News BREC Awarded Grant by Keep Louisiana Beautiful Supporting the Clean Up of Bayou Monte Sano

Baton Rouge, LouisianaSep 19, 2025East Baton Rouge Parish – BREC has been awarded $10,000 as a recipient of the Keep Louisiana Beautiful (KLB) Healthy Communities Grant. This grant will benefit the East Baton Rouge Parish community by providing funding for BREC to remove illegally dumped tires and prevent future dumping at Monte Sano Park and its bayou. In recent years, Monte Sano has been the site for the illegal dumping of thousands of tires, polluting and blighting the neighboring community and local ecosystem.

The Healthy Communities Grant makes it possible for BREC’s Natural Resource Management team to cover the cost of removing the tires as well as installing barriers to prevent future dumping. By removing these tires, which are comprised of toxic chemicals, we will be able to restore health to the waterways and natural spaces, benefiting the ecosystem and communities that surround Bayou Monte Sano.

BREC will hold a volunteer event on Saturday, January 24th, 2026, at Monte Sano Park to stack tires in preparation for their removal. Those interested in signing up for this event can click here to register and learn more.

KLB is a state program under the Office of the Lieutenant Governor and the Department of Culture, Recreation, and Tourism that promotes personal, corporate, and community responsibility for a clean and beautiful Louisiana. KLB supports local communities through programs and resources for litter education, prevention, removal, enforcement, beautification, recycling, waste reduction, and sustainability initiatives. KLB is affiliated with the national
organization, Keep America Beautiful, and is supported by a statewide network of Community and University Affiliates. BREC is proud to rally behind Keep Louisiana Beautiful’s (KLB) statewide litter prevention campaign, “Let Louisiana Shine” which utilizes television, radio, billboards, and social media. The campaign offers these tips for preventing litter:
• Bag your household trash before placing it in a covered can at the curb.
• Keep a litter bag in your car and boat.
• Use a portable ashtray.
• Keep your truck bed clean.
• Secure your load for safer, cleaner roads.
• See litter? Pick it up! Clean up supplies can be checked out at libraries.
• Keep your business clean and litter-free. Join the Clean Biz Partnership.
• Use a reusable grocery bag to prevent plastic bag litter.
• Report littering at 888.LITRBUG
• Spread the word, not the litter! #LetLouisianaShine.
• Learn more: KeepLouisianaBeautiful.org

“We are excited to join Keep Louisiana Beautiful’s efforts to reduce litter in Louisiana,” said Sharon King, BREC’s Assistant Director of Natural Resource Management. “We will be using our communication platforms to uplift this important issue and encourage citizens to do their part
to Let Louisiana Shine.”

“We need everyone in every parish to take a stand against litter and help clean up Louisiana,” said Susan Russell, KLB Executive Director. “Litter is 81% intentional, yet 100% preventable. It’s time to hold ourselves accountable and commit to implementing the changes required to improve our communities for our children and the generations to come. Thank you to everyone who is supporting this important campaign.”

Keep Louisiana Beautiful is an anti‐litter and community improvement non-profit organization focused on achieving a clean and beautiful Louisiana through education, enforcement, public awareness, and community engagement. Keep Louisiana Beautiful is affiliated with Keep America Beautiful and is comprised of a statewide network of 43 Community Affiliates and 10 University Affiliates.