The national oceanic and atmospheric administration is providing $6,000,000 in federal funding to the louisiana department of wildlife and fisheries through the FY2024 and FY2025 coastal zone…

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration awarded the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries a $12 million Cooperative Agreement on October 1, 2025, under the Coastal Zone Management Habitat Protection and Restoration Grant Competition (CFDA 11.473). The funding supports fee-simple acquisition and permanent protection of approximately 3,330 acres of critical coastal habitat in Cameron Parish, Louisiana, directly adjacent to the Rockefeller Wildlife Refuge. The project aims to reduce coastal flood risks, conserve critical ecosystems, preserve habitats for coastal resources, and expand public recreational opportunities through increased public lands. Performance extends through September 30, 2026, with administrative oversight at Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The Office for Coastal Management program funds competitive and non-competitive grants to coastal communities for habitat protection, flood risk reduction, and ecosystem resilience strategies grounded in science-based solutions.

The national oceanic and atmospheric administration is providing $6,000,000 in federal funding to the louisiana department of wildlife and fisheries through the FY2024 and FY2025 coastal zone management habitat protection and restoration grant competition. This funding will increase the safety and productivity of coastal communities within coastal counties through habitat restoration planning, engineering and design projects, habitat restoration implementation projects, and land conservation projects. Specifically, the louisiana department of wildlife and fisheries will use these funds to permanently protect, through fee-simple acquisition, approximately 3,330 acres of critical coastal habitat in cameron parish, louisiana directly adjacent to the rockefeller wildlife refuge. The goal of this project is to protect lands of high ecological value for continued restoration management and long-term sustainability of the louisiana coast. The preservation of these coastal lands will reduce coastal flood risks, conserve critical ecosystems and preserve habitats for a variety of coastal resources, as well as provide much needed public recreational opportunities through the expansion of public lands.