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Zac Lemoine - |
Zac Lemoine joined the Governor’s Team as House liaison prior to the 2019 Legislative Session – in the final year of the Governor’s first term. He navigated policy and legislation in the House until January 2022, when he moved to engaging with the Louisiana Senate. Since October 2022, Zac serves as the Governor’s legislative and policy director. Prior to joining the Governor’s Office, Zac did governmental affairs at LSU. |
Brandon Burris - Assistant Secretary, Office of State Parks |
Brandon Burris is the Assistant Secretary for the Office of State Parks within the department of Culture, Recreation, and Tourism. Mr. Burris serves as a direct appointment for Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser. Mr. Burris is responsible for the oversight of Louisiana’s vast State Parks system and numerous State Historic Sites. Prior to his appointment as Assistant Secretary, Mr. Burris served as Deputy Assistant Secretary within the Office of State Parks. Mr. Burris has also served as Executive Management Officer for the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries and as Deputy Director of Community Programs within the Office the Governor of Louisiana. |
| Joey Breaux - Assistant Commissioner Soil & Water Conservation at Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry |
Mr. Breaux began work with the LDAF / Office of Soil & Water Conservation in January 1994 as a Soil Scientist and Coastal Revegetation Project Manager working with coastal Soil & Water Conservation Districts. In 1996 he began administering the statewide Soil & Water Conservation District Program and overseeing the Coastal Vegetative Planting program, the Agriculture Solid Waste Management Program, Agricultural Nonpoint Source Management Program, Agricultural and Marshland Prescribed Burning Program, Louisiana Master Farmer Certifications and served 23 years as the State Coordinator for the Louisiana Project WET (Water Education for Teachers) Program. He became the LDAF/OSWC Assistant Commissioner and SWCC Executive Director in July 2020. Breaux was born in Creole, LA, was raised in southwest LA’s rice, cattle and crawfish production region and graduated from Bell City High School and McNeese State University (B.S. Dept. of Agriculture – Wildlife Management) |
Roger Gingles |
Roger Gingles is a native of Stanley, La., near Shreveport. His mother was a registered nurse, and her career choice was a deep influence on Gingles’ education and career paths. Prior to working at LDEQ, Gingles was a sanitarian with the Louisiana Department of Health for three and a half years, so his career encompasses more than 30 years in the health and environmental protection field. Gingles holds a Bachelor of Science degree in biology from Louisiana State University Shreveport and a Master of Science in public health from Tulane. |
| Charles Reulet - Administrator - Interagency Affairs and Field Services with Office of Coastal Management |
Charles Reulet is a Coastal Resources Administrator for the Louisiana Department of Natural Resources Office of Coastal Management. He leads a team that strives to conserve, protect, manage and enhance the coastal resources of the state while encouraging multiple sustainable uses of those resources and ensuring no net loss of wetlands. He has had multiple roles working for the Louisiana Coastal Resources Program, throughout his professional civil service career. Charles holds a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Management Systems with a focus on Resource Conservation from Louisiana State University. As a life-long resident and outdoor enthusiast he along with his family, wife, and two daughters enjoys the resources of the state just as much as protecting them. | Bryan McClinton - Chairman of LA Outdoors Forever Project Selection Board, Undersecretary at Louisiana Department of Wildlife & Fisheries |
Bryan McClinton is the Undersecretary at Louisiana Department of Wildlife & Fisheries. He oversees the Office of Management and Finance, which is responsible for fiscal and human resource management, licensing, procurement and general administrative services. Bryan is from Livonia, Louisiana and holds a B.S. in Finance from Louisiana State University, and Master degrees in Business Administration and Pastoral Studies from Loyola University in New Orleans. Bryan served on the Outdoor Conservation Study Group enacted by the 2021 Legislative Session. He was elected Chairman of the Louisiana Outdoors Forever Project Selection board at their first meeting on August 26, 2022. |
| Jerome "Zee" Zeringue - Louisiana State Representative |
Representative Jerome “Zee” Zeringue was elected in 2015 and represents Lafourche and Terrebonne parishes in the House of Representatives. Rep. Zeringue holds a Bachelor of Science in Zoology from Louisiana State University and a Master of Science in Fisheries Science from Tulane University. Rep. Zeringue introduced House Bill 762 creating the Louisiana Outdoors Forever Program which passed overwhelmingly in both chambers of the 2022 Legislative session. | Gary Smith Jr. - Louisiana State Senator |
Senator Gary Smith, Jr. was elected as a State Senator in 2012 representing District 19. Senator Smith previously served as a State Representative for District 56 from 2000-2011. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Louisiana State University, a Juris Doctor in civil law from Loyola Law School, and a LL.M. in Admiralty Law from Tulane School of Law. Senator Smith assisted in passing House Bill 762 creating the Louisiana Outdoors Forever Program through the Senate in the 2022 Legislative session. |
| Brian Lezina - Administrator, Planning and Research at Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority |
Brian Lezina is the Administrator of Planning and Research at Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority of Louisiana (CPRA). Lezina possess a Bachelor of Science in Wildlife and Fisheries Science from Louisiana State University and a Master of Science in Coastal Sciences from The University of Southern Mississippi. |
Louisiana Outdoors Forever
Program Overview
During the 2022 legislative session, the Louisiana House of Representatives and Louisiana Senate passed House Bill 762, establishing the Louisiana Outdoors Forever Program and Louisiana Outdoors Forever Fund. The purpose of this program is to provide funding for outdoor conservation projects in the State of Louisiana. The fund for the Louisiana Outdoors Forever Program is established within the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. House Bill 406 passed through the 2022 legislative session which provides $10 million in funding for the program’s first year. Working through voluntary conservation measures, the program will help fund projects that protect drinking water supplies, conserve wildlife habitat, provide recreational opportunities in urban and rural areas, sustain working farms and forests, and much more.
The types of projects which may be eligible for funding are land conservation of important natural areas, including fish and wildlife habitat; Water quality projects related to land conservation or land management, including those lands that protect drinking water supplies; Working land, farms, and forested land; Recreational properties related to important natural areas and public use; Historic properties adjacent to or integral to habitat restoration or enhancement. To learn more about the program and funding, please see the Program Manual.
2023 – 2024 Funding Cycle Announcement
The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) is pleased to announce the 2023-2024 funding cycle for the Louisiana Outdoors Forever Program.
LOF Funding Cycle Dates are as follows:
March 20, 2023 - Pre-Application window opens
May 19, 2023 - Pre-Application window closes
May 22, 2023 and May 25, 2023 – Pre-Applications assessed for eligibility by the Technical Advisory Board. Click here to see the results.
June 9, 2023 – Full Application window opens.
September 8, 2023 – Full Application window closes.
September 19, 2023 – Full Applications scored by the Technical Advisory Board. Click here to see the results.
October 23, 2023 - Project Selection Board chooses projects for funding. Click here to see the results.
Videos
Introduction to the Pre-Application Process
Louisiana Outdoors Forever Boards
The Louisiana Outdoors Forever Program is governed by a Project Selection Board. The Project Selection Board makes all final determinations regarding the selection of projects for funding under the program. The Project Selection Board is advised by a Technical Advisory Board. The Technical Advisory Board reviews and evaluates applications in accordance with the program criteria and scoring and forwards assessments to the Project Selection Board.
Project Selection Board
Technical Advisory Board
| Zac Lemoine - Director of Legislative Affairs & Policy for Governor John Bel Edwards |
Zac Lemoine joined the Governor’s Team as House liaison prior to the 2019 Legislative Session – in the final year of the Governor’s first term. He navigated policy and legislation in the House until January 2022, when he moved to engaging with the Louisiana Senate. Since October 2022, Zac serves as the Governor’s legislative and policy director. Prior to joining the Governor’s Office, Zac did governmental affairs at LSU. | Cheston Hill - Public Lands Administrator, Office of State Lands |
Cheston Hill serves as head of the Louisiana Office of State Lands in the Division of Administration. A graduate of Louisiana State University with a degree in Geography, he has a background in professional land services in the upstream oil and gas industry, focusing on record title abstracting, title examination and mineral history research. He joined the State Land Office in 2016 as Manager of Titles & Surveys, and was selected for the position of Public Lands Administrator in 2020. An avid outdoorsman, he enjoys fishing in freshwater and saltwater, as well as hunting, motorcycle riding, playing chess and spending time with family and friends. |
| Taylor Theriot - Executive Staff Officer, Office of Louisiana State Parks |
Taylor Theriot serves as the executive staff officer for the Office of State Parks within the Department of Culture, Recreation & Tourism. Mrs. Theriot is responsible for assisting in policy implementation for programs under the discretion of the assistant secretary. Taylor is a graduate of Louisiana State University’s Manship School of Mass Communication and a native of New Orleans, La. |
Theron Phillips - Agri. Enviro. Spec. Admin. Coordinator at Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry |
Theron Phillips has served the public through the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry’s Office of Soil and Water Conservation for the past 25 years. He manages a variety of conservation programs such as the Coastal Vegetative Planting Program, Louisiana’s Pilot Feral Swine Eradication Program, Agriculture Solid Waste Management Program, and Louisiana Master Farmer Certifications in his capacity as Agricultural Environmental Specialist Administrative Coordinator. In 1998, Theron earned his Bachelor of Science degree from what is now known as the University of Louisiana-Monroe. His career in public service started with LDAF in South Louisiana as the Coastal Vegetative Program’s Project Manager where he assisted Soil and Water Conservation Districts implementing and monitoring of vegetative plantings within the state’s Coastal Zone. In 2005, Theron relocated to North Louisiana where he facilitated Soil and Water Conservation District/EPA 319 Nonpoint Source Management projects consisting of voluntary participation by agricultural producers and landowners. He conducted resource inventories, conservation planning, contracting, engineering surveying, and design for conservation practice implementation on private farmland until 2019. Throughout his career, Theron has considered himself fortunate to have the privilege of helping the state’s agriculture community solve problems by finding conservation solutions that decrease erosion and nutrient load reductions to improve the environment and promote prosperity for Louisianians. |
| Aimee Preau - Environmental Scientist at Department of Environmental Quality |
Aimee Preau is an environmental scientist and GISP with the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality Nonpoint Source Pollution Program. Her current work involves investigating runoff pollution, and mitigating human-caused water quality impairments through watershed planning, modeling and spatial analysis, and education and outreach. | Sara Krupa - Coastal Resource Science Manager - Interagency Affairs with Office of Coastal Management |
Sara Krupa has been with the Louisiana Department of Natural Resources since 2009, and has served as a Coastal Resource Manager in the Office of Coastal Management since 2018. Krupa oversees the Interagency Affairs Section which is responsible for contract and grants management, federal and local permitting, and emergency response activities. Krupa also serves on the Advisory Board for Keep Louisiana Beautiful and on the Board of Directors for the Louisiana Environmental Health Association. Krupa has previously served as a project manager for the Atchafalaya Basin Program and the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality. Krupa, from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, holds a B.S. in Biochemistry with a focus on Chemistry. |
| G. Scott Longman - Deputy Assistant Secretary, Office of Wildlife |
Scott Longman is the Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Office of Wildlife within the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF). He oversees the budget, human resources, policy and general administrative functions for the Office of Wildlife. He has held several roles throughout LDWF in his thirty-two years of service to the conservation agency. Scott is a native of Eunice, Louisiana and holds a B.S. in Wildlife Management from McNeese State University. | Brian Lezina - Office of Coastal Activities |
Brian Lezina is the Administrator of Planning and Research at Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority of Louisiana (CPRA). Lezina possess a Bachelor of Science in Wildlife and Fisheries Science from Louisiana State University and a Master of Science in Coastal Sciences from The University of Southern Mississippi. |
| Lisa Creasman - The Nature Conservancy |
Lisa Creasman is the Associate State Director at The Nature Conservancy. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Biology from University of Tennessee and a Master of Science in Marine Science from Louisiana State University. Creasman served on the Outdoor Conservation Study Group enacted by the 2021 Legislative Session which spearheaded in the creation of the Louisiana Outdoors Forever Program. | Erik Johnson - Audubon Louisiana |
Erik Johnson is the Director of Conservation Science at the National Audubon Society. He has worked with the National Audubon Society for 11 years as a Conservation Biologist then Director of Bird Conservation. Johnson possess a B.S. in Biology, Environmental Studies from Dickinson College and a Ph.D. in Wildlife, Fish, and Wildlands Science and Management from Louisiana State University. |
| Ray Herndon - The Conservation Fund |
Ray Herndon is the Vice President, Lower Mississippi and Gulf Coast Region, Conservation Acquisition at The Conservation Fund. He has a proven track record of conservation acquisition results for over 20 years. Herndon holds a BA in Business Administration and Management and a MA in English from Washington College. He also holds a MS in Real Estate and Infrastructure from John Hopkins University. Herndon served on the Outdoor Conservation Study Group enacted by the 2021 Legislative Session which spearheaded in the creation of the Louisiana Outdoors Forever Program. |
Upcoming Meetings
Board meetings are open to the public. A live audio/video stream of each meeting is also available via Zoom for those who are not able to attend in person.
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Project Selection Board Next Meeting Date: |
Technical Advisory Board Next Meeting Date: |
