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NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) – Piano legend Henry Butler has made a name for himself as one of our most versatile performers, but like for many of us, Hurricane Katrina changed his life and forced him to live away from New Orleans.

He recently came to town as the featured performer for a benefit for the Woodlands Conservancy called “Save Our Sponge.”

The concert was organized to increase visibility of the importance of forests and wetlands to our community, according to Katie Brasted with the Woodlands Conservancy.

This is especially important since Louisiana has lost 75 percent of our forests and wetlands to development, Brasted said.

And once those wetlands are gone, they’re gone forever.

That’s why preservation efforts for future generations is so important.

“I believe in this cause. I think that everybody in New Orleans and everybody in South Louisiana should be concerned about it,” Butler said.

We got a chance to catch up with Butler to talk about that event and what’s going on with him today.