coastal erosion

Fisherman, Sciencists Continue Clashing On Miss. River Diversions

Kelly Connelly — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 17:44:00 +0000

State plans to restore the coastline are trying to mimic the way the Mississippi built the coast. Thousands of years ago the river dumped sediment from the plains upriver into the marsh. But some fishermen are worried the plans will displace the saltwater fish they catch to make a living.

Fishermen voiced their opposition at a community meeting in St. Bernard Monday.

The Louisiana Coast: Last Call — Coastal Restoration Crucial For Business

Bob Marshall — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 16:58:57 +0000

Restoring the Gulf Coast is also a critical business issue, as R. King Milling, chairman of the governor’s Advisory Commission on Coastal Protection and Restoration and the former president of Whitney Bank explains.

TRANSCRIPT:

The Louisiana Coast: Last Call — Getting Involved

Bob Marshall — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 17:33:51 +0000

After interviewing nearly 20 people involved in the coastal restoration process and program — from scientists and engineers, to public officials leading agencies — one of the surprising findings was the consensus among them that people living inside these levees — who live in the most threatened spot in North America due to sea level rise, subsidence and coastal land loss — don’t seem to be fully engaged or aware of just how precarious their situation is.

So, is this common?

The Louisiana Coast: Last Call — Measuring The River

Bob Marshall — Mon, 03 Jun 2013 17:26:00 +0000

If there is one underlying justification for Louisiana’s $50 billion Master Plan for coastal restoration, it’s this: We actually have a chance to prevent Southeast Louisiana from drowning in the Gulf, because the Mississippi River carries the sediment necessary to keep pace with sea level rise.

The Louisiana Coast: Last Call — Budgeting The River

Bob Marshall — Mon, 27 May 2013 12:45:00 +0000

Let’s imagine it is the Spring of 2025, and Louisiana is preparing to open three diversions on the lower Mississippi so fresh water and sediment can reach wetlands struggling to stay ahead of sea level rise.

The Louisiana Coast: Last Call — Part One

Jason Saul — Wed, 22 May 2013 23:21:46 +0000

We've collected the first five episodes of our ongoing environmental series The Louisiana Coast: Last Call into one podcast.

You can play the stories on this page, right click on the player and select "Save As" to download it, or find all of our last call podcasts here:

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The Louisiana Coast: Last Call — River Diversions

BOB MARSHALL — Mon, 20 May 2013 12:45:00 +0000

It’s almost impossible to find anyone in coastal Louisiana opposed to the idea of “coastal restoration.” Storms like Katrina, Gustav and Isaac have shown everyone the value of the marshes and swamps that once stood between them and the Gulf.

But when “restore” means turning things back to the way they once were, problems can arise.

The best-known example of that is the conflict over using river diversions.

The Louisiana Coast: Last Call — The Master Plan

BOB MARSHALL — Fri, 17 May 2013 12:45:00 +0000

If you’ve been listening and reading along this week, by now you know the consensus among coastal experts is that New Orleans and southeast Louisiana are headed for an early grave before the end of the century.

The Louisiana Coast: Last Call — How We Got This Way: Rising Seas, Sinking Land

BOB MARSHALL — Thu, 16 May 2013 12:30:00 +0000

The clang of tide gauges throughout parts of southeast Louisiana aren’t from a science fiction movie, though they may make residents feel like they’re caught in one.

The Louisiana Coast: Last Call — How We Got This Way: Canal Dredging

BOB MARSHALL — Wed, 15 May 2013 12:45:00 +0000

These days when fishing guide Ryan Lambert motors away from the boat launch in Buras, he’s fishing in the what locals call “the land of used-to-bes.”

As in, that used to be Yellow Cotton Bay, or Drake Bay, or English Bay… and dozens more. It’s all one big open body of water now because the marshes, cypress swamps and ridges that separated these water bodies for most of his life are gone.