Gulf Restoration Network

Voodoo Redo Festivals and Events Tuesday, 30 October 2012 15:17

Helen Rose shows off our new Defend the Gulf tee shirts at Voodoo. Now available at the Defend New Orleans store and website. I just wrapped up one of GRN's longest  and most productive weekends of the year: the Voodoo Experience music & art festival in NOLA's City Park.  We were honored to be the official non-profit partner for the 6th year running, and made the most of the opportunity by spreading word and generating action for the Gulf with music fans, bands, the media and anyone who would listen.

We were working hard to make sure everyone knew that on average, with every song you hear at Voodoo, a main stage sized area of coastal wetlands turns into open water: vanishing due to what we've allowed to happen to the Mississippi River Delta wetlands for energy, shipping, flood control and the nation's economic development.  

A Closer Look at Gulf Sturgeon Healthy Waters / Dead Zone Tuesday, 23 October 2012 14:51

Gulf sturgeon caught on Pearl River near Jackson before construction of the Ross Barnett Dam. Photo courtesy of the Mississippi Museum of Natural Science Library.Gulf Restoration Network and allies like the Steps Coalition have been raising questions for years about the proposed Port of Gulfport. How will it and associated projects impact nearby communities? The coastal and marine environment? In official comments submitted nearly two years ago, GRN requested that the Port and Army Corps investigate the effects of channel deepening on Gulf sturgeon habitat. At a recent community meeting organized by the Steps Port Campaign Coalition, Port Authority President Lenny Sawyer announced a two year Gulf sturgeon survey by the Corps of Engineers and fish biologists from the University of Southern Mississippi. It is good to see our comments heeded by the Corps of Engineers.

The Gulf sturgeon is an incredible yet threatened species. Gulf sturgeon can grow up to eight feet in length and their bony plates and hard, extended snout give them a prehistoric look. Every summer, the sturgeon are known to leap from the water (some scientists believe it is an effort to communicate and maintain group cohesion), sometimes leading to boater-sturgeon interactions that aren’t so good for either party.

BP Needs to Clean Up Its Garbage BPs Oil Drilling Disaster in the Gulf of Mexico Monday, 22 October 2012 11:06

GRN photo of spotty sheen at the Macondo well area reported to the Coast Guard in August of 2011. In September of this year, BP reported oil sheen in the vicinity of the Deepwater Horizon rig that exploded in 2010 causing the largest oil disaster in U.S. history.   This comes as no surprise to the GRN, as our staff and our partners On Wing of Care and SkyTruth have frequently reported seeing oil sheen in the vicinity of the Deepwater Horizon over the last year.  To our relief, we have now been told by BP and the Coast Guard that the leakage is not coming from the original Macondo well area including the wreckage, debris, relief wells, and the riser on the sea floor.  Instead, it is probably coming from the containment dome that was discarded when it failed to stop the flow of oil from the BP Horizon.

What I find galling is that a piece of garbage left behind by BP is now fouling the Gulf. The Coast Guard press releases states that “ the ROV video showed apparent oil globules leaking from the containment dome at approximately 15 globules per minute, which is estimated to be less than 100 gallons per day” and that the sheen was “non-recoverable” but posed no risk to the coast.  Although this may sound small, a 100 gallons per day comes to 36,500 gallons per year – not a small amount of oil in my opinion.  And, that oil poses a risk to the health of the marine life (whales, turtles, fish) that travel through or live in that area.  Hasn’t BP done enough harm?  And, more importantly isn’t anyone going to require them to fully clean up the mess they have made?

Make Restoration the Priority in Mississippi BPs Oil Drilling Disaster in the Gulf of Mexico Monday, 22 October 2012 10:12

Right now, Governor Bryant's Go Coast 2020 commission is putting together a plan for how Mississippi will divvy up its share of the billions of dollars in BP fines coming to the Gulf Coast under the RESTORE Act. A bipartisan majority of Congress passed the RESTORE Act so that we could restore the unique and important ecosystem of the Gulf Coast - we need to make sure that the Governor and the Go Coast 2020 commission got the memo. Tell the Governor and Go Coast 2020 commission that environmental restoration comes first:

http://grn.convio.net/site/Advocacy?pagename=homepage&&id=459

Many of you probably know that the state of Mississippi doesn’t have the best history when it comes to spending big bucks from the federal government on good things for the Coast. After Katrina, hundreds of millions of restoration dollars meant for low-income housing were diverted to pork-barrel projects – things like unneeded sewage plants and the Port of Gulfport - that never fulfilled their promise. Let’s not see history repeat itself. Click here to tell the Governor and commission to do the right thing for Mississippi’s coast and communities.

Success at Mondo Festivals and Events Wednesday, 17 October 2012 15:16

Chef Susan Spicer (right) hosts an annual GRN fundraiser at her restaurant Mondo. Pictured here with GRN member, Linda Usdin. On Sunday, October 14, GRN supporters came out to Mondo in the Lakeview neighborhood of New Orleans to attend the sixth annual fundraising event, Defend Our Coast, Defend Our Culture.  Funds raised from the event support GRN's ongoing fight for healthy waters and coastal areas, and protection of 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, bluegrass music by The Tanglers Trio, and bid on artwork by Matt Rinard, a vacation package to Santa Fe, and much more.

Adam Babich spoke and received the inaugural Bradburn-Smith Conservation award for his essential work with the Tulane Environmental Law Clinic that allows GRN to hold polluters and lawbreakers accountable.

Many thanks to all our supporters that attended and contributed.  Special thanks to Adam Babich, Susan Spicer, the wonderful staff of Mondo, and eveyone who made the event a success.

Celebrating 40 Years of the Clean Water Act Healthy Waters / Dead Zone Tuesday, 16 October 2012 14:04

GRN members and staff enjoying the waters of Mississippi's Leaf River, which is protected by the Clean Water Act. The Clean Water Act is America's primary federal law protecting its waters from pollution and an essential tool in protecting healthy waters and wetlands in the Gulf of Mexico region. Many of the victories for the environment that are achieved by Gulf Restoration Network and our partners come courtesy of the Clean Water Act.

On October 18, 2012, the Clean Water Act turns 40! This is most certainly a cause for celebration, and we wanted to let everyone know about a couple events hosted by our partners around the country to do just that.

See below the jump for details!

BP Deja Vu BPs Oil Drilling Disaster in the Gulf of Mexico Friday, 12 October 2012 08:50

BP's tarballs coat Elmer's Island, LA -a non-amenity beachGRN and our partners in the environmental community have pointed out BP's offshore sheen time and again for over a year. It's ridiculous that yesterday's announcements from government and BP continue to lack a good answer as to where the oil is coming from, and why it continues to show up.

Oil in the water harms whales, bluefin tuna, and many other species, and it's unacceptable that two years later, BP hasn't been able to secure their disaster site. 

Bird's Eye View: Oil Spreads From Failed Refinery Containment System Storm Protection / Coastal Issues Tuesday, 09 October 2012 14:27

On Saturday, August 25th I flew over the sprawling Phillips 66 Alliance Refinery in southern Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana. This Southwings sponsored flight piloted by volunteer pilot, Lance Rydberg, allowed me to take aerial photographs of Alliance before the arrival of Hurricane Isaac. The vulnerability of this and other facilities from the potential impending hurricane-force winds and storm surge was of particular interest. As I peered down through my lens at the storage tanks full of oil and other toxic chemicals, I had a flash back to Hurricane Katrina and the Murphy Oil refinery storage tank in Meraux, Louisiana that flooded and leaked approximately 1 million gallons of oil  throughout  adjacent neighborhoods and canals. I had little hope and confidence that the various refineries in south Louisiana had really learned their lessons from Katrina and could only hope for the sake of our environment and communities that Isaac would weaken or shift course. That didn’t happen.

Join us at Mondo Festivals and Events Friday, 05 October 2012 10:09

For an evening of great discussion, food, and music to benefit      GULF RESTORATION NETWORK

Photo by Anthony Schoenecker Sunday, October 14, 2012
6 to 8 p.m.

   900 Harrison Avenue, New Orleans, Louisiana
   www.mondoneworleans.com

Seating is limited, so reserve your place today

Keynote Speaker

Adam Babich, Professor and Director of the Tulane Environmental Law Clinic

Hors d'oeurves by
Chef Susan Spicer, GRN advisory board member, and staff of MONDO

Bluegrass Music by
Tanglers Trio

Silent Auction                                                                        
Bid on unique offerings celebrating Louisiana culture like:

•  A pair of Loa VIP passes to Voodoo Music Experience
• Canal Place Theatres dinner and movie night
• Louisiana native plant and decorative container from The Plant Gallery

Ticket start at $100 for one or $180 for two.  Current Gulf Sustainers, members who give monthly, can attend at the $60 Sustainer level.  With questions, contact Natasha Noordhoff at 504.525.1528 x210 or e-mail This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Click here to reserve your place today...

Natasha Noordhoff is GRN's Development Director