Foundation News

$100,000 Anderson Oil and Gas Donation Supports the Red River Watershed Management Institute (8/26/2009)

LSU Shreveport is pleased to announce the gift of $100,000 from Anderson Oil and Gas for the Red River Watershed Management Institute.  The gift will help complete the development of the Institute’s field station facility.  The LSUS Red River Watershed Management Institute has planned the construction of the station on university property bordering the oxbow lake, Old River Lake, at the Red River Education and Research Park.

This facility will provide needed space for community outreach programs and work space including a laboratory and a covered outdoor work area.  The station will be a regional resource with the Institute working with area schools and Centenary College.  The field station is being constructed adjacent to the Institute’s state-of-the-art floating Surface Water Analysis and Monitoring Platform (SWAMP), which also functions as a boat dock and outreach venue (provides year round access). The Andersons have also pledged a successive annual gift of $5,000 to support research programs for the Red River Watershed Management Institute and provide operating funds for the new facility.  To honor this generous donation, the new facility will be named the Anderson Watershed Research Station.

Red River Watershed Management Institute Overview

The Red River Watershed Management Institute is a consortium of LSUS faculty working in cooperation with other universities and professional personnel from local, state, industry and federal government agencies collaborating in research, education and community service/outreach related to watershed management in the area drained by the Red River and its tributaries.  Working in partnership with government agencies, environmental organizations and other stakeholders, the Institute provides information critical for developing resource management strategies focusing on the natural resources and biological diversity within the Red River Watershed.  Currently the Institute is based out of the first floor of the LSUS Science building.  Facilities include a GIS lab, a Watershed Environmental Laboratory and the Red River Education and Research Park.  The Red River Education and Research Park is a 585-acre “living laboratory” adjacent to the LSUS campus.  The Shreveport city park, C. Bickham Dickson Park, is jointly managed by LSUS and the City of Shreveport as the Red River Education and Research Park, a unique place for wetlands research and community park use.

Red River Watershed Management Institute Research Summary

Water has become an important issue in northwest Louisiana due to potential high usage in the exploration of gas resources in the Haynesville Shale.  The Red River Watershed Management Institute has worked toward the goal of minimizing the impact to water resources by working with industry, local government and public representatives to address the needs and concerns of all involved. T he Institute has also been involved in monitoring ecological impacts of invasive aquatic plants, like Giant Salvinia and Hydrilla.  Researchers are investigating new control measures related to these invasive aquatic plants. The research and public outreach by RRWMI will continue to be an important asset to this region as water issues continue to develop, with the continued industrial usage of our water and expanding encroachment by exotic species.

For more information on the Red River Watershed Management Institute, please visit http://www.lsus.edu/rrwmi/.