems affecting our coastline and efforts underway to restore our wetlands. They will discuss how restoration projects affect fisheries, vegetation, and water quality. Local residents and guest speakers will lead tours into surrounding marshes, swamps, and waterways to visit restoration projects, fishing communities, and historical sites. Included are Jean Lafitte National Historical Park & Preserve, the Jefferson Christmas Tree Project, the Town of Jean Lafitte, and a seafood boil and reception at Victoria Inn. The cost is $45.00 and includes lectures, field trips by land and boat, two meals, and entertainment.
To register call UNO Conference Services at (504) 286-6680 or e-mail: confmc@uno.edu. Scholarships are available for qualified adults.
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FROM DENR SECRETARY JACK CALDWELL
These first three months have been hectic, but things are finally beginning to take on a rhythm. Our work here at DENR touches the lives and well-being of each and every citizen of our state and I am truly proud of the opportunity to lead this vital department. I especially want to extend my personal thanks to the OCRM staff members who work so closely with me in focusing on our program strengths and weaknesses. We are setting priorities, moving ahead, and placing particular emphasis on listening to the people in our coastal communities. In the months to come, know that I appreciate you for your cooperation and abilities and moreover your concentration on the initiatives we must pursue. This is an abbreviated list of priorities:
- changing the Trust Fund formula
- pushing cost effective projects
- working closely with local entities
- establishing oyster mitigation rules
- completing the Conservation Plan
- starting the Davis Pond freshwater diversion.
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This public document was published by the Department of Energy and 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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