Coastal NOLA: City of New Orleans and NWF Forum
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By Amanda Moore, Greater New Orleans Program Manager, National Wildlife Federation Despite torrential rains and flooded streets, well over 100 residents in the Greater New Orleans area ventured out on the evening of July 18th to engage in a discussion about coastal restoration. National Wildlife Federation was proud to partner with the City of New Orleans as forum hosts and welcomed speakers Wes Kungel of Senator Mary Landrieu’s office, Garret Graves of the Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority, and …
Video: Two sides of the river
This was originally posted by Vanishing Paradise. By Chris Macaluso, Louisiana Wildlife Federation When you invite staff from two of the most prominent outdoors publications in the country to experience south Louisiana’s tremendous fishing, you cross your fingers that the weather will allow you to show off everything the Mississippi River Delta has to offer. Unfortunately, when the staff from Field & Stream and Outdoor Life magazines came to Buras, La., they were greeted by a stiff 20-25 knot wind …
Senator Landrieu visits Louisiana coastal communities, celebrates passage of RESTORE Act
By Amanda Moore and Happy Johnson, National Wildlife Federation Yesterday (July 9), U.S. Senator Mary Landrieu (D-La.) kicked off a five-stop Louisiana coastal tour to celebrate the historic passage and signing into law of the RESTORE Act. Stops included Jean Lafitte, Thibodaux, Lafayette, Lake Charles and Bell City. Staff from the Mississippi River Delta Restoration Campaign were on hand in Lafitte as the senior senator from Louisiana thanked the crowd for the time and energy spent achieving this momentous victory for …
The 2012 State of the Coast Conference: Incorporating Louisiana’s past, present and future
By Meg Sutton, Environmental Defense Fund Last week, scientists, engineers, community leaders, policymakers, business owners and other coastal interests gathered in New Orleans for the 2012 State of the Coast Conference. The event was organized by the Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana (CRCL) and Louisiana’s Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA) with the mission of providing a forum in which to learn about advances in coastal science and engineering and to ensure that this knowledge is applied to current and …
The Next 50 Years: Nonstructural storm protection
By Brian Jackson, Associate Director – Stakeholder Engagement, Environmental Defense Fund Last month, the Louisiana Legislature passed the 2012 Coastal Master Plan, capping off years of public engagement and analysis. The 50-year plan lays out a bold path of projects and programs to restore the environment and protect the people, economies and environment of the Mississippi River Delta. The total cost of the plan is $50 billion, of which $10.2 billion is dedicated to nonstructural risk reduction measures. So what …
On the first day of hurricane season, a call for coastal restoration
By Amanda Moore, National Wildlife Federation Water. Flashlight. Batteries. Canned food. It’s hurricane season. In coastal Louisiana, we’ll keep a close eye on the weather until November — hoping to dodge each swirling white storm that crops up on the radar. As the world witnessed in 2005 during Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, Louisiana is dangerously vulnerable to strong storms. One major reason for our vulnerability is the collapse of coastal wetlands in the Mississippi River Delta in southern Louisiana. Since the 1930s, due …
More than 100 Gulf Coast cities, municipalities, economic development groups and chambers of commerce urge Congress to pass RESTORE Act
Yesterday, 118 leaders representing cities, municipalities, economic development groups and chambers of commerce from all five gulf states sent a joint letter to House and Senate leadership urging them to pass the RESTORE Act. If passed, the RESTORE Act would direct the majority of fines paid by those responsible for the 2010 gulf oil spill back to Gulf Coast communities. Both the Senate and House have passed versions of the RESTORE Act as part of their transportation bills. The legislation …
Hurricane season: Remembering the past and protecting the future
By Audrey Payne, Environmental Defense Fund To mark the beginning of the 2012 hurricane season on June 1, the Mississippi River Delta Restoration Campaign will launch a social media event to bring awareness to the importance of storm protection and wetland restoration as a line of defense against storm surge. With another storm season upon us, it’s hard not to think about the possibility of another destructive storm — like Hurricane Katrina or Rita — sweeping across the delta or …
Reshaping a Greater New Orleans: Rebuilding Our Coast
This story was originally published on WYES.org. Can Louisiana’s Coast Be Saved? The state says it can and that it has a plan to protect and restore the imperiled Louisiana coast. Tune in as experts discuss the planned projects, their costs, and their chances for success. Watch RESHAPING A GREATER NEW ORLEANS: REBUILDING OUR COAST Sunday, May 20 at 8:00 p.m. Repeats Thursday, May 24 at 7:00 p.m., Friday, May 25 at 10 p.m., and Sunday, May 27 at noon. The …
Christian Marsh – Be a part of Louisiana’s next restoration success story
This was originally posted on the Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana‘s Coast Currents blog. By Scott Madere, Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana If it’s one thing we can count on at the Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana (CRCL), it’s the hard work and enthusiasm of our volunteers. Since our Community Based Restoration Program was created in 2000, more than 8,000 volunteers have joined us on the front lines of our coast, directly restoring 3,600 acres of wetlands. Next week marks …
Restoring the Lower 9th Ward: A resilient vision for New Orleans
This post was originally published on the National Wildlife Federation’s Wildlife Promise blog. By Amanda Moore, National Wildlife Federation’s Coastal Louisiana Organizer in New Orleans What would you do if, in one day, you lost everything? I’m not just talking about your personal possessions; I’m talking about your entire community — your church, your grocery store, your school. The folks you meet in the video below, Warrenetta Banks and John Taylor, have lived out this scenario every day since Hurricane …
Louisiana’s Coastal Master Plan moves on to state legislature for approval
By David Muth, National Wildlife Federation On March 21, Louisiana’s Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA) unanimously adopted the revised Comprehensive Master Plan for a Sustainable Coast, which lays out a 50-year restoration plan for Louisiana’s coast. The Mississippi River Delta Restoration Campaign has worked closely with the state in the development of the plan, and many of our recommendations for improving and strengthening the draft were adopted in the final version. One such recommendation made by our campaign was …
Final draft of the 2012 Coastal Master Plan approved by CPRA
This story was originally posted on the Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana‘s Coast Currents blog. By Scott Madere, Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana With a unanimous vote of its members, the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority of Louisiana (CPRA) approved the final draft of the 2012 Coastal Master Plan at its March 21, 2012 meeting held at the Louisiana State Archives. The completed draft represents a milestone for Louisiana: a comprehensive science-based plan for coastal restoration and protection, built to …
Tagged ReportsNew model provides sustainable management tool for Louisiana’s oyster industry
By Alisha A. Renfro, Ph.D. and Maura Wood, National Wildlife Federation On March 10, Louisiana Sea Grant hosted their annual Louisiana Oyster Industry Convention in Kenner, La. The convention brings together members of Louisiana’s oyster industry and trade organizations to meet one another and discuss important issues. This year’s meeting focused on new oyster culture methods as alternatives to traditional wild-seed and on bottom production. Speakers from Maine, Maryland, Virginia and Alabama presented on how their states have adapted and …
Bassmaster Classic returns to the Mississippi River Delta
This story was originally posted the Vanishing Paradise blog. By Lacey McCormick, National Wildlife Federation The Mississippi River Delta is one of the best places on earth to catch monster largemouth bass. If America’s anglers didn’t know that before, they certainly discovered it last year when Kevin van Dam shattered the previous Bassmaster Classic stringer record at the 2011 Bassmaster Classic. Last night, the Vanishing Paradise team was honored to have the opportunity to make a presentation to executives at B.A.S.S. and …