Delta Dispatches: Advocating for Louisiana’s Vanishing Paradise
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On today’s show Erin Brown of Vanishing Paradise stops by to talk with Simone and Jacques about how they advocate for restoration of the Mississippi River Delta by nationalizing the issue, raising awareness, and educating members of Congress. Chef Nathan Richard also joins the program to talk with Simone & Jacques about the Fresh Water Supper at Cavan Restaurant in New Orleans for the Vanishing Paradise, highlighting species that depend on freshwater marsh in coastal Louisiana. Below is a transcript of …
Help Us Celebrate National Estuaries Week
Do you love your local estuary? Restore or Retreat sure does! And what better way to spread that estuarine ecosystem love than during National Estuaries Week?! Restore or Retreat (ROR) is a non-profit coastal advocacy group created in 2000 by coastal Louisiana residents and stakeholders who recognize that the Barataria and Terrebonne estuaries are among the most beautiful ecosystems in America. Unfortunately, these estuaries are rapidly eroding, creating an economic and ecological crisis. As part of ROR’s mission, we seek to …
Hurricane Harvey and Katrina Anniversary Remind Us of Urgent Need for Coastal Restoration
Like most Americans, our hearts are with our neighbors in Texas and Louisiana who are experiencing the impacts of Hurricane Harvey. The current focus is on rescue efforts, and we hope that everyone remains safe during this time. In Louisiana, we know all too well the toll that a storm can take on a place and its citizens. Twelve years ago today, Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf coast. Watching Hurricane Harvey unfold brings back memories all too familiar to those …
Delta Dispatches: Sediment – The Building Blocks of Land Building
On today’s show, Simone and Jacques are joined by journalist and author Jim Robbins to talk about his book “The Wonder of Birds: What They Tell Us About Ourselves, the World, and a Better Future ” and why sediment is an important part of Louisiana’s ecosystem. On the second half of the show, Alex Kolker speaks about his new paper and why the Cubit’s Gap subdelta provides the perfect study site for future river diversion projects. Below is a transcript …
Helping Communities Participate in the NEPA Scoping Process
In mid-July, I traveled to Louisiana with fellow ELI Gulf Team member Teresa Chan to host three workshops with the Restore the Mississippi River Delta coalition. Held in three different parishes, these workshops were intended to help the community meaningfully participate in the “scoping” process for the Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion by providing some background on the project, explaining what scoping is, and discussing how the public can participate. Nearly 60 people attended the workshops, where there were lots of lively discussions! Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion …
Delta Dispatches: Financing the 2017 Coastal Master Plan
On today’s show Charles Sutcliffe, Director of Policy and Programs at Louisiana Governor’s Office joins the program to talk with Jacques & Simone about financing for coastal restoration in Louisiana. Below is a transcript of this week’s Delta Dispatches Podcast. Subscribe to our feed in iTunes and Google Play. Listen Now! Show Transcript Jacques: Hello. You are listening to Delta Dispatches. We’re discussing Louisiana’s Coast, its people, wildlife, and jobs and why restoring it matters. I’m Jacques Hebert …
Understanding Social Vulnerability in Your Community
The paradox at hand Over 2.3 million people live in the 20 parishes located in Louisiana’s Coastal Zone. According to the most recent National Coastal Population Report, a collaboration between the U.S. Census Bureau and NOAA, the rate of population increase in coastal Louisiana has doubled since 2010. Unfortunately, coastal land is disappearing as the population grows. A football field of wetlands disappears every 100 minutes (USGS). Restoration projects aim to preserve and rebuild the state’s beautiful wetlands, which provide …
Let’s Get Muddy: How A Mixture of Mud and Sand Can Help Revive Louisiana’s Wetlands
With the recent unanimous passage of the 2017 Coastal Master Plan, the State of Louisiana is working hard to advance priority restoration projects, including numerous sediment diversions. These project types have been called a “cornerstone” of our efforts to restore and protect Louisiana’s coastal wetlands. As such, it’s important to understand the valuable resource they help capture and deliver to our wetlands: sediment. This is a fancy word for the sands, silts, clays and muds that flow through the Mississippi …
From Cattle Farming to Pageant Queen: A Coastal Advocate All the Way
I grew up on levees of both rice and crawfish fields along the coast of southern Vermilion Parish. To some that might sound like a boring childhood but to me, it was my own paradise and playground. This unique upbringing greatly influenced the person I have become, as well as my understanding of the importance of Louisiana’s coast and the many unique communities that comprise it. I was born into a family which was, and still is, deeply invested …
Delta Dispatches: Preserving Louisiana’s Heritage
Welcome to Delta Dispatches with hosts, Simone Maloz & Jacques Hebert. On today’s show Brian Ostahowski, President of the Louisiana Archaelological Society joins the program to talk about how the coastal crisis affects archaeology in Louisiana and archaeology in Coastal Louisiana. In the second half the show, Simone and Jacques are joined by Dr. Nathalie Dajko, Assistant Professor of Linguistics at Tulane University to talk about preserving Louisiana’s unique language. Below is a transcript of this week’s Delta Dispatches Podcast. …
Delta Dispatches: Building Land in Coastal Louisiana
On today’s show Mark Sickles from Weeks Marine joins the program to talk with Simone about all the wonderful work they are doing here in Louisiana and Dr. John Lopez, Director of Coastal Sustainability Program at Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation also joins the program to talk with Jacques about natural growth and plant development in the Louisiana marshes. Below is a transcript of this week’s Delta Dispatches Podcast. Listen to the full recording here or subscribe to our feed in iTunes and …
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Delta Dispatches: The Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion
On today’s show Teresa Chan & Amy Streitweiser of Environmental Law Institute (ELI) join the program to talk with Simone about ELI and the upcoming environmental impact study (EIS) on the Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion. On the second half the show, Natalie Peyronnin, Director of Science Policy and Mississippi River Delta Restoration at the Environmental Defense Fund stops by to talk with Simone about the history of the Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion project and what to expect from the EIS process. Below …
Delta Dispatches: Mapping Louisiana
Welcome to Delta Dispatches with hosts Simone Maloz & Jacques Hebert. On today’s show Brady Couvillion, Geographer with the Coastal Restoration Assessment Branch of the USGS Wetland and Aquatic Research Center, joins the program to talk with Simone about mapping Louisiana’s coast. He’s followed by Dr. Scott Hemmerling, the Director of Human Dimension for The Water Institute of the Gulf, who stops by to talk with Simone about the human dimension of the loss of Louisiana’s wetlands and the atlas …
Updated USGS Maps Show Decreased Rate of Louisiana Land Loss
Conservation groups say urgent action still needed to slow down continued land loss, build new land For Immediate Release (NEW ORLEANS – June 12, 2017) Today, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) released updated maps depicting net land loss and land gain in Louisiana since 1932. These maps show that the rate of land loss has slowed in recent years, largely due to decreased hurricane activity and the advancement of coastal restoration projects, such as the Lake Hermitage and Bayou Dupont …