Kathryn Fenstermaker welcomes Dr. John D. Foret, Vice President of Environmental at Fenstermaker and former NOAA fisheries biologist, to discuss the challenges and promise of coastal infrastructure. Foret describes his work leading a team of biologists responsible for environmental permitting, wetland restoration and shoreline protection projects across Louisiana. He explains how relative sea-level rise—a combination of sinking land and rising water—threatens the coast and why restoring barrier islands, dunes and oyster reefs is critical. Foret recounts spearheading the Rockefeller Refuge Gulf Shoreline Stabilization project, a 12-year effort to protect a shoreline losing 60 feet per year, and the Little Vermilion Bay terracing project that uses sediment mounds to mimic a delta and build land. He emphasises that successful coastal projects require patience, grassroots involvement and collaboration between scientists, landowners and government agencies.
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Dr. John D. Foret on Coastal Infrastructure
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- December 6, 2019
- Episode: 2
- 49 mins
Episode Summary
“Relative sea level rise means water levels go up while the land subsides – Louisiana is especially vulnerable.”
“The Rockefeller shoreline loses 60 feet a year on average and up to 200 feet during storms – it took 12 years of staying the course to see our project built.”
Meet the Leader Behind the Vision
Dr. John D. Foret is Vice President of Environmental at Fenstermaker, leading a staff of 14 biologists. With a PhD in marine biology, he previously spent 18 years as a research fisheries biologist at NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service, managing projects under the Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection and Restoration Act (CWPPRA). Foret’s expertise includes coastal habitat restoration, environmental permitting and project management.
“CWPPRA starts with the landowner and relies on grassroots input to identify and solve problems.”
Dr. John D. Foret on Coastal Infrastructure and Restoration in Louisiana
Episode Highlights
- Foret explains the concept of relative sea-level rise and why Louisiana’s sinking land exacerbates coastal erosion.
- He describes the Rockefeller Refuge Gulf Shoreline Stabilization project, which took 12 years from conception to construction to halt a shoreline losing 60 feet each year during storms.
- The Little Vermilion Bay terracing project is highlighted as a successful method of building land by arranging sediment terraces to simulate a river delta.
- Foret stresses that coastal restoration projects often begin with landowners and rely on grassroots involvement through programs like CWPPRA.
- He encourages natural or green infrastructure—barrier islands, dunes and reefs—and long-term persistence to protect coastal communities.
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