How Does the Coastal Master Plan Impact Me?
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Earlier this month, the Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority released its draft 2023 Coastal Master Plan (CMP). This plan serves as a guide for Louisiana’s coastal restoration and risk reduction efforts and is released every 6 years. The plan is the end product of thousands of hours of engineering, research and modeling to determine how to best spend Louisiana’s resources over the next 50 years in the face of climate change, sea level rise and land loss. At 100 …
A View from Above: Join us for a Flyover Along the Mississippi River
Hello there! Welcome to your personalized flight across Louisiana’s coast. Here at Restore the Mississippi River Delta, we work daily to confront Louisiana’s land loss crisis by advancing large-scale coastal restoration projects to build and sustain land. Louisiana is losing a football field of land every 100 minutes. Since the 1930s, we’ve lost land equivalent to the size of Delaware. Without bold action, Louisiana could lose another 4,000 square miles over the next 50 years. We have no time to …
Getting the Recipe Right: How Adaptive Management Can Help Optimize Diversions
As the weather begins to cool down in Louisiana, there is no better time to talk about everyone’s favorite dish: a nice warm bowl of gumbo. Whether your favorite is seafood or chicken and sausage, several steps go into perfecting a gumbo recipe. “Coastal restoration” might not immediately come to mind when you think about a perfect gumbo. But in reality, perfecting the operation of Louisiana’s sediment diversions is a lot like getting a classic gumbo recipe tried, true, and …
The Mississippi River is Our Greatest Force for Building Land
Skip to a section 1. The River in Action. Neptune Pass Is Building Land 2. Diversions Build Land. Period. 3. While not a Sediment Diversion, the Caernarvon Freshwater Diversion Builds Land 4. Wetlands Need Sediment to Survive 5. Roots + Sediment = Stronger Soils, More Resilient Marshes 6. There is more to Sediment than Sand 7. Diversions are Field-Tested and Scientifically Solid 8. The Mid Barataria Sediment Diversion is a Coastal Restoration Project, Not MRGO 9. Diversions + Nutrients = …
Delta Dispatches: See Ya Later, Alligator
Listen Now: In today’s episode of Delta Dispatches, we say goodbye to host Jacques Hebert, who leaves the show, and the Restore the Mississippi River Delta Coalition to become the Communication Director for the McKnight Foundation. We’re joined by several special guests (Chip Kline, Bren Haase, Steve Caparotta, and Steve Cochran) to reflect on 194 episodes of Delta Dispatches and the incalculable contributions Jacques has made to the restoration of Louisiana’s coast. Join us in wishing Jacques good luck in …
Coastal Restoration Plan Advances over $74M in Restoration Projects
Media Statement of Restore the Mississippi River Delta (New Orleans, LA.- July 29, 2022) Today, the Louisiana Trustee Implementation Group of the Deepwater Horizon Natural Resource Damage Assessment Trustees released its Final Restoration Plan and Environmental Assessment #8: Wetlands, Coastal, and Nearshore Habitats. Earlier this year, over 160 representatives of business, government, environmental, community and other groups in Louisiana signed on to a letter in support of this plan. In response, Restore the Mississippi River Delta – a coalition of …
Delta Dispatches: From Headwaters to the (Delta) Dispatches
Listen Now: Today’s episode explores the other end of the Mighty Mississippi by welcoming Trevor Russell, Water Program Director with Friends of the Mississippi River. Based in Minnesota, Russell paints a picture of the upper river, discusses his organization’s work to enhance the health of the Mississippi River from the Twin Cities and beyond. In particular, he highlights the organization’s award-winning State of the River report, the Mississippi River Restoration & Resilience Initiative (MRRRI) Act they are advocating for along with the Mississippi River …
Delta Dispatches: Paddling the Mighty Mississippi with John Ruskey
Listen Now: This week, Jacques spoke with John Ruskey, one of the most knowledgeable river guides and paddlers of the Mississippi River. John shares his life experiences gathered from over 40 years paddling the Mighty Mississippi. Tune in to learn about John’s work and how you too can experience the Mississippi firsthand!
Delta Dispatches: 2022 Hurricane Season with Steve Caparotta
Listen Now: With the start of Atlantic hurricane season, Simone and Jacques bring back one of Louisiana’s most trusted weathermen, WAFB’s Steve Caparotta, to talk about storm season, how to stay prepared and his new podcast Coast and Climate.
Delta Dispatches: Storm Sweep 2022 with Kristi Trail
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 …