Latest news: September 1, 2011
Newer posts →Latest news: September 1, 2011
New land in eroding La. wetlands: Cause for hope By Cain Burdeau, Associated Press. August 31, 2011. “WEST BAY, La. — In 2003, the Army Corps of Engineers cut a hole in the bank of the Mississippi River, miles from where the wending river ends its 2,320-mile journey to the Gulf of Mexico. The idea was simple: let the river run wild through the gap, and silt-laden waters would naturally do what they’ve done for thousands of years: build up …
USGS video dramatically depicts massive coastal Louisiana land loss
This piece was originally posted on lacoast.gov. On Monday (August 29), the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Wetlands Research Center announced the release of a new Louisiana coastal land loss video, dramatically detailing key findings portrayed in its new coastal map. The video can be found in the USGS Multimedia Gallery at: http://gallery.usgs.gov/videos/433 or on YouTube.com at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNkCml_VRcE. This new video illustrates findings from the new Coastal Louisiana Land Area Change Map. The map will enable scientists and stakeholders alike to better understand the timing …
Latest news: August 31, 2011
LUMCON researchers get oil spill grant Houma Today (Terrebonne Parish, La.). August 30, 2011. “Local researchers in Cocodrie will delve into a comprehensive study of the Gulf oil spill’s impacts on the local environment with a $11.7 million grant from an independent research program paid for by BP…” Gulf task force holds “listening session” in Biloxi By Steve Phillips, WLOX News (South Mississippi). August 30, 2011. “BILOXI, MS (WLOX) -The group created by the President to help restore the Gulf …
Latest news: August 30, 2011
New Orleans area is still at risk from storms: An editorial By Editorial page staff, The New Orleans Times-Picayune. August 30, 2011. “The New Orleans area is going through its first hurricane season with 100-year storm protection, a promise that cost $10 billion to fulfill–but when it comes to much stronger storms, those defenses are not expected to be enough…” Poll finds national support for wetlands Written by Mike Hasten, The News Star (Monroe, La.). August 30, 2011. “BATON ROUGE …
Latest news: August 29, 2011
New Orleans levees get a near-failing grade in new corps rating system By Mark Schleifstein, The New Orleans Times-Picayune. August 29, 2011. “A new Army Corps of Engineers rating system for the nation’s levees is about to deliver a near-failing grade to New Orleans area dikes, despite the internationally acclaimed $10 billion effort to rebuild the system in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, corps officials have confirmed…” The agenda pending for our recovery from Hurricane Katrina: An editorial By Editorial page staff, The New …
Latest news: August 26, 2011
Mississippi River flooding gives birth to tiny island in West Bay By Mark Schleifstein, The Times-Picayune. August 25, 2011. “In a demonstration of the Mississippi River’s formidable land-building power, a new, 5-acre island has sprouted up near the river’s mouth, where this year’s record Mississippi River floodwaters poured through the West Bay freshwater diversion…” Coast Guard, BP investigating reports of oil at Deepwater Horizon site By Mark Schleifstein, The Times-Picayune. August 25, 2011. “The U.S. Coast Guard sent a cutter and an helicopter to …
Mississippi River research paves way for holistic river management approach
Conservation groups say partnership between Louisiana, Corps essential for healthy environment, communities, industries, national economy News Release (Baton Rouge–August 24, 2011) Conservation groups today expressed support for an agreement between Louisiana and federal officials to conduct an investigation focusing on the dynamic nature of the Lower Mississippi River and the interplay between restoration, navigation and flood control. Louisiana’s Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) will collaborate on the analysis, officially called the …
Orleans Landbridge restoration project deemed a "Win-Win-Win"
By Amanda Moore, National Wildlife Federation At a news conference on August 17, Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal and New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu announced that important work was beginning on the Orleans Landbridge Shoreline Protection and Marsh Creation Project. The project will help protect the marsh that separates Lake Pontchartrain and Lake Borgne, which is retreating at an alarming average of 7.7 feet per year. In an exciting twist, this project will recycle more than 200,000 tons of crushed concrete …
Unshackling the Mighty Mississippi: New Video Shows How Working With Nature—Not Against It—Can Build New Land at Myrtle Grove
By Amanda Moore (National Wildlife Federation) and Brian Jackson (Environmental Defense Fund) The Mississippi River built 7,000 square miles of beautiful, rich deltaic wetlands, but over the last century, the natural land-building processes that constructed that land have been largely shut off. Flipping that land-building switch back on is crucial for success in restoring the Mississippi River Delta and the communities, wildlife and economies that depend on it. A critical project that will build land and jumpstart restoration is the …
White House Receives Blueprint For Bringing Gulf of Mexico Back to Health
As Senators consider bill on oil spill penalties, conservationists urge lawmakers to invest fines in Gulf’s natural systems and communities that need them. (Washington, DC—August 1, 2011) Leading conservation groups working across the Gulf of Mexico have submitted to the White House a blueprint for action that federal, state and local governments can take to restore the region’s threatened natural systems and to help communities that rely on the Gulf for survival. The groups delivered their recommendations to the Presidential Task …
Tagged ReportsGulf Senators Praised for Cosponsoring Bill to Restore Gulf
Contacts: Sean Crowley, Environmental Defense Fund, 202.572.3331, scrowley@edf.org David J. Ringer, National Audubon Society, 601.642.7058, dringer@audubon.org Emily Guidry Schatzel, National Wildlife Federation, 225.253.9781, guidrye@nwf.org Sandra Rodriguez, The Nature Conservancy, 703.841.4227, srodriguez@tnc.org David Willett, Ocean Conservancy, 202.351.0465, dwillett@oceanconservancy.org Patrick Scully, Oxfam America, 617.728.2402, pscully@oxfamamerica.org Gulf Senators Praised for Cosponsoring Bill to Restore Gulf Bill dedicates oil spill fines to restore Gulf communities, economies & ecosystems (Washington, D.C.—July 21, 2011) A coalition of organizations supporting Gulf restoration celebrated news …
NEWS RELEASE: Oil Spill Recovery Projects Proposed by Louisiana Deserve Prompt Review
Contacts: Steven Peyronnin, Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana, 225.413.6924, stevenp@crcl.org Sean Crowley, Environmental Defense Fund, 202.550-6524-c, scrowley@edf.org John Lopez, Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation, 504.421.7348, johnlopez@pobox.com Chris Macaluso, Louisiana Wildlife Federation, 225-344-6707, chris@lawildlifefed.org David J. Ringer, National Audubon Society, 601.642.7058, dringer@audubon.org Emily Guidry Schatzel, National Wildlife Federation, 225.253.9781, guidrye@nwf.org Karen Gautreaux, The Nature Conservancy, 225-788-4525, kgautreaux@tnc.org Oil Spill Recovery Projects Proposed by Louisiana Deserve Prompt Review Conservation groups say prompt review necessary so restoration can begin (New Orleans–July 11, 2011) Conservation …
Tripp to Task Force: Mississippi River Delta Restoration Must Be a Top Priority
By Jim Wyerman, Environmental Defense Fund Environmental Defense Fund’s Senior Counsel Jim Tripp yesterday delivered an impassioned plea at the Galveston, Texas public meeting of the President’s Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Task Force, calling on the multi-agency group to prioritize restoration of the Mississippi River Delta as key to ecological and economic recovery of the region. After working more than 35 years on Louisiana coastal issues, Tripp brought a seasoned vantage point to the big question of what the task …
Big Sky View of the Big Spring Floods: 2011 Mississippi River Flood Imagery
By Seyi Fayanju, Environmental Defense Fund When you hear about the floodwaters coursing through the Mississippi River Valley, it’s hard to visualize just how much water is rushing south towards the Gulf of Mexico. Now, courtesy of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Mississippi River Floods May 2011 Flickr site, the Atlantic Magazine, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers New Orleans District’s Flood Fight 2011 Flickr site, Louisiana State University’s Earth Scan Laboratory and NASA’s Earth Observatory (to name a few), you can see the …