President Obama Prepares Visit to Commemorate 10th Anniversary of Hurricane Katrina

NEW YORK- As President Obama prepares to visit Louisiana to mark the 10th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, the National Audubon Society released the following statement:

 “We are not going to protect our coastal communities from future Katrinas until we fix our main defenses—the vanishing coastal wetlands that buffer the winds and tidal surges of violent storms,” said Audubon President and CEO David Yarnold (@david_yarnold). “President Obama certainly will see progress when he visits New Orleans. But the wetlands are disappearing at the alarming rate of one football field an hour and much remains to be done. The President has a historic chance to make sure we restore the Mississippi River Delta and Louisiana wetlands to protect our communities, economies and wildlife for the next generations.”

The National Audubon Society saves birds and their habitats throughout the Americas using science, advocacy, education and on-the-ground conservation. Audubon's state programs, nature centers, chapters and partners have an unparalleled wingspan that reaches millions of people each year to inform, inspire and unite diverse communities in conservation action. Since 1905, Audubon's vision has been a world in which people and wildlife thrive. Audubon is a nonprofit conservation organization. Learn more at www.audubon.org and @audubonsociety.

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 For more information contact, media@audubon.org or 212-979-3100