Coastal Latest & Greatest: Bald Eagles, Barrier Islands, and a Disappearing Boot. 3 Stories You Should Read this Weekend.
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A weekly round-up of what’s new in Louisiana coastal restoration 1) Bald Eagles. “It’s one of the best conservation stories of any animal that was on the endangered species list,” said Michael Seymour, non-game ornithologist for the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. John Snell reports on the comeback of our national emblem in Fox 8’s report, “Bald eagles attempting to raise chicks in Louisiana succeed close to 100 percent of the time.” 2) Barrier Islands. In John …
A Tale of Two Basins: Why One is Thriving While the Other is Dying
To understand the issues of land loss affecting Louisiana’s coast and the restoration solutions needed to address it, one needs only compare two neighboring basins on the coast. In the Atchafalaya Basin, lush, green fingers of land push out toward the Gulf of Mexico, building more and more acreage every year. In the Terrebonne Basin to the east, land is rapidly disappearing at one of the highest rates on the planet. Why are there such stark differences between these two …
Meet Our Staff: Q&A with Theryn Henkel
WELCOME TO OUR STAFF Q&A SERIES WHERE YOU CAN MEET THE PEOPLE BEHIND RESTORE THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER DELTA! TODAY WE’RE CHATTING WITH Theryn Henkel, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF COASTAL SUSTAINABILITY with the LAKE PONTCHARTRAIN BASIN FOUNDATION AND RESTORE THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER DELTA. CLICK HERE TO MEET MORE OF OUR TEAM. Tell us a little about what you do with the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation and Restore the Mississippi River Delta? At LPBF I am the Assistant DIrector of the Coastal Sustainability Program. I …
25 Ways We Can Build a More Resilient New Orleans
This week, the National Wildlife Federation and Tulane University released a report of recommendations for how the City of New Orleans can build a more resilient future in the face of coastal land loss and rising seas. The report was developed during a convening of 40 coastal leaders. National Wildlife Federation and Tulane hosted the event, facilitated by the City of New Orleans. Participants brought expertise from the economic, policy, social, and technical perspectives to a day of thoughtful and …
Coastal Latest & Greatest: 3 Ways Over $130 Million is Coming to Restore the Coast
A weekly round-up of what’s new in Louisiana coastal restoration 1) $9.3 Million – RESTORE Council. The Office of the Governor released a statement, “RESTORE Council Awards $9.3 Million Grant to Louisiana,” outlining the seven restoration and protection projects selected for funding. Johnny Bradberry, Chairman of the CPRA Board said, “This grant will support and advance our goal of having the multiple benefits a sustainable ecosystem provides for a safe, productive and resilient working coast.” Here is a quick …
A Winning Strategy for Restoring the Barataria Basin
In March 2018, Louisiana’s Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA) Trustee Implementation Group (TIG) released a strategic restoration plan outlining priorities to repair damages and restore the ecosystem in Louisiana’s Barataria Basin following the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The plan, titled, “Strategic Restoration Plan and Environmental Assessment #3: Restoration of Wetlands, Coastal and Nearshore Habitats in the Barataria Basin, Louisiana,” may sound a little dry, but it is actually a big, exciting step forward toward funding and implementing large-scale restoration …
Coastal Latest & Greatest: 3 Stories You Should Read by Times-Pic Coastal Reporter, Mark Schleifstein
A weekly round-up of what’s new in Louisiana coastal restoration 1) “Coastal board recommends $20 million for parish coastal projects.” In this Times-Picayune article, Mark Schleifstein writes about six restoration and protection projects that were recommended for approval by the federal-state RESTORE council—showing vital progress on restoration via BP oil spill funds. On the selection process, Mark writes, “The state selected local projects based on selection criteria that considered their consistency with the state’s coastal Master Plan, the ability to …
8 Important Updates, 8 Years After the Gulf Oil Disaster
On this day in 2010, the Deepwater Horizon rig exploded, killing 11 men and spewing 130 million gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico. After leaking for 87 days, oil ultimately seeped onto shorelines and marshes, mostly in Louisiana. Eight years later, with the legal settlement completed and settlement funds from BP and other companies flowing to the affected states, it’s worth reflecting on restoration progress, regulatory rollbacks that could impact wildlife in these areas, and how penalty money …
Coastal Latest & Greatest: 3 Pieces of Thought-Leadership on Louisiana’s Coast
A weekly round-up of what’s new in Louisiana coastal restoration 1) Steve Cochran. Our campaign director weighs in on the future of our coast and the importance of rethinking how we manage the Mississippi River & Tributaries System in his opinion piece in The Times-Picayune, “Mississippi River’s high water is a missed opportunity to restore the coast.” Steve writes, “Using the Mississippi River as a land-building asset will be the difference between staying and leaving for much of south …
Facing Continued Land Loss, Mississippi River Delta Needs Diversions More Than Ever
MODIS Imagery of Louisiana on May 6, 2017 from Louisiana State University’s Earth Scan Laboratory (https://www.esl.lsu.edu/imagery/MODIS/2017/05/6/) showing the sediment plume from the Mississippi River. The future of the Mississippi River Delta will likely look drastically different than it does now. As sea level rise increases, we need to be smart about where and how we build land along Louisiana’s coast. A viable future for coastal Louisiana means a smaller delta, and using sediment diversions to strategically build and maintain land …
Coastal Latest & Greatest: 3 Big Wins for Louisiana’s Coast this Week
A weekly round-up of what’s new in Louisiana coastal restoration 1) Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion Permitting Timeline Shaved by Two years! Steve Hardy’s report for The Advocate, “How Monday’s decision by the Corps of Engineers will affect Louisiana coastal restoration,” takes a look at the updated permitting timeline for the Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion, which reduces the timeline by two years bringing it to November 2020. CPRA Chairman Johnny Bradberry lauded the decision saying, “The Mid‐Barataria Sediment Diversion is critical to …
Decoding Diversion Permitting: What the Federal Dashboard Means for Restoring Coastal Louisiana
It’s official! The Federal Permitting Dashboard has been updated for the Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion project! The CPP is revised! Most importantly, the target date for completing permitting has moved up by almost two years! It’s pretty cool stuff, but you might be asking, “What’s a dashboard?” or “What is a CPP?!” So allow us to explain. The Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion project will reconnect the Mississippi River with the wetlands in the Barataria Basin, an area with one of the highest …
Timeline for Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion Accelerated by Two Years
Conservation groups applaud agencies for advancing crucial coastal restoration project (NEW ORLEANS, LA – April 2, 2018) Earlier today, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Louisiana Coastal Protection & Restoration Authority (CPRA) announced an update to the permitting timeline for the Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion. The updates will advance the target date for completion of an Environmental Impact Statement and issuance of required decisions and permits from 2022 to 2020, shaving 22 months off the original schedule. Restore the …
Coastal Latest & Greatest: 3 Stories Look Back at the History of Our Coastal Parishes
A weekly round-up of what’s new in Louisiana coastal restoration 1) Iberia. The Tabasco company, based on Avery Island in Iberia Parish, has a unique and intriguing history with conservation. Listen to this interview with Shane Bernard, Tabasco Historian, to learn about this iconic Louisiana company and the Queen of England’s favorite hot sauce! 2) Lafourche. Ted Jackson’s article in The Times-Picayune, “Buried at sea: As cemeteries on Louisiana’s coast wash away, so does history,” takes you on an …
Meet Our Staff: Q&A with Jessie Ritter
WELCOME TO OUR STAFF Q&A SERIES WHERE YOU CAN MEET THE PEOPLE BEHIND RESTORE THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER DELTA! TODAY WE’RE CHATTING WITH Jessie Ritter, Senior Policy Specialist for Gulf of mexico restoration with the national wildlife federation and RESTORE THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER DELTA. CLICK HERE TO MEET MORE OF OUR TEAM. Tell us a little about what you do with NWF and Restore the Mississippi River Delta? As chairperson for Restore the Mississippi River Delta’s policy committee, I help to coordinate and …