Delta Dispatches: Exploring Louisiana’s First Wind Week

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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:

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:

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 …

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 …

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 …

Delta Dispatches: Looking Ahead to 2021

This week on Delta Dispatches, we sit down with one of our favorite guests, Bren Haase, Executive Director for the Coastal Restoration and Protection Authority. The CPRA is releasing their draft Annual Plan, which outlines the coastal projects moving forward in the next 12 months and Bren walks us through many of the big projects that will make 2021 a great year for coastal Louisiana.   Listen Now:

Delta Dispatches: Cook-off for the Coast & Friends of Bayou Lafourche

On today’s episode, Simone and Jacques welcome back National Wildlife Federation Outreach Manager Samantha Carter to discuss the fourth annual Cook-off for the Coast. Although this year’s cook-off will be virtual, Sam highlights how it will still feature great content, including music from the Michot’s Melody Makers with special guest Leyla McCalla, a virtual coastal flyover, cooking demonstrations with celebrity chefs, as well as a recipe and artwork contest. On the second half of the show, Friends of Bayou Lafourche Executive Director Ryan …

Delta Deispatches: What is an Environmental Impact Statement?

This episode of Delta Dispatches features environmental law experts providing an overview of the legal and regulatory backdrop upon which Louisiana is executing its coastal restoration and protection efforts. Amy Reed, Staff Attorney, and Jarryd Page, Public Interest Law Fellow, both from the Environmental Law Institute, join Simone and Jacques to discuss the forthcoming draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Mid Barataria Sediment Diversion. They also discuss the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and other important laws guiding the implementation …

Delta Dispatches: Coastal Happenings in St. Bernard Parish

On today’s show, Jacques checks in with Blaise Pezold, Coastal and Environmental Program Manager at The Meraux Foundation, who provides updates on a number of exciting programs the foundation is carrying out in St. Bernard Parish, from a new citrus research facility to ongoing coastal education and volunteer initiatives. Freelance journalist Sara Sneath then joins to discuss her recent reporting and highlight a unique way to tour St. Bernard Parish and the rest of our coastal communities — on your …

Delta Dispatches: A National Estuarine Research Reserve for Louisiana’s Coast

Welcome back to Delta Dispatches as Simone and Jacques kick-off 2021 with a favorite guest, Dr. Robert Twilley, who updates the duo on the exciting development of Louisiana being considered for a National Estuarine Research Reserve (NERR). Louisiana is one of the few coastal states that doesn’t currently have a NERR. Dr. Twilley discusses what value a NERR would bring to a state and how having one would allow Louisiana’s coast to have greater attention at the national level. Simone …

Delta Dispatches: Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop

Simone and Jacques close out 2020 with their 150th episode of Delta Dispatches, welcoming Greg Grandy, Deputy Executive Director for Louisiana’s Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA). Greg highlights the immense progress that the agency made on implementing coastal restoration and protection projects in 2020, despite obstacles ranging from the Covid pandemic to an extremely active, unprecedented hurricane season. CPRA advanced 112 coastal projects with 49 projects in construction in 2020, and Greg also highlights what’s to come in 2021. …

Delta Dispatches: Covering the Coast – A Conversation with Fox-8 News Anchor John Snell

Thanks for listening to Delta Dispatches! As we close out 2020, Jacques & Simone chat with one of Louisiana’s most iconic television journalists: WVUE Fox-8 News Anchor John Snell! You may know John from his decades-long career as a reporter and news anchor at WVUE Fox-8 in New Orleans, but in this episode, we get to know more about the man in front of the camera. John discusses what brought him to and kept him in New Orleans, advice to …