Louisiana’s coast is disappearing. It’s the greatest environmental disaster happening in our country and too few people know or care about it. That’s why I chose this topic to explore on a radio program I co-host called Community Gumbo on WTUL New Orleans 91.5 FM. Click here to listen now.I set out to answer the following three questions: what’s wrong with the coast, why is the coast important, and what can we do about it? I caught up with some interesting and thoughtful individuals who are actively engaged in the issue to help me answer these questions.Carlton Dufrechou, the Executive Director of the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation. He is an engineer by training and explains the science behind Louisiana’s coastal woes. To contact the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation call 504-836-2215 or email at info@saveourlake.org.Mark Davis, Senior Research Fellow and Director of the Institute on Water Resources Law and Policy at Tulane Law School. He says we can’t just drop money into a project and make it happen. There are legal obstacles to our goals. He talks about our state’s legal traditions and some very clever solutions to our coastal policy troubles. To get in touch Prof Davis you can email him at msdavis@tulane.edu.Dr Bob Thomas, the Interim Director of the School of Mass Communication and Director of the Loyola Center for Environmental Communication. He told me about the power of a cup of coffee, that we need to know how to communicate to a mass audience but we also just need to talk to each other. To contact Dr. Thomas email him at rathomas@loyola.edu.Aaron Viles, Campaign Director of the Gulf Restoration Network and mastermind of many successful campaigns that protect our fisheries, our coast, and our music. He can be contacted at aaron@healthygulf.org.Walter Williams, documentary filmmaker and creator of Mr. Bill, a favorite character from Saturday Night Live.I hope you enjoy this installment of Community Gumbo. I want to thank all of my guests for taking the time to share their unique perspective on an issue that is so critical to all of us. I set out to get some answers about our coast but I also got to know some amazing people with great moral character and professional integrity, but even more than that, they all share a love for Louisiana that has led them to give up the big bucks and do what’s best for our state. The truth is they can’t do it alone. It is up to all of us who love living here to do our part too. If you want to get involved just shoot me an email me at casey@healthygulf.org or one of my guests.To listen to the show go to Community Gumbo here: http://communitygumbo.blogspot.com/After you listen, please take action to SAVE THE COAST!Casey DeMoss Roberts is the Special Projects Coordinator for the Gulf Restoration Network.
