Delta Dispatches: Storm Sweep 2022 with Kristi Trail
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With summer fast approaching, Jacques and Simone (united once again!) sit down with Kristi Trail, Executive Director of Pontchartrain Conservancy (PC). Kristi is excited to be in person with events again and PC has plenty of ways to get involved! They’ve got ongoing volunteer opportunities, the Lighthouse Museum is open again for tours, and this weekend they’re hosting their annual Storm Sweep, which kicks off this Saturday, May 28th! Be prepared this hurricane season at https://scienceforourcoast.org/stormsweep2022/. Listen Now:
Delta Dispatches: The 2022 Coastal Stewardship Awards
This week Simone is joined by James Karst, Communication Director for the Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana (CRCL) to talk about all their exciting work in 2022 including next week’s Coastal Stewardship Awards, which honors individuals and organizations demonstrating extraordinary commitment to our coast. Later in the episode, Simone is joined by three of this year’s winners ( Raegan Creppell, Jonathan Foret and Genie Ardoin) who are being recognized for their tremendous work to help coastal communities recover from Hurricane …
With No Time to Lose, Louisiana Is Constructing More Coastal Restoration and Protection Projects Than Ever
This is the first blog in a series focused on coastal restoration projects advancing across Louisiana’s coast. You can read the Southwest blog here, and the Central Coast blog here. When the first Louisiana Coastal Master Plan was released in 2007, just two years after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, we laid out massive restoration needs with no time to lose. Overwhelming? Yes. Pipe Dream? No. Today, we are seeing the consistent advocacy and commitment to the Louisiana coast turn big …
Coastal Stakeholders Urge Decisionmakers to Advance Critical Restoration Projects
Over 160 signatories including state and federal legislators, business and community leaders, environmental NGOs voice support for restoration projects following hurricanes and oil spill New Orleans, Louisiana – Earlier this month the Louisiana Trustee Implementation Group of the Deepwater Horizon Natural Resource Damage Assessment Trustees released its Draft Restoration Plan and Environmental Assessment #8: Wetlands, Coastal, and Nearshore Habitats. In response to the draft restoration plan, over 160 representatives of business, government, environmental, community and other groups in Louisiana have …
Delta Dispatches: A Coastal Convo. with The Lost Bayou Ramblers’ Louis Michot
On today’s episode of Delta Dispatches, Jacques chats with Grammy-award winning musician Louis Michot! Louis discusses how his upbringing in Louisiana’s Cajun country shaped his love of the environment and Louisiana’s coast and even inspired his music. Louis will be performing with his band, Lost Bayou Ramblers, at this year’s Shell-A-Bration on March 25th! This community event is dedicated to raising awareness and engagement for the Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana’s Oyster Shell Recycling Program. Learn more and buy your …
Delta Dispatches: Re-engineering the Mississippi Delta
After a quick introduction by Jacques and Simone, we replay a recent episode from the American Shoreline Podcast! Hosts Peter Ravella and Tyler Buckingham turn their attention to the dynamic Louisiana coast and the struggle to protect the City of New Orleans from Mississippi River floods. Joining the show is Dr. Devyani Kar, Senior Manager and Scientist with the Environmental Defense Fund, to share new research that shows how upriver river diversions can restore vital wetlands and reduce the impacts …
Delta Dispatches: A Visit to the New Canal Lighthouse
On this episode, Jacques speaks with Kate Tannian, Visitor Services Manager, for Pontchartrain Conservancy about the history and program offerings of the conservancy’s New Canal Lighthouse. From a newly-named EPA Reactive Fish Sculpture to a newly-launched public seed station, there is a lot happening at the lighthouse these days in addition to its regular scientific and historical exhibits, unique gift shop, and more! Plan your next visit to this special part of the New Orleans Lakefront here. Listen Now:
Delta Dispatches: The Great Outdoors with Bill Cooksey
On today’s show, we talk with Bill Cooksey, the Sportsmen Outreach Coordinator with Vanishing Paradise. This is a conservation program for sportsmen and outdoor enthusiasts. Bill brings his unique history as a hunter and communicator to raise awareness and support on a critical conservation issue of our time — restoring the Mississippi River Delta and Gulf Coast. You can learn more about Vanishing Paradise on their website and listen to Bill on the Vanishing Paradise podcast here. Listen Now:
Louisiana’s Coast and Communities Will Benefit from SHORRE Act Provisions
Media Statement of Simone Maloz, Campaign Director, Restore the Mississippi River Delta Today, Sens. Tom Carper (D-DE) and Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA), and Reps. Garret Graves (R-LA) and Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE) introduced the Shoreline Health Oversight, Restoration, Resilience, and Enhancement (SHORRE Act), a bipartisan bill to address coastal and riverine impacts of climate change in the United States. In response, Restore the Mississippi River Delta Campaign Director Simone Maloz issued the following statement: “Our nation desperately needs to fortify …
Delta Dispatches: Louisiana’s First Climate Action Plan
Earlier this month, Louisiana’s Climate Task Force approved the state’s first ever Climate Action Plan, a science-based plan consisting of 28 strategies and 84 actions to “limit the severity of climate change while positioning the state to maintain its economic competitiveness in a low-carbon future.” Lindsay Cooper, Policy Analyst with the Governor’s Office of Coastal Activities, joins the show to discuss the plan, how it was developed and what comes next as Louisiana seeks to reach net zero greenhouse gas …
Upriver Diversions Can Reduce Impacts of Bonnet Carré Spillway
New research shows river diversions can restore vital wetlands and reduce impacts of Bonnet Carré Spillway openings Climate change is causing more intense rainfall across the Mississippi River Basin resulting in more river floods and more frequent use of the Bonnet Carré Spillway. The spillway is a massive flood control structure operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers when the river reaches a certain flood stage to reduce pressure on the levees and prevent catastrophic flooding to more than …
Delta Dispatches: Glass Half Full Wants to Help Restore Louisiana’s Coast with Your Empty Bottles
Glass Half Full is a nonprofit organization based in New Orleans working to remove glass waste from landfills by recycling it into sand and other materials. To date, they have removed 1.8 million pounds of glass from landfills. On this episode, Jacques interviews their founder and co-director Franziska Trautmann who discusses how the idea was born by Tulane students over a bottle of wine, the mechanics of turning glass bottles into sand and other materials, a new partnership with CRCL’s …
Delta Dispatches: From River Road to Bayou Manchac
On today’s episode, Jacques and Simone interview author Mary Ann Sternberg who has written a number of books, articles, essays and more about Louisiana’s unique places and people. Mary Ann discusses her writing, how Louisiana’s environment has inspired it and highlights some experiences that provided a unique vantage point of the Mighty Mississippi. Learn more about Mary Ann and her writing at https://www.maryannsternberg.com/. Listen Now:
Louisiana commits nearly $1.3 billion to critical coastal restoration and protection projects
Following devastating hurricanes, the 2023 Coastal Annual Plan delivers historic investments toward strengthening community resilience Today, the Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority released its Draft Fiscal Year 2023 Coastal Annual Plan, the annual spending plan for the state’s coastal program. The Annual Plan guides funding to implement the 2017 Coastal Master Plan, the 50-year vision for priority coastal restoration and risk-reduction projects to restore and protect Louisiana’s coast. In response to the draft release, Restore the Mississippi River Delta …
A look back on 2021 in the Mississippi River Delta
2021 proved to be another year for the books as the world continued to navigate the second year of the pandemic. Coastal Louisiana also faced its fair share of challenges and successes through these trying times. Many of our local communities are still rebuilding homes, schools and businesses following Hurricane Ida’s devastating impacts. (For more information on how to support struggling communities, please visit our resources pages on Point-au-Chien, Ironton, Grand Bayou Village and Houma.) And while we continue to …