Search Results for: storm buffer

Louisiana Legislature Passes Pioneering Coastal Master Plan

Now in its fourth iteration, the plan provides a pathway to invest billions of dollars for coastal climate resilience NEW ORLEANS (May 25, 2023) – Today, Louisiana continued its leadership on climate change resilience and adaptation with the passage of the latest iteration of its Coastal Master Plan (CMP). The plan is a $50 billion, 50-year comprehensive blueprint first adopted in 2007 and updated every six years to reflect the latest science and evolving needs of vulnerable coastal communities. Following its passage, Restore …

Louisiana’s 2017 Coastal Master Plan

Louisiana’s 2017 Master Plan for a Sustainable Coast (Coastal Master Plan) is the state’s 50-year blueprint for large-scale restoration and protection of Louisiana’s critical coastal areas. The plan, authored by the Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA), is updated every five years as required by law to account for evolving science and changing environmental conditions. It received unanimous, bipartisan support from both houses of the state Legislature. Developed using a science-based and publicly informed process, the 2017 Coastal Master …

A View from Above: Large-Scale Restoration at New Orleans’ Doorstep

The scale of Louisiana’s land loss crisis – and the work being done to preserve it – can be hard to grasp from the ground. One of the best education and advocacy tools for coastal restoration is to fly people over the coast to see the scale and impacts of our land loss crisis. While we can’t bring everyone up on a plane, we can do our best to bring that perspective to you here. In this blog series, we …

A View from Above: Join us for a Flyover Along the Mississippi River

Hello there! Welcome to your personalized flight across Louisiana’s coast. Here at Restore the Mississippi River Delta, we work daily to confront Louisiana’s land loss crisis by advancing large-scale coastal restoration projects to build and sustain land. Louisiana is losing a football field of land every 100 minutes. Since the 1930s, we’ve lost land equivalent to the size of Delaware. Without bold action, Louisiana could lose another 4,000 square miles over the next 50 years. We have no time to …

Coastal Restoration Plan Advances over $74M in Restoration Projects

Media Statement of Restore the Mississippi River Delta (New Orleans, LA.- July 29, 2022)  Today, the Louisiana Trustee Implementation Group of the Deepwater Horizon Natural Resource Damage Assessment Trustees released its Final Restoration Plan and Environmental Assessment #8: Wetlands, Coastal, and Nearshore Habitats. Earlier this year, over 160 representatives of business, government, environmental, community and other groups in Louisiana signed on to a letter in support of this plan. In response, Restore the Mississippi River Delta – a coalition of …

Battered by Recent Hurricanes, Southwest Louisiana Benefits from New Coastal Restoration Projects

This is the third blog in a series focused on coastal restoration projects advancing across Louisiana’s coast. You can read the Southeast blog here, and the Central Coast blog here. In August of 2020, Hurricane Laura made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane in Cameron, Louisiana, located along the state’s southwest coast. Less than 45 days later, Hurricane Delta made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane just east of Cameron in Creole, Louisiana. These storms devastated the people and communities …

With No Time to Lose, Louisiana Is Constructing More Coastal Restoration and Protection Projects Than Ever

This is the first blog in a series focused on coastal restoration projects advancing across Louisiana’s coast. You can read the Southwest blog here, and the Central Coast blog here. When the first Louisiana Coastal Master Plan was released in 2007, just two years after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, we laid out massive restoration needs with no time to lose. Overwhelming? Yes. Pipe Dream? No. Today, we are seeing the consistent advocacy and commitment to the Louisiana coast turn big …

Coastal Stakeholders Urge Decisionmakers to Advance Critical Restoration Projects

Over 160 signatories including state and federal legislators, business and community leaders, environmental NGOs voice support for restoration projects following hurricanes and oil spill New Orleans, Louisiana – Earlier this month the Louisiana Trustee Implementation Group of the Deepwater Horizon Natural Resource Damage Assessment Trustees released its Draft Restoration Plan and Environmental Assessment #8: Wetlands, Coastal, and Nearshore Habitats. In response to the draft restoration plan, over 160 representatives of business, government, environmental, community and other groups in Louisiana have …

Project to Restore Maurepas Swamp Takes One Important Step Forward

Army Corps releases plan selecting Maurepas restoration project as mitigation for nearby levee construction. Overview of Maurepas Swamp As one of the largest forested wetlands in the nation, Maurepas Swamp provides important ecological and socioeconomic benefits to southeast Louisiana. The swamp not only improves water quality and habitat for many species of conservation importance, but also increases resilience against storms for coastal communities from the Greater New Orleans region to the River Parishes and up into Greater Baton Rouge. However, …

A look back on 2021 in the Mississippi River Delta

2021 proved to be another year for the books as the world continued to navigate the second year of the pandemic. Coastal Louisiana also faced its fair share of challenges and successes through these trying times. Many of our local communities are still rebuilding homes, schools and businesses following Hurricane Ida’s devastating impacts. (For more information on how to support struggling communities, please visit our resources pages on Point-au-Chien, Ironton, Grand Bayou Village and Houma.) And while we continue to …

What will the future look like for Bald Eagles in coastal Louisiana?

With its large dark brown body, snowy-white head and fearsome yellow talons and bill, the Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) is one of the most recognizable raptors in the United States. Selected as the national bird for its representation of strength and courage, the Bald Eagle also plays a non-figurative role in nature as an indicator of ecosystem health. The eagle’s preference for forested wetlands makes it representative of healthy upper estuary habitat and its role as an apex predator has …

Restore the Coast, Protect the Gator

In Louisiana, alligators are thriving, but coastal land loss may threaten their future.  In the mid-20th century, the future of the American alligator was anything but certain. Due to unchecked hunting and loss of habitat, this giant reptile was federally listed as an endangered species in 1967.  Thanks to the enactment of state, federal and international wildlife protections, the American alligator’s population rebounded and is now considered “one of the first endangered species success stories”.  Louisiana and Florida claim the …

The Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion: Fact vs. Fiction

Skip to a section 1. CLAIM: The Mid-Barataria sediment diversion is being imposed upon residents who do not want it. 2. CLAIM: Dolphins are a “canary in a coal mine” that will become “virtually extinct” because of the diversion. 3. CLAIM: The diversion will destroy our way of life and jobs in Plaquemines Parish. 4. CLAIM: We can “dredge” our way out of our coastal land loss crisis. 5. CLAIM: “It’s not a freshwater diversion. It’s a polluted water diversion.” …

New Poll Shows Over 80% of Coastal Louisianans Support Sediment Diversions

Support for key restoration projects is broad in every region and among every demographic, including 74% of respondents in St. Bernard and Plaquemines Parishes NEW ORLEANS (Aug. 12, 2021) — There is widespread, bipartisan support for action to address Louisiana’s urgent land loss crisis through sediment diversions and other science-based restoration efforts, according to a new poll of coastal Louisiana voters released today by Global Strategy Group (GSG) and Environmental Defense Fund. These results are consistent with prior polls in …

The World Still Very Much Needs More Louisiana

Back in 2015 as we commemorated 10 years since Hurricanes Katrina and Rita dealt our state two devastating blows, our organization partnered with cool, local retailer Dirty Coast to develop a design and message that articulated why Louisiana’s coast is so important and worth preserving. We put a call out to you – the public – asking for ideas, and you delivered by bringing “The World Needs More Louisiana” to life. Since then, this powerful rallying cry has appeared on …