I thought the management of the Grand Bayou boat bay and the East Cove Unit of the Cameron Prairie National Wildlife Refuge was under the Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority, meaning that it costs nothing for the federal government to allow access to that area for recreational use.

Why hasn’t the governor made attempts to reopen this area? We have only been able to use that land for a week since July 2013 due to the boat bay being closed.

Cameron Prairie, a national wildlife refuge, is managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

The state Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority manages the Calcasieu Lake weirs and the Grand Bayou boat bay, which allows access to the refuge’s East Cove Unit.

With the shutdown of some federal government operations — including national parks and refuges — the CPRA was forced to close the boat bay, cutting off access to the East Cove Unit.

Because of the recent rains and cold fronts, the CPRA plans to open the weirs at No Name, Peconi and Lambert bayous to allow for flow-through, which will affect fishing in the lake, Chuck Perrodin, the agency’s spokesman, said Tuesday.

But the boat bay will remain closed at least as long as federal parks and refuges remain unfunded, he said. Once the shutdown ends, Perrodin said, the CPRA will assess salinity levels in the marsh to determine whether the boat bay can be opened.

As the reader noted, the boat bay has been closed much of this year. When The Informer asked about it in early September, Perrodin said that salinity levels in the marsh were too high to allow access via Grand Bayou.

Heavy rains later that month cut salinity levels, and the CPRA opened the gates on Sept. 24. Rumors spread the following day that the boat bay would be closed.

Perrodin told the American Press that readings from a malfunctioning salinity monitor had led officials to consider closing the gates. He said word that the boat bay might close leaked before the malfunction was detected.

The boat bay remained open until Oct. 1, when operations for several federal agencies ceased to be funded.

For more information, call the boat bay access hotline at 855-532-9955 or call Perrodin at 225-342-7615.

Online: http://coastal.louisiana.gov.

Use ‘II’ for men named for grandfather, uncle

Could you tell me what a son should be called if his great-grandfather and his grandfather were named senior and junior but then it skipped the child’s father? What is the sequence after that?

Men named after their grandfathers or uncles should append “II” to their names. Men named after “junior” fathers should use “III.”

Online: www.emilypost.com.

The Informer answers questions from readers each Sunday, Monday and Wednesday. It is researched and written by Andrew Perzo, an American Press staff writer. To ask a question, call 494-4098, press 5 and leave voice mail, or email informer@americanpress.com

(www.louisianasportsman.com)