Louisiana: 22-acre parcel of “extremely rare” stream habitat

St. Tammany Parish has received $1 million toward the acquisition and
preservation of forested and wetlands property along Bayou Liberty.
The 22-acre parcel, located south of Interstate 12 and west of North
Shore Boulevard, is a blackwater stream habitat that is “extremely
rare” and “increasingly vulnerable to development,” the parish wrote
in its grant application.

Parish President Kevin Davis said in a
statement that the preservation project is part of St. Tammany’s
ongoing effort to “preserve our existing wetlands and restore that
which we have lost.” U.S. Sen. David Vitter, R-La, said in a statement
that the grant, which came from the federal Minerals Management
Service, “is another step in our continued efforts to secure south
Louisiana’s valuable wetlands.” “The long-term survival of these
precious resources depends on the successful planning and execution of
numerous projects, including this one in St. Tammany Parish.” The
Trust for Public Land acquired the land for $1.5 million on behalf of
the parish in 2006, and the parish agreed to purchase the land from
the Trust. St. Tammany will pay the balance of the funds through
future grants and parish funds.
http://blog.nola.com/tpnorthshore/2009/01/st_tammany_receives_1_million.html

The Times Picayune carried an article by Kia Hall Hayes on the
imminent purchase of a 22 acre parcel of land along Bayou Liberty in
St. Tammany Parish that will prevent the logging of coastal forest
that provides public benefit far beyond the value of the timber. The
$1 million cost of this purchase is coming from the Coastal Energy
Impact Program (CEIP) administered on the federal side by the Minerals
Management Service (MMS) and on the state side by the Louisiana
Department of Natural Resources (LDNR) Office of Coastal Restoration
and Management, which was recently incorporated into the new Office of
Coastal Protection and Restoration. The parish and the state deserve
credit for undertaking this modest effort to reverse the dramatic loss
of Louisiana coastal forests, which jeopardizes both coastal
protection and restoration. http://lacoastpost.com/blog/?p=2033

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