Hey John,
My name is Julia-Claire Evans, and I’m a communications associate with the National Wildlife Federation. As a native Louisianan, I grew up fishing in the bayous and marshes around Houma and Grand Isle, and I’ve always loved being outside and enjoying Louisiana’s unique and beautiful ecosystem. I’m blessed to have been able to turn that love into a job where I hope to contribute to Louisiana’s coastal restoration in the best way I can.
It’s the most wonderful time of the year – and not just because it’s the holidays! At MRD, we’ve been busy these past few weeks with the Coastal Master Plan community conversations, which we hosted with CPRA in towns across Louisiana’s coast. Next up, the 2023 Coastal Master Plan is set to be released in January, followed by a second round of public hearings. In other news, the Restore America’s Estuaries summit was held in New Orleans this month, and arguably the biggest gift of all is set to be released right before the holidays. Keep reading for more details! |
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- Julia-Claire Evans
Communications Associate
National Wildlife Federation
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Priority Project Spotlights
The Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion Record of Decision (ROD) is set to be released right before the end of the year, marking one of the biggest milestones in Louisiana coastal restoration history. The ROD will be made by the Army Corps of Engineers, and the Corps will consider the Trustee Implementation Group’s Final Restoration Plan, along with the Corps’ FEIS, which was released in September, when deciding whether to permit the project’s advancement. It’s another (very large) step forward for the project, which has been in the works for decades and is projected to have a final price tag of over $2 billion. Read more about it here.
Another milestone project for the coast will take a step forward in the new year – this past summer, the Corps selected the River Reintroduction into Maurepas Swamp project as its preferred mitigation method for the West Shore Lake Pontchartrain Levee project. The Maurepas project has been studied for decades, and its Record of Decision is expected early next year, in January 2023.
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Recent Events
The Restore America’s Estuaries 2022 Coastal & Estuarine Summit was held in New Orleans earlier this month, and attendees representing almost every coastal state in the country descended upon the crescent city to talk all things estuaries, from restoring tidal marshes in Massachusetts to using oyster shells for coastal defense in Louisiana. MRD sponsored two field trips for summit participants, one to the LSU Center for River Studies and the Bonnet Carre Spillway, and one to the Upper Barataria Large Scale Marsh Creation project.
MRD, along with CPRA, has been hosting Coastal Master Plan Community Conversations since early November, and the last of the nine meetings wrapped up about a week ago. The conversations, which took place in nine towns across the coast from St. Bernard to Cameron Parish, allowed community members to learn more about what the 2023 master plan will include, how priority projects are selected and which potential projects will impact their region.
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