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Executive Director of the South Louisiana Wetlands Discovery Center Jonathan Foret was awarded the Houma Courier’s 2022 Most Useful Citizen Award at the Chamber of Commerce Banquet on Tuesday, January 31!
“This award is a great honor,” said award recipient Foret. “I have known past winners and the work they have done for the community, and it is an honor to be counted among them.” Foret serves as the Executive Director of the Wetlands Discovery Center, and is in charge of day-to-day operations, fundraisers, and implementation of the Center’s academic programs. Foret has over 10 years of experience in nonprofit work and holds a Master’s degree in Public Administration.
The South Louisiana Wetlands Discovery Center is also responsible for hosting the annual Rougarou Fest, for which they were awarded the 2022 Louey Award for Festival of the Year. The Center also works to implement a series of scientific curricula in local grade schools, which is created and taught by Wetlands Discovery Center scientists Samantha Hicks and Sarah Fontana. This past month, Hicks and Fontana were awarded the 2022 Education Outreach Award from the University Corporation of Atmospheric Research.
“The main goal of our Center is education,” Foret told the Houma Times. “We want to teach students, and the community at large, about the challenges our wetlands are facing and strategies for how to cope with them.” Foret described how he has recently begun working with the Louisiana Folklore Society to start the conversation about climate change, and the unique set of challenges coastal communities will face. “Southern Louisiana is so connected to cultural identity,” said Foret. “In the face of potential land loss, we want to ensure that people know what the future may look like and feel comfortable making decisions about how to protect their families from the receding coastline. If people decide to move further north, we want them to stay tethered to their culture and feel prepared and comfortable. This is the most important work of my career. It is taking care of our people.”
The whole team at the South Louisiana Wetlands Discovery Center plans to continue their work in 2023 on this strong note, helping to educate and make the community better informed. “All of this recognition is a great start to 2023,” said Foret, “We can’t wait to see what comes next!”
