Blogging for a Healthy Gulf
|
|
I'll admit it, I'm excited. But don't tell my boss.
For the 5th year, GRN is the official, non-profit partner of the Voodoo Experience, a huge music festival taking place Friday-Sunday in NOLA's City Park. 5 stages, over 100 bands, and thanks to the hard work of GRN staff and volunteers:
- A wetlands installation demonstrating the plants and principles of our "Coastal Lines of Defense." Barrier islands, marshes and cypress swamps.
- An army of canvassers working hard to sign up new sustaining GRN members from the legion of music fans, helping amplify our unified voice to protect and restore the Gulf.
- A movie tent, showing GRN's Defend the Gulf video series of short films detailing the impacts of the BP drilling disaster
- A chance to pick up a super-cool BirdProject soap.
- A photobooth that will let you take a picture with an aligator, a nutria or a sign showing your support for the Gulf (and then upload your pictures to Facebook).
Behind the scenes we'll have:
|
|
Read more: 1 Day Until Voodoo!
|
|
|
|
|
Giving the plants a lift: Floating Grasses in Bayou St John
Months ago, I assisted Caitlin Reilly of LSU AgCenter with an experimental installation of Vallisneria americana (âwild celeryâ or âtape-grassâ) in Bayou St John. The plantsand the were gifted to the bayou From Dr. Poirrier's lab at the University of New Orleans. Because the lakeside section of the Bayou was reclaimed from the Lake, the channel has been constructed, with concrete walls instead of gently sloping banks. The water is too deep, and the water quality not the best, for the establishment of many of our native SAV (submerged aquatic vegetation) species.
|
|
Read more: Giving the plants a lift: Floating Grasses in Bayou St John
|
|
|
James Hurtt speaking on the bus after the hearing. On Tuesday evening, I had the pleasure of joining a bus load of fired-up Mississippi Power ratepayers from the coast on a trip to Kemper County, Mississippi â the proposed site for a massive new dirty lignite coal mine. If this huge mine, and Mississippi Powerâs associated coal plant, is allowed to move forward, the project will destroy thousands of acres of wetlands, miles of streams, and release toxic chemicals into nearby waters, all at a cost of over $2.8 billion that regular ratepayers will have to shoulder!
We made the trip to Kemper County to urge the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) to deny the permits for this dirty, expensive and unnecessary mine, and boy did they get an earful. By a margin of over three to one, concerned citizens from the Mississippi Gulf Coast, Kemper County, and other areas throughout the state stood up and told MDEQ that the state shouldnât let this destructive mine move forward.
One of the most passionate speakers was local resident James Hurtt, who told the MDEQ representatives at the hearing âthat there are some questions that need to be answered to the people.â One of his biggest questions was how this massive coal mine will impact the groundwater he drinks, and the streams and lakes that he fishes in. James told MDEQ and the assembled crowd that âI love Okatibbee Lakeâ but worried that twenty years down the road that there might be âa sign out there saying you canât eat this fishâ because of the pollution from the coal mine right upstream.
As we got back on the bus after the hearing, James and a number of other locals residents jumped onboard to thank us for joining them in the fight to protect their homes and communities from the dirty, expensive, and unnecessary coal mine and plant. GRN, Sierra Club and our community partners will continue to fight this destructive boondoggle, and I am glad to be working with the fine people of Kemper County to make sure that Mississippiâs wetlands, streams, rivers and lakes are protected.
Raleigh Hoke is GRN's Mississippi Organizer. |
|
|
|
Ashley Guidry from Lafayette, LA is the raffle winner for the Rediscover New Orleans Aveda Earth Month Drawing 2011. Congratulations Ashley!
The Grand Prize includes:
Two nights at the Intercontinental New Orleans and brunch for two
$500 gift card on the airline of your choice
$200 gift certificate for dinner at Lilette
$150 gift certificate for dinner at Gautreau's
Thanks to everyone who participated in the raffle.
Throughout the month of April, Aveda salons across the south raise funds and awareness for GRN's Healthy Waters and BP Drilling Campaigns. Aveda stands out as a shining example of an authentic 'green' company that makes protecting our environment central to the way they do business. Check out Aveda's Earth Month site for all the organizations they support.
Natasha is GRN's Administrative Assistant |
|
|
|
 Crawfishing is drying up:
Illegal roads are choking the bayous of the Atchafalaya Basin
Dean Wilson of Atchafalaya Basinkeeper invited us to take a low-water tour with Jody Meche of the Louisiana Crawfish Producerâs Association West, to see the challenges healthy wetlands face in their neck of the woods. Illegal access roads are damming up the bayous of the Atchafalaya. We do not want Bayou Brown to be roadblocked. Just as the natural tidal flow of water through marshes is essential for their health, the natural cycle of flooding and draining of swamps is necessary to keep them healthy and productive. By blocking the healthy flow of water, these permanent limestone roads do damage to swamps in a similar manner as the thousands of miles of spoil banks damage our marshes.
|
|
Read more: Illegal roads are drying up the crawfish
|
|
|
The shaded areas represent lignite coal reserves.Strip mining for lignite coal is a nasty process. Thankfully, few of us have had to directly bear witnesses to how it impacts communities, and nearby rivers, streams and wetlands, but that could change if a North Dakota mining company is allowed to move forward with its proposal for a massive coal strip mine in Kemper County, Mississippi.
Over the course of the proposed mineâs 40 year life span, thousands of acres of wetlands and miles of streams will be permanently damaged. And if this mine is allowed to move forward, it could serve as the poster child for future dirty lignite strip mines throughout much of the state.
Right now, the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) wants to hear what you think about this dirty, expensive and unnecessary coal mine. If you're from Mississippi, please take action and tell MDEQ to reject the Kemper coal mine:
http://grn.convio.net/site/Advocacy?pagename=homepage&id=299
In areas where lignite strip mining has been underway on a large scale for decades, it has caused significant destruction and disrupted local communities. For example, in Germany lignite coal mining has displaced more than 300 communities and over 100,000 people! Itâs time to say no to this boondoggle in Kemper County, Mississippi, and no to dirty, lignite coal mining in the hundreds of Mississippi communities potentially at risk. If you're from Mississippi, please send MDEQ your message now.
Raleigh Hoke is GRN's Mississippi Organizer. |
|
|
76 weeks after the Deepwater Horizon exploded then sank into the Gulf of Mexico, triggering the worst accidental marine oil spill in U.S. history both the House and the Senate have bills introduced which would direct the historic Clean Water Act fines from BP's deepwater drilling disaster to tackle the ongoing challenges facing the Gulf.
In principle the bills are simple, and seek to redirect this windfall fine ($5 - $21 billion) from the Oil Spill Response Trust Fund and the general treasury to Gulf restoration efforts instead. It's hard to argue that the Gulf doesn't deserve the funds, as it has been the nation's energy sacrifice zone for decades pre-BP, and continues to face a coastal wetlands crisis, an enormous seasonal Dead Zone offshore, and increasingly vulnerable coastal communities. Precious little was being done to address any of these issues well before April 20, 2010.
Of course, the devil is in the details.
The Senate bill, a result of compromises across the region and across parties, and introduced by 9 of the 10 Gulf Senators with the backing of Environment and Public Works Committee Chair (and committed environmentalist) Barbara Boxer, was a strong opening gambit. Unfortunately, the House bill, introduced by Rep. Steve Scalise and 24 congressional colleagues, is a bit weaker, and includes some troubling elements limiting the ability of the fine monies to be spent on NOAA-directed research, or the use of the funds to acquire federally managed habitat around the Gulf.
|
|
Read more: RESTORE Acts in Both Houses - Will Congress Finally Direct BP Fines to Gulf?
|
|
|
|
Degrading the Tallow Banks of Jean Lafitte
Jean Lafitte Park and EPA lead the way to healing the injuries our coastal marshes
To heal a patient, first stop the bleeding. After decades of Coastal Restoration, Louisiana still has not applied the pressure needed to restore the most obvious damage to its marshes. Over the decades, these open wounds have cost the coast millions in ecosystem services, and it is past time to heal these flagrant damages.
Degraded banks off Yankee Pond in Jean Lafitte Park. A golden meadow once again.
Last Week, EPA and National Park staff took non-profit staff and parish, state, and federal officials on a tour of a recently backfilled canal on Park property. The EPA has proposed a CWPPRA (Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection and Restoration Act) project to degrade these spoil banks, to restore the marsh underneath and to restore the natural flow of waters and animals into the surrounding marshes.
|
|
Read more: Degrading the Tallow Banks of Jean Lafitte
|
|
|
 Photo by Anthony SchoeneckerOn Sunday, October 9, GRN supporters came out to Mondo in the Lakeview neighborhood of New Orleans to attend the fifth annual fundraiser, Defend Our Coast, Defend Our Culture. Funds raised from the event support GRN's ongoing fight for healthy waters, sustainable coastal areas, and vibrant offshore ecosystems that are essential to resilient communities and healthy wildlife.
Attendees enjoyed delectable hors d'oeuvres by Chef Susan Spicer and Sous Chef Nancy Berg and bluegrass music by the Tangler Trio while bidding on artwork and unique offerings celebrating the the culture of the Gulf Coast.
Oliver Houck of the Tulane Law School captivated the audience and brought levity to the challenges of fighting for a healthy environment with humorous stories of his experiences addressing environmental issues when he first arrived in Louisiana in the early 1970s. GRN's work in the Gulf today builds upon decades of effort, loss, and victories for the environmental movement. Houck is the author the recent  Photo by Anthony Schoeneckerbook Down on the Batture which chronicles observations from his long walks between the levee and the Mississippi River around New Orleans.
Many thanks to all our supporters who attended and contributed. Special thanks to Oliver Houck, Susan Spicer, Jenni Lynch, Nancy Berg, and the wonderful staff of Mondo.
And a big round of applause to our event host committee and many supporters:
Event Host Committee
Nancy and Don Adams
Denise Berthiaume, LeMieux Galleries
Jo Billups
Sig Greenebaum, Rehage Entertainment
Karen Harvill
Caroline Helwick and Jose Miranda
Beverly and Ray Nichols
Susan Norris-Davis and Mark Davis
Susan Spicer, Bayona and Mondo
Tippy Tippens, BirdProject
Event Supporters
BirdProject
Emery Clark
Spike Lee
Prytania Theater
Sig Greenebaum, Stephen Rehage, and Rehage Entertainment
St. James Cheese Company
New Orleans Saints
Steve Shepard
The Tanglers Trio: Ian Cunningham, Graham Robinson, and Matt Rota
Joe Tomasovsky
The Wine Seller
Eir Danielson is GRN's Development Director
 Photo by Anthony Schoenecker
|
|
|
Last week, the White House's Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Task Force (Task Force) took a significant step towards restoring the Gulf of Mexico in the wake of BPâs oil drilling disaster, but there is still, of course, a long road to restoration. Created by the President and lead by EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson, the Task Force has been charged with creating a framework and plan for restoring the Gulf in the wake of the BP drilling disaster.
The preliminary strategy for restoration lays out good basic prescriptions for restoring the Gulf, and we're certainly encouraged to see such engagement from the federal government. Unfortunately, the "new" strategy provides little beyond what was previously known and lacks the specifics we had hoped to see.
While we support the Draft Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Strategyâs Gulf-wide scope and apparent intent to achieve a functioning and productive Gulf ecosystem, the strategy should provide an overarching framework to address both injured natural resources and lost ecological services due to the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, as well as more systemic problems, such as the on-going loss of coastal wetlands and formation of the hypoxic zone at the mouth of the Mississippi River. The strategy fails to set forth a focused restoration agenda with measurable goals and objectives. Nor does it identify funds that can be directed to identified priorities and effective programs or projects.
|
|
Read more: Gulf Coast Task Force Releases Ecosystem Restoration Strategy
|
|
|
<< Start < Prev 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Next > End >>
|
|
Page 10 of 73 |
|
Recent Posts

|
Citizens rally against Kemper at hearing in Gulfport, MS.Recently, Ashby Foote, a Jackson, Written by Andrew Whitehurst Wednesday, 23 May 2012
|
|
Should important endangered species habitat be destroyed for better yachting?
The SunWest/Pasco Written by Cathy Harrelson Friday, 18 May 2012
|
|
Louisianaâs âModerateâ relative sea-level rise scenario depends on drastic and swift cuts to Written by Scott Eustis Thursday, 17 May 2012
|
|
A Different View on a Forest in Recovery
Sunday I met with Katie Brasted of Woodlands Written by Scott Eustis Thursday, 17 May 2012
|
|
On Monday, I led a documentary crew on a boat tour down to heavily impacted areas in Written by Jonathan Henderson Wednesday, 16 May 2012 |
|
The Comprehensive Master Plan for a Sustainable Coast has been finalized and passed by the Written by Scott Eustis Tuesday, 15 May 2012 |
|
NOAA may be scrubbing the record of the BP disaster and suppressing documentation of the impact on Written by Aaron Viles Wednesday, 09 May 2012 |
|
