Join the Conversation: Coastal Master Plan 2023
Everyone at the table leaned in to listen while an impassioned resident of Plaquemines Parish thoughtfully explained her question. “I want to know what maintenance of these projects is going to look like. The projects in the new Master Plan are going to be built, but what will happen to the projects that have already been built?” she wondered. A coastal scientist with CPRA was sitting at the table, ready to answer, “Maintenance costs are included in the plan. CPRA maintains existing projects, and there are projects in the plan that are going to add on to existing projects to supplement land building as well.”
The conversation went on like this for the next 25 minutes at several tables in the Cypress Room at Lil G’s in Belle Chasse in the evening on Tuesday, November 1st. It was the first in a series of meetings between CPRA and the community hosted by MRD, called Coastal Community Conversations. The Belle Chasse meeting, co-hosted by Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana, began with an explanation of the Master Plan, a plan based on the most up to date engineering and management practices designed to organize the state effort to reduce flood risk and restore the coast. CPRA will publish the fourth iteration of the CMP in 2023, and CPRA has invited the public to sit down one on one with state coastal scientists to talk about the plan and what it means for our coast.
The presentation went on to feature the new land loss maps, an explanation of the project selection process and parameters, highlighting that anyone can submit ideas for projects during the planning phase, that data driven modeling is used to pare down the best projects for inclusion in the Master Plan, and touching on the risk metrics considered for each project.
Following this overview, Dr. Krista Jankowski presented a demo of CPRA’s upcoming data viewing tool, which will contain an interactive online catalogue of each upcoming project, expected damage maps, and the Future Without Action map. She also talked about how the projects were modeled in relation to each other to choose a suite of projects which work together to create the best possible future for restoration. 
Each table engaged in lively conversation between members of the community and a member of the CPRA team, creating the unique opportunity for CPRA and citizens to dive deep on questions about Master Plan like “How will projects affect the communities in which they are located?” “What environmental changes are considered when choosing viable projects?” and “How do we know this is the best way to spend this money?” One Plaquemines resident even had a suggestion for an area in need of restoration efforts near her home.
If you have questions or ideas such as these, we hope you will register to attend a meeting near you to provide feedback to CPRA, join the conversation, and learn how you can stay informed about the 2023 Coastal Master Plan. Click here for resources about the tools discussed in these meetings. There will be complimentary dinner.
WEDNESDAY | NOVEMBER 30 | 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Clarion Inn Conference Center
1500 Louisiana 30 W.
Gonzales, LA 70737
TUESDAY | DECEMBER 13 | 5:30 PM – 7:30 PM
Grand Lake High School
1039 Louisiana Hwy 384
Lake Charles, LA 70607