Graves, Claudet to be honored for coastal work

STAFF REPORT

Garret Graves, formerly Gov. Bobby Jindal’s chief of coastal policies, has been named the Conservationist of the Year for 2013. Graves will receive the Governor’s Award during a reception Saturday at the Lake House Reception Center in Baton Rouge.

Last month Graves resigned after six years in the advisory position and as the chair of the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority. He has since announced his intention to run for Congress in Louisiana’s 6th District.

The award is presented annually to the “person or organization deemed to have made the most outstanding contribution to the protection and wise use of Louisiana’s natural resources,” according to the Louisiana Wildlife Federation.

Graves was praised for overseeing Louisiana’s transition to a centralized means to manage coastal restoration and hurricane protection. He was the lead trustee during the Natural Resource Damage Assessment process related to the 2010 BP Deepwater Horizon disaster, negotiating $1 billion for early restoration and spill-recovery projects.

Additionally, Terrebonne Parish President Michel Claudet is one of six other individuals whom LWF will recognize for conservation achievements last year. Claudet will be honored for his work to secure local restoration projects and levee protecting for Terrebonne, his initiation of the “floating island” project in Point-aux-Chenes and for promoting conservation and environmental stewardship, according to the release.

Also set to be honored:

– Baton Rouge’s Nathaniel Klumb, founder of PaddleBR, for beatification efforts of Bayou Manchac, Bayou Fountain and other streams in the Baton Rouge area.

– Prairieville’s Sean Turner, 10, for advocacy work in promoting coastal restoration. Sean uses his family’s televised outdoor show as his platform.

– Denham Springs’ Tonya Dean and Jamie Griffin for efforts in implementing “Conserving, Preserving, and Serving,” a school-wide program at North Live Oak Elementary.

– St. Martinville’s Greg Guiard for his contributions as a photographer, writer and ambassador of the Atchafalaya Basin.