Archive for Birds
NWF tour finds BP oil still soaking Louisiana marshes, menacing wildlife
March 22, 2012 | Posted by Delta Dispatches in Birds, BP Oil Disaster, Media Resources, RESTORE Gulf Coast States Act, Science, WildlifeThis story was originally posted on the National Wildlife Federation's Wildlife Promise blog.
By Miles Grant, National Wildlife Federation
Tar mat coats marsh in Bay Jimmy off Louisiana's Barataria Bay, March 2012 (NWF staff photo)
The National Wildlife Federation (NWF) this week led a boat trip to Louisiana marshes hit hard by the Gulf oil disaster. The trip made depressingly clear that while national attention has moved on and Congress still hasn’t passed legislation to restore the Gulf, much BP oil remains, it’s easy to find and it’s never far from the Gulf’s wildlife.
The trip out of Myrtle Grove Marina with Captain Dave Marino was led by David Muth, state director of NWF’s Mississippi River Delta campaign, David White, director of NWF’s Gulf of Mexico Restoration campaign and Alisha Renfro, NWF coastal scientist.
“As they headed south to the corner of Barataria Bay called Bay Jimmy, the tide was high and winds were blowing strong at 20 miles an hour out of the southeast,” said NWF’s David White. “That drove water high up into the marsh, obscuring the oiled edges denuded of vegetation. With such a high water line, it was hard to determine exactly how much oil might remain.”
After finding a safe place to land, it became clear that despite BP’s efforts to mop and scrape marshes, oil remains in various stages of weathering and decomposition. On the surface, it’s now weathered into tar — some small clumps and other large mats — and it’s there for the long term.
“There were a few patches in the marsh that were completely devoid of vegetation. They smelled like asphalt,” said NWF’s Alisha Renfro. “Because it’s so thick, natural processes like sunlight and bacteria have a hard time breaking down the hydrocarbons. It ends up serving like a cap on the marsh surface — a hardened seal that blocks light and gas exchange, diminishes growth and creates a dead zone with little new life. However, baby fiddler crabs and other marsh invertebrates could be seen scuttling across the dead surface.”
Dead American White Pelican with oil on it in Louisiana's Bay Jimmy, March 2012 (NWF staff photo)
In the tar-covered marshes, NWF staff found a dead and decomposed American White Pelican. Liquid oil was visible on its wing feathers, its origin mysterious, until the staff made a new discovery.
“Wherever we stood in the marshes, liquid oil would squeeze out of the sediment. I probed the ground a little and didn’t see the oil right at the surface, so it was probably coming from several centimeters down,” said NWF’s Alisha Renfro. “During the winter, with cooler temperatures, this oil would be thicker and harder to see since it’s not at the surface, but as it has gotten warmer the oil is far less viscous and can seep back to the marsh surface.”
It’s impossible to know when the oil got on the pelican or contributed to its death. “A large flock of pelicans nearby had settled on another marshy shoreline that had been similarly oiled. They appeared healthy with no signs of oiling from a distance,” said NWF’s David Muth. “But the dead bird provided a stark reminder that nearly two years into the Gulf oil disaster, the BP oil remains a daily fact of life for the Gulf’s wildlife.”
American White Pelicans in Louisiana's Barataria Bay, March 2012 (NWF staff photo)
As you can see in additional photos from the trip at NWF’s Flickr page, marshes continue to show signs of degradation and retreat. That follows the trend NWF staff have witnessed in recent trips, like the collapse of Cat Island’s mangrove trees from a thriving rookery for Brown Pelicans and other birds in 2010 to a patch of brown lifeless sticks in 2011.
The trip was a reminder that Mississippi River Delta restoration is needed now more than ever. While the Senate passed the RESTORE Act as part of its transportation bill, the House has yet to act.
No CommentsRESTORE Act social media week of action continues!
February 15, 2012 | Posted by Ryan Rastegar in Birds, BP Oil Disaster, Clean Water Act, Meetings/Events, RESTORE Gulf Coast States Act, Wildlife
Thanks to all who have been participating in our RESTORE Act social media week of action! Our work is not done. There is a good chance the RESTORE Act could come to a vote in the Senate this week. That's why it's important for us to keep the pressure on and continue sending messages to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), asking them to take a position on the RESTORE Act and pass it NOW!
Just click on one of these messages!
#RESTOREAct could pass this week! @SenatorReid @McConnellPress Send BP #oilspill fines to the #gulf! http://bit.ly/xYL6DW via @RestoreDelta
Background on the RESTORE Act:
Click on the Facebook image above and share it with your friends!
The BP oil disaster dumped nearly five million barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico, damaging the wildlife, ecosystems and economy of the Gulf Coast.
The RESTORE Act seeks to ensure that at least 80% of the penalties paid by BP are returned to the gulf to be used for restoring the region’s communities, economies and environments.
However unless Congress acts quickly, these penalties could go toward unrelated federal spending. We must act now if we want to ensure that this money goes back to where the damage was done!
Just click on one of these messages to tell Congress to pass the RESTORE Act NOW!
#RESTOREAct could pass this week! @SenatorReid @McConnellPress Send BP #oilspill fines to the #gulf! http://bit.ly/xYL6DW via @RestoreDelta
P.S. Be sure to check out our Facebook page as well and share our RESTORE Act image with your friends!
No CommentsGrand Isle Christmas Bird Count keeps watchful eye on bird populations
December 28, 2011 | Posted by David J. Ringer (Audubon) in BirdsBelow is an excerpt from an account of the Grand Isle Christmas Bird Count, which took place Dec. 21, 2011. Audubon's Christmas Bird Count is the longest-running citizen science effort of its kind in the world. Nearly 30 counts occur in Louisiana each season. Read the full account on the Audubon magazine blog.
Shorebirds in flight - Erik I. Johnson/Audubon
"Grand Isle: the only inhabited barrier island in Louisiana. A narrow wisp of sand marking the gulf-most extent of an old and withered Mississippi River Delta lobe. The setting for some of Kate Chopin's most memorable scenes, the site of many horrors during BP's oil disaster, and a stage for all the life in between. And today, the hub of the Grand Isle Christmas Bird Count. …
"We picked seven Red Knots out of the crowd. Red Knots are extraordinary animals, able to undertake some of the longest migratory journeys in the avian world, yet teetering on the brink of disappearance due to a whole range of human activities.
"Not unlike, in fact, the land on which we were standing, there on the fringe of the Mississippi River Delta, which – thanks to human shortsightedness – is one of the fastest disappearing landmasses on the planet. And if that weren't enough, oil had coated this very beach only months before and still lurks beneath the surface in places."
Orange-crowned Warbler - David J. Ringer/Audubon
Wonders in the Wax Lake Delta
October 19, 2011 | Posted by Elizabeth Skree in Birds, People, Wax Lake Delta, WildlifeThis piece was originally posted on the Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana's Coast Currents blog.
By Scott Madere, Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana
The first clue that things were going to be different today was the blue rectangle under the "No Parking" sign at the boat launch. "Beware of Bears," it read. I’ve lived my whole life in Louisiana and I’ve never seen one of those. But it was only one of many firsts for me as we headed into the Wax Lake Delta that morning, to discover one of Louisiana’s most pristine paradises… and possibly the key to saving Louisiana’s coastal wetlands.
With me on the excursion were about 30 companions from the National Audubon Society, the Environmental Defense Fund, National Wildlife Federation and the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. While many of us were locals, there were plenty of explorers from Washington, D.C., some of whom had never been in a Louisiana marsh before.
It was only fitting, then, that their first experience should begin with a short trip through the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway, the shipping highway that unites the entire Louisiana coast, and the path to our destination, the Wax Lake Outlet. Our party traveled in five boats on calm waters, past barges and fishermen, the usual signs of activity on the Intracoastal. I found myself thinking ahead to what I would find in the Delta, almost missing something truly extraordinary happening on the bank to my right.
"Look… it's an eagle," said one of my boat companions.
Sure enough, a sight that had eluded me for many years appeared in the distance. A juvenile bald eagle, in flight, came in for a landing on the bank. As I captured his slow descent with my camera, a mature bald eagle emerged from the irises nearby. I was stunned. I had never seen a bald eagle in the wild before, and within a span of seconds, I had seen two. It was an experience that reminded me that there never really is anything routine about the Louisiana marsh. It's a unique wonder each time you visit.
Before long we reached the intersection with the Wax Lake Outlet, turning south toward Atchafalaya Bay. The outlet was created in 1942 by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to divert the waters of the Atchafalaya River from possibly flooding Morgan City. The outlet itself is a lot like the Intracoastal Waterway, deep, straight and wide. But the interesting part of what’s happening in the Wax Lake Outlet is where it ends, in Atchafalaya Bay. That's what everyone on this trip was there to see. That's where we encountered the Wax Lake Delta, a rapidly building land mass… an unforeseen benefit of diverting the Atchafalaya River.
The delta forming at the bottom of the outlet wasn’t noticed until the early 1970's. As it happened, decades of sand and fine silt moving from the Atchafalaya River into the Wax Lake Outlet began to accumulate at the outlet's mouth. Before long, channelization occurred and lobes of land began to arise where no land had been before. Louisiana is not losing land in this section of the coast. It is building land, and building it quickly (geologically speaking, of course).
For this reason, the Wax Lake Delta serves as one of the best hopes that coastal researchers have for making the case that river diversions work, and that these diversions can be made elsewhere along the coast, rebuilding and restoring coastal wetlands.
When our squadron of boats reached one of the Delta's landmasses, the proof was right there for all to see. New land, rising from the Gulf of Mexico. Covered in lotus plants gone to seed, the soil was firm and claylike underfoot. It was not like swamp mud. This felt like land that was built to last.
The enthusiasm for what we were seeing spread across our entire party. To see the Wax Lake Delta firsthand is to see what Louisiana once was and what it could once again be. Everywhere I looked, I saw shorebirds, grasses, flowering plants, lilies, fish jumping and swirling. This was a real and thriving ecosystem, nourished by a steady flow of fresh water and silt from a river determined to reconnect with the marsh.
As we boated south into the Atchafalaya bay, honestly, I began to wonder why we were heading into open water. That's when the boats slowed and one of my companions hopped out into the bay. He landed in water that was a little less than knee-deep. That’s when it hit me. We were not looking at today's land, but rather, tomorrow's. In a few years, this open area of the bay will be solid ground, as more sediment is deposited and plants begin to root. Already, aquatic plants can be seen just below the surface, forming anchors to trap the fine silt suspended in the gentle waves from the Wax Lake Outlet.
Many in our party spent half an hour wading through the shallow water, all smiles as brown pelicans circled overhead. It struck me that we were the very first people to stand on this new part of Louisiana.
A trip into Wax Lake Delta is invigorating to those who are committed to the future of our coast. It represents a victory in the effort to bring vitality and hope back to our wetlands. If 25 square miles worth of new land can be created accidentally by the Wax Lake Outlet, imagine what could be done purposefully, with proper planning, good science and willpower to make it happen.
It was very hard to leave the Wax Lake Delta behind. I've rarely felt happier out in the Louisiana marsh. The only thing that would have made the day better would have been to see one of those bears the little blue sign warned me about. But there’s always next time. And at the rate that I’m seeing wonders in this delta, I would judge that possibility likely.
No CommentsConservation partnership permanently protects 675 acres of vital wetlands in Mississippi River Delta
September 14, 2011 | Posted by Elizabeth Skree in Birds, Media Resources, Wildlife
675 acres of cypress-tupelo swamp (like those pictured above) will be permanently protected through the agreement. (Photo credit: USGS)
On Friday (Sept. 9), the National Audubon Society, Land Trust for Southeast Louisiana and The Conservation Fund announced the permanent protection of 675 acres of diverse wetland habitat near the town of Maurepas, La. This acquisition will enhance an ongoing, multi-partner effort to expand and preserve key ecosystems within the West Pontchartrain-Maurepas Swamp Important Bird Area (IBA)–an area that provides a critical link for millions of migratory birds between North American nesting grounds and wintering areas in Latin America. Additionally, these protected wetlands will provide critical hurricane and storm surge protection for nearby communities and infrastructure.
Comprised of open coastal swamp and forested wetland areas of cypress and tupelo trees, the protected land is home to numerous migratory waterfowl, Neotropical and waterbird species. With the permanent stewardship of these wetlands just north of the Maurepas Swamp Wildlife Management Area, the public will gain new places to bird-watch and explore, enhanced water quality, and, with other planned efforts, vital protection from floods and storm surges.
On approximately 25 acres of this particular project, Audubon will enhance the area’s resiliency and improve habitat for migratory birds and other wildlife by removing invasive plants and planting native tree and shrub species.
“The protection of this property preserves critical habitat for declining wetland birds and helps support the integrity of a large and important ecosystem,” said Melanie Driscoll, Audubon’s director of bird conservation for the Gulf Coast and Mississippi Flyway.
Funding for this acquisition was made available through the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA), a federal grant program that provides matching grants for conservation projects benefiting all habitats, birds and wildlife associated with wetlands ecosystems. Over the past 20 years, NAWCA matching funds have protected, restored and enhanced approximately 26.5 million acres of wetland habitat across North America.
More information about this landmark decision can be found on Audubon's website as well as The Times-Picayune.
No CommentsWaterfowl finding new homes in thriving Mississippi River wetlands restoration project
September 2, 2011 | Posted by Elizabeth Skree in 2011 Mississippi River Flood, Birds, Diversions, Restoration ProjectsThis piece was originally posted on National Wildlife Federation's Wildlife Promise blog.
Caernarvon Delta, August 2011 (NWF staff photo)
By Maura Wood, National Wildlife Federation Coastal Louisiana Senior Outreach Coordinator
Our boat left the canal, rounded a small spit of land, and emerged into the outfall area of the Caernarvon freshwater diversion, known as Big Mar – Big Sea. Situated in the last big bend of the Mississippi River about a half an hour drive south of New Orleans, this failed agricultural enterprise of the past shows up on satellite photos as a big square lake. Recent imagery had suggested that perhaps some mud shoals had developed as a result of the diversion.
But today, I wasn’t looking at mud shoals. I was looking at acres of bushy, green, growing, happy vegetation. This couldn’t be Big Mar. This was “Big Mar-sh”!
Caernarvon is the diversion everybody loves to hate. “It doesn’t work,” they say. “It hasn’t built land. What good is it?”
I always sigh when I hear that. Diversions should be a way of reconnecting the water and sediment of the Mississippi River, constrained within levees, with the nearby marshes which, pre-levee, were built and sustained by annual flooding of the river. Caernarvon is not that kind of sediment diversion, it is a freshwater diversion only, designed to lower salinities in an area where saltwater had intruded. Although the water of the Mississippi River contains lots of mud and sand, this diversion project didn’t focus on land-building, and was built instead to provide fresh water to a basin being inundated with salt.
But sitting in the boat, in an area that could no longer be referred to as a sea but rather a sea of plants, we were stunned at what the river had wrought. “This is more than I ever expected,” said John Lopez, a seasoned wetland scientist and executive director of the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation. “This is phenomenal.”
David Muth, the National Wildlife Federation’s Louisiana state director, reached into the shallow water and grabbed a handful from the bottom. “It is mixed sand and silt. Once these plants become established, this marsh will not be washing away in the next hurricane, the way nearby organic soils did in Katrina. This is solid ground.”
So even though the design and intention of this particular diversion hadn’t encouraged it to, the Mississippi River had done what it does – build land. Caernarvon was opened in 1990 and over the years, it’s transported and deposited sand and mud into Big Mar, a little at a time, year after year.
Small areas of land began emerging after Hurricane Katrina. Big flood years on the river in spring 2008 and 2010 provided extra amounts of sediment, and the extended opening of the diversion during the oil spill a year ago might have contributed additional sediment as well, so that when the water receded, more land emerged. And in south Louisiana, it doesn’t take long for plants to take root, grow, and enhance land-building by trapping and holding even more sediment. The spring and summer of 2011 did the trick, and what looked promising a year ago looked spectacular today.
Our boat captains and Chris Macaluso of the Louisiana Wildlife Federation, NWF’s state affiliate, pointed to seed heads on the marshy plants that will feed flocks of ducks in the near future. A few blue-winged teal and mottled ducks served as tantalizing harbingers of the hundreds to follow.
On some of the higher areas, small trees demonstrated the progression of vegetation and habitats that can be expected as land continues to build and emerge from the water. David Muth probed the muddy bottom with a measuring pole to determine water depths–6 inches, 12 inches, 6 inches–in an area originally several feet deep. It won’t be many more years before we can expect those shallow areas to fill and even more land to emerge. Check out comparison photos in this Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation report (PDF).
The National Wildlife Federation is committed to restoring a sustainable coast in Louisiana, and the capacity of the Mississippi River to transport sand and build land is a powerful tool. Our trip to Caernarvon provided a first-hand re-affirmation, once again, of this power. At Caernarvon, we didn’t particularly help the river–and it took a long time–but it is doing what the river does – transporting and depositing sand, and building land.
Imagine what a diversion can do that is built to enhance this capacity? We are now capable of marsh-building diversions, that focus on capturing high concentrations of sediment.
So enough about “Caernarvon doesn’t work.” Caernarvon is showing us that the Mississippi River builds land. It always has, and it always will.
1 CommentCornell Lab of Ornithology Tells Story of the Mississippi River Delta in New Video
April 18, 2011 | Posted by Delta Dispatches in Birds, BP Oil DisasterGuest post by Marc Dantzker, Multimedia Producer – Cornell Lab of Ornithology
Soon after the Deepwater Horizon rig exploded last year, I was part of a multimedia team from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology that spent nearly three months documenting the resulting spill’s effects on bird life. While many months have passed, the experience is still fresh: the sight of beach-bound pelicans struggling against a blanket of heavy oil, the smell of newly surfaced oil pressing into pristine salt marsh, the feel of crude on my skin.
We started our work documenting the oil effects on the gulf’s birds and ecosystems. But as our team spent more time in the marshes and talked to locals and experts, it became apparent that there can be no real recovery for coastal Louisiana without a concerted effort to heal the Mississippi River Delta itself.
With that in mind, we produced a short film called “Restoring America’s Delta”. In 24 minutes, we transport viewers to the Delta, to places few will ever see: the seabird colony of Raccoon Island, the engineering marvel of Old River Control, the shrinking marshes of Terrebonne Bay, and the fingers of new land forming in the Wax Lake Outlet. Through these images, computer graphics, and expert interviews, we examine the formation of the Delta, its importance to people and wildlife, and the reasons for its decline. We don’t tell people the answers, but rather provide information so people can form their own opinions.
Our hope is that people from across the country will see that the loss of land in the Mississippi River Delta affects all of us, not just Louisianans, and that it can only be fixed through our collective will. The video's final chapter argues that the system can be fixed; that this is simultaneously one of the largest and yet most reparable ecological challenges that we face as Americans. We believe that an informed citizenry will support the specific restoration efforts and legislation required to implement change. If you agree, please watch, share, and embed this video.
You can watch more videos about the birds of the Delta Region as well as a perspective on the spill from the Cornell Lab’s director, John Fitzpatrick at our website: www.birds.cornell.edu/spill
No CommentsAudubon Reports from the Gulf: Oil Persists, and So Do Concerns about Birds
April 14, 2011 | Posted by Elizabeth Skree in Birds, BP Oil Disaster
American White Pelicans (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) at Barataria Bay IBA, Queen Bess Island on the Gulf Coast of Louisiana. March 26, 2011. (c)Gerry Ellis/Audubon/Mindenpictures.com
One year after the BP oil disaster began in the Gulf of Mexico, Audubon experts report that oil can still be found in gulf marshes and beaches that provide critical habitat for at-risk birds. Recent trips through Louisiana’s Barataria Bay revealed tar balls on beaches and oil oozing through marsh grasses, a discouraging sight as the breeding season begins for dozens of Gulf Coast bird species.
“One thing I’m very concerned about now, as we begin a new breeding season, is that there’s still lots of oil in places where many species of birds nest and feed,” said Melanie Driscoll, Audubon’s Director of Bird Conservation for the Gulf. “As species like Wilson’s Plover and Least Tern return to their traditional breeding grounds, they are coming into contact with oil again, which poses many health risks to them and their young.”
Oil can also harm birds by affecting their food sources. Birds could go hungry if oil or cleanup activities reduce availability of prey such as fish, marine worms, oysters and crustaceans (including shrimp and crabs). Additionally, damaging compounds from oil work their way through the food web with potential impacts on birds’ overall health and reproductive success.
“Oil will continue to change form and affect these complex food webs in many different ways for years to come,” said Driscoll.
Audubon has identified several species that may be particularly vulnerable to the spill’s effects, especially in light of the other challenges they face. These species include Black Skimmer, Clapper Rail, Least Tern, Piping Plover, Red Knot, Sanderling, Seaside Sparrow, and Wilson’s Plover. (Additional information on each can be found here.)
Last summer, Audubon staff and volunteers played a crucial role in helping to reduce the BP oil spill’s impacts on birds and habitat, including a Coastal Bird Survey which was launched during the spill, as well as trend analysis of Gulf Christmas Bird Count data which will help assess impacts over time.
“If we can marshal the passion and sense of urgency we all felt a year ago, we can turn the tide and create a sustainable Gulf that is even healthier than it was before the disaster,” said David Yarnold, Audubon President and CEO. “We can enable the Louisiana coast to rebuild itself, by working with the power of the Mississippi River instead of against it. We can re-envision our energy future in ways that don’t risk toxic overload of our waters, lands and communities. And we can ensure that the rich biological and cultural diversity of this vital, vibrant region inspires our children and grandchildren as it has us.”
Read more about Audubon’s findings on Melanie’s blog.
No CommentsInfluential Sportsman Chris Nook Speaks About Importance of Louisiana Wetlands Restoration at MRGO Public Meeting
January 28, 2011 | Posted by Delta Dispatches in Army Corps of Engineers, Birds, Meetings/Events, Mississippi River Gulf Outlet (MRGO), Restoration Projects, WildlifeBy Amanda Moore, National Wildlife Federation
John Lopez (Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation) speaks to technical aspects of the MRGO restoration plan at public meeting in Waveland, Ms. (Credit: MRGO Must Go Coalition)
The second of three public hearings on the Army Corps of Engineers’ MRGO ecosystem restoration draft plan was held Tuesday evening (Jan. 25) in Waveland, Mississippi. Approximately 100 people turned out for the chance to learn more about the restoration plan and to share comments.
In addition to Mississippi public officials and residents – as well as a sizeable contingency of Louisiana residents – sportsmen from Montana, Ohio, and Oklahoma made the journey to Waveland to speak about the importance of MRGO ecosystem restoration to wildlife and sportsmen throughout the nation.
Chris Nook, the CEO of HuntDucks.com and prostaff director at Hard Core Decoys, flew in from Ohio to testify about the importance of restoring the wetlands around the infamous MRGO. “Historically, the coastal marshes of this region have provided crucial wintering habitat for waterfowl that are produced in the Nations Prairie Pothole Region and Great Lakes states," said Nook. "Sadly, Ducks Unlimited has said that about 3 million fewer ducks spend their winters along the Gulf Coast because of habitat loss. And, a big part of that habitat loss has taken place right here in the area this plan aims to restore.”
The final public hearing for the MRGO draft plan is scheduled for February 3rd in New Orleans and the official comment period ends February 14th. View the Coalition’s recommendations and submit your comments online at www.MRGOmustGO.org.
2 CommentsVanishing Paradise Unveils New Website, Educates Sportsmen on Importance of Coastal Louisiana Restoration
January 19, 2011 | Posted by Delta Dispatches in Birds, BP Oil Disaster
By Emily Guidry Schatzel, National Wildlife Federation
In a joint effort to educate and unite sportsmen across the country on the critical need to restore coastal Louisiana, National Wildlife Federation (NWF) and Ducks Unlimited have unveiled a brand new website for Vanishing Paradise.
The updated website offers new giveaways, opportunities to take action, and enhanced educational resources for hunters and anglers interested in joining the cause to help revive and recover a region damaged by decades of mismanagement and, more recently, this summer’s Gulf oil disaster.
While much of the visible oil is gone, the region remains in jeopardy as millions of migratory geese and waterfowl winter in Louisiana’s coastal wetland areas, where food supplies and habitats are still recovering from impacts of oil earlier this year.
“Coastal Louisiana was in jeopardy before the oil spill, with critical wetland habitats disappearing at the alarming rate of a football field of land lost every 38 minutes,” said Land Tawney, NWF’s senior manager for sportsmen leadership. “The oil spill exacerbated an already existing problem by coating inland marshes with oil and damaging vital fish and wildlife habitat. We need hunters and anglers nationwide to unite to save this ‘Sportsmen’s Paradise.’”
Vanishing Paradise’s new website gives us an exciting new opportunity in our continued effort to link American sportsmen who care about this unique region. The degradation of Louisiana’s coastline is not just a state or regional issue, it affects people around the country – especially in the Mississippi and Central Flyways – where waterfowl populations migrate to Louisiana for winter. Without these coastal landscapes, the hunting experience in areas across the country will suffer, just as losing the important fisheries Louisiana provides would be hugely detrimental to recreational fishing in other areas.
Coastal Louisiana is home to hundreds of species of fish and wildlife. It supports world-class inshore and offshore commercial and recreational fishing opportunities and hunting across the Mississippi Flyway. The area has also lost 2,300 square miles of land since the 1930s, an area larger than the state of Delaware.
For more information on coastal Louisiana restoration and opportunities, please visit www.vanishingparadise.org.
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