The Atchafalaya River stretches just 135 miles from its origin to its mouth, yet the water and sediment it conveys result in tremendous geomorphological, biological, and ecological impacts across thousands of square miles of southcentral Louisiana in the floodway, delta coastal marshes, and coastal waters. Along its length, the river influences millions of acres of wetland forests and coastal marshes that yield tremendous benefits in the form of oil and gas resources, timber, commercial and recreational fishers, hunting and non-consumptive wildlife use, and regional navigation. The Atchafalaya River Basin is managed partly for navigation but primarily as a floodway that receives water from the Mississippi and Red Rivers, and is undergoing rapid geomorphic changes as it develops as a distributary. Understanding this complex system is difficult because it is being changed by the Atchafalaya River itself and by people, intentionally and otherwise. The purpose of this meeting is to review what is known about the river and its associated environments, report on recent and ongoing research, and identify information gaps that complicate decision making by land managers, water managers, and policy makers.

Program:

• Hydrology: flow, nutrient dynamics, and water quality

• Geomorphology: sedimentation especially in context of navigation and habitat change

• Ecology: status and trends of wildlife, fisheries, forests, marshes, exotic species, and human communities
   

 

Preliminary Program


Registration Fee:        

• $35 for one day or $50 for both days if you register by January 3rd, 2008
•  Registration after January 3rd 2008, is $50 for one day or $75 for both days.
• Make checks payable to: The Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana

Meeting Organizers:

• The Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana
• School of Renewable Natural Resources, LSU AgCenter