EPA awards $25,000 to Atchafalaya Basinkeeper, Inc. to help protect and restore the basin’s wetlands and waterways

The Environmental Protection Agency has awarded Atchafalaya Basinkeeper, Inc. $25,000 to develop a stewardship program and conduct a large scale outreach campaign targeting communities with major populations that use the Basin for commercial fishing, sport fishing and other forms of recreation.

Through one on one meetings, presentations and training, the project will address environmental problems in the Basin including illegal cypress logging, wetlands loss, oil industry pollution, unauthorized wetland development, dredging and the dumping of litter into wetlands and waterways. Presentations will cover ecology, environmental services and the importance of south Louisiana’s wetlands.

The goal of the program is to develop an enhanced sense of pride and stewardship in the commercial fishing community and develop a network of people who use the Basin to identify and report activities that are potentially harmful to its environmental health and augment the Atchafalaya Basinkeeper’s efforts to protect and restore the Basin’s wetlands and waterways.