CHALAND HEADLAND NAMED ONE OF AMERICA’S TOP RESTORED BEACHES
FOLLOWING NOAA-LED PROJECT IN AFTERMATH OF HURRICANE KATRINA

On the cusp of summer beach season, Chaland Headland of Plaquemines Parish, La., was named one of America’s Top Restored Beaches by the American Shore and Beach Preservation Association. The Chaland Headland Restoration Project received the ranking following successful efforts by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Restoration Center, in cooperation with local, state and national authorities, to restore more than 400 acres of barrier island habitat.

Over the years, the shoreline along Chaland Headland has eroded severely due to human and natural factors. Also, recent storms breached the shoreline and segmented the 2.6-mile island into three smaller fragments. Left unaddressed, these breaches would have led to further erosion and would have threatened the integrity of the Gulf of Mexico shoreline, interior coastal wetlands, and oil and gas infrastructure.

“We are proud that NOAA’s efforts at Chaland Headland are being recognized,” said retired Navy Vice Adm. Conrad C. Lautenbacher, Ph.D, NOAA administrator and undersecretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere. “Wetlands and barrier islands are our first defense against storms, and provide important habitat for coastal organisms, such as our marine fisheries. This restoration will help absorb surging water and wind during storms, protecting our national energy assets and Louisiana’s coastal communities.”

The Chaland Headland restoration project is one of the largest island restoration projects ever conducted by NOAA. Workers dredged and performed major earth-moving activities on Chaland Island to create beach and marsh habitat, which will help protect Louisiana’s coastal communities from the devastating effects of wind, waves and flooding.

This is the first of three NOAA-led barrier island projects along the Gulf of Mexico under the Coastal Wetlands Protection, Planning and Restoration Act. The CWPPRA provides funding for coastal protection and restoration in Louisiana. The Louisiana Coastal Wetlands Conservation and Restoration Task Force oversees the implementation of CWPPRA. The task force is composed of NOAA’s Fisheries Service, the state of Louisiana and five federal agencies, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. This unique partnership has led to the completion of 67 wetlands restoration projects in the state. The program also has 71 projects either in the engineering and design or construction phases.

NOAA Fisheries Service is dedicated to protecting and preserving our nation’s living marine resources and their habitat through scientific research, management and enforcement. NOAA Fisheries Service provides effective stewardship of these resources for the benefit of the nation, supporting coastal communities that depend upon them, and helping to provide safe and healthy seafood to consumers and recreational opportunities for the American public.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, an agency of the U.S. Commerce Department, is celebrating 200 years of science and service to the nation. From the establishment of the Survey of the Coast in 1807 by Thomas Jefferson to the formation of the Weather Bureau and the Commission of Fish and Fisheries in the 1870s, much of America's scientific heritage is rooted in NOAA.

NOAA is dedicated to enhancing economic security and national safety through the prediction and research of weather and climate-related events and information service delivery for transportation, and by providing environmental stewardship of our nation's coastal and marine resources. Through the emerging Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS), NOAA is working with its federal partners, more than 60 countries and the European Commission to develop a global monitoring network that is as integrated as the planet it observes, predicts and protects.

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