Audubon Louisiana’s Cynthia Duet Honored at Coastal Stewardship Awards Banquet
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Last Friday, the Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana held its 19th annual Coastal Stewardship Awards. Awards are given to “those who demonstrate outstanding commitment to the coast, and have made significant contributions to the preservation and restoration of Louisiana’s coastal wetlands.” (CRCL website) Cynthia Duet, Audubon Louisiana’s Director of Governmental Relations, received an award for her incredible work on coastal issues. Cynthia is a member of the Mississippi River Delta Restoration Coalition, and she works with government agencies and legislators as well …
Diversions Expert Panel engages scientific community for second public meeting
By Erin Greeson (National Audubon Society) and Alisha Renfro (National Wildlife Federation) While there is no question that large-scale action is urgently needed to add address Louisiana’s land loss crisis, some questions surround the scientific solutions necessary to address this challenge. As the state of Louisiana advances its Coastal Master Plan and the comprehensive set of restoration projects within it, experts have opened discussion to scientists and interested members of the public to provide information, share science and encourage dialogue. …
Registration open for Restore or Retreat annual general membership meeting
Restore or Retreat Annual General Membership Meeting Monday, April 28, 2014 Guest Speaker: Justin Ehrenwerth, Executive Director, Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council The RESTORE Act established a Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council, comprised of the five Gulf States, as well as federal departments and agencies, which will manage a 30 percent share of Gulf oil spill Clean Water Act penalties distributed under the RESTORE Act for ecosystem restoration through a Comprehensive Plan. When: Monday, April 28, 2014 11:30 am Registration 12:00pm Program Where: …
Of Coast and Culture: Happy Mardi Gras, Y’all!
By Eden Davis and Philip Russo, Mississippi River Delta Restoration Coalition There are many reasons to advocate for coastal restoration in Louisiana, but few arguments are as compelling as preserving the cultural legacy of a state known for its food, music and festivities. That’s why we as part of the Mississippi River Delta Restoration Coalition are doing our best to celebrate tirelessly the cultural apex that is Mardi Gras in New Orleans. We, along with the rest of the community, …
Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative examines oil spill’s effects on environmental and public health
By Estelle Robichaux, Environmental Defense Fund The Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative (GoMRI) hosted its 2014 Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill and Ecosystem Science Conference January 26-29 in Mobile, Ala. GoMRI was created soon after the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil disaster when BP committed $500 million over 10 years to fund a broad, independent research program with the purpose of studying the environmental and public health impacts of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The conference drew several …
Media Advisory for Feb. 20: “Bayou Sundance” Documentary to Premiere in New Orleans’ Lower Ninth Ward
Media Advisory for Thursday, February 20, 2014 Contact: Arthur Johnson, The Lower Ninth Ward Center for Sustainable Engagement and Development, 504.421.9643, ajohnson@sustainthenine.org “Bayou Sundance” Documentary to Premiere in New Orleans’ Lower Ninth Ward Provocative film details history of Bayou Bienvenue through eyes of community elders and youth The Bayou Bienvenue Wetland Triangle is a degraded bald cypress swamp just north of the Lower Ninth Ward in New Orleans. Over the past 50 years, human activity has caused the swamp and …
Expert panel discusses diversions as a coastal restoration tool
By Alisha A. Renfro, Ph.D., National Wildlife Federation Last week in Baton Rouge, The Water Institute of the Gulf hosted the inaugural meeting of the Expert Panel on Diversion Planning and Implementation. The panel – comprised of 12 experts in natural and social sciences, engineering and economics – was selected from more than 60 nominees from across the country. Panel members are all from outside Louisiana, in order to foster critical and constructive review of work being led by Louisiana-based …
A Tale of Two Meetings
By Philip Russo, Mississippi River Delta Restoration Campaign It is hard to say no to a good two-for-one deal. At least, that’s what Louisiana’s Coastal Restoration and Protection Authority (CPRA) had in mind when they planned this week’s public meetings in South Louisiana. At meetings in Belle Chasse (yesterday), Thibodaux (tonight) and Lake Charles (tomorrow evening), CPRA is unveiling and accepting public comments on their Draft Fiscal Year 2015 Annual Plan as well as the Gulf oil spill Draft Natural …
Draft FY2015 Annual Plan, Oil Spill NRDA Public Meetings
By Maura Wood, Partnership Manager, National Wildlife Federation With everyone’s help, we are making great strides toward restoring Louisiana’s coast. Our efforts to attain the resources necessary to meet this great challenge are gaining momentum and projects are moving forward. Next week on January 14, 15, and 16, Louisianans will be able to learn about and comment on the progress being made on coastal restoration at three multi-purpose public hearings being held by Louisiana’s Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA). …
The Multiple Lines of Defense Strategy Gingerbread House
By Philip Russo, Plaquemines Parish Outreach Coordinator, Mississippi River Delta Restoration Campaign We have many holiday traditions down here in the Mississippi River Delta. But whether you’re planning to bask in the smoky warmth of a levee bonfire or tour the illuminated oaks of New Orleans City Park, we here on the Mississippi River Delta Restoration Campaign have decided there’s room for one more holiday tradition: the Multiple Lines of Defense Strategy gingerbread house. The idea for this resilient confectionary …
Louisiana bird watchers flock to Audubon’s annual Christmas Bird Count
By Erik I. Johnson, PhD., Director of Bird Conservation, Audubon Louisiana Between December 14 and January 5, bird watchers from around the country will spend a perfectly good day counting birds for the 114th Christmas Bird Count (CBC), organized by the National Audubon Society. The longest-running citizen science program in the world, this annual event is an irreplaceable tool for researchers and the conservation community to learn about how our birds are doing – are their populations increasing or decreasing, and …
Plaquemines Parish Fair and Orange Festival celebrates its 66th year
By Philip Russo, Plaquemines Parish Outreach Coordinator, Mississippi River Delta Restoration Campaign During the first weekend in December, local residents and tourists alike celebrated the bounty of Plaquemines Parish’s cultural and economic successes at the 67th annual Plaquemines Parish Fair and Orange Festival in Buras. Huddled between the protective Mississippi River levee and the elegantly decayed Fort Jackson, the festival was not entirely spared the blustery and frosty weather that is typical of early December. Yet despite the weather, fairgoers celebrated …
The Billion Dollar Question: Who pays for MRGO ecosystem restoration?
By Amanda Moore, National Wildlife Federation Last Tuesday, the Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority authorized the state attorney general to file suit against the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in an effort to get the federal government to pick up 100 percent of the expense for the federal plan for ecosystem restoration of damage caused by the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet (MRGO). Since 2008, there has been an ongoing dispute between the state and the Corps involving interpretation of …
Bayou Bienvenue Wetland Triangle signs teach visitors about need for coastal restoration
By Amanda Moore (National Wildlife Federation) and Elizabeth Skree (Environmental Defense Fund) Excitement filled the air last Friday as community members, government officials, students and staff from local and national conservation organizations gathered on the Bayou Bienvenue Wetland Triangle viewing platform in New Orleans’ Lower Ninth Ward to celebrate the unveiling of new educational, interactive signs. These signs help interpret an important story for visitors as they look out over the open water and ghostly remains of a former healthy …
Mississippi River Delta Restoration Campaign volunteers plant 250 trees in Big Mar basin
By Theryn Henkel, Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation Since 2009, the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation (LPBF) has been actively documenting the development of an emergent delta in the receiving basin, Big Mar, of the Caernarvon Diversion outfall canal on the east side of the Mississippi River south of New Orleans. Since October 2010, in partnership with the Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana (CRCL), LPBF has conducted tree plantings within Big Mar as part of a Restore the Earth Foundation grant-funded reforestation …