![[logo] US EPA](http://www.epa.gov/epafiles/images/logo_epaseal.gif){kind=logo}
Workshop Summary
| MEMORANDUM |
|
|
March 7, 1997 |
|
|
|
|
|
Workshop Summary |
On behalf of the Gulf of Mexico Program, thank you for participating in the Barataria/ Terrebonne Oyster Restoration Project Targeting Workshop at Nicholls State University in Thibodaux, Louisiana, February 24-25. The workshop was a success because you and other attendees (see Attachment 1) worked collaboratively to share your knowledge of shellfish harvest, management, habitat enhancement, and pollution source problems, and to discuss the obstacles in financing and gaining community support for the top priority projects.
By focusing on solutions and not problems, participants were able to achieve the goals of the workshop:
- to select a small number of oyster restoration projects, with at least one from each parish, that are good candidates to be taken forward to a more detailed assessment of implementation feasibility; and discuss and record initial obstacles and solutions for implementation of these candidate oyster restoration projects.
- Eight priority candidate oyster restoration projects were identified (three from the Barataria basin, two from the Terrebonne basin, and three basin-wide projects) from the initial list of 61 candidate projects. A summary of these projects and a location map are attached (see Attachments 2 and 3). These projects reflect a range of different strategies for meeting the Shellfish Challenge in the Barataria /Terrebonne watershed, and subsequent analysis will provide a wealth of ideas about how to make progress toward meeting the Shellfish Challenge.
Next Steps
The next phase of the project is to assess in more detail the feasibility of implementing each of these priority projects. This will require gathering more information about each restoration project's 1) potential to increase the area of productive growing waters; 2) cost and possible sources of financing; 3) level of community support; 4) impact on water quality and public health; 5) the type of public outreach and education activities needed for each project; 6) the possible legislative and administrative rule changes needed; and 7) the transferability of the lessons learned in implementing the project to other areas with similar problems will also be explored.
These assessments will be summarized in a series of Project Characterization Profiles which will be the basis for an Implementation Feasibility Workshop to be held this summer or early fall. The goal of the Implementation Feasibility Workshop will be to review and evaluate the potential for implementing each of the projects, and identify a project champion (either an individual or organization), who will take the lead in implementing the project.
The project team is currently working with the Watershed Evaluation Team (WET) to design the process for writing the Project Characterization Profiles. By the end of March, our goal is to have a detailed template for the Characterization Profile; a list of the possible stakeholders, champions, and key decision-makers for each project; and agreement on the individuals who will write the Profiles.
If you have any questions or comments regarding the Targeting Workshop, please contact Fred Kopfler (601- 688- 2712) or Tom Herrington (601- 688-79410) at the Gulf of Mexico Program, Dan Farrow (301- 713-3000 x 156) at NOAA's Strategic Environmental Assessments (SEA) Division, or Brent Ache (504 -561-6618) at Battelle, New Orleans office.
