New research will help scientists and coastal planners design wetland restoration projects
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By Alisha A. Renfro, Ph.D., National Wildlife Federation Wetlands are some of the most economically valuable and ecologically productive environments in the world. Often considered “the kidneys of the landscape,” wetlands help decrease the effects of floods and droughts, cleanse polluted waters, protect shorelines, control erosion and serve as sinks for atmospheric carbon dioxide. They are also important habitat for a variety of flora and fauna. But human activities and natural processes have greatly reduced the amount of wetlands worldwide. …
Tagged ReportsNGOs urge federal government to restore coast damaged by Mississippi River Gulf Outlet
(March 7, 2012 — New Orleans) On March 2, the 5th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals upheld the November 2009 landmark decision that found the Army Corps liable for catastrophic flooding in the Lower Ninth Ward and St. Bernard Parish during Hurricane Katrina due to the grossly negligent management of the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet (MRGO). In 2009, Judge Stanwood Duval ruled that the dangerous condition of the shipping channel was clearly acknowledged by the Corps for decades, but the Corps …
Turbidity monitoring at Caernarvon diversion provides real-time data for effective river management
By Andy Baker, Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation For two years, the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation (LPBF) has been testing the turbidity of the water flowing through the Caernarvon diversion, 15 miles downriver from New Orleans. Turbidity – described as cloudiness or muddiness – is a measure of how much sediment is suspended in the water. Recently, the diversion managers at the Louisiana Office of Coastal Protection and Restoration (OCPR) used turbidity data for the first time to briefly increase flow …
Predictive models form scientific backbone of Louisiana Coastal Master Plan
By Alisha A. Renfro, Ph.D., National Wildlife Federation Louisiana’s Draft 2012 Coastal Master Plan is a bold, ecosystem-scale restoration strategy that outlines a 50-year plan to combat the land loss epidemic in the Mississippi River Delta. The plan puts forth solutions to addressing the destructive impacts of sea-level rise, subsidence, increased storm intensity, marsh collapse and other factors on Louisiana’s disappearing coastline. The plan is a science-based approach that, at its core, uses a suite of linked models to predict …
Show your love (for the Gulf): NRDA public comment period ends Feb. 14
By Whit Remer, Environmental Defense Fund Valentine’s Day is an opportunity to tell loved ones how much they are cherished. For residents of the Gulf Coast, Feb. 14 is the last day to tell the Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA) trustees how much meaningful restoration in the Gulf means to you. On Dec. 14, 2011, the trustees released a Draft Phase I Early Restoration Plan/Environmental Assessment that proposes two restoration projects in Louisiana. The public comment period opened Dec. 14 …
Audubon mini dredge: Building land at Rainey, one acre at a time
By Kevin Chandler, Mississippi River Delta Restoration Campaign Louisiana coastal restoration often seems like a distant process – a product of reports and large-scale projects. And while reconnecting the Mississippi River to its delta is ultimately the only sustainable way to save Louisiana’s coast, the National Audubon Society’s Louisiana Coastal Initiative team has devised a way to put short-term local restoration efforts affordably in the hands of local property owners. For this, enter the John James, a 24-foot dredge operated …
Louisiana Coastal Master Plan public meetings start today
By David Muth, National Wildlife Federation Louisiana’s Draft 2012 Coastal Master Plan, released Jan. 12, is the most ambitious ecosystem restoration plan proposed in United States history and is the first to lay out a comprehensive vision for how a coastal state will cope with land loss, subsidence, and projected sea-level rise over the next half century. With an expenditure of $1 billion per year over 50 years, split equally between protection and restoration, Louisiana could build or prevent the loss of …
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 …
LCA Science and Technology Program Discontinued, Holds Final Meeting
By Alisha Renfro, Ph.D., National Wildlife Federation Last month, the Louisiana Coastal Area (LCA) Science & Technology (S&T) Science Board held their final meeting on November 15th in Baton Rouge. The S&T program was envisioned to support the LCA Ecosystem Restoration Plan by providing an external science review board; providing analytical tools and technology needed to reduce gaps in scientific knowledge; and to better integrate scientific knowledge at the local, state, and federal levels. The S&T program closed due to a budget …
House Committee Praised for Holding Hearing on Gulf Restoration
Hearing follows two new reports recommending Congress use oil spill fines to restore Gulf (Washington, D.C.—Dec. 7, 2011) Groups supporting restoration of the Gulf Coast today thanked House leaders on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee for drawing attention to the benefits of the RESTORE Gulf Coast States Act of 2011 by holding a committee hearing on the bill today at 10am. The RESTORE Act would ensure that fines paid by BP and the other parties responsible for last year’s Gulf …
Tagged EconomicsTask Force Restoration Strategy is a Vital Next Step Toward Whole Gulf Recovery
By Elizabeth Skree and Whit Remer, Environmental Defense Fund Today, the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Task Force released their final Ecosystem Restoration Strategy for the Gulf Coast. After the BP oil disaster, the President established the Task Force through an executive order and charged the group with developing a restoration plan for the Gulf Coast. You can download the strategy document here. This restoration strategy is a vital step in fulfilling the promises President Obama made in his first oval …
Tagged ReportsNew Orleans Restoration Project Will Increase Resiliency, Create Jobs
By Elizabeth Skree, Environmental Defense Fund On Nov. 10, the City of New Orleans and St. Bernard Parish broke ground on the important and innovative $10 million Central Wetlands Assimilation Project. On hand for the ceremony were New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu, St. Bernard Parish President Craig Taffaro, members of the New Orleans Sewerage and Water Board and approximately 75 others representing community organizations, environmental non-profits and other interested parties. All agree the project is a critical first step towards …
Tagged EconomicsTask Force Restoration Strategy Important to Coastal Louisiana
By Maura Wood, National Wildlife Federation The preliminary version of the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Task Force’s Gulf of Mexico Regional Ecosystem Restoration Strategy document was a key agenda item before the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA) at its Oct. 19th meeting. The Task Force, established by a presidential Executive Order over a year ago, was charged with drafting a restoration and recovery strategy for the Gulf that addressed impacts from the oil spill as well as the pre-oil …
Nickelodeon Video Highlights Chalmette Students' Coastal Restoration Efforts
By Amanda Moore, National Wildlife Federation Nickelodeon’s “The Big Help” teamed up with National Wildlife Federation (NWF) for Earth Day 2011 to spotlight outstanding students making a difference in their communities through environmental stewardship. Sure enough, the search for awesome kids ended in St. Bernard Parish, where students in Chalmette High School’s Leadership Initiative have planted over 50,000 cypress trees since Hurricane Katrina. The students, who experienced first-hand the massive destruction of Katrina and the BP oil disaster, are very much …
CRCL Project in LaBranche Wetlands Receives Matching Funds from State of Louisiana
This story was originally posted on the Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana’s Coast Currents blog. The Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana (CRCL) is proud to announce that our proposed project to enhance and revitalize the LaBranche Wetlands has been selected by the state of Louisiana’s Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA) for a partnership grant award. CPRA’s Conservation and Restoration Partnership Fund provides matching funds for small to mid-sized restoration projects that are consistent with the State of Louisiana’s Coastal …