FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 28, 2010
Contact: John Hill America’s WETLAND Foundation 504.293.2610, 504.756.0101 jh@mcopr.com

FOOTBALLS TO CONGRESS URGE SAINTLY WETLANDS DEFENSE
NEW ORLEANS -- With the New Orleans Saints the sentimental (and Presidential) favorite in the 2010 Superbowl, longstanding support by the NFL franchise to help restore eroding coastal wetlands in Louisiana is moving toward its goal.

To illustrate the relationship of a valuable ecosystem on the verge of collapse to the nation’s well being, the America’s WETLAND Foundation and Women of the Storm are delivering more than 700 colorful miniature footballs to members of Congress, senior Administration officials and media on the Wednesday (02/03/10) before the New Orleans team’s first-ever Superbowl appearance.

The six-inch footballs carry a map of Louisiana and a message that an average of a football field of land is lost each hour to coastal erosion, making communities close to the Saints vulnerable to the rising tide.

Cards attached to the footballs ask national leaders to “BE A SAINT – SAVE OUR COAST – INVEST IN AMERICA’S FUTURE.”

“We want the world to know that because of eroding wetlands, Louisiana loses the equivalent of a football field of land every hour, which impacts consumers nationwide,” said Saints Owner/Executive Vice President Rita Benson LeBlanc, who is a member of Women of the Storm.

The New Orleans Saints organization showed support during the NFC Playoff, hanging banners in the Superdome to “Save America’s WETLAND” in coastal Louisiana. Women of the Storm, formed by civic leaders to keep alive the needs of Katrina ravaged New Orleans, distributed the souvenir footballs calling attention to the dramatic land loss to sportswriters covering Sunday’s NFC championship game.

“New Orleans and South Louisiana face a continuing threat because the coastal lands that once protected our more than 2 million residents continue to disappear,” said Anne Milling, founder of Women of the Storm.

“We need the defense of our wetlands to match that of the Saints – strong, resilient, relentless and continuous,” she added. “Because so much of what happens along this coast is tied to national energy, economic and environmental issues, no citizen can afford to let this valuable piece of real estate disappear. The consequences of inaction on the part of the nation are too great to imagine.”

Benson LeBlanc said that the Saints are in the fight to protect these lands for the long term. “We hope that our winning ways will add to the attention to save one of the most essential natural resources in the world,” she said.