Louisiana Embarks on Largest Project Yet to Keep its Barrier Islands from Disappearing
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To restore Louisiana’s coast, we need a suite of large-scale restoration projects across the coast working together to deliver maximum benefits to reduce land loss, restore ecosystems, and maintain healthy and diverse habitats. In our “Restoration Project Highlights” series, we take a deeper look at specific projects from our list of Priority Projects, highlighting why they’re needed and hearing local perspectives on importance. Louisiana’s barrier islands, remnants of ancient Mississippi River delta lobes, represent some of the most unique landscapes in …
Delta Dispatches: Exploring Louisiana’s First Wind Week
Thanks for listening to the latest episode of Delta Dispatches! Today Jacques and Simone are joined by Harry Vorhoff, of the Governor’s Office of Coastal Activities, and Rep. Joseph Orgeron to discuss the state’s first Wind Week, a series of public webinars on expanding wind energy in the Gulf. You can watch all Wind Week sessions online at: https://gov.louisiana.gov/index.cfm/page/124. Listen Now:
Delta Dispatches: Reviving Bayou Lafourche
On today’s episode of Delta Dispatches, Jacques and Simone talk about the restoration of the “longest Main Street in the world!” First up, we catch up with Ryan M. Perque, Executive Director of the Friends of the Bayou Lafourche. He talks about the history of the waterway and the work his organization and others are doing to restore it. In the second half of the show, we continue our conversation about Bayou Lafourche with Tristan Baurick, environmental reporter with The …
Delta Dispatches: Beyond the Bayou Tours
As summer kicks off and tourism ramps back up in Louisiana, Simone and Jacques welcome Jared Sternberg, founder of Beyond the Bayou eco-tours, to discuss how and why he founded his business as well as their tour offerings, eco-tourism as a tool for coastal education, and a new partnership with the Old 77 Hotel in New Orleans to bring more people out into the swamp. Listen Now:
2021 Legislative Session Delivers Significant Gains for Louisiana’s Coast
Leading conservation groups praise policymakers’ efforts to prioritize funding for vital restoration projects BATON ROUGE, La. (June 11, 2021) — Yesterday, the 2021 Louisiana Regular Legislative Session adjourned with a strong effort to protect funding for coastal restoration and prioritize community resilience, including unanimous passage of the Fiscal Year 2022 Coastal Annual Plan. The plan is the funding vehicle that supports the implementation of the 2017 Coastal Master Plan, the 50-year vision for priority coastal restoration and risk-reduction projects to …
55 Leading Scientists Express Overwhelming Support for Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion
Co-authored letter stresses urgent need for vital restoration project to sustain Louisiana’s coast NEW ORLEANS (June 1, 2021) — A group of more than 55 natural and physical scientists, engineers and social scientists with a combined 1,300 years of research and technical experience related to Louisiana’s coast have co-authored and signed a letter voicing support based on their scientific knowledge and expertise for the Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion, the single largest ecosystem restoration project in U.S. history. The group’s collective interdisciplinary …
Delta Dispatches: State of the Coast with CRCL
This week on Delta Dispatches, Jacques brings back our friends from the Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana James Karst, director of communications and marketing, and Emily Vuxton, policy director. James talks about the upcoming State of the Coast conference (registration open now!) and Emily talks about things to keep an eye on in this year’s Louisiana state legislative session including the 2021 Coastal Annual Plan. Listen Now:
What Are Supporters Saying About Sediment Diversions?
From local community members to regional leaders: The future of our coast is tied to the Mighty Mississippi River! After decades of work, a major milestone for the Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion is underway with the release of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). Learn more about the project here | Show YOUR support for these critical projects to restore our coast Skip to a section Quotes from Coastal Leaders Scientists for Diversions Hunters & Anglers for Diversions Louisiana is Pro-Sediment …
Delta Dispatches: The Guardian of the Wetlands
This week on Delta Dispatches we’re talking about the inspirational new exhibit at the Ogden Museum of Southern Art which features works from John Taylor, storyteller, environmentalist, self-taught artist and life-long resident of New Orleans’ Lower 9th Ward. Here to talk about the exhibit is Mikhayla Harrell, the Museum Educator and Teen Intern Coordinator at the Ogden Museum and Amanda Moore Deputy Director, Gulf Program for the National Wildlife Federation. This exhibition features a variety of works by Taylor, including …
The World Still Very Much Needs More Louisiana
Back in 2015 as we commemorated 10 years since Hurricanes Katrina and Rita dealt our state two devastating blows, our organization partnered with cool, local retailer Dirty Coast to develop a design and message that articulated why Louisiana’s coast is so important and worth preserving. We put a call out to you – the public – asking for ideas, and you delivered by bringing “The World Needs More Louisiana” to life. Since then, this powerful rallying cry has appeared on …
Delta Dispatches: The Place with No Edge — A Conversation with Author Adam Mandelman on the Mississippi River Delta Past, Present and Future
On today’s episode, Jacques and Simone welcome author Adam Mandelman to discuss his book, The Place with No Edge: An Intimate History of People, Technology, and the Mississippi River Delta, “a book about people’s dreams of mastering nature through technology in one of the wettest, most unruly landscapes of North America. Published with Louisiana State University Press in April of 2020, it chronicles three centuries of European efforts to tame the Mississippi River Delta, an environment defined by flood and …
Delta Dispatches: Discussing the Mid Barataria DEIS with the Army Corps
On today’s episode, Jacques and Simone welcome Jeff Varisco, Senior Project Manager, and Brad Laborde, Regulatory Manager, with the Army Corps of Engineers New Orleans District. Jeff and Brad walk us through the milestone that is the release of a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the Mid Barataria Sediment Diversion, discuss how the public can engage in submitting comments over the comment period and provide insight into how these comments will inform a final Environmental Impact Statement for the …
Virtual Meetings to Provide Information and Resources on Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion
On March 5, 2021, the Army Corps of Engineers released a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion for public review, triggering a 60-day comment period. The Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA) Louisiana Trustee Implementation Group (LATIG) also released a draft Restoration Plan identifying how the project will help restore the ecosystem in the aftermath of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. But where does my voice fit in? Coming in at over 5000 pages, consisting of 10 …
“Unless We Act Now, We Risk Losing It All”: Groups Underscore Importance of Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion
Using the Mississippi River to Restore Rapidly Vanishing Wetlands Vital to Future of Southeast Louisiana NEW ORLEANS (March 5, 2021) —The single largest ecosystem restoration project in U.S. history reached a significant milestone today when the Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) released the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion. This Louisiana Coastal Master Plan project will reconnect the Mississippi River to adjacent wetlands to build and maintain tens of thousands of acres of land in the …
Delta Dispatches: A Monumental Moment for Louisiana’s Coast
On this week’s episode of Delta Dispatches, Simone and Jacques bring back their first-ever guests, Dr. Alisha Renfro with the National Wildlife Federation and Steve Cochran campaign director with Restore the Mississippi River Delta and Environmental Defense Fund, to mark a big milestone for Louisiana’s coast — the release of the draft Environmental Impact Statement and Restoration Plan for the Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion. The Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion would be the single largest ecosystem restoration project in U.S. history and will …