State picks 11 for hurricane protection

• Advocate staff report
• Published: Oct 25, 2009 - Page: 4B

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The state has selected 11 people to serve on a technical review panel for the Donaldsonville to the Gulf Hurricane Protection System.

Chaired by Denise Reed, professor at University of New Orleans, according to a press release from the state Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority, the panel’s other members are:

• Greg Baecher, department of civil and environmental engineering, University of Maryland.
• Jim Cowan, department of oceanography and coastal sciences, LSU.
• Robert Gilbert, department of civil, architectural and environmental engineering, University of Texas.
• Mark Hester, Coastal Plant Ecology Laboratory, University of Louisiana at Lafayette.
• Norma Mattei, department of civil and environmental engineering, University of New Orleans.
• Ehab Meselshe, Center for Louisiana Inland Water Studies, University of Louisiana at Lafayette.
• Leonard Shabman, Resources for the Future.
• Phil Williams, Philip Williams & Associates, former professor in the department of environmental hydrology, University of California at Berkeley.
• Bill Mitsch, director of Olentangy River Wetland Restoration Research Park, Ohio State University.
• Shirley Laska, professor of environmental sociology, University of New Orleans.

The first meeting of the group will be Nov. 18 and Nov. 19 at a site to be determined.
The panel is expected to present a report in June to the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority on any environmental concerns, planned design and project costs.