Office of Coastal Management

LOUISIANA'S COASTAL GEMS ON THE INTERNET

What's a Gulf Ecological Management Site? A GEM in Louisiana-- and there are 33 of them to visit on the net.GEMS are geographical areas that have special ecological significance to the production of fish, wildlife, and other natural resources or represent unique habitats. Louisiana's GEMS can now be accessed through the Department of Natural Resources' Coastal Management Division web site http://www.dnr.state.la.us/. In south Louisiana, GEMS are beaches, salt domes, wildlife management areas, swamps, cheniers, lakes, bays, and other natural habitat areas.

The GEMS program is an initiative of the Gulf of Mexico Program and the five Gulf states that provide a regional framework for ecologically important Gulf habitats. GEM sites have unique values and functions but don't measure in size to such sites as the Barataria-Terrebonne Estuary, CMD's site coordinator Greg DuCote reported. He said that promoting information exchange and increased public awareness is the program's top objective.

Gulf states GEMS coordinators and other participants began last year the strategy for identification of sites having ecological importance to the Gulf of Mexico as a whole. The GEMS database provides the following types of information: geographical area, ecosystem function, geomorphic features, uniqueness of natural community, rare or endangered species, breeding or nursery area, interpretive & economic values, management status, site viability, and other pertinent information. Public input on the identified sites as well as other possible sites is encouraged, particularly through e-mail and Internet communications. Louisiana citizens wanting to propose new sites should contact the state's GEMS coordinator.

Editors: For further information on this topic, please contact GEMS Coordinator Greg DuCote (La. Dept. of Natural Resources Coastal Management Division) at 1-800-267-4019 or e-mail gregdu@dnr.state.la.us.