Meet Doug Meffert
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The National Audubon Society welcomes Dr. Doug Meffert as vice president and executive director for the state of Louisiana. Doug joins a strong Audubon Louisiana team focused on the Mississippi River Delta Restoration Campaign and the protection of many globally significant Important Bird Areas, including Audubon’s work in the Rainey Conservation Alliance and coastal waterbird conservation efforts. He has a long history in the state, most recently as director of project development and associate professor at Tulane University’s Payson Center …
Voices of the Delta: Captain Troy Frady
Next in our Voices of the Delta series, you will meet Captain Troy Frady: Alabama native, owner of Distraction Charters in Orange Beach, Ala. and Gulf Coast restoration advocate. Name: Captain Troy Frady Occupation: Owner/Operator at Distraction Charters in Orange Beach, Alabama What does the Gulf Coast mean to you? My earliest memories of coastal Alabama date back to the early 1970s. There were not many people on the water back then around Orange Beach, Fort Morgan and Dauphin Island. The fish …
Voices of the Delta: Keith Blomstrom
This is the second post of our Voices of the Delta series. Name: Keith Blomstrom Occupation: President of the Minnesota Conservation Federation Why are the Mississippi River Delta and Gulf Coast important to Minnesota? Minnesota is linked to the gulf in many ways. The Mississippi River starts in Minnesota — its headwaters are located in Itasca State Park, near Bemidji, Minn. — so the river itself means a great deal to us. Some of the beneficial sediment that travels to …
Voices of the Delta: Chris Macaluso
This is the first in our “Voices of the Delta” blog series, where we’ll be interviewing coastal Louisiana restoration advocates from across the country. From Louisiana to Florida to Minnesota, these spokesmen and women have come to Washington to tell Congress that the Mississippi River Delta is a vital natural resource and that we need to pass the RESTORE Act now and send oil spill fines back to the Gulf States that deserve them. Check back over the coming days …
Meet Morgan Crutcher
As the technical and policy assistant at the Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana (CRCL), Morgan provides staff with accurate and reliable scientific, technical, and policy information for the purpose of establishing CRCL’s advocacy positions. Her broad range of previous work includes lobbying D.C. congressional staff for passage of the North American Wetlands Conservation Act for Ducks Unlimited, building nutria captivity pens in a flotant marsh for the United States Geological Survey (USGS) in Louisiana, using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) software …
CRCL volunteers plant more than 700 cypress trees at Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve
This story was originally posted on the Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana’s Coast Currents blog. Following Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve’s western border is the long, narrow Bayou Segnette Waterway, an unnaturally-straight man-made canal with an equally unnatural problem: invasion from the Chinese tallow tree. Chinese tallow is a beautiful ornamental tree that actually has many uses. Originally brought to the United States in the 1700’s as a resource for soap making and other cottage industries, the tree …
Meet Elizabeth Skree
Liz Skree is the communications manager for the Mississippi River Delta Restoration project at Environmental Defense Fund (EDF). Working as part of the broader Restore the Mississippi River Delta Campaign, Liz manages Delta Dispatches, the campaign’s blog and e-newsletter publication about national and local efforts to restore the Mississippi River Delta. Liz also manages EDF’s Restoration and Resilience blog, social media strategy and web presence. She is based in Washington, DC. Prior to coming to EDF, Liz worked as a …
CRCL Now Accepting Nominations for Coastal Stewardship Awards
The Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana (CRCL) will host the 17th annual Coastal Stewardship Awards Program on Friday, April 13, 2012 at the Hilton Baton Rouge Capitol Center. Coastal Stewardship Awards recognize the contributions of individuals and groups who demonstrate outstanding commitment to preserving and restoring Louisiana’s coastal wetlands. CRCL is proud to honor these leaders in coastal restoration, who share our vision of a sustainable coast for future generations. Nominations are now being accepted for the Lifetime Achievement Award, Distinguished Achievement …
Nutria Festival Showcases New Uses for Louisiana’s Most-Infamous Rodent
By Amanda Moore, National Wildlife Federation Nutria. Marsh-muncher. Coypu. Swamp rat. “That critter with the big orange teeth.” Call it what you want, but this invasive, semi-aquatic rodent has been dining on Louisiana’s precious wetlands since the 1930s. And although the State of Louisiana pays a bounty of five dollars per tail, nutria still managed to destroy over 6,000 acres of Louisiana wetlands last year alone. So on November 5th, Righteous Fur celebrated its 3rd annual “Nutria-Palooza! on the Bayou” in …
Meet Jim Wyerman
Jim Wyerman joined the Mississippi River Delta Restoration Campaign in April as Director of Strategic Partnerships and Communications for Environmental Defense Fund. His role is to provide strategic direction in developing communications plans, engaging high-influence individuals to support the RESTORE Act and building long-term support for coastal restoration from key business sectors. He is currently leading a project to inform and engage the navigation sector in long-term solutions. Jim brings 25 years experience in senior leadership at national conservation organizations, where …
Wonders in the Wax Lake Delta
This piece was originally posted on the Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana’s Coast Currents blog. By Scott Madere, Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana The first clue that things were going to be different today was the blue rectangle under the “No Parking” sign at the boat launch. “Beware of Bears,” it read. I’ve lived my whole life in Louisiana and I’ve never seen one of those. But it was only one of many firsts for me as we headed into …
Faces of the Delta: Father Roch Naquin
By Chris Pulaski, National Wildlife Federation Next in our Faces of the Delta series, you will meet Father Roch Naquin: Isle de Jean Charles native and current resident, priest and coastal restoration advocate. Name: Father Roch Naquin Location: Isle de Jean Charles, Louisiana Occupation: Priest Tell me about your connection to south Louisiana. I was born and raised about 100 feet from my current home in Isle de Jean Charles, La. I was born at 2:00 am on September 25, 1932 to …
Faces of the Delta: Patty Whitney
By Chris Pulaski, National Wildlife Federation Next in our Faces of the Delta series, readers will be introduced to Patty Whitney: Multigenerational southeast Louisianan, community organizer, restoration advocate and history buff. Name: Patricia “Patty” Whitney Location: Thibodaux, Louisiana Occupation: Bayou Interfaith Shared Community Organizing (BISCO) staff, environmental advocate Tell me about your connection to south Louisiana. I was born and raised in south Louisiana and have never lived anywhere else (she was one of ten children). This is home. My ancestors …
From the Delta to the Headwaters of the Mighty Mississippi
This piece is originally posted on the Vanishing Paradise blog. By Ben Weber, National Wildlife Federation We have to push for practices that do what is right for people, industry, commerce, and habitat. In my mind, restoring the Mississippi River Delta is the next piece of the puzzle in a long fight to protect waterfowl habitat. A few weeks ago I left my home in south Louisiana, as I often do, to travel the country and spread the word about the …
Meet Amanda Moore
Amanda is the Senior Coastal Louisiana Organizer for the National Wildlife Federation (NWF). Amanda works with community leaders, coastal scientists and government officials to raise awareness about coastal land loss and build support to move forward large-scale, comprehensive restoration projects. Amanda brings eight years of experience to her advocacy work in the Greater New Orleans area and also serves as the coordinator for the MRGO Must Go Coalition. Before joining NWF, Amanda was a planner for an environmental consulting firm …