houmatoday.com
Tickets are available for a local coastal advocacy group’s annual meeting that will focus on coastal issues and the future of regional industries and universities.
Restore or Retreat is a Thibodaux-based organization that focuses on preserving the Terrebonne and Barataria basins by seeking to expedite restoration projects. The group also partners with similar organizations to help achieve its goals.
Recently, the organization hosted six members of U.S. congressional staffs to see Louisiana’s coastal land loss.
Justin Ehrenwerth, the new president and CEO of the Water Institute of the Gulf, will be the keynote speaker at the event.
Ehrenwerth will discuss the water institute and its future plans, and is excited to talk with partners and possible new collaborators, according to a news release.
“The issues facing coastal Louisiana, and coastal communities around the world, are daunting,” Ehrenwerth said. “We can only meet those challenges by bringing together the extensive scientific and local knowledge we have here in Louisiana and finding new ways of working together toward a common goal.”
The water institute was founded in late 2011 from a collaboration by then Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., and the Baton Rouge Area Foundation. The organization aims to connect academic, public and private research and conduct research to help the community and its industries.
Simone Maloz, executive director of Restore or Retreat, said the organization is excited to have Ehrenwerth at the meeting.
“We are looking forward to hearing his unique perspective on how we can elevate the state’s coastal successes and create valuable partnerships to restore and protect our irreplaceable region,” said Maloz.
Restore or Retreat’s meeting will be held at 11:30 a.m. May 26 in the Cotillion Ballroom at Nicholls State University’s Bollinger Student Union. Tickets are $30 in advance and can be purchased by calling 448-4485 or by visiting www.restoreorretreat.org.