NEWSROOM
Calcasieu
Lake Marine Debris Project Rescheduled, Seeking Volunteers
July
27, 2006
The National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and Louisiana Sea
Grant College Program need volunteers with boats from 7 a.m. until
1 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 26, to participate in the Calcasieu Lake
Marine Debris Marking & Mapping Program. Volunteers should
meet at 7 a.m. at Calcasieu Point Landing, 3955 Henry Pugh Blvd.,
Lake Charles. Participants will be provided with maps, buoys and
PVC markers and will travel to sections of Big Lake, Moss Lake
and West Cove to mark debris and record GPS coordinates. The first
100 volunteers will receive a free T-shirt, and all registered
volunteers will be treated to lunch and drinks and will be eligible
to win door prizes.
Hurricane
Rita scattered residential, industrial and vegetative debris throughout
the Calcasieu Lake estuary system, creating hazards for recreational
and commercial boaters, as well as their vessels and gear. Before
this debris can be removed, it must be located, marked and mapped.
NOAA’s Office of Coast Survey, Louisiana Sea Grant, Lake
Charles Coastal Conservation Association (CCA), Lake Charles Power
Squadron, LSU AgCenter, Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries,
Lake Charles Pilots, U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary and Sempra Energy
have teamed up to address the problem. Ship to Shore Co., Capt.
Sammie Faulk and Stine Lumber also have provided support to the
project.
The original
volunteer day scheduled for June 24 was cancelled due to an oil
spill, but the program enjoyed a successful kickoff July 15 thanks
to the involvement of fishermen participating in the 21st Annual
Lake Charles CCA Trout Shoot Out. For boaters unable to participate
on Aug. 26, maps and markers are available now at no charge at
Calcasieu Point Landing. Boaters are asked to keep these materials
onboard and to mark and report and debris they find during their
travels. Markers will remain available throughout the summer.
For more
information, or to report marine debris, visit www.laseagrant.org/debris
or contact Tim Osborn, Tim.Osborn@noaa.gov,
(337) 291-2111; Kevin Savoie,
KSavoie@agcenter.lsu.edu,
(337) 475-8812; or Justin Farrell, jfarrell@lsu.edu,
(225) 578-6348.
This effort
is made possible with involvement of NOAA's Office of Coast Survey
with the funding and support of NOAA's Marine Debris Program,
which is part of the NOAA Office of Response and Restoration (National
Ocean Service). The NOAA Marine Debris Program works with other
NOAA offices and partners to support national, state, local and
international efforts to protect and conserve our nation’s
natural resources and coastal waterways from the impacts of marine
debris.
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