Urge the Corps to Act Swiftly

As the State of Louisiana and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) move forward with the permitting process for the Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion – one of the most important restoration projects in the Coastal Master Plan – your voice and support are needed. The Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion will reconnect the Mississippi River with nearby wetlands and deliver sediment, nutrients and fresh water to build and maintain tens of thousands of acres of land over time in Louisiana's Barataria Basin. The situation is dire – without action, the Barataria Basin could lose an additional 550 square miles of land in the next 50 years. But for this project to be implemented as quickly as possible, decision makers need to hear from you.

Urge the Corps to act swiftly and get the Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion under construction by 2020!

Take action now and tell the Corps that Louisiana's land loss crisis is severe and urgent and will only worsen every day until they act - and that means ensuring swift, effective implementation of the Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion. The Corps is accepting public comment until September 5, 2017. Don’t miss this chance to be heard.

Updated USGS Maps Show Decreased Rate of Louisiana Land Loss

(NEW ORLEANS – June 12, 2017) Today, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) released updated maps depicting net land loss and land gain in Louisiana since 1932. These maps show that the rate of land loss has slowed in recent years, largely due to decreased hurricane activity and the advancement of coastal restoration projects, such as the Lake Hermitage and Bayou Dupont wetland construction programs. While the previous USGS assessment showed Louisiana was losing an average of one football field of land every hour, the new maps show that, from 2010-2016, the state now is losing an average of one football field every 100 minutes. Since 1932, Louisiana has lost more than 2,000 square miles of land – nearly the size of the state of Delaware. See full press release

Passage of 2017 Coastal Master Plan Means Blueprint in Place for Restoration

Baton Rouge, LA—June 2, 2017) Today, the Louisiana House of Representatives approved, SCR1, a resolution approving the 2017 Coastal Master Plan. With this vote, the third iteration of the State’s Coastal Master Plan has been approved by both chambers of the Louisiana State Legislature and can begin to be implemented. See full press release.

How Will Sediment Diversions Impact Fisheries?

Prior to its leveeing and control structures, the Mississippi switched course roughly every 600 to 1,000 years, finding a more efficient route to the Gulf of Mexico as it filled with sediment. Over the course of its history, the Mississippi has had 6 Holocene delta complexes, including the most recent Atchafalaya. Each delta complex experiences stages of compaction, subsidence, and building. This delta switching, combined with the high sediment load (7th highest in the world), has resulted in the current wetland rich Louisiana coast, with 30,000 km2 of delta plain and 41% of the coastal wetland area of the United States.  Read More