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NEW ORLEANS, LA - Continuing the fight to protect Louisiana's endangered wetlands, which account for more than 90 percent of the wetlands loss annually in the continental United States, business, civic and government leaders across Louisiana today joined America's WETLAND: Campaign To Save Coastal Louisiana to help launch the "Save America's WETLAND Write Now!" initiative.

At launch events held in New Orleans and Houma, the America's WETLAND Campaign kicked off the Write Now! initiative as part of a multi-stop caravan tour across coastal Louisiana, a geographical area known as America's WETLAND.

Announced by Louisiana Governor Kathleen Babineaux Blanco, the Write Now! initiative is designed as a back to school project to mobilize citizen action and inspire Louisiana natives everywhere to write friends, family members and decision makers around the country to educate them about the urgency and importance of saving America's WETLAND. Citizens are being asked to write letters, send specially-designed free postcards via mail, and visit www.americaswetland.com, where they can write and send electronic postcards free of charge. In addition, with cooperation from State Superintendent of Education Cecil J. Picard and the Terrebonne Parish School District, the Write Now! initiative will include a standards-based education curriculum for schools in Louisiana to leverage the issue of coastal land loss as a real world example to help students develop the skills necessary to write a persuasive letter.

The citizens of this country need to understand the significance of Louisianas endangered wetlands, which is why we are asking everyone -- from school children to college students to working adults  to write fellow students, family and friends and urge them to join in the fight to save Americas WETLAND, said Governor Blanco.

The day's events included a victory caravan and rally at Terrebonne High School in Houma, which celebrates the first wave of coastal funding included in the recently passed federal energy bill.

"With the passage of the energy bill and the funding it will bring to our state's restoration efforts, we have reason to celebrate. This significant achievement signals to the nation and the world that saving America's WETLAND not just Louisiana's responsibility but that of the entire country," said Governor Blanco. The Write Now! initiative comes only weeks after the passage of the federal energy bill, which will provide more than half a billion dollars over the next four years to fund Louisianas coastal restoration efforts.

"This is a great moment for our state as it is the first significant recognition by the federal government that Louisiana's coast truly is Americas WETLAND," said U.S. Senator Mary Landrieu (D-LA). "Now is the time to build on our success in Congress, and the Save America's WETLAND Write Now! initiative enables us to do just that, mobilizing citizens across the country to join the fight to save coastal Louisiana."

In a separate announcement, Parishes Against Coastal Erosion (PACE), working with Governor Blanco, announced that they have launched their organization's website, www.paceonline.org, both to inform and increase pressure on the nation's political leaders to recognize the gravity of the loss of Louisiana's coastal wetlands. Through the new website citizens will be able to write and email local, state and federal officials to ask that they approve federal funding of coastal restoration efforts.

The America's WETLAND campaign was launched by the State of Louisiana in order to raise national awareness of the impact the state's wetland loss has on the state, nation and world. By educating the public about the emergency situation created by the state's land loss and the region's world ecological significance and importance to national economic and energy security, the campaign aims to gain support for its efforts to conserve and save coastal Louisiana. The initiative is supported by a growing coalition of world, national and state conservation and environmental organizations and has drawn private support from businesses that see wetlands protection as a key to economic growth

To find out more about America's WETLAND: Campaign to Save Coastal Louisiana, visit www.americaswetland.com.