Following the oil spill, new science and research efforts develop in the Gulf of Mexico
← Older posts Newer posts →Following the oil spill, new science and research efforts develop in the Gulf of Mexico
By Estelle Robichaux, Restoration Project Analyst, Environmental Defense Fund This is the final post in a series about Gulf oil spill early coastal restoration funding and projects. Be sure to check out parts one, two and three. In addition to environmental restoration projects and programs, four different science programs have been created through oil-spill related funding streams. See the info boxes for details on each program. Because these programs began developing around the same time and around the same general …
In Ads Across State, Leading Wildlife & Fisheries Biologists Endorse Sediment Diversions
By Natalie Peyronnin, Director of Science Policy, Mississippi River Delta Restoration, Environmental Defense Fund Twenty-seven leading wildlife and fisheries biologists and other wetlands professionals are urging Louisiana’s citizens to support the construction of sediment diversions to restore marshes vital for protecting Louisiana’s diminishing coast and the people and wildlife it supports. In full-page ads that will begin appearing in Louisiana media, including the state’s largest newspapers, this Sunday, May 3, the experts write: “Louisiana urgently needs to restore a better …
8th Graders Present Project to Louisiana House on Coastal Restoration
By Eden Davis, Outreach Coordinator, Louisiana Wildlife Federation This was originally posted on the LA Camo Coalition blog. On April 29, a group of 8th graders from Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Belle Chasse presented to the Louisiana House Committee on Natural Resources and the Environment about the importance of coastal restoration. The Committee diligently listened as the 8th graders used Cat Island as a call to action on the urgency for restoring our coast. Cat Island, located in Plaquemines Parish, …
Improving implementation of the new Federal Flood Risk Management Standard
By Shannon Cunniff, Deputy Director, Water Program, Environmental Defense Fund This is part two of a two-part series about the new Federal Flood Risk Management Standard. Hurricane Katrina and Super Storm Sandy clearly illustrated the significant effects storms and flooding can have on the nation’s economy and security. So it’s not surprising that the President tapped the National Security Council to lead an interagency team to develop additional means to reduce the impact and cost of floods to the nation. …
The new Federal Flood Risk Management Standard
By Shannon Cunniff, Deputy Director, Water Program, Environmental Defense Fund This is part one of a two-part series about the new Federal Flood Risk Management Standard. Check back tomorrow for part two. There has been a lot of misinformation circulating about the new Federal Flood Risk Management Standard established in Executive Order (EO) 13690. In this two-part series, we will shed light on the new standard as well as ways for stakeholders to get involved in the process and make …
Using adaptive management to help restore coastal Louisiana
By Estelle Robichaux, Restoration Project Analyst, Environmental Defense Fund This post is part of a series about oil spill early coastal restoration funding and projects, be sure to check out parts one and two. In November 2014, the National Fish & Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) announced that its Gulf Environmental Benefit Fund would award more than $13.2 million to Louisiana’s Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA) to fund and further develop parts of its Adaptive Management Program. Louisiana’s Coastal Master Plan …
Tagged ReportsA visit to the Caminada Headland Beach & Dune Restoration project
By Estelle Robichaux, Restoration Project Analyst, Environmental Defense Fund The BP oil spill has had devastating impacts on Gulf Coast ecosystems and communities, but coastal Louisiana’s land loss crisis began decades before the disaster. The Clean Water Act fines and other money paid through settlements relating to the spill offer an unprecedented opportunity to restore Gulf Coast habitats and natural resources. Many of the early restoration projects funded in Louisiana are focused on barrier islands because of the important role they …
City of New Orleans Christmas Tree Recycling Program Celebrates 20 Years of Protecting Wetlands
By Samantha Carter, National Wildlife Federation Where does your Christmas tree go when you leave it at the curb? If you participated in the New Orleans tree recycling program this year, then as of April 2nd your tree is now in the Bayou Sauvage National Wildlife Refuge. After your tree was picked up off of the curb in January, it was sorted and bundled by the Department of Sanitation with help from the city’s Office of Coastal and …
Bayou Bonjour: Caernarvon Diversion Builds Land and Gives Birth to New Bayou
Straddling the border of Plaquemines and St. Bernard parishes in Southeastern Louisiana is the Caernarvon Freshwater Diversion built by the Army Corps of Engineers and operated since 1992 to balance water salinity by funneling river water into coastal marshes. Lately, the diversion has had indirect effects that are raising eyebrows among scientists and those seeking to find solutions to address the crisis of Louisiana’s disappearing coast. The Caernarvon Freshwater Diversion is creating land at a rapid pace by delivering nutrient-rich river …
Coalition Responds to Jerome Zeringue’s Resignation from Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority
Coalition Responds to Jerome Zeringue’s Resignation from Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority Chip Kline, current deputy director of Governor’s Office of Coastal Affairs, named successor (NEW ORLEANS – January 26, 2015) Last week, Governor Bobby Jindal announced that Chip Kline would replace Jerome “Zee” Zeringue as chairman of the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority. Kline is currently the deputy director of the Governor’s Office of Coastal Activities. National and local conservation organizations committed to coastal Louisiana restoration – Environmental …
River diversion model debuted at Plaquemines Parish Orange Festival
By Philip Russo, Outreach Coordinator, Restore the Mississippi River Delta Coalition Land along a river has long been coveted for its agricultural productivity, but few rivers can compete with the mighty Mississippi. With a drainage basin stretching across 31 U.S. states and parts of Canada, it is no surprise that the Mississippi River carries a lot of sediment. Historically, the river would deposit this sediment near its mouth in what is now southeast Louisiana, creating new land. But since leveeing …
What can the Caernarvon Diversion and Bohemia Spillway teach us about coastal restoration?
By Theryn Henkel, Ph.D., Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation The Coastal Sustainability Program at the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation (LPBF) recently released an article titled “Examination of Deltaic Processes of Mississippi River Outlets–Caernarvon Delta and Bohemia Spillway in Southeastern Louisiana” in the Gulf Coastal Association of Geological Societies Journal. The article details work that LPBF has done investigating the development of the Caernarvon Delta and operation of the Bohemia Spillway, both located in Plaquemines Parish, La. Natural land-building deltaic processes of …
Tagged ReportsNEWS RELEASE: Conservation Groups Release Restoration Solutions for Mississippi River Delta
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Emily Guidry Schatzel, National Wildlife Federation, 225.253.9781, schatzele@nwf.org Elizabeth Van Cleve, Environmental Defense Fund, 202.553.2543, evancleve@edf.org Lauren Bourg, National Audubon Society, 225.776.9838, lbourg@audubon.org Conservation Groups Release Restoration Solutions for Mississippi River Delta New report recommends a series of science-based restoration efforts to benefit coastal Louisiana (NEW ORLEANS – December 9, 2014) Today, leading national and local conservation groups released a report outlining 19 priority projects for restoring the Mississippi River Delta following the 2010 Gulf oil …
Tagged ReportsMedia Advisory: Conservation Groups Release Restoration Solutions for Mississippi River Delta
MEDIA ADVISORY for Tuesday Dec. 9: Telepresser at 10:00 a.m. CT Conservation Groups Release Restoration Solutions for Mississippi River Delta New report recommends a series of science-based restoration efforts to benefit coastal Louisiana The 2010 Gulf oil disaster dumped more than 200 million gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico, affecting hundreds of miles of coastline along the five Gulf states, with Louisiana’s coast receiving the greatest damage. BP and the other companies responsible will pay billions of dollars …
West Maurepas Freshwater Diversion Project
Louisiana recently proposed 5 projects to be funded by the initial round of funding from the RESTORE Act. The West Maurepas Freshwater Diversion project’s objective, also known as the Mississippi River Reintroduction into Maurepas Swamp project, is to restore and enhance the health and sustainability of the Maurepas Swamp through the reintroduction of season Mississippi River inflow. Here’s what we wrote to the Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority, in support of the West Maurepas Freshwater Diversion project: Dear Coastal Protection …