Latest news: September 9, 2011
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Wax Lake Delta: Accidental Eden in the Atchafalaya by Hal Herring, The Conservationist blog (Field & Stream). September 7, 2011. “Wax Lake, Atchafalaya Basin, Louisiana — A six foot gator slipped off the mudbank and lay still in the water, watching us. I stood on the bow of the big flatbottom while Ben Weber poled the boat from his homemade platform – this is a former working boat, converted by Ben to a shallow water redfish predator. We’re after different …
Latest news: September 8, 2011
Officials: Home-raisings prevented Lee flooding WBRZ News (Baton Rouge, La.). September 7, 2011. “HOUMA- Terrebonne Parish officials say an aggressive effort by parish government to use federal grant programs for elevation of homes is a likely reason why so few homes flooded in Terrebonne as a result of Tropical Storm Lee…” BP’s $100 million rig worker fund expands to other oil spill recovery efforts By David Hammer, The Times-Picayune (New Orleans, La.). September 7, 2011. “Rig workers and other offshore …
Latest news: September 7, 2011
Group wants millions from BP fines to stay in Gulf states Sun Herald (Biloxi, Gulfport and South Mississippi). September 3, 2011. “A coalition of national environmental groups and local business leaders is lobbying Congress and drumming up public support for passage of Senate Bill 1400, the “Restore the Gulf Coast Act.” The bill, which supporters hope to get moving in committee this month, would direct to Gulf Coast states 80 percent of the fines and penalties BP will be forced …
Latest news: September 6, 2011
Mississippi River tried changing course during flooding, leaving huge bill By Tom Charlier, The Memphis Commercial Appeal. September 6, 2011. “James Parker steps onto a sandy ledge to get a clearer view of where the Mississippi River almost cut Presidents Island in two, tearing out a half-mile-wide chunk of land and leaving water and flocks of geese on a place where cotton formerly grew…” More trouble for oyster industry? By Nikki Buskey, Daily Comet (Lafourche Parish, La.). September 6, 2011. …
Latest news: September 2, 2011
Tropical Depression Stalls in Gulf of Mexico on Path to Louisiana’s Coast By Lynn Doan, Bloomberg. September 2, 2011. “A tropical depression in the Gulf of Mexico that has shut almost 6 percent of the region’s oil production was “nearly stationary” in the south of Louisiana, according to the National Hurricane Center…” Gulf braces for rain from tropical depression By Janet McConnaughey, Associated Press. September 2, 2011. “NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A slow-moving tropical depression was slogging toward the Gulf …
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 …
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