Summer field trip to the Caernarvon Freshwater Diversion
← Older posts Newer posts →Summer field trip to the Caernarvon Freshwater Diversion
Our partners at the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation and the National Wildlife Federation recently took out a group of folks to see the Caernarvon freshwater diversion and the new land it is building in Big Mar, 20 miles south of New Orleans. Participants were taken by airboat to the diversion structure itself, down the conveyance channel, and through the emerging delta in Big Mar. Caernarvon wasn’t designed to capture sand and other land-building materials out of the Mississippi River but …
Celebrating America and Protecting our Feathered Friends
Prior to the start of a busy Fourth of July weekend, Audubon Louisiana staff and volunteers ventured to Holly Beach to protect nesting birds. These birds, including Wilson’s Plovers, Least Terns and Black Skimmers, are all Audubon priority bird species and are in danger of losing their crucial habitat. Additionally, many of these birds depend on beach habitat for nesting, making their nests vulnerable to vehicular and human traffic. These nests are often camouflaged, making it hard for people to know …
Audubon Perspectives: Witnessing Land-Building in Louisiana
Originally posted by Audubon Louisiana on July 11, 2016. See original post here. Greetings! My name is Harmony Hamilton; I am Audubon Louisiana’s inaugural Walker Communications Fellow. In this role, I will be working with Audubon Louisiana staff and supporters to capture the impact the National Audubon Society and its partners are having on birds and people across Louisiana’s coast. I recently had the opportunity to visit the Caernarvon Freshwater Diversion, just a few miles south of New Orleans, to …
Coastal Supporter Spotlight: Kassy McCall, NOLA Til Ya Die
Guests gather at NOLA Til Ya Die for crawfish, trivia, and coastal restoration. In 2014, Kassy McCall opened NOLA Til Ya Die in a Mid-City warehouse where Toulouse Street meets Bayou St. John. “I had been down in the French Market selling ‘Til Ya Die’ merchandise since 2012,” she explains, “mostly as test marketing.” McCall’s “Til Ya Die” designs are recognizable to many New Orleanians, but have a deeper connection to the city’s Hurricane Katrina recovery than most realize. After …
Conservation Organizations Thank Secretary Jewell for Visiting Gulf Coast
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Emily Guidry Schatzel, National Wildlife Federation, 225.253.9781, schatzele@nwf.org Elizabeth Van Cleve, Environmental Defense Fund, 202.553.2543, evancleve@edf.org Jacques Hebert, National Audubon Society, 504.264.6849, jhebert@audubon.org Jimmy Frederick, Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana, 225.317.2046, jimmy.frederick@crcl.org John Lopez, Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation, 504.421.7348, jlopez@saveourlake.org Conservation Organizations Thank Secretary Jewell for Visiting Gulf Coast Groups Urge Investment in Large-Scale Restoration with BP Dollars (New Orleans, LA – June 21, 2016) This week, U.S. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell is visiting Louisiana …
LPBF Launches Hydrocoast Maps to Monitor Conditions in Barataria Basin
Due to popular demand, the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation has created Hydrocoast Maps for Barataria Basin. As it has done in neighboring Pontchartrain Basin, the maps for the Barataria Basin will monitor the salinity, freshwater input, weather and fisheries in order to gain a deeper understanding of estuarine dynamics, changes to the basin over time and to provide a baseline to monitor future changes as restoration projects are completed. Hydrocoast Maps provide a snapshot of the conditions of the estuary, …
Restoring the Wetlands as Part of our Sacred Duty and History
God of unchangeable power, when you fashioned the world the morning stars sang together and the host of heaven shouted for joy; open our eyes to the wonders of creation and teach us to use all things for good, to the honor of your glorious name; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (Source: A New Zealand Prayer Book, p. 569) Before our city and coastlands were flooded by Hurricane Katrina, there was a cry to rebuild wetlands that were disappearing. …
Tracking Fish with Acoustic Telemetry—Implementation of an Exciting Technology in Lake Pontchartrain
The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) and many other fisheries organizations and scientists worldwide have traditionally used fish tags to keep track of fish populations. You may have even applied these simple dart-tipped plastic tags to a fish yourself. Standard fish tagging efforts (in part) identify where the fish was originally captured, Point A, and then where the fish was recaptured, Point Z. But there is not a clear picture of where these fish were for points B, …
Louisiana Wetlands: Recognizing a National Treasure During American Wetlands Month
May is American Wetlands Month, and Louisiana’s coastal wetlands are some of the most productive ecosystems in North America. Not only do they provide habitat for numerous fish, wildlife and birds, but they also help improve water quality, provide recreational opportunities and protection for people and infrastructure from damaging storm surges. Wildlife habitat and nurseries Wetlands serve as a nursery environment for juvenile fish. The countless ponds, bays and bayous found in the Mississippi River Delta provide essential habitat for …
Louisiana Legislature Passes Resolution Funding State’s 2016-2017 Coastal Activities
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Jacques Hebert, National Audubon Society, 504.264.6849, jhebert@audubon.org Elizabeth Van Cleve, Environmental Defense Fund, 202.553.2543, evancleve@edf.org Emily Guidry Schatzel, National Wildlife Federation, 225.253.9781, schatzele@nwf.org Jimmy Frederick, Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana, 225.317.2046, jimmy.frederick@crcl.org John Lopez, Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation, 504.421.7348, jlopez@saveourlake.org Louisiana Legislature Passes Resolution Funding State’s 2016-2017 Coastal Activities Resolution Directs Investment of $736 Million to Key Restoration and Protection Projects (Baton Rouge, LA– May 20, 2016) Yesterday, in a unanimous vote, the Louisiana Senate approved House …
Earth Day 2016: Planting Trees to Restore Louisiana’s Coast
On Friday, April 22nd, 2016, Restore the Mississippi River Delta Coalition staff participated in an Earth Day tree planting event. Outreach team staff joined their partners at the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation and several volunteers to plant 250 cypress trees graciously donated by the St. Bernard Wetlands Foundation. Our staff and volunteers were thrilled to spend a day working in the wetlands, the sunshine and gentle breeze being a pleasant change from the normal office environment. Volunteers haul supplies to …
What does 200 million tons of sediment look like?
In the past two years, nearly 200 million tons of sediment have flowed past our vanishing wetlands and off the continental shelf. This sediment is the key to rebuilding our coast – providing wildlife and fisheries habitat and protecting our communities for generations to come. View the sediment counter to learn more!
Caring for Creation—an Earth Day Sunday Field Trip
When John Taylor was a boy growing up in the Lower 9th Ward of New Orleans, cypress trees were so thick in nearby Bayou Bienvenue that he didn’t need a paddle for his pirogue. He could pull himself along by grabbing the cypress knees. Aaron Viles, Rayne Caring For Creation Committee member and Gulf Restoration Network board member discusses the state of advocacy efforts to restore the Bayou and Louisiana’s coastal wetlands with John Taylor, Lower Ninth Ward Center for …
The Bonnet Carré Provides Plenty of Recreational Opportunities
Originally posted on Vanishing Paradise. See original post here. In January of this year, high water on the lower Mississippi River prompted the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to open of the Bonnet Carré Spillway for the 11th time in its 85-year history. The Bonnet Carré Spillway doesn’t just help lower water levels pressing against the flood protection levees, it’s also a thriving wilderness area that benefits from the periodic opening of the spillway structure and the sediment and fresh …
The Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana Plants Their 10,000th Tree in Braithwaite, LA
Saturday, April 2nd was the culmination of a two-year effort to rebuild one of Louisiana’s once mighty coastal forests. The Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana’s Habitat Restoration Program in partnership with the Restore the Earth Foundation (REF), Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation (LPBF), the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA) and 46 volunteers planted the final 1,165 trees in the Caernarvon Diversion Outfall in St. Bernard Parish, reaching the goal of planting 10,000 trees in the area. The 10,000 trees initiative …