Pontchartrain Basin Clearinghouse

National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration

The U.S. Commerce Department’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced a $43,441 grant to the University of New Orleans (UNO) to support the University’s Restoration of Historic Wetlands on the South Shore of Lake Pontchartrain project. The project is funded by the Community-based Restoration Program within the NOAA Fisheries Service. The goal of this project is to restore two acres of marsh and submerged aquatic vegetation along Lake Pontchartrain in the heart of New Orleans. Development and storm damage has reduced historic wetland areas that provide habitat for recreational and commercial fisheries. Reestablishment of these wetlands will help restore ecologic diversity within the lake and provide local schools the opportunity to experience wetland restoration firsthand.

http://www.noaa.gov/

 

University of New Orleans Pontchartrain Institute for Environmental Sciences

The UNO Pontchartrain Institute for Environmental Sciences is a partnership of scientists and educators that combines rigorous scientific analysis with education, outreach, and planning to develop practical solutions to environmental challenges of the Pontchartrain Basin, the Gulf of Mexico, and similar coastal ecosystems in the United States and elsewhere in our world.

The primary mission of the Pontchartrain Institute is to assist in dealing with our region's environmental and infrastructure challenges by fostering interactions among professionals with expertise in basic and applied environmental research, including those skilled in environmental management, social sciences, and planning. PIES staff work with academic institutions, government agencies, and environmental organizations to provide information critical to preserving and restoring the environmental quality of the Pontchartrain Basin. The Institute brings together the technical expertise and understanding needed to address issues such as water quality, critical habitats, biodiversity, and coastal restoration strategies from departments throughout the University of New Orleans. Additional personnel within PIES include environmental and civil engineers as well as social scientists within CHART.

http://www.pies.uno.edu/

 

Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation

The Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation, a membership-based citizens' organization, is the public's independent voice dedicated to restoring and preserving the Lake Pontchartrain Basin.

Through coordination of restoration activities, education, advocacy, monitoring of the regulatory process, and citizen action, the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation works in partnership with all segments of the community to reclaim the waters and habitats of the Basin for this and future generations.

 

The Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation is a non-profit organization consisting of a 14-member board of directors representing the Basin parishes and regulatory agencies.

 

The Lake Pontchartrain Basin is a 10,000 square mile watershed encompassing 16 Louisiana parishes. The land use of the region ranges from rural to urban and is the most densely populated region in Louisiana, including metro New Orleans and the state capital, Baton Rouge. It is one of the largest estuarine systems in the Gulf of Mexico containing over 22 essential habitats. The Basin's topography ranges from rolling woodlands in the north to coastal marshes in the south, with the 630 square mile Lake Pontchartrain as its centerpiece.

http://www.saveourlake.org/