Section 320 of the clean water act (CWA) authorizes the administrator of the environmental protection agency (EPA) to convene management conferences to develop comprehensive conservation and…

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) awarded a $1,700,000 Project Grant under the National Estuary Program (CFDA 66.456) to the Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium (LUMCON) to support implementation of the Barataria-Terrebonne National Estuary Program's (BTNEP) Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan. The grant will fund a range of activities, including: engaging students in citizen science through purple martin conservation; surveying for freshwater mussels in Plaquemines Parish; piloting vertical oyster gardening with recycled shells; removing nutria excluder devices from a national park; hosting a folklife village event; providing coastal awareness training for teachers; producing biodegradable plant pots from invasive water hyacinth; treating invasive species in a forested wetland; and mapping hypoxic zones in Barataria Bay. Additionally, the grant will support creation of BTNEP's 2025 Indicator Report to assess the overall health of the Barataria-Terrebonne Estuary. The grant period runs from October 1, 2024 to October 31, 2028.

Section 320 of the clean water act (CWA) authorizes the administrator of the environmental protection agency (EPA) to convene management conferences to develop comprehensive conservation and management plans for estuaries of national significance that are threatened by pollution, development, or overuse. The agreement provides funding to louisiana universities marine consortium (lumcon) for the barataria-terrebonne national estuary program (btnep) to support implementation of the national estuary program (NEP) comprehensive conservation and management plan (ccmp) and EPA strategic plan goal 5: ensure clean and safe water for all communities and objective 5.2: - protect and restore waterbodies and watersheds to improve the water quality, protect the natural habitat and living resources, and support sustainable human uses in the estuary. Activities:the projects included will support activities that address the key challenges facing the estuary including assessing trends in water quality, habitats, natural resources and uses; coordinating implementation of the ccmp by the NEP, along with the state, federal, local agencies, stakeholders, non governmental organizations (NGO), citizens, partners, and others; and monitoring the effectiveness of activities conducted under the management conference approved ccmp and annual workplan. The following projects will be conducted under this workplan: -engaging primary and secondary students in citizen science through purple martin conservation – educate school personnel and students by introducing purple martin biology, identification, attraction, management, and protection of this avian population. -survey for freshwater mussels (order unionida) in plaquemines parish, louisiana – conduct a land-based reconnaissance survey and active sampling of potential freshwater mussel habitats in western plaquemines parish to assess which species occur in which parts of plaquemines parish. -vertical oyster gardening with recycled oyster shells pilot – construct and distribute 250 vertical oyster gardens (VOG) in barataria-terrebonne estuary system (btes) to recruit new oyster growth. -nutria excluder device removal at jean lafitte national historic park-- remove up to 7,000 plastic nutria excluder devices, also known as tree protectors, from successful restoration tree plantings that occurred up to 15 years ago in jean lafitte national historic park. -rougarou fest folklife village-- provide a space for cultural exchange and education in order to foster a deeper understanding and appreciation of local traditions connected to the barataria terrebonne national estuary. -wetshop 2025--increase awareness of louisiana's wetland values, coastal issues, and history among teachers and their students through place-based lessons by conducting coastal awareness teacher training. -cynthia fiber for biodegradable plant pots – remove invasive water hyacinth (pontederia crassipes) from local waterways and use IT for the production of biodegradable plant pots. -invasive species treatment in a forested wetland – conduct herbicide treatment on the 650-acres of woodlands preserve to enhance habitat for wildlife and migratory birds. -mapping hypoxic zones in barataria BAY from 2001 to 2020--map hypoxic conditions in barataria BAY by conducting three-dimensional computer simulations of hydrodynamics (temperature, salinity, currents) and biogeochemistry (oxygen nutrients, functional plankton groups, non-living organic matters) for the BAY. -2025 btnep indicator report – create the fourth updated volume of a report using a suite of environmental and socioeconomic indicators to represent the overall health of the btes and, in certain instances, the effect of restoration and enhancement efforts by btnep and its partners. Subrecipient:the following are the activities that will be implemented through subawards: -engaging primary and secondary students in citizen science through purple martin c