Fast Facts:

&ull; CRCL selected DU's Mike Carloss as the 2016 Distinguished Service Coastal Stewardship Award winner
&ull; "Mike has spent his entire career working to save the disappearing habitats of the Louisiana coast," DU Director of Conservation Programs Jerry Holden said.
&ull; CRCL's Coastal Stewardship Awards honor those who demonstrate outstanding commitment to the coast and have made significant contributions to the restoration and conservation of Louisiana's coastal wetlands.

LAFAYETTE, La. - March 23, 2016 - The Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana (CRCL) selected Mike Carloss as the 2016 Distinguished Service Coastal Stewardship Award winner. Carloss is Ducks Unlimited's manager of conservation programs for coastal Louisiana.

"There is no single place on the continent as important to wintering waterfowl as Louisiana. Given the importance of the Bayou State to waterfowl, it is appropriate that DU would have a great waterfowl supporter and coastal advocate like Mike Carloss at its helm," DU Director of Conservation Programs Jerry Holden wrote in a letter supporting the nomination.

Carloss has a long history of conservation work in Louisiana, including more than 20 years with LDWF, two years with the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and five years as an adjunct instructor at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. During his career with LDWF Carloss was front and center in 2010 when the DeepWater Horizon disaster was threatening the Gulf Coast.

"Mike has spent his entire career working to save the disappearing habitats of the Louisiana coast," Holden said. "I applaud the Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana for providing the forum to recognize notable participants in the fight to save our coast. I cannot imagine a more worthy nominee than Mike Carloss."

This is the 21st year for CRCL's Coastal Stewardship Awards, which honor individuals and organizations who demonstrate outstanding commitment to the coast and have made significant contributions to the restoration and conservation of Louisiana's coastal wetlands. Winners are selected in four categories: Distinguished Service, Coastal Stewardship, Friends of the Coalition and Volunteer of the Year. CRCL will honor these coastal champions at the 21st Annual Stewardship Awards Banquet May 6, at the Hilton Baton Rouge Capitol Center.

Ducks Unlimited Inc. is the world's largest nonprofit organization dedicated to conserving North America's continually disappearing waterfowl habitats. Established in 1937, Ducks Unlimited has conserved more than 13.6 million acres thanks to contributions from more than a million supporters across the continent. Guided by science and dedicated to program efficiency, DU works toward the vision of wetlands sufficient to fill the skies with waterfowl today, tomorrow and forever. For more information on our work, visit www.ducks.org.

Media Contact:
Andi Cooper
601-956-1936
@DuSouthernNews
acooper@ducks.org