New report studies river diversions as an important restoration tool
Newer posts →New report studies river diversions as an important restoration tool
By Alisha Renfro, Ph.D., National Wildlife Federation Since 1932, almost 1,900 square miles of ecologically and economically important land has been lost in coastal Louisiana. Historically, flooding from the Mississippi River built and maintained these coastal wetlands, but the construction of flood protection levees and upstream dams have cut off the connection between the river and its delta. River diversions direct water, nutrients and sediment back into the deteriorating wetlands and serve as an important restoration tool in the Mississippi …
Tagged ReportsUnshackling 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 …
Faces of the Delta: Alberta Lewis
In the third installment of our Faces of the Delta series, you will meet Alberta Lewis: long-time New Orleans-area resident, plantation owner, delta restoration advocate, and king cake doll creator. Name: Alberta Lewis Location: Arabi/Poydras, St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana Occupation: Retired business owner, miniature porcelain artist (designs king cake dolls for a well-known bakery), plantation owner and community activist. Tell me about your connection to south Louisiana. I was born in the 9th Ward of New Orleans in 1923 and lived in …
Mississippi River Diversions Workshop Tackles Difficult Scientific Questions
By Angelina Freeman (Environmental Defense Fund), David Muth (National Wildlife Federation), and Bryan Piazza (The Nature Conservancy) The Louisiana Coastal Area Program (LCA) Science and Technology Office and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) convened a meeting Feb. 23-24 on the technical issues of freshwater river diversions and the response of wetland soils and vegetation. The plants in coastal wetlands will drown if they cannot keep up with rising water levels. This fact is especially evident in Louisiana, where …