Winter 2017

Dear Coastal Champion,

Few places are as unique as Louisiana. Sadly, many of the features – the bayous, marshes, swamps and beaches that make our coast so special – are in real danger.

CRCL’s mission is to drive bold, science-based action to rebuild coastal Louisiana through outreach, restoration and advocacy. We envision a future where we’ve slowed land loss, harnessing natural systems to rebuild land that is currently washing away.

As CRCL prepares to celebrate its 30th anniversary, we also celebrate some recent successes.

We helped protect coastal funds from being raided for other uses.
We built our first living shoreline oyster reef using shell from our Oyster Shell Recycling Program.
We hosted an educational flyover of coastal Louisiana for Governor John Bel Edwards, state legislators and Congressional staff members to help them see the effects of land loss firsthand.
We hosted four Coastal Road Show events where hundreds of people learned more about coastal restoration and how it will affect their local communities.
We hosted a New Orleans Mayoral Debate focused on water issues and coastal protection.
Our Habitat Restoration Program has engaged 13,000+ volunteers and planted more than 3,000,000 native trees and plants, since 2000.
Our Oyster Shell Recycling program has collected 5,000,000+ pounds of oyster shell that will be returned to Louisiana waters rather than to Louisiana landfills.

Between 1985 and 2010, we lost portions of our coast at a rate of 24 football fields a day, but there is still hope! Recent studies indicate, through our collective effort, including more than 13,000 CRCL volunteers, land loss has been slowed. However, there is still plenty of work to do. Louisiana’s coast continues to lose nearly 15 football fields every day.

That’s why we need you! Our work to protect and restore our coast would not be possible without your support. Please take a minute to become a member today. Visit crcl.org or fill out the enclosed envelope. Your membership in CRCL says that you are committed to saving our coast and there is no more important endeavor for those of us who care about South Louisiana, our unique way of life and our economic prosperity.

When you become a member, you will also be placed into a drawing for a framed Alex Beard print painted exclusively for CRCL. This signed and numbered print ($650 value) will compliment any décor. The drawing will be held on Friday, January 5, 2018.

We, here at CRCL, wish you and your family a happy and safe Holiday Season and a very Happy New Year!

Sincerely,
Kimberly Davis Reyher
Executive Director

“The 300” – An Exciting Educational Opportunity for the Spring!

There’s still time to sign up for schools that want to usher in 2018 with an exciting and unique experiential learning program that promises to bring participating students and teachers to the front lines of the battle to save coastal Louisiana.

Dubbed “The 300”, the one-of-a-kind program is offered by CRCL and consists of a series of four, hands-on field trips that will give participants unprecedented access to the active sites, and to the coastal practitioners working to protect and restore our coast. Read More

CRCL’s Recycled Oyster Shell to do More than Slow Erosion

CRCL has been awarded a grant to use recycled oyster shell from our Oyster Shell Recycling Program in a unique way. Not only will we create a new living shore line in Terrebonne Parish, but we will also help protect a culturally sensitive Native American site of the Pointe-au-Chien Tribe that is threatened by sea level rise and erosion.

The Pointe-au-Chien Tribe, located in Terrebonne and Lafourche Parishes, maintains a lifestyle and customs tailored for and by the forces of nature. Read More

Just Two Weeks left to Submit an Abstract for Oral or Poster Presentation for SOC18

State of the Coast 2018 (SOC18) will be here before you know it. This biennial conference provides an interdisciplinary forum to exchange timely and relevant information on the dynamic conditions of Louisiana’s coastal communities, environment and economy, and to apply that information to existing and future coastal restoration and protection efforts, policies, and decision-making. CRCL is hosting the conference in partnership with The Water Institute of the Gulf and the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority of Louisiana.

The need for which grows with every acre of land lost to the Gulf. Read More

CRCL’s Oyster Shell Recycling Program to be Featured on The Discovery Channel

Louisiana native John Jackson has produced outdoor and sports related video for more than 26 years culminating six years ago with his own show, Out Da' Bayou.

"I believed there were stories from out the bayou that rounded out what life is like out here in Louisiana," Jackson said. "What our lifestyle is like, here in Louisiana. Educating people has always been one of the things that I loved about the outdoors, because I learn something every time I do a show." Read More

Fishing For Data—Use Your Phone to Save the Coast!

We need you to become a fisherman scientist and help us collect real time environmental data while you are out enjoying our coast and inland estuaries.

Early in 2018, CRCL will release a new app, called Fishing for Data, for recreational and commercial fisherman that will be an important tool for collecting scientific data, and a great new way to record your own fishing information. You will be able to simply take a picture with your Apple or Android device and instantly know the environmental conditions at the time of your catch, what you caught and where you were when you snagged the big one. Read More

Amazon Smile Reminder

Did you know that your Amazon purchases can help support us in the battle for Louisiana's coast?

Through Amazon's program, Amazon Smile, all you have to do is log on to Smile.Amazon.com. All your account settings, wish lists, and other aspects are exactly the same, but we receive a percentage of the purchase. All prices are identical as well, so you won't be charged extra for supporting CRCL. Read More