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The Wetlands of the Gulf Coast are not only important to those of us that live in Louisiana, but it is invaluably important to the entirety of our nation - from ecology, to culture, to industry; the health of our Wetlands effects us all. That's why we feel it's important to do our part to encourage education, conservation, and activism for the support of the Wetlands.
LATEST NEWS
- Tanker spill in the Mississippi: In New Orleans yesterday a tanker and a barge collided in the Mississippi River spilling 400,000 gallons of fuel oil in the river. Read more at the Times Picayune & see aerial footage at WWLTV
- Don't let them deny the Katrina/Rita Oil Spills: Many "conservative" legislators in our federal government are denying that oil spills occured as a result of Katrina in order to downplay the risks of oil exploration. For example: Sen. Judd Gregg (R-NH): "You could almost look at Katrina as a positive example. Although Katrina was a horrific disaster, there was not one barrel of oil spilled as a result of that category five hurricane coming up the gulf and going through New Orleans." This turns out to not only be untrue, but a bold lie, since Senator Gregg among others were informed by the Department of Homeland Security that "As a result of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita there were six major, five medium, and over 5000 minor oil and hazmat responses. Additional minor spills continue to be identified and addressed. It is estimated that over 9 million gallons of oil was released, and this total does not include oil released from minor spills." Read the report here
- From the Houma Courier: "Flooding in the Midwest is swelling the Mississippi River, sending increased water through Louisiana and into the Gulf of Mexico -- a phenomenon that has left researchers confident that their dire dead-zone predictions are right on track." Read more.
- Levees.org released two new public service announcements in hopes of spurring an independent investigation by the U.S. Congress into the city's levee failures after Hurricane Katrina. One of the videos features a Lower 9th Ward resident who has rebuilt her home in area still devoid of homes. The other PSA is an eery montage of photos of a Chalmette home before and after Katrina. Both the PSAs, in addition to other videos produced by the group, can be viewed at levees.tv.
- Lousiana gets a bigger share of oil and gas revenues - Congress' 2006 decision to give the state a greater share of its offshore oil and gas revenues has been in the news recently. Reports state that Louisiana's split of the cash should reach several billion dollars over the next decade. The law, known as the Domenici-Landrieu Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act, requires that Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas and Alabama receive 37.5 percent of the revenue from new oil and gas production off their shores. Learn more here at the Independent.
- Environmental effects of Cypress Mulch - The Save Our Cypress Coalition recently completed the Coastal Forest Sustainability and Cypress Mulch Fact Sheet with scrupulously researched scientific references. The Pontchartrain Basin Research Program, a program out of Southeastern Louisiana University, has also released a fact sheet, Understanding the Environmental Impacts of Cypress Mulch. The message is the same - Cypress mulch harms the Gulf Coast.
RESOURCE & ADVOCACY LINKS
Below you will find links to major organizations involved in Wetlands Conservation. We will be adding to this list regularly, as well as including news about the Wetlands, so check back and Get Involved!
If you have a link or resource to suggest, contact us |
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"The Gulf Restoration Network works to protect wetlands from reckless development, destructive logging practices, and harmful U.S. Army Corps of Engineers projects and policies."
"The Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana is a non-profit advocacy organization whose mission is the preservation, restoration and responsible stewardship of the coastal wetlands, waters and barrier shorelines of coastal Louisiana."
Multiple Lines of Defense
"The strategy works on the well-founded premise that coastal Louisiana must be protected from hurricane surge by both man-made features, such as levees, and by the natural coastal wetland buffer along the Louisiana coast."
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"Levees.Org is your source for information about levees and flood protection nationwide." Join us to demand better levees for America. |
 "Here at the Lafayette Parish Bayou Vermilion District, we are working hard to revitalize the beauty of the Bayou Vermilion."
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From Gulf Restoration Network:
"The Hurricane Season of 2005 has shown how vulnerable Gulf coastal communities are to the devastating impacts of ever-stronger storms. We have seen how the continued destruction of our natural barriers, such as coastal wetlands and barrier islands, takes away nature's ability to reduce the strength and impact of hurricanes."
Our barrier islands, coastal wetlands and marshes must be protected and enhanced.
<< Watch the documetary short, Who Pays? |
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