The lower St. Tammany Parish coastline of Lake Pontchartrain will be getting a needed lift in way of a coastal restoration plan funded by a $40,000 grant from the Northshore Community Foundation.

Susan Bonnett, president and CEO of the NCF, said “We are so excited to be able to help with this project to protect the greatest asset in our region, Lake Pontchartrain.”

According to Carlton Dufrechou, executive director of the LPBF, the purpose of the project will be to identify critical areas that act as buffers to hurricane storm surges and to develop specific restoration projects to enhance the long-term sustainability of the Northshore. Dufrechou said, “Even for the Northshore, the coast is our first line of defense against hurricanes.”

The NCF Hurricane Katrina Impact Fund was started through a donation from the Baton Rouge Area Foundation to the NCF specifically to assist non-profit organizations provide for the greatest needs to help the Northshore region.

Dufrechou says the area provides a critical buffer to hurricane and other storm driven surges from Lake Pontchartrain. Due to decades of coastal land loss in southeast Louisiana, hurricanes are impacting much more of St. Tammany Parish than ever before and has made the area more vulnerable to storm surge and hurricane devastation.

Dr. John Lopez, LPBF coastal sustainability program director said, “The grant will help us to determine the most effective types of restoration as well as to prioritize critical areas in need of near-term restoration and conservation.”

The LPBF coordinates the restoration and preservation of the water quality, ecology and coast of the 10,000 square miles of southern Louisiana.