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Investing in Lousiana's future
Entergy shareholders powered Louisiana communities with $10 million in grants during 2019. Learn more about what the company is doing in each category:
Community Partnerships Helping Louisiana Thrive.
The Cajun Prairie: Protecting Habitat in Southwest Louisiana.
Entergy Louisiana is helping protect one of the last pieces of coastal prairie land that once stretched across two million acres of Louisiana.
A portion of the Cajun Prairie, named as a tribute to the exiled Acadian settlers who called it home in the early 19th century, was discovered by the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries in the summer of 2017 in an Entergy Louisiana right-of-way near Sulphur. It is one of the few remnant coastal prairie sites in the state.
This habitat had nearly vanished, mostly due to land conversion for agriculture and development, and experts estimate less than one percent (approximately 6,500 acres) of the grassland habitat remains among isolated parcels. Coastal prairie has been identified as a priority habitat, and the LDWF is working to locate additional prairie remnants in southwest Louisiana.
Entergy Louisiana works with a number of conservation organizations to help manage the coastal prairie. Some techniques used to maintain the prairies that occur within the company’s right-of way include vegetation management and selective herbicide use in order to preserve what exists and to assist in restoration efforts.
“Louisiana’s coastal prairie was a vast treeless landscape with an abundance of grasses and wildflowers reaching heights of six to nine feet tall,” said Brian Sean Early of the LDWF. “The coastal prairies once possibly supported as many as 600 to 700 species of grasses and wildflowers, as well as bison, red wolves, whooping cranes, prairie chickens, northern bobwhite, diverse waterfowl, an array of pollinators and other wildlife.”
Despite the limited remaining acreage, Louisiana’s prairies still serve as refuge for rare, threatened, and endangered birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, plants and many others. The coastal prairie also serves as habitat for several at-risk pollinators such as bees, beetles, butterflies and other insects.
The Entergy Louisiana coastal prairie supports more than 100 colorful, native plant species and is one of the few remaining locations where marshhay cordgrass is found on dry sites and outside the coastal wetlands. Coastal prairie wildflowers are a diverse group with many species belonging to the sunflower, legume and mint families and bloom in a range of colors including green, white, yellow, blue, pink, purple and red.
“Losing the coastal prairie would cause our state to lose beauty and natural diversity,” said Early. “Each coastal prairie remnant, no matter how small, provides sources of local seeds for restoration projects and serves as a model for coastal prairie restoration outcomes.”
Coastal prairie remnants not only provide habitat for wildlife, they also sequester carbon and store water to offset flooding. “Without the many small prairie remnants like that of Entergy Louisiana, properly restoring and reestablishing much-needed habitat across south Louisiana would be difficult to nearly impossible,” Early said.
Examples of other Louisiana programs and organizations supported by Entergy Louisiana grants include:
St. James Council on Aging's efforts to help the elderly and disabled in St. James Parish through vital tax, social and recreational services. In addition, funding was used to provide elderly residents box fans and energy efficiency kits.
St. John United Way's work to improve early childhood education through The Dolly Parton Imagination Library program.
Jefferson Council on Aging installed electronic activity systems at nine senior centers throughout the parish. Our Daily Bread and its work to alleviate hunger in Tangipahoa Parish. Since June 2017, 10,200 hot meals have been served to those in need.
Our Daily Bread and its work to alleviate hunger in Tangipahoa Parish. Since June 2017, 10,200 hot meals have been served to those in need.
Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries and their work to manage and protect Louisiana's abundant natural resources through initiatives like the Whooping Crane reintroduction program.Setting the Industry’s Storm Restoration Standard.
Entergy received an Emergency Response Award from the Edison Electric Institute for its exceptional assistance in restoring power to citizens following Hurricane Barry in July 2019 and the Emergency Assistance Award for sending personnel after a severe windstorm affected Dallas.
Entergy’s infrastructure was severely damaged by severe weather on April 12, 2020 that spawned multiple tornadoes in North Louisiana.
Creating the 21st Century Workforce.
Entergy Louisiana provided support to workforce training programs across the state including creation of the Certified Line Worker Training program at Fletcher Technical Community College in Schriever.
Entergy Louisiana's role in economic development includes helping prepare the workforce of the future. In 2016, Entergy launched a five-year, $5 million workforce development initiative across the company's four-state service territory. Entergy Louisiana is applying its $1 million portion to boost several programs designed to educate, train and prepare residents for a variety of careers.
In addition to those programs, Entergy Louisiana and other members of the Louisiana Energy Workforce Consortium announced the Certified Line Worker Training program. Entergy Louisiana provided a $50,000 grant to launch the program at Fletcher Technical Community College in Schriever. Graduates receive National Center for Construction Education & Research (NCCER) certification, are qualified for employment as line helpers and receive job placement assistance.