STUDENTS UNITED FOR A HEALTHY GULF: MARDI GRAS MADNESS

Friday 5:00pm, the parades are lining up and the city becomes un-navigable.

Of course, this is the time for our local and regional interns and student activists to coalesce at Tulane University to begin a weekend of grassroots organizing training. The local interns, Laney White, Mallory Domingue, and Megan Milliken, make it there along with a big crowd of interested students and our Tulane service learners. With traffic and transportation difficulties, we had yet to see a regional intern. By 6:00pm, the last of the regional interns finally arrives. In spite of everything working against them to get there, everyone is rearing to get started on their environmental advocacy education.

The Students United for a Healthy Gulf Conference brought together students from all over the Gulf to learn about the pressing environmental issues facing the Gulf and how students have the power to affect positive change. The weekend was a great success, and all the students gained the skills and knowledge they will need for a successful semester working with the GRN, and it started them down the path of a lifetime of civic engagement.

Once everyone arrives, I rush off to grab some dinner to bring back while Cyn Sarthou, GRN’s executive director, introduces the organization. As I come back in with po-boys and French fries, Aaron Viles, GRN’s campaign director, is briefing students on the situation facing the coastal wetlands and the Flood Washington campaign he crafted in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Next up, Casey Mintzer, a GRN fall semester intern, does a quick intro to the basic principles and tips for public speaking because being able to present your message to large groups of people is a key component of environmental advocacy campaigns. Afterwards, all the students dig into the food before heading off to enjoy a Mardi Gras parade.

Bringing young Gulf conservationists together helps build the sense of community across the region and it creates a movement of engaged and concerned young citizens. With the locals hosting the regional interns, we helped create something that weekend that transcended any one person present, student or GRN staffer.

The next morning we come back together in the same place to begin a full day of training. But first off, we enjoy a delicious breakfast and coffee generously donated by Whole Foods Market. Thanks Whole Foods! In the first briefing of the day, Dan elaborates on the knowledge the students gained the night before by giving a presentation on the Save Our Cypress Campaign, effective campaign strategies, and the campaign’s relevance to wetland restoration and environmental change. After he finishes up, Anat Belasen, a GRN fall intern, discusses the grassroots organizing tool of postcarding and how we utilize postcards to show Wal-Mart, Lowe’s, and Home Depot that there is public support against their sale of cypress mulch. She goes over the keys to successful postcarding and then has the students pair up and practice doing the rap with each other. Due to bad weather, they unfortunately don’t get to take their new skills to the street.

When lunch is done, Sarah Helm, our intern from Texas A&M, bravely stands up and delivers an example of the class rap Casey had demonstrated the night before. Stephanie Powell, GRN Outreach Associate for the Healthy Waters Program, and I begin a skills training on volunteer recruitment and management because engaging volunteers is the best way to build the environmental movement. Our high school volunteer, Sophie Giberga, had really awesome ideas for what makes a good leader. The students all participated in role-playing how to train volunteers to postcard and how to lead an individual meeting with a volunteer. Megan did a great job encouraging her group to get over their initial discomfort. As we wrapped up, Matt Rota, director of the Water Resources Program, came in to talk to students about the pollution that causes a huge part of the Gulf of Mexico to be completely devoid of life every summer and what we can do about it. The training day ends with a briefing on internet organizing. Dan discusses the opportunity the internet provides to educate and activate people and lays out ways the students can raise the visibility of the GRN and its campaign on the web.

The ability to recruit, train, and manage volunteers; talk to community and campus groups and classes; and educate people and advocate for a healthy coast are all essential skills for organizing to protect cypress forests and the Gulf of Mexico. The Students United for a Healthy Gulf Conference did a great job of training young students and activists that they are capable of great things. Each and every one of the participants has now become part of a new generation of environmental activists. You all rock!

The next morning, we all come together again at Tulane to enjoy a tasty free breakfast compliments of Whole Foods and see some of the ecosystem we are all pumped to save. We drive out to Manchac to go on a boat tour with Professor Rob Moreau of SELU. When we arrive, Rob gives us a wetlands presentation specific to Turtle Cove and the Manchac area. It’s a chilly day so all of us bundle up as we head onto the boat. Rob shows us the areas devastated by logging and the loss that continues to take place as a legacy to the logging. As we head back to our cars, we leave with a vision of what could happen to all of the wetlands if people don’t act now.

We encourage you to get engaged. Sign up for our email list, take our e-actions, and join us as a member. Take a line from these students and help us fight for the coast every day.

United for a Healthy Gulf!

Amy Medtlie is an Outreach Associate for the Gulf Restoration Network.

NO CYPRESS MULCH AT "THE CONCESSION"

I recently received a great email from Tim at DWY Landscape Architects, and I wanted to share it with y'all. It's an auspicious way to start off the new year, and this shows that the message and practice of cypress sustainability is becoming commonplace throughout the Gulf.

"Dan, was just listening to Joe Murphy on WSLR and found your website. I wanted to give you some good news, as it may be few and far between now-a-days. I work at a small landscape architecture firm, and one of my roles is to enforce and modify the landscape guidelines for a large upscale community in Manatee county called The Concession. We have devised an extremely florida friendly palate of plants as well as mulch types that can be used by developers. We are eliminating Cypress mulch completely. Much of what we have enforced was the use of pine straw mulch in all buffer areas. We are talking about very large lots and tons of mulch per home. Some homeowners are complaining that the pine straw is fading in just a couple of months and needs to be replaced frequently, so I have looked at some alternates that have a darker richer color, lasting longer, which will appeal to this type of clientele. We have found some nice blends at Forestry Resources in Ft Myers (www.gomulch.com). I would be open to any suggestions. Our firm is also responsible for the guidelines at The Founder’s Club here in Sarasota which has developed a similar sustainable approach to landscape design.

So some good news! I wish you all luck on your mission, it’s a noble effort."

Thanks Tim! It's exciting to see that people are truly exploring sustainable alternatives to cypress mulch, and this shows that different mulching needs can be met with various options, none of which deplete our natural wetlands. Cypress swamps provide valuable habitat for wildlife, important water filtration, and protection from storms and flooding.

As gardening season starts up again here in the Gulf South, it's important that landscape architects, landscapers, homeowners, gardeners, and consumers everywhere avoid cypress mulch. The quickest way to accomplish that goal nationwide will be to convince Lowe's, Home Depot, and Wal-Mart to stop selling unsustainable cypress mulch. The best place to start making a difference is in your own yard. So, if anyone has suggestions about good alternatives to cypress, great mulching advice, or anything else you'd like to share, please leave us a comment.

Dan Favre is the GRN Campaign Organizer.

THE STUDENT NETWORK GROWS...

This past weekend, we had an awesome kick-off to our work with this semester’s interns at our GRN training weekend. It started on Friday with an invite to our local and regional interns to participate in Tree Hugger Happy Hour. After plenty of socializing, the regional interns headed over to GRN’s headquarters to get a tasty po-boy and a thorough introduction to the organization from Cyn Sarthou, GRN’s executive director. From there, the regional interns left to crash on the couches of local interns, past and present.

Bright and early the next morning, everyone came together at Tulane’s University Center for breakfast and the beginning of an intense day of training. With a mix of local intern and regional interns, there was lots of great energy from all over the Gulf. First off, Dan elaborated on the knowledge they already had by giving a presentation on the Save Our Cypress Campaign, effective campaign strategies, and the campaigns relevance to wetland restoration and environmental change. Next up, I went over the grassroots organizing tool of petitioning and what its context is within our campaign through the use of postcards. I discussed how we utilize postcards to show Wal-Mart, Lowe’s, and Home Depot that there is public support against their sale of cypress mulch. Anat put her canvassing skills to good use by helping me out with a demonstration of the postcarding rap. Once we went over the keys to successful postcarding and practiced a few times, everyone was ready to jump right in. We went out for an extremely productive hour where we surpassed our goal of 135 postcards signed by getting over 200! And this was on a sleepy Saturday morning on campus. Lorraine did an especially stellar job postcarding by collecting a grand total of 32. Kyle and Heather, regional interns from Lafayette, reflected on how much they enjoyed getting out there and talking to people. This got all the interns started on their individual goals of collecting 400 postcards over the semester.

After postcarding, we relaxed for a while to eat a well-deserved lunch. As soon as lunch was done, Aaron Viles, GRN’s campaign director, stopped in to talk about the state of Louisiana’s wetlands and the Flood Washington e-action campaign that he created to bring attention to them. He illustrated how interns can also bring attention to them by organizing screenings of the movie, Washing Away: Losing Louisiana, on their campuses. His intern, Stephanie, is helping him work on sustainable fisheries. When he took off, Dan and I helped the interns brainstorm how to plan their own movie screening events. There are now three movie screening events under preparation across the Gulf in Lafayette, New Orleans, and Tampa, FL.

Although postcarding is huge, Dan talked next about how to keep the public pressure on Wal-Mart, Lowe’s, and Home Depot going through direct actions. The interns contributed some really great ideas for direct action. My personal favorite was going up to the cashier with several bags of mulch in your cart, questioning them about it, and then asking to speak with the manager. As we finished up, Matt Rota, director of the Water Resources Program, came in to talk to the interns about the dead zone. Even though the interns are working primarily on the cypress campaign, it’s good to know about a variety of the issues facing the Gulf of Mexico. Mike, the intern from Tampa, was interested in how the Dead Zone information applied to red tide issues in Florida. The training day ended with an overview of the art of public speaking. Dan gave the basics for presenting a message to a large group of people and then the interns stood in turn to give their best. Everyone rocked it and Casey definitely nailed the presentation.

This group of talented students left the room having gained the ability to train volunteers to postcard, plan an amazing movie screening event, talk to community and campus groups and classes, and generally organize people to get behind the Save Our Cypress Campaign. Way to go everyone!

The next morning, we rallied the interns back together after a night out on the town to enjoy some of the ecosystem we had been talking about. Originally, the plan was to go on a boat tour with Professor Rob Moreau of SELU, but the weather was not on our side. A tropical storm depression was moving through and Rob was worried about having boats out on the water. Instead, we traveled west of New Orleans to the Jean Lafitte Barataria Preserve. Once there we saw tons of wildlife-tree frogs, massive spiders, and even a couple of alligators! Heather went nuts taking photographs. I've included a photo she took of a tree frog. Afterwards, everyone agreed it was- without a doubt- an amazing place.

Now they’re all back home kicking some corporate butt to save the wetlands.

Amy Medtlie is the Outreach Associate for the Gulf Restoration Network.

BUILDING A STUDENT NETWORK

As a recent college grad, I know how overwhelming college life can be. You have a part- or full-time job, piles of books to read, papers to write, and exams to study for. Yet when you do take a break, the issues you are studying pop up in everyday life. Maybe you learn in your Ecology class how the environment should be tied into every subject taught because it is inherently connected to everything. Then when an irreplaceable forest of Cypress trees is clear-cut by the logging industry, you know that the economics should account for the loss of the forest and its impacts, not just the profit the logging company makes. According to Darcy Stumbaugh, “Recent literature has estimated monetary annual benefits of Louisiana coastal wetlands forest at $6.7 billion per year, which is more than double the monetary benefits of the harvested timber at $3.3 billion.” You realize that the state government is not considering the loss when it allows this to take place. When Wal-Mart, Lowe’s, and Home Depot sell cypress mulch, they are not thinking of the future impact of wetland loss on their customers’ lives.

Even though you don’t have a lot a free time, you start to wonder what there is that you can do. That amazing discussion you have with your friends about the changes that need to be made in the world ends just as inconclusively as the last one. You often think that if you knew how to take the discussion to the next level, you and your friends would be a powerful enough group to successfully advocate the change you want to see.

How does social change take place? Where does one begin? Many small actions can lead up to big results. Making a couple of phone calls to your local representatives, hanging up issue posters, or sitting at a table to tell people about an important topic can all have an impact. Together, those actions add up to build a movement. A movement that can persuade decision-makers to do what’s right for the environment. For example, if President Bush allows the legislation for the Water Resources Development Act to go through without vetoing it, there will be money to begin the vital restoration of wetlands. To make that happen, there needs to be an outpouring of support from around the country.

Students have incredible power to change the world for the better. You have the skills necessary to rally those around you into making a change. You just might need a little coaching in how to use those skills. Check out our website, www.healthygulf.org. Volunteer with us, apply for an internship, become part of the movement. We can help you develop your skills so that you can get involved in the environmental issues you’re passionate about. Then you can pass them along to your friends.

If you’re a student anywhere in the Gulf states, you can join our Regional Internship Program and work in your town on important environmental issues for the Gulf. To learn more and apply, please visit www.healthygulf.org/staff/jobs.html

Students united for a healthy Gulf!

Amy Medtlie is the Outreach Associate for the Gulf Restoration Network. She recently graduated from University of Minnesota and runs the GRN’s Internship Program.

WAL-MART TAKES THE FIRST STEP FOR CYPRESS, BUT THERE'S STILL A LONG HIKE AHEAD

Hopefully, everyone has already heard the good news: Wal-Mart has informed their suppliers that they will no longer accept cypress mulch harvested, bagged, or manufactured in the state of Louisiana. If not, you can read about here, here, here, and here.

Wal-Mart’s move is a great first step for securing the Gulf’s endangered cypress forests, but we’ve still got a hike ahead of us. First of all, Wal-Mart is only one of three major companies who are driving cypress destruction, and even Wal-Mart’s laudable action only covers a portion of the cypress forests that are being destroyed to make mulch. Second, Wal-Mart still can’t really be certain they’re not getting any mulch from Louisiana because their suppliers have proven willing to obfuscate the source of their products in the past. Let me go into more detail on all these points.

No longer selling cypress mulch from Louisiana certainly helps the wetlands in the state, which are facing unique threats, but how can Wal-Mart, Home Depot, and Lowe’s ignore Florida’s wetlands? Or Alabama’s cypress forests, or Georgia, or North Carolina? Carving off an area as an unacceptable source will often just drive production and harvesting to another part of the country, increasing pressure on important and endangered cypress ecosystems elsewhere. In Florida, for instance, the University of Florida IFAS extension has shown that cypress is being cut down faster than it can regenerate, and almost half of that product being produced is mulch. And those numbers are a few years old, before this incredible nation-wide mulch boom.

Lowe’s, Home Depot, and Wal-Mart need to stop selling unsustainable cypress mulch, no matter where the logging occurs.

Wal-Mart’s move comes on the heels of actions by Home Depot and Lowe’s that recognize the concerns regarding cypress sustainability in Louisiana, while failing to implement workable solutions. Home Depot has apparently told their suppliers they don’t want mulch from “coastal Lousiana”. Lowe’s has instated a moratorium on cypress mulch harvested from south of I-10/I-12 in Louisiana, excluding the Pearl River Basin. The stated purpose of the moratorium is to allow scientists to develop indicators of sustainability and actually map the sustainable and unsustainable cypress swamps of southern Louisiana. This is a laudable goal, but there are a few hang ups—First of all, the boundary they’ve drawn is fairly arbitrary and doesn’t match the coastal zone that was outlined by scientists in the Governor’s Science Working Group on Coastal Wetland Forest Conservation and Use.

The biggest issue with these efforts by the retailers to limit logging activity in coastal Louisiana is the lack of any sort of verification method to show that the moratorium is actually being upheld. When we asked the representative from Lowe’s how they planned to ensure no mulch was coming from the defined area, the answer was “Trust me”. That’s a non-starter because they’ve already told us that.

Before we began a public campaign on this issue, the Save Our Cypress Coalition presented evidence of the problems with cypress mulch to all three companies. Last September (2006), Home Depot and Lowe’s told us that they had assurances from their suppliers that no cypress mulch was coming from coastal Louisiana. This was not true. Dean Wilson from the Atchafalaya Basinkeeper and Barry Kohl of the Louisiana Audubon Council, among others, gathered extensive evidence showing that cypress mulch being sold at Home Depot, Lowe’s, and Wal-Mart was indeed coming from suppliers who were incredibly active in coastal Louisiana. Many of the brands of mulch coming out of the Louisiana swamps were even labeled with addresses in Arkansas, Texas, and Florida.

Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. The Save Our Cypress Coalition has seen what “trust us” really means. If any of these companies want to continue selling cypress mulch, it needs to be verified as sustainable by an independent, third-party certification system that enforces standards of sustainability that are based on sound science and forest management techniques.

Very much to their credit, Wal-Mart recognized the difficulty in verifying the true source of their products because there is no independent, third-party certification program, and they specifically referenced this fact when explaining their decision to discontinue mulch from the whole state. Granted, Wal-Mart will still have trouble being completely sure they’re not getting anything from Louisiana as many of the state’s cypress forests are near borders to other states.

We hope that Home Depot and Lowe’s follow Wal-Mart’s lead, or better yet, we’d like to see them one-up their competitor. The bar will truly be set at the right place when one of the retailers decides to drop the product completely until the third-party certification system is established.

The Save Our Cypress Coalition will continue to pressure Wal-Mart, Home Depot, and Lowe’s to stop selling unsustainable cypress mulch, no matter where it is logged.

All this being said, Wal-Mart’s decision to no longer sell cypress mulch from Louisiana is a huge victory for the cypress forests and wetlands in the state, and The Save Our Cypress Coalition thanks the company for this substantial action.

The Gulf Restoration Network would like to thank many others who made this happen. First of all, thanks to all the scientists who participated in the Governor’s Science Working Group Report, especially Gary Shaffer, Jim Chambers, and Paul Kemp for getting it all together. We also appreciate the hours of intense negotiation and frustration by those advocating conservation on the Advisory Panel to the Governor on Coastal Wetland Forest Conservation and Use, namely Carleton Dufrechou of the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation, Doug Daigle, Mark Ford from the Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana, and our very own Cyn Sarthou, Executive Director of the GRN.

Thanks to Councilwoman Shelly Midura for pushing a resolution in New Orleans, St. Tammany, Plaquemines, just to name a few). that ended the city’s use of cypress mulch and asked the major retailers to do the same. Also to all the Parish Council members, Mayors and Town Councils who did the same (Livingston,

The Waterkeeper Alliance placed two full-page ads in major national newspapers (NYTimes and USAToday), and Bobby Kennedy held a great press conference on the issue in New Orleans. These efforts have been invaluable to catapulting the campaign to the national level.

Thanks to all of the organizations and businesses (scroll down on this page to see the list) who have joined the Save Our Cypress Coalition, changed their landscaping habits, and have helped spread the word.

Experienced corporate campaigners at ForestEthics, Rainforest Action Network, and Dogwood Alliance have provided support and advice. Our work is built upon the foundation these groups have created. For example, Lowe's and Home Depot's corporate polices on wood sourcing and sustainability are very much thanks to them. Thanks for everything y'all do for the forests.

Our friends at Rock the Earth have been informing concert-goers all over the country about the dangers of cypress mulch, and they’ve gotten hundreds of postcards signed. What a great way to spread the word!

Thanks to Kristen, Tara, Paul, Janelle, and Chad from Wal-Mart for coming down to visit the Louisiana wetlands and everyone in the corporation who was involved with this decision. Look forward to working with you on expanding your protection of cypress forests!

John and Andy at Agit-Pop Communications made the amazing Corporate Low-Down Depot Mart cartoon that was wonderfully narrated by the one and only Harry Shearer. Now, we’re working on making a TV-friendly version to get on the air, which is going to be amazing. Thanks guys! If you’d like to help run the ad (it’s going to cost about $5,000), please contribute here.

None of this could be possible without the hard work of Barry Kohl of the Louisiana Audubon Council and Dean Wilson of the Atchafalaya Basinkeeper who have been tireless in documenting the devastating effects of cypress mulch on our treasured wetlands.

Finally, thank you. Thanks to all of you who stopped using cypress mulch, sent emails to Wal-Mart, Home Depot and Lowe’s, made calls to the CEO’s, joined in protests, delivered letters, distributed the Corporate Low-Down Depot Mart cartoon, donated money to these efforts, and care about the future of the Gulf.

Mark a win for the cypress.

Dan Favre is the Campaign Organizer for the Gulf Restoration Network.

THE WHOLE COUNTRY'S AT BONNAROO

Things have really hit full swing here at Bonnaroo 2007 today. There are thousands and thousands of people everywhere, and Planet Roo is centrally located so that many of them pass by the tables of all us great environmental groups and non-profits, like the GRN member group, Natural Resources Defense Council.

On top of that, there is amazing music around every corner. Last night, Erin loved the Tool show, and I managed to get about ten feet from the stage for the Superjam featuring John Paul Jones from Led Zeppelin, Ben Harper, and ?uestlove from the Roots. They did a heck of a job resurrecting Led Zeppelin. Speaking of resurrections, I just got back from seeing The Police. Man, they can still rock and Sting’s voice is amazing.

Along with having a ton of fun, we’re getting some serious work done too. Almost 1,400 people have signed postcards to Wal-Mart, Home Depot, and Lowe’s, and over 1,000 have signed up for our email list. I can’t wait to send them the new Corporate Low-Down Depot Mart video next week! Since we’re almost out of postcards (wow!), we’re thinking of doing a photo petition tomorrow. The more artistically inclined folks in the crowd have already been drawing pictures and writing personal notes to Mr. Scott, CEO of Wal-Mart, and Mr. Blake, CEO of Home Depot (don’t worry, we’ll get Lowe’s tomorrow). I never knew you could do so much with crayons! If you’ve got any cool ideas of how festival-goers can participate in the campaign, leave a comment on the blog. I’ll check it tomorrow morning, and we can implement your ideas.

One of the best parts of talking with folks here is the geographical diversity of the crowd. There are tons of folks from the Gulf states (I just stopped typing this to talk with someone from Lafayette), which is great, and others from as far away as California and Delaware have signed up to stop the sale of cypress mulch. Since the mulch is being distributed all over the country, we need to tell everyone and they can help spread the word in their home towns!

Enjoy some sights from Bonnaroo!

Dan Favre is the GRN's Campaign Organizer.

CYPRESS TREES AND MUSIC

Hey all, I'm writing to you live right now from Bonnaroo's Planet Roo! GRN's stalwart interns Jesse, Sunshine, Raleigh, Erin and I are talking to tons of festival-goers about cypress mulch and just about everyone is happy to help build pressure on Wal-Mart, Home Depot, and Lowe's by signing a postcard. Some folks are going even further by writing personal notes and making drawings for Mr. Scott, the CEO of Wal-Mart (tomorrow it'll be Mr. Blake from Home Depot, then Mr. Niblock from Lowe's).

Planet Roo is pretty amazing and there's a ton of stuff going on. Michael Franti is giving a speech about music and social change right now on the Solar Stage. The documentary tent is running cool and informational films constantly. My friend, Eva, from the Dogwood Alliance and I are going to give a Forest Activism workshop later today. And, there are a bunch of groups out here talking to folks about environmental issues, including GRN member group Oceana. Sunshine just got a "Mohawk for Clean Energy" at the Energy Action booth.


Wow! If it seems overwhelming in print, I can assure you it is in real life too, and we're all reveling in it. I'll be back in touch soon with more updates and some photos.

Dan Favre is the GRN's Campaign Organizer

MULCH MATTERS!

So lots going on with cypress and the battle to keep our irreplaceable coastal defenses from being turned into an inherently disposable product.

In case you missed it, jump over to our home page and watch our Flash animated short that lampoons Wal-Mart, Lowe's and Home Depot for saying one, sustainable thing, and doing another. Leave us a comment, and let us know what you think. Recognize the voice? Spot too hard-hitting? Not hard-hitting enough?

Once you watch the Flash, send an e-mail to the Corporate Low-Down Depot Mart CEOs demanding they drop the product. Forward the flash to 5 friends and we'll send you a sticker we're printing up. Forward it to 100 friends, or put the flash on your website or blog, and I'll send you a t-shirt.

Other big news - Bobby Kennedy, Jr. and his Waterkeeper Alliance were stirring things up down here last week! A full page ad in USA Today called on Corporate Low-Down Depot Mart to drop mulch, and the sentiment was backed in a press conference with local Water Keeper's and Bobby hisself.

The presser followed hot on the heels of the New Orleans City Council passing a resolution to no longer use cypress mulch, and calling on Corporate-Low Down Depot Mart to stop selling the product, in support of a sustainable coast. Big thanks to Councilwoman Shelly Midura and her staff for making it happen.

Turns out our city WAS using the product - in fact, the City Hall grounds were festooned with it as I walked up to observe the resolution's passage.

But our fair city is just one of a ton of folks who are saying no to cypress (mulch-wise): the Louisiana Conference of the United Methodist Church, multiple North Shore parishes, Tulane University, the city of Port Allen, LA (home to a mulch mill!). The groundswell is building.

Oh, and don't worry, dilligent blog watchers, Dan's still on the case - he's just up in Tennessee tabling on the issue at Bonaroo's Planet Roo. If you're at the Fest, stop by and say 'hey,' and sign a postcard to Wal-Mart, Lowe's and Home Depot.

For our forests and our future!

Aaron

Aaron Viles is the GRN's Campaign Director

A WILD AND EXCITING RIDE

If my first day and a half of interning for the GRN is any indication of what the next month will entail, I'm in for a wild and exciting ride. I've been an intern at GRN for all of thirty hours and I've already staged my first protest, gathered petition signatures, and learned about the wonders of the ivory-billed woodpecker.

This morning was particularly exciting. At 7:30 AM, GRN's campaign organizer Dan Favre, three other interns, and I met in front of Tulane University's Student Center. We weren't meeting to pick up a cup of coffee or to browse textbooks at the bookstore. Rather, we were there to meet a group of business and organizational leaders arriving at Tulane to discuss issues regarding greater New Orleans' hurricane recovery. Their motor coach arrived and we provided each of them with literature regarding GRN's "Save Our Cypress" campaign. We were particularly interested in one executive slated to arrive, Home Depot CEO Frank Blake. Why Home Depot and Frank Blake? Home Depot is one of three companies (the other two are WalMart and Lowe's) that the Save Our Cypress campaign is targeting. These stores sell the majority of cypress mulch in the U.S.

The harvesting of beautiful and historic cypress trees is unfortunate. However, when considering that cypress forests along the Gulf of Mexico provide an excellent natural barrier for storm surge and floodwater as well as provide a home for many endangered species such as the black bear, Florida panther, and bald eagle, the impact that cypress mulch has on the environment is truly alarming. The three targets of the Save Our Cypress campaign certainly do not harvest the trees on their own. However, in choosing suppliers that employ environmentally deleterious and potentially devastating harvesting practices, they truly bear a great deal of responsibility. The GRN is working diligently to encourage Home Depot, WalMart, and Lowe's to take this responsibility on and cease the sale of cypress mulch in their stores.

Unfortunately, we did not find Frank Blake in the hurried crowd of executives. All of our work (and sleep deprivation, we are college students) was not in vein, however. A Home Depot representative was almost definitely in attendance. Additionally, we provided crucial information to a powerful body of individuals invested in the Gulf Coast region. This morning, we planted seeds.

Later this morning, we continued the "Save Our Cypress" campaign at a local farmers' market. Four of us informed local residents of the dangers posed by cypress deforesting and obtained almost 150 signed postcards that we will later deliver to Home Depot, Walmart, and Lowe's.

I never envisioned myself as someone who would become so heavily invested in cypress trees (or any trees in general, really). However, if one is to take a truly objective look at the harsh realities of cypress deforesting, it is clear that the negligent acts of corporate America are steadily destroying areas that are truly vital to our nation's wildlife and flood defenses. I hope that you will join with us today and find out more about the "Save Our Cypress" campaign.

Steve Miller is a rising Senior at Rollins College, and he is interning with the GRN this summer through Tulane University's Semester in NOLA Program.

CYPRESS HAS CORPORATE BIG WIGS RUNNING SCARED

Hey everybody,

Just dropping a quick note to draw your attention to an article that came out recently about the Save Our Cypress campaign in Baton Rouge. Delayed yet great coverage of the Action Day, and an interesting look at our corporate targets.

Reading the responses of the companies in the article, it seems clear to me that they're really uncomfortable with all the pressure around this issue (good work everyone!). They're trying to create a buffer between themselves and the nasty process it takes to make their product. Whether claiming that their suppliers give everything the "sustainable" stamp or trying to put the onus for action on the government, Wal-Mart, Home Depot, and Lowe's are ignoring the fact that it's the cypress mulch market they create that drives destruction of endangered cypress forests.

Lowe's, Wal-Mart, and Home Depot are responsible for destroying the Gulf's best natural storm protection, period. They have incredible power to end the practice, and instead they are making excuses and trying to lose people in ridiculous rhetoric. Public statements on the companies' websites make them sound like more committed environmentalists than David Brower. I tell you what though, executives are singing a much different tune when I discuss this issue with them on the phone. We've got to keep feeding their words back to'em until they actually live up to their claims of sustainability. We will.With a little persistence and a lot of help from all of our friends, we will save our cypress.

Thanks for all you do for the Gulf,
Dan

Here's a happy parting shot- Enjoy!

Dan Favre is the GRN's Campaign Organizer

STUDENTS UNITED FOR A HEALTHY GULF

I see students as an incredibly important force for environmental change in the Gulf South, and I have a grand vision. Despite the massive challenges we face, every time I meet with aspiring activists and organizers, my faith in humanity’s ability to overcome our environmental problems is restored.

I just got back from a trip to Mobile, AL where I met with a great group of student activists at USA about the craziness of cypress mulch. Just like everyone who learns of the issue, they were shocked and upset to learn that the Gulf’s beautiful swamps are being ground into cypress mulch. I’m pleased to announce that they’ll be joining the Save Our Cypress campaign next semester! (I look forward to working with y’all and thanks for a great night on the town).

Students at Tulane and Texas A&M have already been successful in keeping cypress mulch off their campuses, and others are in the process. The campaign is gaining momentum, and now with Wal-Mart, Home Depot, and Lowe’s in our sights, the opportunities for entertaining ruckus-raising are endless.

But that’s not my vision— when I close my eyes tight and focus, I see my granddaughter kayaking with her children through an old growth cypress swamp in the Tensaw Delta. Concentrate with me and you’ll see miles of wetlands between New Orleans and the Gulf (hell, you’ll see New Orleans since global warming disaster has been averted). I see engaged and informed citizens who participate in democracy to maintain what’s important to everyone. Your grand-nephew will catch copious amounts of red snapper out in the Gulf and come onshore for a swim in the clean waters off the beaches of Mississippi. I no longer see a fight that falsely pits economics versus sound environmental management. I can see the Nature Coast in Florida, just like it is today. Can you see all that? It’s a long now, and it’s beautiful.

A vision’s only daydreaming if you don’t know how to get there though, and we all know there’s a lot of work to be done. That’s where you come in. Let’s harness the enthusiasm, brainpower, and unclouded vision of youth to chart a new course for the Gulf’s environment.

In the here and now, I’d like to see a student-led environmental movement in the Gulf States. A network of concerned students that drives the work on your campuses, in your states, and throughout the region, a network that shares tips, information, successes, failures, and friendship.

Do you want to create the vision? I want to take the first step down this long, hard road to victory with all of you.

We will build a movement to show the country the new Gulf of Mexico- a Gulf region that recognizes the splendor of its impressive natural resources and fights to protect them. A Gulf of Mexico for the future, for the long-run.

There’s a ton of work to be done, and it starts now. The GRN is announcing a brand-spanking new Regional Internship Program. Check out internship descriptions on our website. Contact me if you want to know more.

Would you like to be part of the movement?

Dan Favre, GRN Campaign Organizer, graduated from Brown University about three years back and is now a proud student of life and environmental organizing. Feel free to call him anytime at 504-525-1528 ext. 209.

SAVE OUR CYPRESS CAMPAIGN TAKES OFF

Yesterday, the Gulf Restoration Network and the Save Our Cypress Coalition publicly announced a campaign demanding Wal-Mart, Home Depot, and Lowe’s stop selling cypress mulch. Read all about it! All this right on the heels of Wednesday's New Orleans Times-Picayune article about how much more cypress is being logged in Louisiana than previously reported.

As the nation looks to invest billions in restoring Louisiana’s coastal protection, our best natural defenses, endangered cypress-tupelo swamps are being clear-cut to feed an unsustainable and unnecessary cypress mulch industry that is ballooning throughout the country.

Wal-Mart, Home Depot, and Lowe’s have the power to drastically reduce destruction of Louisiana’s coastal protection by ending the sale of cypress mulch in their retail outlets. All three companies have touted their policies of sustainability, but they have not taken proper steps to ensure the safety of America’s wetlands in Louisiana. When confronted with evidence that cypress mulch they sell is being sourced from sensitive areas in coastal Louisiana, they have responded by placing their orders for next spring’s mulch shipment.

The federal government, the Army Corps of Engineers, and caring citizens across the country have already invested plenty of money in the rehabilitation of the Gulf Coast after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, and lots more is coming. Unfortunately, state agencies and logging interests are embracing policies that will allow the destruction of swamps in some of the very areas slated for restoration, and that will leave coastal communities exposed.

Cypress swamps are an incredibly important barrier to hurricanes and storm surge. As Dr. Gary Shafer explained at yesterday’s press conference, eighteen hundred people died in Hurricane Katrina and only seven died from Hurricane Rita. One reason is because Rita had 34 miles of marsh and swamp to traverse before reaching civilization. Unfortunately, most of that marsh was utterly destroyed and will not provide protection in the future. Cypress forests, however, stood strong and will be protection from the next hurricane, and the next, and the next . . .

In the face of the country’s worst natural disaster ever, it is inconceivable that retailers and logging interests are willing to grind away our natural protection.

On top of the people that are relying on Wal-Mart, Home Depot, and Lowe’s to help save vital storm protection, an enormous amount of wildlife depends on these ecosystems. CypressLouisiana swamps provide important habitat for threatened and endangered species like the black bear, and 60% of the continent’s migratory bird species pass through here.

Tell Wal-Mart, Home Depot, and Lowe’s to stop selling cypress mulch!

Dan Favre is the GRN's Campaign Organizer.

CYPRESS IN THE NEWS

Hopefully, everyone saw the article, "Losing Cypress", by Matt Brown in last Sunday's Times-Pic. Well, GRN Intern, Erin Eagan, sure did. Her LTE was printed this Saturday, October 21. I've pasted it below. Nice work Erin!

Choose alternative to cypress

Re: "Losing cypress," Our Opinions, Oct. 11.

Cypress mulch has become the most imminent threat to our coastal wetland forests. Beautiful cypress swamps are being clear-cut to feed the mulch machine.

Evidence shows that clear-cut cypress forests in coastal Louisiana are being ground into garden mulch. That mulch is being bagged on site, and those same bags appear in the garden departments of nation-wide retailers. One of the brands even claims that the mulch is from "environmentally harvested cypress."

The state and federal government must act to protect these valuable storm barriers and wildlife habitat. Until then, consumers and retailers all over the country can help by not buying cypress mulch. Sustainable alternatives, such as pine straw and pine-bark nugget, are similarly priced and often more effective.

Erin Eagan
Kenner

Dan Favre is the GRN's Campaign Organizer.

In Search of Cypress- A Trip into the Atchafalaya Basin


“Hey, what’s that one over there?” I asked Dean, gesturing towards a bird that was flying adjacent to us. He had just pointed out a young Blue Heron at the water’s edge. My guide for the day, the Atchafalaya Basinkeeper, Dean Wilson, continued to teach me about the many varieties of birds surrounding us.

The Atchafalaya Basin is truly a birders paradise. It supports more than 300 species of birds and, each year, nearly the entire eastern population of migratory neo-tropical songbirds and waterfowl migrate through Louisiana’s coast. These are crucial wintering grounds for birds that come from the Arctic coastal plain, and an important stop for those that continue to South America. It’s also a great place to recuperate after a long Gulf crossing when heading back up north.

I went into the swamps near Bayou Sorrel with Dean last week to get a sense of what is at stake as the fight to save Louisiana’s coastal wetlands heats up. Dean has been coming to these areas for years, first as a commercial fisherman and hunter, and now as an ardent conservationist. Originally from Spain, Dean moved here to train for an expedition into the Amazon, but he found all the humidity and mosquitoes he wanted right here in Louisiana. No, what really kept Dean here is the same thing that has fascinated residents of the Gulf coast for centuries: the grandeur and majestic qualities of these coastal wetlands, the lush bounty of one of the most biodiverse areas in the world, and an irresistible culture grounded in this unique ecosystem.

Unfortunately, these wetlands are constantly under threat from oil and gas exploration, housing development, and logging interests. As we continued along observing trees, turtles, and birds, the inevitable oil well appeared ahead of us. In fact, even the canal we were motoring along was a by-product of the search for oil and gas. The embankments were built with the soil that had been dredged to make way for massive drilling platforms (and subsequently, more saltwater). We eventually arrived at one of the many pumping facilities. There was a putrid smell to the air and pipelines crisscrossed everywhere, many trees were dead and dying.

The most imminent threat to coastal wetlands today is clear cutting of cypress swamps to supply a growing demand for cypress mulch. Loggers indiscriminately cut down entire stands of cypress (even the little tiny ones) to feed them into a grinder that creates mulch that you eventually buy at retailers like Home Depot and Wal-Mart. We continued on towards an actual swamp. Today was about celebrating this area and what it looks like in a relatively undisturbed situation (although I later learned that’s not exactly possible anymore).

Turning in to a natural bayou and getting into actual wetlands, I could no longer entertain thoughts of destruction as I was overwhelmed and amazed by the beauty of the ecosystem. Cypress, with their solid bases and Spanish-moss covered limbs, and tupelo dominated the water’s edge. We pulled into a small alcove of swamp and got out of the boat. A young alligator jumped into the water next to us and lazily swam away.

As we explored the cavities of a giant cypress, Dean spun a wonderful tale of what it used to look like. Before the logging rush of the early 20th century, old-growth cypress dominated many of the swamps in the Atchafalaya Basin and throughout the Gulf. Trees were often over 50 feet in circumference and the canopy blocked the light 150 feet above where we were standing. The ground was relatively clear due to the lack of light, and one could truly walk in a cypress forest. Unfortunately, by the 1920’s all of the old-growth cypress had been logged.

There are still some of the ancient trees around (check out http://www.lapurchasecypresslegacy.net/ to find out where) but most of the trees we see now are less than 100 years old. This makes them about 100 years too young to be harvested for lumber. Due to changes in the wetland ecosystem and water levels, many cypress that are cut now won’t grow back like they did after the last round of destruction.

Now, companies aggressively promote cypress mulch in order to wrangle money from these swamps. Mulch can be made from any size cypress, even the one-inch saplings, and logging interests are indiscriminate. They entirely clear cut the areas they use, and the Atchafalaya Basinkeeper, a GRN member group, has been at the forefront of exposing and documenting the offenses. Regulations do not do an adequate job of protecting the species, and many of the logging sites are illegal anyway.

Americans must end the demand for cypress mulch in order to save these precious wetlands. Don’t buy cypress mulch, ask your town/university/state to stop buying cypress mulch, ask gardening stores and retailers to stop selling cypress mulch—we have the ability to make the logging companies quit with the cypress.

Visit http://www.saveourcypress.org/ to learn more about this issue and what you can do.

Don’t buy cypress mulch!

Dan Favre is a new Campaign Organizer at the Gulf Restoration Network.

Good News Comes in Little Known Letter

Last week we heard some great news regarding Louisiana’s cypress forests, and it came in the form of an obscure letter between the EPA and Army Corps of Engineers.

The letter addressed whether a 200-acre cypress logging operation in Livingston Parish was subject to the Clean Water Act, and thereby required a special permit. Normally, silviculture (the cultivation of trees) is specifically exempted from the Clean Water Act even though it can have significant impacts on water quality and wetlands (that’s an issue for another day).

The problem with logging in coastal Louisiana is that it is not sustainable, and, thereby, should not fall under the Clean Water Act silviculture exemption. As the Governor’s science working group found, 70 to 80 percent of cypress-tupelo forests in Louisiana are unlikely to regenerate if logged because of changing environmental conditions such as coastal erosion and saltwater intrusion.

In its letter, the EPA said that a cypress logging operation must provide reasonable assurance that the forest will re-establish itself and must implement management measures to ensure regeneration. The letter also notes that it may be difficult to develop management measures that will ensure regeneration in some circumstances.

In this case, the EPA made the correct decision and set an important precedent that cypress logging is not exempt from the Clean Water Act. We have a long way to go in preserving coastal cypress forests, but this was very encouraging news. If you want to do your part to help, don’t buy cypress mulch, and spread the word about the plight of Louisiana’s cypress forests.

Jeff Grimes is GRN's Water Quality Outreach Associate

Cypress forest protection runs head-on into state agency/logging collusion

Why participate in an Advisory Panel when so often it is a waste of time?

Advisory Panels can provide valuable input to government agencies, so long as their members don’t subvert the process because the report of the panel doesn’t say what they want it to. Take for example the Advisory Panel to the Science Working Group on Coastal Wetland Forest Conservation and Use (the Cypress Forest SWG for short) formed in 2004 by Governor Blanco in response to a growing controversy over whether Section 404 of the Clean Water Act requires that a property owner obtain a permit from the Corps of Engineers if they plan to harvest a forest that will not regenerate.

Louisiana’s coastal wetland forests are of tremendous ecological, cultural and recreational value. These wetland forests are uniquely suited to reduce the negative impacts of nutrient pollution, provide flood water storage, and serve as important habitat for fish and wildlife. While Louisiana’s wetlands face a number of serious threats, such as coastal land loss and development, the most imminent threat to these valuable resources is the prospect of widespread clearcutting of Louisiana cypress forests. Even though adult cypress trees in a wetland forest may be thriving, researches have found that changes in hydrology have reduced the capacity for regeneration in many stands. For example, in places where flooding is sufficiently persistent and deep, even artificial regeneration through the planting of seedlings is ineffective.

Timber interests, of course, argue that cypress forests throughout Louisiana will regenerate even in the face of major changes in water levels, while conservationists argued that the trees won’t regenerate and that you can’t be exempt as a timber farm if your trees won’t grow back. However, In November 2004, a Cypress Forest SWG in November 2004, issued its report finding, among other things, that changes in hydrology throughout Louisiana may limit or prevent regeneration of cypress-tupelo stands if harvested. In their opinion cypress forests within the state fall within one of three condition classes: potential to regenerate, potential for artificial regeneration, and no potential for regeneration. From these findings, the Advisory Panel (AP) which included timber interests and conservationists, began working to develop policy recommendations to Governor Kathleen Blanco that would ensure the conservation of Cypress Forests in Louisiana. In light of the SWG report, the EPA indicated that forests where the facts establish no potential for regeneration of a forest a section 404 permit would be required by a landowner prior to harvesting the forest.

After these findings, the AP began the thorny process of negotiating recommendations for state policy. My understanding was that we agreed to accept the Cypress Forest SWG’s finding that some forests will not regenerate and work cooperatively from that premise to develop recommendations for state policy to ensure conservation of these important forests. Apparently, I was wrong. I was informed last week that the State Department of Agriculture and Forestry – a representative of which co-chairs the AP -- and the Louisiana Forestry Association – a member of the AP -- had arranged a tour of cypress forests in Louisiana with the express purpose of convincing the EPA that the Cypress Forest SWG was wrong. Their intent was to establish in the minds of the EPA that Louisiana’s cypress forests are and can regenerate if cut. In short, there is no need for conservation or preservation of these forests, as they will grow back, so let us cut them. If this is their position, why would a working group of esteemed scientists find to the contrary. And, why did I and my colleagues spend several months of our time trying to work cooperatively with representatives of the timber industry to develop mutually agreeable recommendations for state policy.

What a waste of time? And, in this time of scarce government resources, what a waste of money.

Cyn Sarthou is the GRN's Executive Director