Aaron Viles

Here’s a great post from our friend Len Bahr, showing that the more things change, the more they stay the same. Though LSU’s firing of Ivor VanHeerden has gotten a fair amount of attention and outrage recently, it’s not the first time academic freedom and legitimate research for a healthy environment and safe communities has […]

In this Baton Rouge Advocate story, available here, I make the arguement that there’s far more to do to make sure that the Hurricane Highway is no longer a threat to communities from Chalmette to the Lower 9.”While they shut the channel down to boat traffic, MRGO is still an accident waiting to happen,” said

A group of conservation organizations is suing the National Marine Fisheries Service to force action quickly to protect threatened and endangered sea turtles from death and injury in the Gulf of Mexico bottom longline fishery. Earthjustice, the Center for Biological Diversity, Defenders of Wildlife, and a coalition of conservation groups are urging the Fisheries Service

Thanks to the Louisiana Bucket Brigade for putting together a great event! Speakers, food, beer, and great groups spreading the word about their great work. It was a lot of fun to produce the music, and bring the crowd such a fantastic lineup of NOLA, coast-conscious artists!Big thanks to the other Coastal Lines of Defense

In case you’ve missed it, we’ve fired off another salvo in our effort to urge Shell Oil Company to truly be a leader for Louisiana’s coastal wetlands and step up to fund large-scale restoration efforts.Dr. John’s personal appeal to the public to support efforts to counterbalance Shell’s PR efforts at Jazz Fest have gone well,

As every reader of this blog knows, Louisiana’s coastal wetlands are disappearing at the rate of a football field every 45 minutes, destroying New Orleans natural storm defenses. This film features artists from Fishbone, Galactic, and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band discussing Louisiana’s coastal crisis.The Gulf Restoration Network has partnered with the Voodoo Experience to

I can’t say I’m surprised by this news: Shell is dropping the vast majority of their renewable energy portfolio. After meeting their Chief Executive, Jeroen van der Veer a few years back at their annual general meeting, I certainly didn’t get the sense that their commitment to the environment was anything other than a public

Turtles Contaminated With Mercury and Other Toxins Sold as FoodThe Center for Biological Diversity and two dozen other conservation and health groups today filed emergency petitions with eight Midwestern and southern states, seeking to end unsustainable commercial harvest of freshwater turtles. The coalition submitted administrative petitions to state wildlife and health agencies in Arkansas, Iowa,

Gulf of Mexico Alliance scraps public workshops in favor of Survey MonkeyThe Gulf of Mexico Alliance, a multi-Gulf state government partnership, created by all five Governors to protect the environmental and economic resources of the Gulf coast is scrapping their plans to hold public opinion workshops on their new draft 5 year plan in four

Here’s a great editorial from the Biloxi Sun Herald, underscoring the concerns of the Save the Bait coalition. I hope that a few key commissioners pay attention to their request for a little intellectual curiosity towards this ecosystem keystone for a healthy Mississippi Sound.From the editorial: Dr. Vernon Asper, who chairs the commission, has said