Coalition Unveils Recommendations for Continued Recovery 10 Years After Gulf Oil Spill
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Strategies focus on funding, restoration project implementation and building community resilience NEW ORLEANS (March 11, 2020) — As the 10th anniversary of the Gulf oil spill approaches on April 20, Restore the Mississippi River Delta released a report today with nine recommended strategies for advancing critical ecosystem restoration in the delta, maximizing the investment opportunities of the oil spill settlement and engaging local communities for a more resilient future. The recommendations, titled “A Decade After Disaster,” were compiled by …
American Shoreline Podcast Network and Previewing State of the Coast
Welcome to Delta Dispatches with Jacques Hebert & Simone Maloz! This week on the show, they talk with Tyler Buckingham, one of the co-hosts of the American Shoreline podcast! Delta Dispatches is a proud part of the American Shoreline Podcast Network, which is focused on preserving coastlines around the world. We also check in with James Karst, Director of Communications and Marketing at the Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana. James talks about crawfish dipping, potato salad in (or out of) …
114 community leaders ask the Corps to make a win-win decision for a threatened swamp
More than 100 business, parish and community leaders mobilized over the past few weeks, signing their entities onto a request for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to contribute to the state’s River Reintroduction into Maurepas Swamp project to balance what will be lost in the construction of the West Shore Lake Pontchartrain levee. The widely-supported Maurepas Swamp project aims to deliver sediment and fresh water from the Mississippi River to 45,000 acres existing wetlands and forests in the East …
Delta Dispatches: Eco-tours of Louisiana’s Coast
Thanks for listening to the latest episode of Delta Dispatches. This week Jacques talks to the owners of two eco-tourism companies. First, he speaks with Barbara Johnson, founder of the Great Delta Tours. Barbara has been a respected practitioner, civic leader and consultant in New Orleans for more than 30 years. Tours by the Great Delta Tours cover coastal restoration and bird and wildlife viewing. Next on the show is Marie Gould, founder of Lost Lands Tours. Mary has spent …
Governor Edwards’ Speech Seen as Paving the Way for a More Resilient Louisiana Coast
Second-term priorities integrate state agencies into coastal plan and begin to limit worst effects of sea level rise (BATON ROUGE, La. – February 20, 2020) Today, Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards outlined his second-term priorities for Louisiana’s coast and how his administration aims to protect people, wildlife and jobs in the face of the state’s ongoing land loss and climate crises. Restore the Mississippi River Delta – a coalition of national and local conservation organizations committed to coastal restoration in Louisiana …
Oyster Biology and Habitat Suitability Analysis
Louisiana’s oyster industry has contributed to over 20% of the nation’s catch in pounds for 75% of years since 1950. It has long been a lucrative industry, rooted in culture, and supporting local families and businesses. The ongoing losses to Louisiana’s coastline necessitate manmade interventions that come in a variety of forms; diversions, dredging, shoreline armoring and reef building to name a few. These changes also affect the aquatic creatures that live in our estuary. The ones that can swim …
Delta Dispatches: Archaeology of Louisiana’s Vanishing Coast
Today on Delta Dispatches, Jacques and Simone start the show talking about the hottest debate in coastal Louisiana: is dipping crawfish a crime against humanity or merely deeply unsettling. Once that’s settled, they talk to Stacy Ortego with the Louisiana Wildlife Federation to talk about the progress made on one of our favorite restoration projects: the River Reintroduction into Maurepas Swamp. Finally, they dig deep with Brian Ostahowski, Theodore Marks, and Peyton Finch about archaeological efforts across Louisiana’s coast. …
RESTORE Council Commits Gulf Oil Spill Funds to Defend Threatened Louisiana Swamp
Project to sustain world-renowned habitat and build climate resilience of wildlife and communities (NEW ORLEANS, LA – February 12, 2020) Today, the Gulf Ecosystem Restoration Council (RESTORE Council) voted to approve funding for two important restoration priorities in the Gulf, including investing $130 million in a critical diversion project in Louisiana’s Maurepas Swamp. As ecosystems and wildlife continue to recover nearly 10 years after the Gulf oil disaster, the River Reintroduction into Maurepas Swamp project would use restoration funds from …
Delta Dispatches: Come out to Cook-Off for the Coast on February 8th!
Thanks for listening to the latest episode of Delta Dispatches. This week we’re talking to Samantha Carter, Outreach Manager for the National Wildlife Federation and she’s here to talk about the third annual Cook-off for the Coast! This free event, taking place at Docville Farm on February 8th from 11-3! Come enjoy great (free) food, music, kids events, and more! The event will benefit the Chandeleur Sound Living Shoreline program, which is a partnership Nunez Community College and Chalmette High …
Delta Dispatches: Exploring Nature: Birds and the Louisiana Children’s Museum
Welcome to Delta Dispatches with solo host Jacques Hebert. Today’s first guest is Erik Johnson, Director of Bird Conservation of Audubon Louisiana. Erik talks about the restoration of one of Louisiana’s most important pelican rookeries, Queen Bess Island. They also discuss some of the great work Audubon Louisiana is doing across the coast including an upcoming beach-nesting bird volunteer opportunity. Jacques is also joined by Julia Bland, Executive Director of the Louisiana Children’s Museum. They talk about the museum’s new …
Delta Dispatches: Sediment Diversion Could Protect 47 Sq. Miles of Louisiana’s Coast
Thanks for listening to the latest episode of Delta Dispatches. On the first episode of 2020, Simone and Jacques speak with Brad Barth, Operations Assistant Administrator for the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA). Brad talks about one of Louisiana’s cornerstone restoration projects: the Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion. The CPRA recently completed modeling that showed this project protecting 47 square miles of land over 50 years. Listen Now:
Delta Dispatches: A Toast to the Coast in 2019!
On this special year-in-review episode of Delta Dispatches, Jacques and Simone look back at a busy year for coastal restoration in Louisiana. They’re joined by friends and guests from the past year starting with Chip Kline, chairman of the Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA), Lauren Averill, Jefferson Parish Coastal Zone Director, and ASPBA Central Gulf Coast Board member and Kristin Tracz, Program Officer with the Walton Family Foundation. Listen Now:
Louisiana Children Highlight Importance of Coastal Restoration at State Capitol
Youth advocates presented ‘Restore the Coast. Protect Their Future’ books to coastal authority board BATON ROUGE (Dec. 19, 2019) — Louisiana coastal youth advocates stressed the urgency of Louisiana’s land loss crisis and the need for large-scale coastal restoration to members of Louisiana’s Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA) board during a presentation on Wednesday, Dec.18 at the State Capitol in Baton Rouge. Students hand-delivered books highlighting the results of Restore the Mississippi River Delta’s year-long “Restore the Coast. Protect …
Delta Dispatches: Don’t Miss Lights on the Lake on Dec. 14th!
Thanks for listening to the latest episode of Delta Dispatches! Today we talk to one of our favorite guests, Dr. Alisha Renfro! Alisha talks to Simone about how a crevasse at Fort St. Phillip is one of the few areas of Louisiana that’s growing new land. Alisha also talks about the important River Reintroduction into Maurepas Swamp project, which is up for public comment now. On the second half the show, we’re joined by Mary Elise Schlesinger from the Lake …
Lessons from Davis Pond – A Case Study in Adaptive Management
Even with extensive planning and design efforts, when restoration projects are implemented unanticipated impacts may arise. Through adaptive management, an ongoing process of monitoring and adjusting plans based on observed results, agencies can minimize negative effects and maximize the positive ones by making necessary modifications as issues emerge. Adaptive management is particularly useful in contexts where there is uncertainty—regarding how technology will perform, how the environment will react, or how communities will be impacted—that cannot be fully accounted for in …