This $1,700,000 federal Project Grant award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under the National Estuary Program (CFDA 66.456) will support implementation of the Barataria-Terrebonne National Estuary Program's (BTNEP) Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan (CCMP). Key activities include assessing environmental trends, coordinating CCMP implementation, and monitoring the effectiveness of BTNEP's initiatives.
Specific projects to be conducted under this award include engaging students in citizen science through purple martin conservation, surveying for freshwater mussels, establishing vertical oyster gardens, removing obsolete nutria excluder devices, hosting a folklife festival, training teachers on coastal awareness, using invasive water hyacinth to create biodegradable plant pots, treating invasive species in a forested wetland, and mapping hypoxic zones in Barataria Bay. Several of these projects will be carried out through sub-awards to partners like the University of New Orleans, Friends of South Louisiana Wetlands Discovery Foundation, Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana, and Woodlands Conservancy.