Office of Conservation

New land conservation group receives DNR certification

The Louisiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has announced that the Louisiana House and Senate Committees on Natural Resources have each approved DNR’s fifth certification of a land conservation organization.

The “land conservation organization” designation is set in state law to be certified by DNR for non-profit public charitable organizations meeting regulatory requirements including sound organization and management, longevity, a public mission and a structure for planning. That designation helps such organizations acquire land for preservation and conservation efforts.

The organization certified by DNR and approved in the first week of the 2010 regular Legislative Session is the Moore-Odom Wildlife Foundation, founded in 2004, which seeks to operate wildlife preserves in the coastal areas of Louisiana and Texas.

The Moore-Odom Wildlife Foundation now shares the Louisiana land conservation certification status with three national groups – The Conservation Fund, The Nature Conservancy, the Trust for Public Land – and one Louisiana-based group – the Louisiana Conservation Corporation.

“We have researched the background, operations and intent of this group and we expect it to succeed in the mission that government, corporations, non-profit groups and citizens in this state share – acting as good stewards of all of our natural resources,” said DNR Secretary Scott Angelle.

The Moore-Odom Foundation already operates a 147-acre Mottled Duck Preserve near the Sabine River in Orange, Texas, and has announced its intent to place more than 13,000 acres in Cameron Parish and more than 2,100 acres in Calcasieu Parish, owned by founding board member R.E. Odom, into the foundation.

The Moore-Odom group’s stated mission is “the promotion and advancement of conservation, protection and preservation purposes of land, included but not limited to pristine or near pristine areas of land, marsh, wetland and areas of coastal zones in Texas and Louisiana and the preservation of all types of wild nature.”

DNR’s certification process also requires that the activity of such groups does not interfere with the state’s Comprehensive Master Coastal Protection Plan or the annual plans of the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority. The activities of land conservation groups are subject to annual review by DNR and the designation can be revoked.