Delta Dispatches

Scientist Molly Keogh, who received her PhD at Tulane University and is now a Postdoctoral Scholar, University of Oregon, Department of Earth Sciences, joins the podcast to discuss her latest paper, “Organic matter accretion, shallow subsidence, and river delta sustainability”, and its relation to Louisiana’s coast. Molly, who was featured for her research in the documentary film “Last Call for the Bayou”, also discusses that experience, and her work at the Davis Pond Freshwater Diversion, a “living laboratory” of Louisiana’s coast.

This week on Delta Dispatches, we talk to Elizabeth Chamberlain, Assistant Professor, Wageningen University, about her career as a coastal geologist. Liz got her start at LSU and Tulane researching the Mississippi River Delta and has gone on to study deltas around the world. She joins Jacques and Simone to discuss a new paper based on research in the Lafourche Delta, focusing on how subsidence impacts the Mississippi River Delta and its implications for restoration projects in Louisiana. Her new paper “Does Load-Induced Shallow Subsidence Inhibit Delta Growth?” was published earlier this month: https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1029/2021JF006153.

This week on Delta Dispatches, Jacques and Simone chat with friend of the show Helen Rose Patterson, senior outreach coordinator with the National Wildlife Federation (NWF). She’s here to talk about NOLA River Fest 2021, happening this week! Don’t miss the virtual panels covering a range of interesting topics concerning the Mississippi River: https://www.facebook.com/MississippiRiverDelta/events/. In this episode we also talk about the Coastal Community Handbook, a quick guide to all things coastal. You can read the digital version or request a physical copy of the handbook at: https://mississippiriverdelta.org/handbook.

On today’s episode, Jacques talks with Steve Cochran, who has served as Campaign Director of the Restore the Mississippi River Delta (MRD) for the last six years, about some developments within the coalition. After successfully leading the MRD team, Steve is moving on to assume a new role leading state affairs within Environmental Defense Fund and none other than our very own Simone Maloz will assume the role of MRD campaign director! We talk with Steve about his career, reflections on his time as campaign director, and advice for the future. We then officially welcome Simone, hear about her background and learn what she's most excited about as she takes this next step.

As impacts from Hurricane Ida continue to be assessed, Pontchartrain Conservancy's (https://scienceforourcoast.org/) Water Quality Program Director Brady Skaggs discusses how the storm affected water quality across the region and what actions you can take to improve water quality in nearby waterways. Skaggs also highlights the newly-launched Lake and Coast App (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.scienceforourcoast.lakeandcoast&pcampaignid=pcampaignidMKT-Other-global-all-co-prtnr-py-PartBadge-Mar2515-1) that puts water quality data at your fingertips. As a reminder, you can find ways to help those impacted by Hurricane Ida here (https://mississippiriverdelta.org/ida/), and don't forget to check out our newly-launched Community Guide to Coastal Restoration (https://mississippiriverdelta.org/handbook/)!

This week on Delta Dispatches, we’re excited to welcome Kate Orff, Founding Principal of SCAPE. Jacques and Simone talk with her about the role nature can play in adapting to climate change, how she is reimaging landscape architecture through her studio, as well as on-the-ground restoration opportunities from Louisiana to New York. SCAPE’s recent work includes OurFutureCoast.org (https://www.ourfuturecoast.org/) and Kate was featured in the New Yorker in the story “The Seas Are Rising. Could Oysters Help” (https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2021/08/09/the-seas-are-rising-could-oysters-protect-us).

This week on Delta Dispatches, Jacques and Simone chat with Jeray Jambon Jarreau from Bless Your Heart Nonprofit. Jeray talks about life in South Lafourche after the devastation of Hurricane Ida. Bless Your Heart Nonprofit is working on the ground to address the needs of some of the most impacted communities in South Louisiana. Learn about the work they’re doing and how you can help through their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/blessyourheartnonprofit/

In the aftermath of Hurricane Ida, one of the most devastating hurricanes to ever make landfall in Louisiana, Simone and Jacques discuss ongoing impacts to communities and how people can help those in need. They also welcome Scot Pilié, EDF senior communications specialist and meteorologist, to discuss the extent of Ida’s impacts and why it was so destructive from a meteorological standpoint. Please visit MississippiRiverDelta.org/Ida to support organizations doing work in Louisiana to help those in need.

Thanks for tuning into this week’s episode of Delta Dispatches! This week we’re chatting with photographer Matthew White about beautiful and inspiring work recently published in the New York Time. “Beauty, Serenity, Stillness: An Ode to the Final Miles of the Mississippi River (https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/08/travel/mississippi-river.html)” features photography of the landscape and communities of Plaquemines Parish. See more of Matthew’s work on his website (https://www.matthewwhitestudio.com/index) and Tumblr (https://matthewdwhite.tumblr.com/).

On this episode of Delta Dispatches, Jacques interviews first time guest T. Brad Keith the new director of the Barataria-Terrebonne National Estuary Program (BTNEP). Founded in 1990, BTNEP is the oldest coastal organization in Louisiana and helps ensure access to sustainable clean water across the estuary. T. Brad talks about the history and future of this vital program for coastal Louisiana.

On today's episode, Simone and Jacques are joined by Jasmine Brown, Public Policy Manager for Greater New Orleans Inc. Jasmine discusses the work her organization is doing, through its Coalition for Coastal Resilience and Economy (CCRE) and beyond, to advance coastal restoration in our region to protect people and the economy, as well as to create jobs and economic growth. Learn more about GNO Inc.'s work and CCRE at https://gnoinc.org/business-climate/coastal-restoration/.

Thanks for listening to the latest episode of Delta Dispatches! Today Jacques and Simone are joined by Harry Vorhoff, of the Governor's Office of Coastal Activities, and Rep. Joseph Orgeron to discuss the state's first Wind Week, a series of public webinars on expanding wind energy in the Gulf. You can watch all Wind Week sessions online at: https://gov.louisiana.gov/index.cfm/page/124.

On today’s episode of Delta Dispatches, Jacques and Simone talk about the restoration of the “longest Main Street in the world!” First up, we catch up with Ryan M. Perque, Executive Director of the Friends of the Bayou Lafourche. He talks about the history of the waterway and the work his organization and others are doing to restore it. In the second half of the show, we continue our conversation about Bayou Lafourche with Tristan Baurick, environmental reporter with The Times Picayune New Orleans Advocate, who recently wrote two great articles about these restoration efforts on nola.com. Read Tristan's reporting: part 1: https://www.nola.com/news/environment/article70cbb236-b191-11eb-93fa-af3599177e15.html part 2: https://www.nola.com/news/environment/article451592f0-c4a7-11eb-bc02-8f61079a8834.html Visit Friends of Bayou Lafourche: https://bayoulafourche.org/

As summer kicks off and tourism ramps back up in Louisiana, Simone and Jacques welcome Jared Sternberg, founder of Beyond the Bayou eco-tours (https://www.beyondthebayoutours.com/), to discuss how and why he founded his business as well as their tour offerings, eco-tourism as a tool for coastal education, and a new partnership with the Old 77 Hotel in New Orleans to bring more people out into the swamp.

This week on Delta Dispatches, Jacques brings back our friends from the Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana James Karst, director of communications and marketing, and Emily Vuxton, policy director. James talks about the upcoming State of the Coast conference (registration open now! (https://www.stateofthecoast.org/rates)) and Emily talks about things to keep an eye on in this year’s Louisiana state legislative session including the 2021 Coastal Annual Plan.

This week on Delta Dispatches we’re talking about the inspirational new exhibit at the Ogden Museum of Southern Art which features works from John Taylor, storyteller, environmentalist, self-taught artist and life-long resident of New Orleans’ Lower 9th Ward. Here to talk about the exhibit is Mikhayla Harrell, the Museum Educator and Teen Intern Coordinator at the Ogden Museum and Amanda Moore Deputy Director, Gulf Program for the National Wildlife Federation. This exhibition features a variety of works by Taylor, including eight walking sticks carved from wood found along the banks of the Mississippi River and eight photographs of the Bayou Bienvenue Wetland Triangle as well as historical information about Louisiana wetland loss, and provides a number of ways people can get involved with restoration efforts.

On today's episode, Jacques and Simone welcome author Adam Mandelman to discuss his book, The Place with No Edge: An Intimate History of People, Technology, and the Mississippi River Delta, "a book about people’s dreams of mastering nature through technology in one of the wettest, most unruly landscapes of North America. Published with Louisiana State University Press in April of 2020, it chronicles three centuries of European efforts to tame the Mississippi River Delta, an environment defined by flood and wetlands." Adam discusses highlights key themes from his book, provides insight into his research process and discusses his perspectives on efforts to build greater resilience on the Mississippi River Delta. Purchase a copy of his book at your local bookstore or here: https://lsupress.org/books/detail/the-place-with-no-edge/.

On today's episode, Jacques and Simone welcome Jeff Varisco, Senior Project Manager, and Brad Laborde, Regulatory Manager, with the Army Corps of Engineers New Orleans District. Jeff and Brad walk us through the milestone that is the release of a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the Mid Barataria Sediment Diversion, discuss how the public can engage in submitting comments over the comment period and provide insight into how these comments will inform a final Environmental Impact Statement for the project. Read the DEIS, get information on the formal public meetings and details on how to submit public comments at: https://www.mvn.usace.army.mil/Missions/Regulatory/Permits/Mid-Barataria-Sediment-Diversion-EIS

On this week’s episode of Delta Dispatches, Simone and Jacques bring back their first-ever guests, Dr. Alisha Renfro with the National Wildlife Federation and Steve Cochran campaign director with Restore the Mississippi River Delta and Environmental Defense Fund, to mark a big milestone for Louisiana’s coast -- the release of the draft Environmental Impact Statement and Restoration Plan for the Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion. The Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion would be the single largest ecosystem restoration project in U.S. history and will build more wetlands than any other individual restoration project in the world in an area experiencing the highest rates of land loss on the planet. Alisha and Steve discuss the science behind the project, why it’s critical to Louisiana’s future and how the public can get involved in the process moving forward. Learn more at http://mississippiriverdelta.org/midbarataria.

This week on Delta Dispatches, we sit down with one of our favorite guests, Bren Haase, Executive Director for the Coastal Restoration and Protection Authority. The CPRA is releasing their draft Annual Plan, which outlines the coastal projects moving forward in the next 12 months and Bren walks us through many of the big projects that will make 2021 a great year for coastal Louisiana.