The Power of We: The Mississippi River Delta Restoration Campaign
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By Happy Johnson, Amanda Moore and Elizabeth Skree Our Mississippi River Delta Restoration Campaign works to reconnect the Mississippi River to its delta to protect people, wildlife and jobs. At our core, we are the “Power of We”: a coalition of five national and local non-governmental organizations — the National Audubon Society, Environmental Defense Fund, National Wildlife Federation, Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana and the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation — working together to save a national treasure: the Mississippi River Delta. The …
Fairhope, Alabama: First stop on Mississippi River Fall Flyway Migration Tour
By Kevin Chandler, Communications Coordinator, Mississippi River Delta Restoration Campaign Last week, the Mississippi River Delta Restoration Campaign’s Fall Flyway Migration Tour touched down in coastal Alabama for the 9th Annual John L. Borom Coastal BirdFest. On October 4 and 5, we tabled at the 5 Rivers Delta Resource Center in the Mobile-Tensaw River Delta, the second largest delta in the United States. The 5 Rivers Center sits at the point where the Mobile, Spanish, Tensaw, Apalachee and Blakeley rivers meet to …
Latest Mississippi River Delta news: October 12, 2012
West Bay diversion wins reprieve from federal-state coastal restoration task force By Mark Schleifstein, The Times-Picayune (New Orleans, La.). Oct. 11, 2011. “The controversial West Bay sediment and freshwater diversion near the mouth of the Mississippi River will stay open for at least another 10 years, a federal-state coastal restoration task force decided Thursday. The decision reverses a 2008 order to close the 200-yard-wide, 90-foot-deep gap in the western bank of the river…” (Read more) Gulf Oil Sheen Blamed on …
Statement: New BP Oil Slick Proof That 2010 Oil Spill is Not Over
Contacts: Elizabeth Skree, Environmental Defense Fund, 202.553.2543, eskree@edf.org Emily Guidry Schatzel, National Wildlife Federation, 225.253.9781, guidrye@nwf.org Kevin Chandler, National Audubon Society, 202.596.0960, kchandler@audubon.org New BP Oil Slick Proof That 2010 Oil Spill is Not Over BP must be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law, groups say (Washington, D.C.—October 11, 2012) Today, a three-mile oil slick that was detected in the gulf last month was confirmed as oil from the 2010 gulf oil disaster. The slick illustrates that …
Mississippi River Delta Restoration Campaign launches petition to hold BP accountable
Since the devastating 2010 BP oil disaster, we’ve been working to send some well-deserved funds to the gulf. For over two years, we worked with leaders in Congress on a bill that would do just that. After a long battle, we finally helped pass the RESTORE Act in July 2012, which set up the Gulf Coast Restoration Trust Fund to deliver 80 percent of the Clean Water Act penalty money from BP back to the gulf. Unfortunately, over two years after the …
Latest Mississippi River Delta News: October 11, 2012
Sheen at Deepwater Horizon disaster site is BP oil, Coast Guard says By Mark Schelifstein, The Times-Picayune. October 10, 2012. “Samples of oil taken from a sheen above the site of the sunken Deepwater Horizon oil rig and BP’s Macondo 252 well matches oil released from the well during the 2010 spill, the U.S. Coast Guard announced late Wednesday. The Coast Guard has informed BP and Transocean, owner of the sunken Deepwater Horizon oil rig, that they may be held …
October 27: Community Field Trip: Saturday on the Bayou!
By Happy Johnson, National Wildlife Federation You’re invited to participate in a coastal field trip right here in New Orleans! Join us Saturday, October 27 for a morning of exploring residential coastal areas. Would you like to attend? Please be sure to RSVP to JohnsonH@NWF.org or (504) 315-5083. What: Tour of the Mississippi River Levee and Lower 9 Bayou Bienvenue Viewing Platform Date: Saturday, October 27 Time: 10:30 a.m. — noon Who: New Orleans residents who want to visit and learn more …
Latest Mississippi River Delta news: October 10, 2012
Team addresses coastal questions By Amy Wold, The (Baton Rouge) Advocate. Oct. 10, 2012. “Stemming the loss of Louisiana’s coastal wetlands will take not only science and engineering but also billions of dollars and a national commitment that the work is worth doing…” (Read more) Senators differ on BP penalties By Jordan Blum, The (Baton Rouge) Advocate. Oct. 10, 2012. “WASHINGTON — As reports and criticisms circulate that the federal government may move outside of the federal RESTORE Act framework …
Latest Mississippi River Delta News: October 5, 2012
Let us spend BP’s oil-spill fines Editorial, The Pensacola (Fla.) News Journal. October 4, 2012. “Any settlement between BP and the federal government over fines from the 2010 oil spill must include guarantees that the counties in the affected states have broad leeway in how the money is spent…” (Read more) GoCoast 2020 Commission must be coastwide effort Editorial, The Mississippi Press. October 4, 2012. “The GoCoast 2020 Commission must be a coastwide effort to make sure we get the …
Latest Mississippi River Delta News: October 4, 2012
Coast Guard investigating oil sheen at BP Deepwater Horizon disaster site By Mark Schleifstein, The Times-Picayune (New Orleans). October 3, 2012. “The U.S. Coast Guard is investigating an oily sheen spotted in the Gulf of Mexico last month near the site of the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill 40 miles south of the Mississippi River, a spokesman said Wednesday. Samples of the sheen taken near the site of the failed BP Macondo oil well have been sent to the service’s …
Mississippi River Delta Restoration Campaign to launch fall bird migration tour
By Ryan Rastegar, Mississippi River Delta Restoration Campaign Coordinator The Mississippi River Delta Restoration Campaign is organizing a fall migration tour! Throughout the months of October and November, our staff will be organizing events up and down the Mississippi River to highlight the important role the delta plays in maintaining a healthy Mississippi Flyway. The Mississippi Flyway is a bird migration route that our winged friends generally follow along the Mississippi River when migrating south in the fall and north …
Latest Mississippi River Delta news: October 3, 2012
Corps approves $2.9 billion MR-GO restoration plan, but demands state pay 35 percent of cost By Mark Schleifstein, The Times-Picayune (New Orleans, La.). Oct. 2, 2012. “The chief of the Army Corps of Engineers on Tuesday approved a $2.9 billion plan to restore wetlands destroyed by construction of the Mississippi River-Gulf Outlet. But the corps continues to demand that Louisiana pay 35 percent of the construction costs, or $975 million, which the state is loath to do…” (Read more) Corps …
Latest Mississippi River Delta News: October 2, 2012
It’s getting tougher to be both a hunter and a ‘tree-hugger’ in the Atchafalaya Basin these days By Ken Grissom, Teche Today (St. Martinville, La.). October 1, 2012. “St. Martinville – St. Martin Land Company is threatening to kick members of the Louisiana Crawfish Producers Association – West or the Atchafalaya Basinkeeper off their hunting leases in the Atchafalaya Basin…” (Read more) Possible RESTORE Act Raid By Debbie Williams, WKRG. October 2, 2012. “GULF SHORES, Alabama — Two and a …
The People Have Spoken
By Amanda Moore, National Wildlife Federation On September 6, restoration along the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet (MRGO) passed another important milestone with completion of the final public comment period for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ planning process. It’s a milestone worth honoring, because almost 49,000 people commented on the plan and the need to prioritize restoration of the area. These comments were collected through nonprofit organizations affiliated with the MRGO Must Go Coalition, and since last year, over 75,000 …
Latest Mississippi River Delta News: October 1, 2012
Hurricane Isaac left behind sections of dead marsh and answers about our future By Bob Marshall, The Times-Picayune (New Orleans). September 30, 2012. “When local outdoors folk look back on the summer of 2012 they may well remember it as a season of questions. Such as “What happened to the speckled trout?” And “What happened to the teal?” And “How did a Category 1 storm spread so much damage…” (Read more) Sportsmen favor protection over energy, according to poll: Other …