Opinion: Federal 'NERR' designation would open possibilities for St. Mary

Louisiana NERR is looking to locate a National Estuarine Research Reserve, or NERR, incoastal Louisiana.
If the Atchafalaya Delta, one of the possible sites, is chosen, we can look forward to more boats, docks, weather stations, research access, interpretive centers, and nature and bike trails along with federal funding and guidance.
In a NERR, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration partners with a state to conduct research, education, and stewardship for protecting coastal habitats.
In this case, Louisiana would join a network of 29 other coastal sites already operating within the United States and its territories.
Becoming a National Estuarine Research Reserve on the Gulf Coast and supporting the location of a resilience lab within that reserve might jump-start a successful economic transition into new possibilities for our future. Reserves benefit their surrounding community by using NOAA resources to bring in additional federal funds
A resilience lab was recommended in 2018 by the Urban Land Institute in an external review to identify economic possibilities for the area. The NERR would provide for not just the Morgan City/Berwick area, but its benefit would extend to all of St. Mary Parish and beyond.
The history of our area provides evidence that opportunities must be explored. The Morgan City and Berwick area was once a shrimping mecca. Our area saw that position decline when the lucrative offshore oil business came to town. Now with the push for more renewable energy and reduction of CO2 gas emissions, our location on the Atchafalaya may again hold promise for the future local economy.
A resilience lab would contribute to the economic opportunities as new technologies impacting coastal work and habitat area are field tested within an array of water-impacted sites across the delta, basin, and river. A resilience lab within a NERR presents an economic opportunity with a broad national impact.
Wouldn’t it be a fitting Louisiana coastal profile for the Atchafalaya to become an estuarine reserve within a legacy oil and gas community undergoing energy retooling that has for over 75 years highlighted its ecology (shrimping) and economy (energy) through its festival?
In January, a selection committee is scheduled to provide an overview for local officials and the community.
For more information, checkout
https://www.laseagrant.org/deltanerr/faqs
or St. Mary Excel’s Facebook page. Specific information on the live-streamed overview will be forthcoming.
Because NERRs locate in areas that support its success, residents should learn as much as they can about this opportunity for our area. A decision on site selection will be made in late summer 2021.