LW&FC cancels airport plan in refuge

The Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission (W&FC) will hold its first public meeting Oct. 4 to discuss a proposed plan to build an airport in a south Jefferson Parish wildlife refuge. In August, W&FC Secretary Jack Montoucet signed an agreement with the Grand Isle Independent Levee District to begin planning to build an airport in the Elmer's Island Wildlife Refuge, a 1,145-acre beach and marshland area west of Grand Isle. The refuge is a shorebird nesting site and a rest stop for migratory birds. The proposal did not have a commission hearing before the agreement was signed. Wildlife refuge research conservation groups and scientists were not informed about the agreement, and were shocked W&FC would consider an airport in the protected wildlife habitat. The levee district hoped an airport would bring tourists and anglers to Grand Isle via private planes and small jets. Scientists say the airport will ruin marsh habitat and scare away birds; and could lead to bird-strike collisions with aircraft. The updated agenda indicated that W&FC will discuss the proposal's "facts and circumstances." Elmer's Island was part of the Caminada Headland project, the most expensive coastal restoration undertaken in Louisiana. The W&FC meeting is at 9:30 a.m. at the Wildlife and Fisheries Headquarters Building, at 2000 Quail Dr., in Baton Rouge. (Source: NOLA.com 10/03/18) UPDATE: Bowing to public pressure, The Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries’ secretary Jack Montoucet announced Oct. 4 that the commission has canceled a proposed plan to build an airport in the Elmer's Island Wildlife Refuge. Montoucet announced the cancellation prior to the commission’s first public hearing on the proposal. (NOLA.com 10/04/18)