Louisiana

Anthropocene Alliance
Higher Ground: Green Infrastructure for Resilience (multiple states)
Convene six community-based organizations in disaster-prone neighborhoods to engage local partners to train volunteers and teach residents about nature-based practices and install six high visibility projects as a catalyst for broader implementation. Project will reach 600 community members and successes will be shared with peer flood survivors around the country through a network of 48 leaders in 22 states.
$494,758

College of William and Mary
Conserving Whimbrel Across the Western Atlantic Flyway (multiple states, Canada)
Expand on efforts to monitor declining whimbrel populations along the western Atlantic Flyway. Project will update the whimbrel conservation plan with whimbrel working group input, develop an index of reproductive performance and engage partners to establish a monitoring network, expand roost surveys during spring migration to improve protection at key sites, continue building an online shorebird roost registry, and make managers aware of roost locations to facilitate their protection.
$99,374

Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University
GIS Capacity and Training to Support Gulf-Wide Ecosystem Conservation and Restoration (AL, FL, LA, MS, TX)
Provide geographic information system (GIS) expertise and training in support of Gulf-wide ecosystem conservation and restoration programs and projects. Project will develop GIS layers and maps where Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council and Natural Resources Damage Assessment projects have been approved for planning and implementation by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
$300,000

Forest Landowners Association
Restoring Longleaf Pine on Large-Acreage Private Lands (GA, LA, SC)
Establish 1,500 acres of longleaf pine and improve 4,500 acres of existing longleaf forest with prescribed fire on large-acreage private lands in Georgia, Louisiana and South Carolina. Project will address barriers to restoring longleaf pine on large-acreage private lands and provide technical and financial assistance to support planting and management, with a particular focus on restoring forest lands impacted by hurricanes Michael and Florence in Georgia and South Carolina.
$200,000

Friends of Black Bayou
Strategic Planning Retreat, Friends of Black Bayou, Black Bayou Lake National Wildlife Refuge (LA)
Conduct strategic planning to align the organization’s vision and goals with the refuge system mission. Project will determine strategies for engaging the community, addressing conservation issues, and achieving organizational goals.
$2,764

Friends of Louisiana Wildlife Refuges
Peer-to-Peer Conference: “Building a Shared Knowledge Base” (LA, MS)
Host a Peer-to-Peer coaching event and convene eleven Friends groups at the Southeast Louisiana National Wildlife Refuges Complex Headquarters. Project will focus on increasing organizational capacity, enhancing communication between the public and refuge, and increasing volunteerism for participating Friends organizations.
$14,790

Jefferson Parish Department of Environmental Affairs
Bucktown Marsh Restoration and Living Shoreline Construction and Monitoring (LA)
Rebuild a one mile living shoreline and creating up to 70 acres of marsh, tidal creeks, and lagoons to restore water quality and ecological functions of the Lake Pontchartrain shoreline. Project will attenuate wave activity and protect the existing shoreline and levee from erosion and storm surge to mitigate impacts of future storms, and protect approximately 1,375 homes and critical infrastructure.
$2,500,000

Lower Mississippi River Conservation Committee
Restoring Hydrology and Monitoring Species Response in the Blackhawk Scar Lakes Ecosystem (LA)
Repair and replace water control structures to restore more natural hydrology and stream connectivity to 700 acres of floodplain habitat on the R.K. Yancey Wildlife Management Area in Louisiana. Project will monitor floodplain resource use by alligator gar and associated fish communities, monitor water quality improvements post-restoration, and engage private landowners to share lessons learned and floodplain management recommendations to improve fish and wildlife habitat.
$400,000

Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Foundation
Monitoring Reintroduced Whooping Cranes to Establish a Self-Sustaining Population (LA,TX)
Study habitat use across various life stages of a whooping crane population that has been reintroduced into southwest Louisiana since 2011. Project will track and monitor juvenile whooping crane habitat use and home range and create range maps to help federal and state agencies develop management plans and recommendations for whooping cranes.
$46,542

Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Foundation
Revising the Lower Mississippi Desired Forest Condition for Wildlife Report (multiple states)
Update the Lower Mississippi Valley Joint Venture’s Desired Forest Condition for Wildlife report, which provides technical guidance to land managers on how to manage bottomland hardwood forests for the conservation of wildlife. Project will revise the report to integrate new science on the habitat needs of priority wildlife species, include updates from the Forest Resource Conservation Working Group, and add a section dedicated to the management of restored or young bottomland hardwood stands.
$79,254

Manomet
Increasing On-the-Ground Capacity to Improve Shorebird Habitat (LA)
Increase on-the-ground capacity and technical assistance in support of the implementation of the Natural Resources Conservation Service Working Lands for Wildlife, Shorebirds in Louisiana Wetlands program. Project will bring 6,000 acres under improved management, targeting 75 producers through presentations, site visits, and conversations.
$250,139

Mississippi River Trust
Forested Wetland Restoration in the Lower Mississippi River Floodplain (multiple states)
Reforest and protect frequently flooded, marginal cropland on private lands through the adoption of Wetland Reserve Easements in the active floodplain of the Lower Mississippi River. Project will establish 7,500 acres of bottomland hardwood forest to expand and enhance habitat and improve water quality, benefiting the Louisiana black bear, swamp rabbit, forest birds, waterfowl and freshwater fish.
$653,696

Mississippi State University
Black Bear Monitoring in the Lower Mississippi Alluvial Valley (AR, LA, MS)
Monitor and collect baseline data on black bear movement, gene flow, and genetic isolation among five recovering populations within the Mississippi Alluvial Valley in Louisiana, Arkansas, and Mississippi. Project will help assess black bear response to bottomland hardwood restoration efforts and establish a regional black bear monitoring protocol by leveraging monitoring efforts in the three states, coordinating standardized protocols for sampling, and collaborating on analyses.
$138,483

National Wild Turkey Federation
Enhancing Longleaf Habitat in West-Central Louisiana through Planting, Prescribed Fire, and Outreach
Establish or enhance 5,700 acres of longleaf pine to improve habitat for the Louisiana pine snake and red-cockaded woodpecker in west-central Louisiana, anchored by Fort Polk and Kisatchie National Forest. Project will provide financial assistance to plant new longleaf forests and enhance existing longleaf habitat with prescribed fire, as well as support landowner outreach and technical assistance through field days and development of forest management plans.
$300,000

Reef Fish Conservation and Education Foundation
Engaging the Next Generation of Commercial Fishermen in the Gulf of Mexico (AL, FL, LA, MS, TX)
Develop a workforce training program to recruit and educate young fishermen for the commercial seafood harvesting sector. Project will engage fishery leaders from various fisheries across the Gulf of Mexico in face-to-face meetings to design and plan a young fishermen training program for the Gulf of Mexico and develop a review of similar programs around the United States.
$25,835

Restore the Earth Foundation
Landscape-scale Restoration: A Green-Gray Approach to Gulf Coast Resiliency (LA)
Restore 4,000 acres of critical historic bald cypress forest at Pointe-aux-Chenes Wildlife Management Area in Montegut, Louisiana. Project will plant approximately 400,000 native trees to reduce vulnerability and increase protection from flood and storm risks for over 200,000 residents and habitat for native wildlife in the area.
$2,614,998

Saltwater
Expanding and Improving the Use of Electronic Monitoring in the Gulf of Mexico Shrimp Trawl Fishery (multiple states)
Expand and improve the use of electronic monitoring in the Gulf of Mexico shrimp trawl fishery by installing electronic monitoring systems and collecting data on protected species interactions and red snapper bycatch volume and locations. Project will maximize the utility of the collected data for both fishery management and dealer verification of catch origin and sustainable fishing practices.
$173,145

Stephen F. Austin State University
Monitoring Avian Response to Forest Management in the Lower Mississippi Alluvial Valley (AR, LA, MS, TX)
Develop a baseline inventory of bird species in bottomland hardwood restoration sites in the Lower Mississippi Alluvial Valley through the deployment of autonomous sound recorders. Project will compare baseline data to avian community metrics captured in bottomland hardwood forests at different successional stages to identify effective management activities used in forestry wildlife treatments and stages of stand development that need further treatments for maintaining desired forest conditions.
$73,377

The Nature Conservancy
Restoring Forested Wetlands through a Wetland Reserve Enhancement Partnership (AR, LA, MS)
Restore and protect forested wetlands within high-priority areas in the Mississippi Alluvial Valley region of Arkansas, Mississippi, and Louisiana. Project will reforest 2,650 acres of marginal cropland, restore 600 acres of hydrologic wetland function and protect 3,300 acres with conservation easements, benefiting Louisiana black bear, swamp rabbits, waterfowl and neotropical migratory songbirds.
$696,304

Water Institute of the Gulf
Assessing Wetland Restoration Alternatives in Port Fourchon (LA)
Use Louisiana Coastal Master Plan methods to design a nature-based approach for ecosystem restoration and community adaptation that utilizes dredged material from channel deepening to create and manage coastal wetlands. Project will work with partners to assess the possible benefits of a suite of restoration alternatives considering physical, ecological, and community metrics.
$500,000