Louisiana Faith Leaders Support Coastal Restoration
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The following letter was recently signed by over 30 faith leaders and delivered to the The Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority in support of the 2017 Master Plan. Dear Members of the CPRA: The persons who have signed this letter are faith leaders, and we submit this comment on the 2017 Coastal Master Plan of the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority because we are children of the One who created us and the planet on which we reside. God calls humans …
Getting Down to Basics: The Environmental Impact Statement Process for the Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion
As CPRA advances the Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion and other priority projects toward construction, Restore the Mississippi River Delta staff experts will aim to give you updates on key steps of the process. The Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion aims to be “the first controlled sediment diversion reconnecting the Mississippi river with its delta,” Louisiana’s Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA) indicated in a recent press release, and, recently, there have been some important developments toward that end. In March, CPRA announced that …
Delta Dispatches Podcast – Wildlife
Each week, Delta Dispatches, the weekly podcast from Restore the Mississippi River Delta, looks at one component of coastal restoration in Louisiana. This week, Jacques Hebert has two guests to talk about how wildlife plays an integral role in restoration. From LSU, Jacques talks with Dr. Andy Nyman, a wetland wildlife scientist about how wildlife is in Louisiana is different than neighboring states. Later in the show, Dr. Eric Johnson from Audubon Louisiana is here to discuss the variety of bird species that depend …
New Poll Shows 88 Percent of Louisianians Support the 2017 Coastal Master Plan
Overwhelming majority want their state legislator to pass the plan, protect restoration funding (NEW ORLEANS—April 3, 2017) An overwhelming 88 percent of Louisiana voters want their legislators to vote for the 2017 Coastal Master Plan, according to a new statewide poll released today. The master plan is the state’s science-based blueprint for large-scale restoration and protection of Louisiana’s critical coastal areas. The draft plan will soon be finalized and is expected to be approved by the Coastal Protection and Restoration …
#OurCoast: From Disaster to Restoration
When I heard there had been an explosion on an oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico, I knew it was going to be one of the most impactful events during my lifetime. In the spring of 2010, I was living in Florida, deep in the throes of graduate school and finals were looming. I knew that once I really started to pay attention to the news surrounding the spill, I was not going to be able to stop. So …
Delta Dispatches Podcast – Fisheries
Thanks for listening to the fourth episode of Delta Dispatchers with hosts Simone Maloz & Jacques Hebert. In this episode, Simone talks with Captain Ryan Lambert of Cajun Fishing Adventures to talk about coastal restoration. Later in the show, Dr. John Lopez, Director, Coastal Sustainability Program with the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation, joins the program to talk with Jacques about saving Louisiana’s fisheries. Below is a transcript of this week’s Delta Dispatches Podcast. Listen to the full recording here or …
New LSU Study Underscores Regional Economic Costs of Coastal Land Loss
Study also shows economic benefits of implementing state’s Coastal Master Plan (Baton Rouge – March 22, 2017) Louisiana could lose as much as $3.6 billion in homes, businesses and other infrastructure over the next 50 years if the state takes no action to curb its coastal land loss crisis, according to a new study released today by the Louisiana State University (LSU) Economics & Policy Research Group. The study, “Regional Impacts of Coastal Land Loss and Louisiana’s Opportunity for Growth,” …
Delta Dispatches Podcast – Sediment Diversions
Thanks for listening to the third episode of Delta Dispatchers with hosts Simone Maloz & Jacques Hebert. On today’s show Rudy Simoneaux and Brad Barth, from CPRA talk about sediment diversions and Rebecca Triche joins Simone to discuss the Louisiana Wildlife Federation and their upcoming event. 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 Google Play. Listen now! Show Transcript Jacques: Welcome …
Conservation Groups Insist Federal Agencies Act with Urgency on Key Restoration Project
New proposed timeline for Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion “completely unacceptable” (Baton Rouge – March 15, 2017) At this morning’s Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority Board meeting, Col. Michael Clancy of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers stated that the new target date for issuing a permit, in consultation with other federal agencies, on the Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion is October 2022 – two years behind the schedule proposed by the state of Louisiana. In response, Restore the Mississippi River Delta – …
#OurCoast: From the Headwaters to the Delta
“Jump!” the guide told us. “Jump out of the boat!” I was sitting with my colleagues in a small boat near the mouth of the Atchafalaya River, a distributary of the Mississippi. We had boarded at the dock, traveled south through the channel, and were now bobbing in open water where the murky Atchafalaya River meets the clear waters of the Gulf of Mexico. I figured our guide was making a joke – there was no way I was jumping out …
Delta Dispatches Podcast – Master Plan
Thanks for listening to the second episode of Delta Dispatchers with hosts Simone Maloz & Jacques Hebert. On today’s show Bren Haase & Dr. Denise Reed talk about the Master Plan. 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 Google Play. Listen to Episode 2 now! Show Transcript Jacques: Hello, you’re listening to Delta Dispatches. We’re discussing Louisiana’s coast, its people, wildlife, …
Louisiana Governor Calls on President Trump to Expedite Coastal Infrastructure Projects
Conservation groups, Coast Builders Coalition support investments in large-scale coastal restoration and protection (NEW ORLEANS – March 8, 2017) This morning, Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards sent a letter to the Administration outlining the state’s coastal restoration and protection infrastructure priorities. In his letter, Governor Edwards proposes that the Administration give high priority status to five projects included in the state’s Coastal Master Plan: Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion, Mid-Breton Sediment Diversion, Houma Navigation Canal Lock Complex, Calcasieu Salinity Control Measures, and …
Why Does the Coast Matter to You? Tell Us Your Story
The 2017 Master Plan is the road map that will guide Louisiana’s efforts to protect the coast over the next 50 years. As the plan comes up for a vote, our best weapon is your voice! Help us tell the story of our coast so legislators across the state can make the easy choice: to pass the master plan. Everyone’s interactions with Louisiana’s coast is different, so we expect your stories to be, too. Here are a few ideas to …
Delta Dispatches Podcast – Introduction
In the the inaugural episode of Delta Dispatches, Jacques and Simone speak to Steve Cochran, Campaign Director of Restore the Mississippi Delta, and Alisha Renfro, Coastal Scientist for the National Wildlife Federation. Below is a transcript of this week’s Delta Dispatches Podcast. Listen to the full recording or subscribe to our feed in iTunes and Google Play. Listen now! Introduction Jacques: Hi, this is Jacques Hebert. Simone: I’m Simone Maloz. Jacques: You’re listening to Delta Dispatches where we’re discussing …
Do Levees Alone Provide Enough Flood Protection? No, They Do Not.
The simple answer is no, but why not? Levees can be wonderfully effective, but they need to be built and built correctly. Many areas of our coast can never be inside of levee protection because of their location and the expense associated with building levees there. Levees are expensive and have to be justified economically. Areas of the coast that are too sparsely populated make it difficult to justify the construction of a levee. In addition, many areas with low …