A Partridge in a Pear Tree: National Audubon Society's 111th Annual Christmas Bird Count
← Older posts Newer posts →A Partridge in a Pear Tree: National Audubon Society's 111th Annual Christmas Bird Count
By David J. Ringer, National Audubon Society The National Audubon Society wrapped up its 111th Christmas Bird Count (CBC) this week. The survey sends tens of thousands of volunteers into the field across the Western Hemisphere each year. Their mission: to count all the birds – both number of species and individuals – that they can find in 15-mile-wide circular study sites. Over time, all of this data has proved to be a valuable indicator of bird population trends. In coastal …
Let Your Voice Be Heard: Public Comment Period for MRGO Draft Restoration Plan Is Underway
By Amanda Moore, National Wildlife Federation Update to our previous post: The 60-day public comment period is open for the Army Corps of Engineers’ Mississippi River Gulf Outlet (MRGO) Draft Restoration Plan. The restoration of the ecosystem along the MRGO will help to protect the City of New Orleans and St. Bernard Parish by providing a coastal buffer to storm surge and waves. In addition, restoration will increase coastal resiliency to subsidence and sea level rise and keep our estuaries healthy …
Meet Cynthia Duet
Cynthia Duet joined the National Audubon Society’s Louisiana Coastal Initiative team in November 2010. In her role as director of governmental relations, Cynthia will be interacting with government agencies and coastal stakeholders at local, state, and federal levels to advocate for next-generation, science-based coastal policy and for the design, funding, and construction of bold and effective coastal restoration projects that protect and restore this valuable ecosystem. A native of Louisiana, Cynthia has more than a decade of experience in Louisiana …
Louisiana Coastal Area 6 Project Profile: Convey Atchafalaya River Water to Northern Terrebonne Marshes
By Angelina Freeman (Environmental Defense Fund), Natalie Snider (Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana) and John Lopez (Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation) As we discussed in a previous post, four of our organizations recently reviewed and provided comments on the six near-term Louisiana Coastal Area 6 project reports and final environmental impact statements. In contrast to the robustness of the Medium Diversion at White Ditch project, the narrowing of ambition in the design of the Convey Atchafalaya River Water to Northern Terrebonne Marshes/Multipurpose …
Mississippi River Gulf Outlet (MRGO) Ecosystem Restoration Plan Moves Forward
By Amanda Moore, National Wildlife Federation The Army Corps of Engineers is set to release the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet (MRGO) Ecosystem Restoration Plan Draft Feasibility Report this Friday, December 17, officially opening the 45-day public comment period. The release marks an important and long-awaited step toward community protection and large-scale coastal restoration for the Greater New Orleans region. The extensive flooding of the Lower Ninth Ward and St. Bernard Parish during Hurricane Katrina was directly attributable to the MRGO, …
Bloggers Nationwide Ask for Gulf Coast Restoration During "Blog for the Gulf" Event
By David J. Ringer, National Audubon Society The Nature Blog Network, which represents more than 1,300 nature, science and conservation blogs from all over the world, sponsored a virtual event called “Blog for the Gulf” last week. Organizers asked bloggers to write about Gulf Coast restoration and recovery, and specifically, the Senate’s need to act during lame duck to dedicate Clean Water Act penalties to environmental restoration. Responses were passionate. “As embarrassing as it is that Congress couldn’t pass a[n] …
Learning from the Dutch: “Living With Water” Part II
By Elizabeth Skree, Environmental Defense Fund In our previous post about Senator Landrieu’s Third Congressional Delegation to the Netherlands, Courtney Taylor from Environmental Defense Fund provided an overview of the trip, including where the delegation went, what they saw, and how they learned to “live with water.” Many representatives from the non-profit sector attended, including staff from some of our coalition organizations. The 4-day trip included site tours and meetings with Dutch officials and engineers. In one of the sessions, the …
Louisiana Coastal Area 6 Project Profile: Medium Diversion at White Ditch
By Angelina Freeman, Environmental Defense Fund The Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana, Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation, Environmental Defense Fund and National Audubon Society reviewed and provided comments on the six near-term Louisiana Coastal Area (LCA 6) project reports and final environmental impact statements. Among the LCA 6, perhaps the most ground-breaking is the tentatively selected plan that incorporates pulsing for the Medium Diversion at White Ditch. White Ditch would provide freshwater, nutrients and sediments to restore degraded habitat and sustain a larger coastal ecosystem east of the …
Why Should We Save Coastal Louisiana?
By Diane Huhn, Bayou Grace Community Services Since Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, Bayou Grace Community Services has been working to address the most critical and immediate environmental needs of residents of Lower Terrebonne Parish, La. Coastal land loss is a daily reality for those living in these communities. For many, land loss means living in a constant state of recovery and anticipating the next flood, be it from a tropical storm, hurricane, or even high tides. Through its Environmental Outreach program, Bayou …
Meet Maura Wood
Maura Wood is the Coastal Louisiana Senior Outreach Coordinator for the National Wildlife Federation. In her role, she meets with various stakeholders in coastal communities to understand their concerns and differences of opinion and ensure decision makers hear their perspectives. “We are all in favor of repairing our damaged coast, but when it comes down to details, differing opinions can bring a project to a halt,” Wood said. “Working out our differences is vital to achieving comprehensive restoration, so talking …
Senator Landrieu Leads Delegation to Netherlands to Learn How Dutch "Live With Water"
By Courtney Taylor, Environmental Defense Fund Senator Mary Landrieu led a delegation of representatives from various federal agencies, local governments, businesses and non-profits on a trip across the Netherlands from Nov. 9-13 to study how the Dutch “live with water.” The delegation included representatives from the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation, National Wildlife Federation (NWF), Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) and the Walton Family Foundation. Each day included meetings with high-level Dutch officials and informative tours and presentations. The delegation visited the oldest …
First Meeting of Gulf Restoration Task Emphasizes Action, Inclusiveness, Comprehensiveness
By Paul Harrison, Environmental Defense Fund A packed room of approximately 250 people in Pensacola, Fl. welcomed the first meeting of President Obama’s Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Task Force on Nov. 8th. Impassioned speeches from Louisiana’s Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority Chairman Garret Graves and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Mimi A. Drew emphasized the environmental, human, and economic need for not only fixing the damage caused directly by the BP Deepwater Horizon disaster, but also addressing the long-term …
Public Scoping Meetings Held for Myrtle Grove Diversion
By Maura Wood, National Wildlife Federation Last week, members of the public were invited to attend and participate in a series of scoping meetings about the proposed Myrtle Grove Diversion in southern Louisiana. The three public meetings officially launched the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)/Feasibility Study for the Myrtle Grove Diversion. Ensuring that Myrtle Grove is constructed as a land-building, pulsed, sediment diversion is a key element of our coalition’s coastal restoration campaign. Scoping meetings allow stakeholders the opportunity to give input …
Working Environments Workshop Highlights Restoration Job Creation
By Brian Jackson, Environmental Defense Fund Last week, Oxfam America and the Louisiana State University (LSU) School of Social Work co-hosted a two-day workshop (Nov. 15-16) on LSU’s campus in Baton Rouge, La. about how to put Gulf State residents back to work restoring and improving their coast. The Working Environments Workshop brought together local and national architects, academics, state and parish officials, non-governmental organizations, community advocates, and business interests to discuss how to create sustainable “working environments” across the Gulf. Economic …
Tagged EconomicsGroups Submit Comments on Louisiana Coastal Area 6 Project Reports
By Angelina Freeman, Environmental Defense Fund While deliberations about the post-oil spill restoration program continue, ecosystem restoration has been a critical regional need for decades. The good news is that a program of providing ground and stabilization projects for Louisiana’s coastal wetlands – the “Louisiana Coastal Area Program”, or LCA – were authorized in the 2007 Water Resources Development Act and are proceeding toward construction. Six of the 15 projects specifically listed in the LCA authorization have moved most quickly …