Vanishing Paradise http://vanishingparadise.org Ducks Unlimited DU and National Wildlife Federation have forged a partnership to advocate for restoration of the processes that created Louisiana's coastal wetlands by nationalizing the issue and educating members of congress. en-us Thu, 23 May 2013 04:40:44 +0000 Thu, 23 May 2013 04:40:44 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/rss MediaStove V1.0 Habitat Restoration Can Drive Economic Recovery http://vanishingparadise.org/updates/habitat-restoration-can-drive-economic-recovery/ Among other things, the RESTORE Act created the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council, which is a multi-state, multi-agency group that has been tasked with developing a comprehensive ecosystem restoration plan for the Gulf. The Council is currently developing the plan, with a draft due for public comment this spring.

The Vanishing Paradise team is working to make sure the Council remembers the national hunting and fishing community was at the forefront of the efforts to pass the RESTORE Act, and we intend to see this through.

Our message to the Council is simple. We believe habitat restoration can drive and support economic recovery. The people, businesses, communities and economy of this region are undeniably reliant upon a healthy and productive Gulf, and ecosystem restoration should be the top priority in drafting and finalizing the Council's comprehensive restoration plan.

This message will be delivered to the Restoration Council in the form of a letter that carries the signatures of roughly 350 hunting and angling businesses and organizations that believe investments in long-term ecosystem restoration will drive economic prosperity in the Gulf Coast region.

As the Council considers how best to "restore and protect the natural resources, ecosystems, fisheries, marine and wildlife habitats, beaches and coastal wetlands of the Gulf Coast region," we believe that they should engage the hunting and fishing community to ensure that their restoration plan reflects the interests and values of our country's hunters and anglers.

Following up on this letter, we'll be meeting with the Restoration Council early next month. We will deliver the message that sportsmen and women are paying attention, but more importantly we will also discuss a list of recommendations on restoration project selection, implementation and monitoring.

Louisiana's coastal wetlands are some of the most important habitats American hunters and anglers will ever know. The sad truth is that this American treasure is disappearing before our eyes.

The future of the Mississippi River Delta has long been challenged by a severed connection between the river and its wetlands. Hurricanes that destroy our marshes made us famous. More recently the Gulf of Mexico was thrown another curveball, the 2010 oil spill.

The unprecedented release of 4.9 million barrels of oil into the Gulf has caused near-term impacts to the fishery, coastal habitat and thousands of people's livelihoods. It may cause significant long-term damage to the Gulf, affecting sportsmen and women throughout the country that rely on a healthy Gulf coast that serves as wintering grounds for nearly 10 million waterfowl and one of the absolute best fisheries in our country.

We all take something different from the field. Whether it's an exciting adventure chasing the trophy of a lifetime, a quiet day at your favorite fishing hole or some good old-fashioned quality time with your grandkids.

Hunters and anglers rarely agree on everything, but there is a fundamental connection between people who hunt and fish. No matter what our goals or interests are, we all depend on quality habitat to enjoy our passion. It sounds simple, and it is. At the end of the day, despite all of our opinions, preferences and predispositions, the key to quality hunting and fishing opportunities all comes down to productive habitat.

That's why sportsmen and women must be involved in the development of the Council's restoration plan. Investments in projects that restore healthy and productive habitat mean a future full of quality hunting and angling opportunities. If the wild spaces of the Gulf region are protected and restored, sportsmen and women will have played an essential role in saving one of America's last best places.

A legacy to be proud of indeed.

]]> Wed, 22 May 2013 07:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/updates/habitat-restoration-can-drive-economic-recovery/ National Sportsman...s Group Urges Gulf Restoration Council to Prioritize Ecosystem Projects http://vanishingparadise.org/will-not-appear-on-front-page/national-sportsmans-group-urges-gulf-restoration-council-to-prioritize-ecosystem-projects/ FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Emily Guidry Schatzel, 225.253.9781, schatzele@nwf.org

National Sportsman's Group Urges Gulf Restoration Council to Prioritize Ecosystem Projects

Group sends letter saying protecting wildlife and habitat will yield economic recovery for the Gulf

(New Orleans - May 22, 2013) Today, more than 350 hunting and fishing businesses and organizations sent a letter to the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council, asking that the Council prioritize restoration of the Gulf ecosystem in order to also achieve economic restoration in the region.

The Restoration Council is a multi-state, multi-agency group that has been tasked with developing a comprehensive ecosystem restoration plan for the Gulf. The Council is currently developing the plan, with a draft due for public comment this spring.

Vanishing Paradise drafted the letter, which illustrated that hunting and fishing are major economic drivers in the Gulf and are supported by habitat restoration and wildlife conservation. In 2011, in the five Gulf states alone, nearly 8.5 million hunters and anglers spent $15.7 billion on their outdoor pursuits. This spending supports more than 255,000 jobs and generates $3.3 billion in federal, state and local taxes.

The letter to the Restoration Council united thousands of sportsmen and women in their commitment to protect wildlife and habitat.

"If the wild spaces of the Gulf region aren't protected and restored, sportsmen and women will lose the return on their long-standing investment, and the region will lose its rich hunting and angling heritage," the letter stated. "A restored and productive Gulf ecosystem is essential for both regional and national economic recovery and growth. Every dollar spent on ecosystem restoration helps the recovery of the Gulf's natural resource-based economy."

"The Gulf Coast is a national treasure that is near and dear to the hearts of sportsmen and women across the country," Ben Weber, national sportsman's coordinator for National Wildlife Federation said. "Millions of Americans enjoy the productive Gulf landscape for its fisheries and waterfowl hunting every year, but without substantial investments in projects that create, enhance or protect essential wildlife habitat, the world-class hunting and fishing opportunities that make the Gulf such a special place for the nation's hunters and anglers will suffer, leading to the loss of billions of dollars in generated revenue for the Gulf states."

For more information, please visit www.vanishingparadise.org.

]]> Wed, 22 May 2013 07:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/will-not-appear-on-front-page/national-sportsmans-group-urges-gulf-restoration-council-to-prioritize-ecosystem-projects/ Vanishing Paradise...s New Advisory Council Paves a Path Forward http://vanishingparadise.org/updates/vanishing-paradises-new-advisory-council-paves-a-path-forward/ As efforts to restore the Mississippi River Delta roll forward, sportsmen from across the nation continue to lend a hand - offering voice and influence to rebuild this special place. The National Wildlife Federation (NWF) along with other important partners has been at the forefront of these efforts - nationally and regionally - for decades.

With the creation of the Vanishing Paradise campaign in 2009, NWF began to nationalize efforts to restore the delta by educating hunters and anglers about the issue, as well as engaging and mobilizing them to action.

Vanishing Paradise has had many successes to date culminating in the securing of funds from the BP oil spill back to restoration in late June through the RESTORE Act. Now, NWF has formed a Vanishing Paradise Sportsmen's Advisory Council (VPSAC) to enhance and expand its relationships with our nation's sportsmen and women who have a passion to carry on our collective conservation legacy. Council members were asked to join the council because of their passion for passing on a conservation legacy, knowledge within the sportsmen community and capacity (in the form of volunteer time, relationships, and expertise). Members include representatives from the hunting and fishing industry, conservation community and media who have a keen interest in the Mississippi River Delta.

"As a resident of Louisiana, some of my fondest childhood memories in the outdoors are of my trips to the Louisiana marshes duck hunting and red fishing with my dad and grandfather," said VPSAC member David Dellucci, Baton Rouge native and former World Series professional outfielder. "I have personally seen the rapidly eroding coastline through the years, and as a father myself I want to make sure my child has the same opportunities enjoying our "Sportsman's Paradise" that I had. I am proud to be with such a motivated group who is not interested in blaming the possible causes but determined to fix the problem."

In addition to providing a diverse perspective to the Vanishing Paradise staff, the Advisory Council will focus its attention on a three-part mission of enhancing the organization's political strength, strengthening its financial condition for the future and engaging the sporting community through public relations, media and personal contact.

In mid-March, the VPSAC held its first of many meetings, starting with a day in the marsh - a place held sacred to each member.

"Vanishing Paradise is championing a cause that I feel could be the greatest conservation project in my lifetime," said Gabe Galster of Arkansas. "Not only is the focus of this project dear to my heart, but there is a clear pathway to achieving success. In the end, I want to be able to have a part in saving one of the most environmentally and culturally rich regions of our great country. I want it here for my children, grandchildren and great grandchildren to enjoy much as I have over the last 20 years, but without swift action we may reach a point of no return. VP offers the platform from which this message can be spread and action initiated."Council members and Vanishing Paradise staff connected with each other - and the magnificent resource they are entrusted to restore - while fishing for bull redfish, a trophy species of the marsh that annually draws thousands of anglers to the region.

The group also got down to business on a strategy for moving forward with Vanishing Paradise's overarching goal of reconnecting the Mississippi River to its wetlands."

"We want to open up the Mississippi River to the marshlands by creating diversions in strategic locations in the levee and marsh canal system," said Arkansas native and VPSAC chair Tim Kizer . "By doing so we will allow the river system to naturally distribute sediment that will rebuild critical wetlands that provide nutrient filtration, physical tidal buffers for hurricane protection and erosion control along the Louisiana Gulf Coast."

The council, as a group and as individual sportsmen, agreed to the following three- to five-year milestone objectives:

  • Develop and implement an internal and external hunter/angler conservation communication strategy;
  • Advocate for responsible, strategic implementation of BP oil spill fine funds;
  • Secure an additional $5 billion for Mississippi River Delta restoration;
  • Secure sustainable funding for the Vanishing Paradise campaign;
  • Prioritize additional conservation issues and develop strategies to address them.

As with any large-scale habitat restoration project, these tasks won't be easy. But with the passionate, motivated and diverse group of new VPSAC members, the path forward is in play, and a nation of hunters and anglers will both engage and benefit in the restoration of America's world-class habitat for fish and wildlife.

]]> Wed, 03 Apr 2013 07:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/updates/vanishing-paradises-new-advisory-council-paves-a-path-forward/ Gulf Oil Spill Case: BP Needs to Be Held Accountable http://vanishingparadise.org/will-not-appear-on-front-page/gulf-oil-spill-case-bp-needs-to-be-held-accountable/ New Orleans, LA (February 24, 2013) - BP is facing tens of billions of dollars in penalties as the U.S. Department of Justice and the British oil giant get ready to start trial Monday over civil charges stemming from the 2010 Gulf oil spill. However, a recent report in the Wall Street Journal suggests that the Department of Justice may be considering proposing a settlement. Vanishing Paradise has released the following statement about the trial and any possible settlement:

Land Tawney, senior management for sportsmen leadership with National Wildlife Federation, said:

"The Mississippi River Delta is one of our national treasures and is of great importance to America's sportsmen and women. But the oil spill tarnished hundreds of miles of coastline and marred marshes important to fresh and saltwater fishing and waterfowling. Our Gulf of Mexico is not only a huge economic driver for our country; it is a place where our wildlife live, where we get the food we eat and where our families recreate enjoying the outdoors.

"A potential settlement as low as the reported $16 billion is unlikely to be enough to fully restore the Gulf of Mexico as the law requires. We must ensure that the Gulf Coast and Mississippi River Delta are restored so future generations can enjoy an area that provides wintering ground to 10 million of our nation's ducks and geese each year and fishing opportunities unlike anywhere else in the world. Such an important part of our nation's hunting and fishing heritage is worthy of comprehensive restoration and deserves a fair outcome from the damage done during the spill.

"In Louisiana alone, outdoor recreation generates $15.1 billion in consumer spending, another $4.6 billion in salaries and $1.1 billion in state and federal taxes. Outdoor activity also provides 146,000 jobs in Louisiana. Hunting and fishing play a huge role in that economic activity-activity that was put at risk by the oil spill and must be considered in any final resolution to this case."

Contact:

  • Emily Guidry Schatzel, National Wildlife Federation, 225.253.9781, schatzele@nwf.org
  • Ben Weber, National Wildlife Federation, 225.421.9130, weberb@nwf.org

New Orleans, LA (February 25, 2013) - FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

]]> Sun, 24 Feb 2013 08:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/will-not-appear-on-front-page/gulf-oil-spill-case-bp-needs-to-be-held-accountable/ VP's youngest Conservation Pro Staff member owns the room at RESTORE Council public meetings http://vanishingparadise.org/updates/vanishing-paradises-youngest-conservation-pro-staff-member-owns-the-room-at-restore-council-public-h/ This week, the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council is hosting a series of listening sessions throughout the Gulf States to gather public input on how RESTORE Act dollars should be spent. This plan will outline how RESTORE Act dollars will be translated into restoration projects that will shape the future of Gulf coast wetland habitats and vital fisheries.

As hunters and anglers, we must tell the Restoration Council that sportsmen and women support a healthy ecosystem AND a healthy economy for our Gulf States.

This is exactly what Vanishing Paradise's youngest Conservation Pro Staff member Sean Turner did on Wednesday night in New Orleans.

Nine-year-old Sean Turner waited patiently for his turn to speak. When his name was called, he marched confidently to the microphone in a room packed wall-to-wall with more than 200 policy makers, state and federal agency reps, reporters, scientists, and community leaders. His comments were simple and straightforward.

"I love to fish in Louisiana, and I've done it my entire life. It's important that we're able to fish because it means so much to all of us. This is a lot of money we are talking about. Don't mess this up. I want Louisiana's coast to stay here. I don't want to lose it because of some dumb oil spill."

As he uttered the last word of the simple message that came straight from his 9- year- old heart, the entire room BURST-I mean literally BURST-into riotous applause and shouts of support. People followed him out of the room clamoring to share words of thanks, support, and encouragement.

In a room of conservation, legal, scientific and policy professionals, Sean made the most honest and meaningful statement. Subsequent speakers cited his comments as they spoke to the RESTORE council representatives. "Sean said it best. We have to get this right. We have a responsibility to do everything we can to make sure that his generation has the opportunity to experience the Louisiana we love, and to share it with their children. We have to get this right."

We couldn't be more proud of Sean. He and his parents drove from their home an hour away, on their dime, to make their feelings known and to make a statement for future generations.

And Sean did it better than anyone in the room.

Background on the RESTORE Council

The 2010 Gulf oil spill caused extensive damage to the Gulf Coast's natural resources, devastating the economies and communities that rely on it. In an effort to help the region rebuild, Congress passed the bipartisan RESTORE Act, which dedicates 80 percent of Clean Water Act fines connected with the oil spill to the Gulf Region for ecological and economic recovery efforts.
The RESTORE Act established a Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council (the Council). The Council will develop and oversee implementation of a comprehensive plan to help restore the ecosystem and economy of the Gulf Coast region in the wake of the oil spill.
The VP Conservation Pro Staff is a group of volunteer leaders that are a vital part of Vanishing Paradise's efforts to educate hunters and anglers about the importance of the disappearing Mississippi River Delta. Our pro staff members are on the ground, on the airways and on the Internet, fighting for the delta.

]]> Fri, 22 Feb 2013 08:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/updates/vanishing-paradises-youngest-conservation-pro-staff-member-owns-the-room-at-restore-council-public-h/ Speak Up This Week for Sportsmen's Interests in the Gulf http://vanishingparadise.org/updates/speak-up-for-sportsmens-and-womens-interests-in-the-gulf/ After decades of abuse and mismanagement, our delta is one of the most vulnerable in the world. The delta has lost 1.2 million acres of wetlands since the 1930s and loses a football field of wetlands each hour. Right now, hunters and anglers can play a crucial role by attending an upcoming public meeting about the restoration plan to be drafted by the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council.

The RESTORE Act, which became federal law last summer in response to the 2010 Gulf Oil spill, requires that a Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council be formed and tasked with developing a comprehensive restoration plan to address impacts from the spill. The Restoration Council will take the initial step in gathering public input for the restoration plan with public hearing sessions scheduled for this week.

Promote Ecosystem Restoration

The Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council is holding public meetings to get YOUR opinion on how RESTORE Act dollars should be spent. The hearings will be held throughout the five Gulf States to discuss the development of their comprehensive plan to restore the Gulf ecosystem.

This plan will outline how RESTORE Act dollars will be translated into restoration projects that will shape the future of Gulf coast wetland habitats and vital fisheries. The Council is in an early stage of plan development and intends to release a draft of the plan for public comment in spring 2013.

The public engagement sessions are part of the Council's efforts to ensure robust public input throughout the entire process. And it is of dire importance that the hunting and fishing community get out to these hearings to voice support for using RESTORE Act dollars to comprehensively restore the Gulf.

Speak Up for Sportsmen's and Women's Interests in the Gulf

Your presence at the upcoming meetings can shape the future of the Gulf Coast.

Let the Council know that:
- To make the Gulf whole, the Council must make a concerted push for ecosystem restoration. This would be a win not just for the resource but also for the economy.
- Ecosystem Restoration is Economic Restoration
- Studies show that every $1 spent on ecosystem restoration generates $4 in added value throughout the economy - a win-win for communities and wildlife, especially in a region that supports a $34 billion a year tourism industry and 40% of all the seafood in the lower 48 states.
- Restoration must take a comprehensive ecosystem-scale approach.
- The wetlands surrounding the Mississippi River Delta alone contribute tens of billions of dollars to the national economy every year and support millions of jobs.
- The delta also provides important wintering ground for 10 million of our nation's waterfowl every year.
- We can restore the delta by connecting the Mississippi River to its wetlands, but we must act before it is too late.
- Restoring the Gulf ecosystem, cleaning up our coastlines and rebuilding our wetlands will protect people and property from future hurricanes and flooding, create new jobs and safeguard the fishing, tourism and other jobs that depend on a healthy Gulf of Mexico.

Attend an Upcoming Meeting:

Make your voice heard! Tell the Restoration Council that sportsmen and women support a healthy ecosystem AND a healthy economy for our Gulf states.

Tuesday, February 19
- Louisiana - 5:00 PM CST*
Terrebonne Civic Center, 346 Civic Center Blvd., Room 3, Houma, LA(Meeting to be held in conjunction with Louisiana's Annual Plan public hearing).

- Mississippi - 5:00 PM CST
Mississippi Coast Coliseum and Convention Center, 2350 Beach Blvd., Biloxi, MS

Wednesday, February 20
- Louisiana - 5:00 PM CST*
University of New Orleans, Homer Hitt Alumni Center Ballroom, 2000 Lakeshore Drive, New Orleans, LA. (Meeting to be held in conjunction with Louisiana's Annual Plan public hearing).

Thursday, February 21
- Louisiana - 5:00 PM CST*
Lack Charles Civic Center, Jean Lafitte Room, 900 Lakeshore Drive, Lake Charles, LA. (Meeting to be held in conjunction with Louisiana's Annual Plan public hearing).

Thursday, February 28
- Florida - 6:00 PM CST
Student Union East Conference Center, Gulf Coast State College, 5230 W. U.S. 98, Panama City Beach, FL

(Alabama and Texas meeting dates TBD)

Let us know if you are planning to attend.

]]> Mon, 18 Feb 2013 08:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/updates/speak-up-for-sportsmens-and-womens-interests-in-the-gulf/ 2013 Conservation Pro Staff Announced http://vanishingparadise.org/updates/2013-conservation-pro-staff-announced/ Hunters and anglers from across the country will advocate for the Mississippi River Delta

The Vanishing Paradise coalition is taking a huge step forward by announcing the makeup of its 30-member promotional staff.

Land Tawney, who manages Vanishing Paradise on behalf of the National Wildlife Federation, says the group of volunteer leaders will be a vital part of the coalition's efforts to educate hunters and anglers about the importance of the disappearing Mississippi River Delta.

"Almost every outdoors business in America has its own pro staff," Tawney said. "But this is the first time a conservation group has used this same idea to create a team of advocates for hunting and fishing habitat. Our pro staff members are going to be on the ground, on the airways and on the Internet fighting for the delta."

The wetlands of the Mississippi River Delta are eroding into the Gulf of Mexico at an average rate of a football field every hour. Vanishing Paradise is a coalition led by the National Wildlife Federation, Ducks Unlimited, and the Louisiana Wildlife Federation that aims to restore the Mississippi River Delta by strategically reintroducing water and sediment from the Mississippi River into the rapidly-eroding wetlands.

These coastal wetlands provide habitat for as much as 70% of the waterfowl in the Mississippi and Central Flyways and are important for both inshore and deepwater saltwater fish. The Mississippi River Delta is also a nationally recognized bass fishery.

The members of Vanishing Paradise's new pro staff are:
Burton Angelle, Louisiana Howard Malpass, Louisiana
Colin Anthony, Missouri Luke McNally, Washington
Curtis Arnold, Texas Mike McNett, Illinois
Chad Bell, Louisiana Wade Middleton, Texas
Karen Brigman, Nevada Matthew Miller, Wisconsin
Joey Buttram, Indiana Robert Montgomery, Missouri
Joule Charney, California Philip Nelson, Florida
Kyle Doherty, Missouri John Pollmann, South Dakota
Charles Faircloth, Alabama Taylor Schaltenbrand, Illinois
Mike Frenette, Louisiana Sonny Schindler, Mississippi
Jeff Giffin, Missouri Paul Strnad, Wisconsin
Joseph Gignac, Arkansas Sean Turner, Louisiana
Joseph Hoffmann, Minnesota Kirby Verret, Louisiana
Michael Kaufmann, Illinois Travis Weige, Texas
Joel Lucks, New York Garrett Wishon, North Carolina

Contact:
- Land Tawney, tawney@nwf.org, 406.370.3243
- Andy McDaniels, mcdanielsa@nwf.org, 405.219.7878
- Lacey McCormick, mccormick@nwf.org, 512.610.7765

New Orleans, LA (January 15, 2013) - FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

]]> Tue, 15 Jan 2013 08:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/updates/2013-conservation-pro-staff-announced/ Lake Lery: South Louisiana Honey Hole Still Recovering After Isaac http://vanishingparadise.org/updates/south-louisiana-honey-hole-still-recovering-after-isaac/ I was setting the hook before the hull of my boat had even settled into the water next to one of the innumerable grass beds lining the shores of Delacroix's Lake Lery.

The second cast of the day in the pink, pre-dawn light produced an explosive strike on a topwater Chug Bug and a nearly three-pound largemouth bass leaped and tail walked his way reluctantly toward the boat.

That same lure produced a strike from some kind of fish nearly every cast for the next hour and I landed more than 10 bass and a handful of smallish redfish before the sun rose above the tree line and shut down the topwater bite.

When the topwater bite slowed, I switched to a weedless, chartreuse soft-plastic fluke and continued to set the hook on tournament-caliber largemouths, slot-sized redfish and even a white bass. It was an anything-that-bites kind of morning and the action was furious for three hours.

Add in a handful of the year's first migrating teal buzzing overhead, mottled ducks lighting in the shallow, broken marsh and an occasional alligator chasing the Chug Bug and it was the perfect South Louisiana, Sportsman's Paradise scene.

That was in early August of 2012 and the thought running through my head all morning while catching fish after fish was ‘if it's this good here now, it's going to be incredible in October when the bass and redfish really want to eat.'

Two weeks later, Hurricane Isaac barreled through the Gulf Coast, inundating Delacroix's marshes and others across Southeast Louisiana with salty storm surge for nearly a week, changing my prospects for an October return.

Before Isaac, duck hunters and bass fisherman had been optimistic about the fall's prospects.

Lengthy, record-setting floods in the spring of 2010 and 2011 spurred the growth of lush submerged aquatic vegetation across the east bank of the Mississippi River where the river is connected to surrounding marshes through gaps and crevasses in its bank and man-made diversion projects.

In Delacroix, the river comes in via the Caernarvon Diversion, a concrete gate built in 1991 in the Mississippi's earthen levee. The diversion's mission is to keep the Gulf's salty waters at bay and improve oyster production throughout a large swath of Louisiana's bays and marshes.

The nutrients and fine sediments entering the marshes near the diversion almost immediately increased the area's submerged vegetation. Before long, largemouth bass and other freshwater fish returned to areas that had become havens for saltwater species like speckled trout and brown shrimp.

Speckled trout moved back to their more natural habitats closer to the Gulf during the spring and returned to healthier, shrimp and menhaden laden marshes in the fall because of the diversion. Freshwater-tolerant redfish and flounder stayed in the now-brackish marsh year round, patrolling the grass with the bass.

Delacroix, an immensely popular spot for saltwater fishermen for generations, quickly became a destination for bass anglers as well and gained the reputation for being one of those unique South Louisiana fisheries where fresh and saltwater species could be caught in the same areas on the same bait in consecutive casts.

Bass fishermen accustomed to two-pound largemouths smacking spinnerbaits or inhaling topwater frogs had to hold the rod extra tightly in Delacroix for the more than occasional savage strike from a six-pound-plus redfish.

The duck hunting improved as well as the submerged vegetation provided much better food supplies and habitat for teal, gadwall, pintails and, sometimes, mallards.

The grass beds that held those late summer bass and redfish and held the promise of an incredible duck season in Delacroix in 2012 and other areas up and down the east side of the Mississippi River were killed by Isaac's storm surges that exceeded 12 feet in some locations.

The hurricane's incessant wave action also eroded precious and precarious shorelines throughout coastal basins, widening open wounds in the marsh left by Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, Gustav and Ike. Levees along both sides of the river built nearly a century ago to protect the navigation channel and retain flood waters have isolated the marshes built by the Mississippi's sediment-rich waters. Wounds left by hurricanes that could be healed with new sediment from the river instead grow larger each day.

The speckled trout returned deep into the Delacroix marsh after Isaac, following the saltwater and gorging themselves on a bumper crop of white shrimp. Reports of trout anglers catching generous limits of 25 fish per person per day in less than three hours were the norm throughout October, November and early December.

Predictably, the duck season was disappointing. And, while there were still a handful of bass and redfish* cruising shorelines and points, most anglers seeking those two species had a very difficult time finding them.

However, thanks to the Caernarvon Diversion, the poor catches of bass and redfish and the disappointing duck season in Isaac's wake may turn around thanks to the same remedy that has cured the area's grass beds in the wakes of hurricanes over the last two decades.

With an influx of water from the Mississippi River brought by the diversion this spring, bass could be blowing up topwater baits again in Lake Lery by August 2013.

]]> Mon, 14 Jan 2013 08:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/updates/south-louisiana-honey-hole-still-recovering-after-isaac/ Karen Brigman http://vanishingparadise.org/pro-staff/karen-brigman/ Fri, 11 Jan 2013 08:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/pro-staff/karen-brigman/ Charles Faircloth http://vanishingparadise.org/pro-staff/charles-faircloth/ Fri, 11 Jan 2013 08:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/pro-staff/charles-faircloth/ Chad Bell http://vanishingparadise.org/pro-staff/chad-bell/ Chad serves on several pro staffs and pro teams, including Sitka Gear, Rocky Mountain Athlete, GORE(tm) OPTIFADE(tm), GORE(tm) Hunting & Waterfowl Tech, and Wolf Distributors. Chad always strives to be an example of an ethical outdoorsman and says, "Integrity is something that you can't get back once you cross it off your resume."

]]> Fri, 11 Jan 2013 08:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/pro-staff/chad-bell/ Garrett Wishon http://vanishingparadise.org/pro-staff/garrett-wishon/ Fri, 11 Jan 2013 08:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/pro-staff/garrett-wishon/ Joe Hoffman http://vanishingparadise.org/pro-staff/joe-hoffman/ Fri, 11 Jan 2013 08:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/pro-staff/joe-hoffman/ Joel Lucks http://vanishingparadise.org/pro-staff/joel-lucks/ In recent years, Joel's documentary photo-essays have appeared on OutdoorLife.com, in Outdoors Unlimited, with photos also appearing in Mississippi Land & Lodges magazine. He has worked intimately with the National Wildlife Federation since 2010. His aerial photos of the south Louisiana wetlands, along with his work for The Restore the Earth Foundation, as Team Photographer, have recorded the challenging restoration projects of both organizations and told a striking story of "awareness" and need for wetlands restoration.

As a Commercial Photographer, he has done work for National Geographic Snorkeler, Panther Martin Lures and a wide range of other commercial accounts. In the past, he has written for ESPN Saltwater, Bass Pro Shops, Cabela's Outfitter Journal and contributed to Kayak Angler.

He is past president of the New York State Outdoor Writers Association (NYSOWA), is a longstanding member of the Outdoor Writers Association of America (OWAA) and a current member of The Explorers Club.

]]> Fri, 11 Jan 2013 08:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/pro-staff/joel-lucks/ John Pollmann http://vanishingparadise.org/pro-staff/john-pollmann/ A life-long outdoorsman, Mr. Pollmann has hunted in such famed locations as the Eastern Shore of Maryland; the Interlakes region of Manitoba; the flooded timber of Arkansas; and coastal Louisiana. His favorite place to be, however, remains a marsh in South Dakota, where he loves decoying mallards and pintails hatched on the Coteau des Prairies.

In addition to outdoor writing, Mr. Pollmann holds an advanced degree in music and currently teaches at Pipestone Area School in Pipestone, MN. He is an active member of Ducks Unlimited, Delta Waterfowl, Pheasants Forever, and the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, and currently serves as a member-at-large for the South Dakota Wildlife Federation.

Mr. Pollmann lives in Dell Rapids, SD with his wife Amber, their son Miles and a yellow Labrador named Murphy.

]]> Fri, 11 Jan 2013 08:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/pro-staff/john-pollmann/ Kyle Doherty http://vanishingparadise.org/pro-staff/kyle-doherty/ Fri, 11 Jan 2013 08:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/pro-staff/kyle-doherty/ Matthew Miller http://vanishingparadise.org/pro-staff/matthew-miller/ Matthew Miller lives in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. His first experience hunting was in the Wisconsin Northwoods chasing snowshoe rabbit with his father and the ever growing pack of beagles. Today, Matt can be found solely hunting upland and waterfowl. The pursuit of game is what provides Matt a deeper sense of respect, admiration, and humility. No stranger to sustaining land, Matthew served as the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Assistant Mountain Bike Trails Coordinator for the Southern Kettle Moraine. When not hunting and enjoying the outdoors, Matthew serves as the guitar instructor for Carthage College, Ripon College, and the University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh.

]]> Fri, 11 Jan 2013 08:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/pro-staff/matthew-miller/ Mike Kaufmann http://vanishingparadise.org/pro-staff/mike-kaufmann/ Fri, 11 Jan 2013 08:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/pro-staff/mike-kaufmann/ Mike McNett http://vanishingparadise.org/pro-staff/mike-mcnett/ McNett has a personable and easy style that endears him to new competitors and seasoned professionals and when coupled with his high energy business acumen is a formidable force in organization, management and acquisition of financing. Mike is currently in his third year as an Insurance Producer for Humbert Insurance Agency in Elmhurst Illinois. Mike was also the driving force for USA Ice Team as GOLD medal Team Captain and Director of Operations.

2005 North American Ice Fishing Circuit (NAIFC) Champion
2007 NAIFC Co-founder
2007-2012 NAIFC Director of Operations
2007 USA Ice Team Founder
2008-2010 ICE MEN TV Creator, Writer, Director, Videographer and Producer
2008-present USA Ice Team Director
2009 United States Freshwater Fishing Federation (USF3) Co-founder
2010-present USF3 Vice Chairman
2010 World Ice Fishing Championship GOLD Medal (Team Captain)

PROSTAFF/FIELD STAFF
HT Enterprises
St Croix Rods
Marukyu Baits
Shark Premium Tackle
Beam Outdoors

]]> Fri, 11 Jan 2013 08:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/pro-staff/mike-mcnett/ Philip Nelson http://vanishingparadise.org/pro-staff/philip-nelson/ Fri, 11 Jan 2013 08:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/pro-staff/philip-nelson/ Robert Montgomery http://vanishingparadise.org/pro-staff/robert-montgomery/ Fri, 11 Jan 2013 08:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/pro-staff/robert-montgomery/ Sean Rabalais Turner http://vanishingparadise.org/pro-staff/sean-rabalais-turner/ The Outdoor Kitchen Show, a television program that runs in the Greater Baton Rouge area and features outdoor adventures and recipes to go with them. Sean is frequently co-host of the show and has interviewed both adults and children on subjects from hunting, fishing, and outdoors safety to cooking outdoors and even coastal restoration projects. He loves target shooting, especially with his compound bow, and is on the 4-H Shooting Sports Archery Team for Ascension Parish. Sean is passionate about his environment and hopes to be involved in the outdoors even when he grows up - hopefully as a hunting and fishing guide with his own lodge, he says.]]> Fri, 11 Jan 2013 08:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/pro-staff/sean-rabalais-turner/ Sonny Schindler http://vanishingparadise.org/pro-staff/sonny-schindler/ Fri, 11 Jan 2013 08:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/pro-staff/sonny-schindler/ Taylor Schaltenbrand http://vanishingparadise.org/pro-staff/taylor-schaltenbrand/ I am a die hard waterfowl hunter and have been since my days at Freeburg High School. I also enjoy archery deer hunting, spring and fall turkey hunting, as well as upland game hunting. I love chasing waterfowl all over Illinois in the fields, lakes, river bottoms, and especially the flooded timber. I currently am on Pro Staff with Fowl Play Game Calls, FowlNation.com, and Vanishing Paradise. I greatly enjoy volunteering my time with my local Monroe County Ducks Unlimited Chapter and making sure that we raise money to conserve wetlands and habitat for our future generations.

I attended Southern Illinois University Edwardsville where I studied Geography and Environmental Sciences where I learned even more about the importance of conservation efforts that are needed to protect our Nation's vital ecosystems and habitat. I am proud to be a member of the Vanishing Paradise Pro Staff and look forward to volunteering my time to such a vital organization.

]]> Fri, 11 Jan 2013 08:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/pro-staff/taylor-schaltenbrand/ Travis Weige http://vanishingparadise.org/pro-staff/travis-weige/ Fri, 11 Jan 2013 08:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/pro-staff/travis-weige/ Wade Middleton http://vanishingparadise.org/articles/wade-middleton/ Wade Middleton is the President and Co-owner of Careco TV one of the leading outdoor media production companies in the nation. With years of experience at various levels in the outdoors he works with numerous companies nationwide to design programs, initiatives and strategies related to fishing and outdoors opportunities. Wade also is the host and producer of many of the top rated outdoor television fishing programs on air today such as Americana Outdoors Presented by Garmin, Yamaha's Whitetail Diaries, Cabela's Fisherman's Handbook, Fishing and Hunting Texas as well as The Cabela's Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship Series. For more information visit www.careocotv.com

]]> Fri, 11 Jan 2013 08:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/articles/wade-middleton/ Curtis Arnold http://vanishingparadise.org/pro-staff/curtis-arnold/ Curtis Arnold started with Sure-Shot Game Calls in the summer of 1993 at the age of 13. Being the grandson of Jim "Cowboy" Fernandez-one of the designers of the first-ever double reed call-comes with certain expectations and building game calls and hunting are at the top of that list.

Curtis attended Lamar University and graduated in 2005 with an Engineering degree. At that point he was offered the position of Production Manager at the company. His role is slightly broader now under the new management of owner, and long time family friend, Charlie Holder.

When not at work he is either on the road for company events or in a rice field or flooded timber chasing after ducks.

He is a champion caller and avide outdoorsman. He has lived in the southeast part of Texas his whole life and enjoys being a voice for wetlands and waterfowl conservation in his home state.

]]> Fri, 11 Jan 2013 08:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/pro-staff/curtis-arnold/ Jeff Giffin http://vanishingparadise.org/pro-staff/jeff-giffin/ Jeff has been active in outdoor recreation for his entire life with more than 20 years experience hunting and fishing. He has spent the last eight years passing on his knowledge of the outdoors by teaching fly fishing and tying workshops. He has also volunteered his time with casting for recovery and taught children the importance of conservation through outdoor workshops. He is a firm believer in conserving our native lands though habitat reconstruction, catch and release fishing, and proper wildlife management. It is his personal goal to share his knowledge with as many individuals as possible to inspire our next generation of conservationists.

]]> Fri, 11 Jan 2013 08:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/pro-staff/jeff-giffin/ Howard Malpass http://vanishingparadise.org/pro-staff/howard-malpass/ Howard Malplass is the owner of Gray Wolf Fly Shop in Shreveport, Louisiana. This is the largest privately owned fly shop in 200 miles. Previously, he operated a private investigation agency with five offices in the United States and one office in Bristol, England, U.K. He is also a United States Air Force disabled Vietnam Veteran, the former Chairman of the Shreveport Airport Authority and he was a Boy Scout Leader for 21 years.

]]> Fri, 11 Jan 2013 08:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/pro-staff/howard-malpass/ Colin B. Anthony http://vanishingparadise.org/pro-staff/colin-b-anthony/ Colin B. Anthony is the director of business development at the Outdoor Hub. The rivers that make up the flyways of Missouri hold a special place in Colin's heart. These rivers shaped both his outdoor passions as well as his career in the outdoor industry. As a trapper and duck hunter he witnessed firsthand the affects of poor land management and its devastating consequences on river habitat. Joining the Vanishing Paradise pro staff is a personal commitment by Colin to be an upstream advocate and steward for conservation and the preservation of the Mississippi River Delta.

]]> Fri, 11 Jan 2013 08:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/pro-staff/colin-b-anthony/ Paul Strnad http://vanishingparadise.org/pro-staff/paul-strnad/ I've been an avid, bird, small game, and whitetail hunter my entire life, even though none of my parents or siblings hunted. I had a special Uncle who taught me respect for nature and firearms.

In 2012, I had the opportunity to hunt with Joe Gignac and Andy McDaniels in the flooded timber of Arkansas, and we talked about Vanishing Paradise. I look forward to contributing whatever I can to the effort! I figure, even a waterfowling "Rookie" like myself can make an impact, even if it's just picking up a spent shell!

]]> Fri, 11 Jan 2013 08:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/pro-staff/paul-strnad/ Burton Angelle http://vanishingparadise.org/pro-staff/burton-angelle/ I grew up hunting and fishing in the Atchafalaya Basin with my grandfather and dad beginning at a very young age. They instilled in me not only a passion for hunting and fishing but also a love for the state of Louisiana which we can call "Sportsman's Paradise."

I have volunteered for many years with organization such as Coastal Conservation Association and Ducks Unlimited on the local, state and national levels. I truly love our state and want many generations after me to be able to enjoy it as well.

]]> Fri, 11 Jan 2013 08:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/pro-staff/burton-angelle/ Vanishing Paradise Names Advisory Council http://vanishingparadise.org/updates/vanishing-paradise-names-advisory-council/ Members of the council have "a real passion for the outdoors" and "a proven record of success."

Today, Vanishing Paradise announced the members of its new advisory council, which is made up of a dozen conservation leaders from across the United States.

Land Tawney, who manages the Vanishing Paradise coalition on behalf of the National Wildlife Federation, says the council's leadership will be vital as the coalition works to educate America's hunters and anglers about the importance of the Mississippi River Delta.

"Everyone on the council has a real passion for the outdoors and for passing on our nation's conservation legacy," Tawney said. "These individuals all have a proven record of success in the outdoors industry. Their advice will be invaluable as we work to inspire hunters and anglers across the country to take action on behalf of the Mississippi River Delta."

Vanishing Paradise is a coalition led by the National Wildlife Federation, Ducks Unlimited, and the Louisiana Wildlife Federation that aims to restore the Mississippi River Delta by strategically reintroducing water and sediment from the Mississippi River into the rapidly-eroding wetlands at the river's mouth.

These coastal wetlands provide habitat for as much as 70% of the waterfowl in the Mississippi and Central Flyways and are important for the reproductive cycles of both inshore and deepwater saltwater fish. The Mississippi River Delta is also a nationally recognized bass fishery.

Unfortunately, the wetlands of the Mississippi River Delta are eroding into the Gulf of Mexico at an average rate of a football field every hour.

"The ongoing degradation of the Mississippi River Delta should be a burning issue for American sportsmen and women-no matter where they live," said Tim Kizer, the president of Sundog, Inc. and the chairperson of the advisory council. "Each member of the council will bring tremendous energy and unique insights to the table. I'm confident we will be able to move the ball forward on behalf of restoring this great American landscape." (Photo of Tim Kizer, new council chair.)

The members of Vanishing Paradise's new advisory council are:
- Tim Kizer, Chairman, President of Sundog, Inc., Arkansas
- David Dellucci, retired Major League Baseball player, Louisiana
- Eric Cosby, Vice President of CEMCO, Inc./Top Brass Tackle, Mississippi
- Gabe Galster, CEO of New Hope Prosthetic and Orthotic Services, Inc., Arkansas
- George Cooper, Senior Vice President at Forbes-Tate, former president & CEO of the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, Virginia
- Hal Herring, contributing editor at Field and Stream, Montana
- Jared Mott, Policy Director for the Bull Moose Sportsmen's Alliance, Washington, D.C.
- Noel Vick, Owner, Traditions Media, Minnesota
- Ryan Lambert, President of Cajun Fishing Adventures, Inc., Louisiana
- Steve Bowman, outdoor journalist, author of the Arkansas Duck Hunters Almanac, Arkansas
- Steve Rampy, Owner, CallingDucks.com, Tennessee
- Teeg Stouffer, Executive Director, Recycled Fish, Nebraska
- Tony Taylor, Owner, Louisiana Sportsmen, Louisiana

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE New Orleans, LA (January 2, 2013)

Contact: Lacey McCormick, mccormick@nwf.org, 512.610.7765
Land Tawney, tawney@nwf.org, 406.541.6733

]]> Wed, 02 Jan 2013 08:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/updates/vanishing-paradise-names-advisory-council/ Our Family Tradition: The Christmas Hunt http://vanishingparadise.org/updates/our-family-tradition-the-christmas-hunt/ One of the most revered traditions in my family has been the annual Christmas-time hunt. My grandfather started this tradition when my uncles were very young. I have carried on this tradition with my sons, and I hope to be fortunate enough to continue it with my grandchildren.

I can remember the anticipation that I felt as a young boy, waiting to be old enough to accompany the men of the family into the hunting blind. And I saw this same anticipation in each of my sons' eyes until they were able to accompany me to the marshes and fields.

I have so many wonderful memories-the cold numbness in my hands and feet, each of my sons' first successful hunt, the first or last retrieve of a favorite dog.

I remember cold clear days, weighted down with dozens of decoys, our guns and gear. We trudged through thick swamp mud to meticulously set out decoys in anticipation of flights of mallards, pintail and widgeon.

Many times, without ever seeing a bird, we drank coffee and hot chocolate as we talked, laughed and caught up on the events in each other's lives. I can remember hunts with my grandfather and uncles that were so successful, my shoulder would hurt from shooting and I would need help bringing the harvested mallards, pintails and gadwalls out of the blind.

I learned so much about life while in the hunting blind with the men of my family. There were countless conversations that touched on the importance of keeping wildlife in the hands of the public and the great obligations that holds for us all. There were stories from my grandfather's youth about the market hunters that contributed to waterfowl's decline, and the later conservation efforts that helped restore their abundance.

My grandfather would have hours-long conversations about conservation efforts in places that to me-as a boy in Oklahoma-seemed a world away, places like the prairie pot holes of the Dakotas. These conversations continue to this day, although the faces in the blind have changed and many of the men in my family are no longer with us.

My greatest hope is that the coming generations of hunters will be grateful that we have done our part to stop the destruction of the Mississippi River Delta and thereby ensured our children and grandchildren the ability to enjoy the same bounty of waterfowl that those before us fought to ensure and protect for our generation.

Photo by Diane Glassmeyer.

]]> Sat, 22 Dec 2012 08:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/updates/our-family-tradition-the-christmas-hunt/ Tim Kizer, Chairman http://vanishingparadise.org/advisory-council/tim-kizer/ Tim Kizer is the President of Sundog, Inc., an Arkansas based business and project development firm focused on conservation, agriculture and sustainability. Tim's lifelong devotion to the outdoors has provided him and his family with years of memories in the field and on the water. His work in conservation has included strategic planning for national organizations, a year-long study of the impacts of energy transmission on western landscapes and currently as an agriculture consultant to the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership. Tim volunteers on the staff of the North American Grouse Partnership and is an active supporter of multiple national and regional conservation groups.

]]> Fri, 14 Dec 2012 08:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/advisory-council/tim-kizer/ Steve Bowman http://vanishingparadise.org/advisory-council/steve-bowman/ Steve Bowman is the Executive Editor of OutdoorChannel.com and Tournament editor for Bassmaster.com. He is a lifelong hunter and fisherman. His work in editorial includes serving as the Outdoor Editor for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette and Executive Editor of ESPN Outdoors. He has authored three books, two on waterfowling and one on bass fishing. His writings are often centered on conservation issues and how they impact hunters and fishermen. He is an active supporter of multiple conservation groups around the country. He is a frequent speaker to men's groups in churches and in his spare time he serves as a Pulaski County Sheriff Deputy in his home state of Arkansas.

]]> Thu, 13 Dec 2012 08:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/advisory-council/steve-bowman/ Gabe Galster http://vanishingparadise.org/advisory-council/gabe-galster/ Thu, 13 Dec 2012 08:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/advisory-council/gabe-galster/ Hal Herring http://vanishingparadise.org/advisory-council/hal-herring/ Thu, 13 Dec 2012 08:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/advisory-council/hal-herring/ Teeg Stouffer http://vanishingparadise.org/advisory-council/teeg-stouffer/ Thu, 13 Dec 2012 08:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/advisory-council/teeg-stouffer/ Eric Cosby http://vanishingparadise.org/advisory-council/eric-cosby/ Thu, 13 Dec 2012 08:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/advisory-council/eric-cosby/ Steve Rampy http://vanishingparadise.org/advisory-council/steve-rampy/ Thu, 13 Dec 2012 08:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/advisory-council/steve-rampy/ Jared Mott http://vanishingparadise.org/advisory-council/jared-mott/ Jared Mott grew up on the banks of the Mississippi River in Vicksburg, Mississippi. The son of professional wildlife biologists, he was quickly exposed to wildlife, hunting, and fishing. They quickly became his passions and after completing college and law school, he decided to make conservation a career and left the Magnolia State for Washington, DC. After living and working in DC for a couple years, Jared met his wife Michelle, an exiled Cajun also working in government relations. They still live in Washington, where Jared is the Policy Director for the Bull Moose Sportsmen's Alliance. But they travel back to Louisiana and Mississippi frequently, never letting the call of their homelands go unanswered for too long.

]]> Thu, 13 Dec 2012 08:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/advisory-council/jared-mott/ George Cooper http://vanishingparadise.org/advisory-council/george-cooper/ George Cooper is a Senior Vice President at Forbes-Tate and was with Forbes-Tate's predecessor firm, Cauthen Forbes & Williams. Mr. Cooper leads the firm's natural resource and outdoor recreation government affairs work. Mr. Cooper also directs the firm's strategic communications practice and works closely with the Forbes-Tate's clients to develop and implement effective public relations and media strategies. Prior to joining Forbes-Tate, Mr. Cooper served as the President and CEO of the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, a groundbreaking coalition of the land and offshore energy development, private lands agricultural policy, and wetlands conservation. nation's leading hunting, fishing and conservation organizations founded to give the sportsman-conservationist voice greater resonance in federal policymaking. Throughout his seven years at TRCP, both as CEO and as Vice President for Policy and Communications, Mr. Cooper helped create a new strategic advocacy niche for the nation's 40-million hunters and anglers with an emphasis on highly effective communications around issues including marine resources management, participation and access, western public lands management, public public land and offshore energy development, private lands agricultural policy, and wetlands conservation. Mr. Cooper's communications and political experience extends directly into the media. Prior to joining TRCP, Mr. Cooper worked for CNN for ten years. From 1997 to 2003 Mr. Cooper served as Senior Producer for public affairs shows including "Evans and Novak," "Late Edition with Wolf Blitzer," and "Reliable Sources" and then produced on the White House and Capitol Hill beats. During his time show producing and story producing in Washington, Mr. Cooper worked closely with prominent political experts and interviewed and reported on members of Congress, top administration officials and other leading figures in Washington. Prior to those assignments, he was at CNN Headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia with Headline News and the network's Political Unit covering the 1996 elections. At Forbes-Tate, Mr. Cooper helps clients better understand the media and how to deliver messages that will punch through and be heard by Congress, the Administration and the general public. His extensive background in issue advocacy and journalism gives Mr. Cooper a unique understanding of how to shape advocacy campaigns and media plans to achieve positive public results. Mr. Cooper graduated from Denison University where he received a Bachelor of Arts in History and a minor in Political Science. He and his wife and two children live in Alexandria, Virginia.

]]> Thu, 13 Dec 2012 08:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/advisory-council/george-cooper/ Ryan Lambert http://vanishingparadise.org/advisory-council/ryan-lambert/ Thu, 13 Dec 2012 08:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/advisory-council/ryan-lambert/ David Dellucci http://vanishingparadise.org/advisory-council/david-dellucci/ Thu, 13 Dec 2012 08:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/advisory-council/david-dellucci/ Noel Vick http://vanishingparadise.org/advisory-council/noel-vick/ Noel Vick is the owner and president of Traditions Media, LLC, a fishing-focused PR and marketing group. The company's clients include MarCum Technologies, Lund Boats, Aquateko, St. Croix Rods, Rapala Brands, Rippin' Lips and StrikeMaster Augers. He lives in Mendota Heights, Minnesota.

]]> Thu, 13 Dec 2012 08:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/advisory-council/noel-vick/ Tony Taylor http://vanishingparadise.org/advisory-council/tony-taylor/ As publisher of the Louisiana Sportsman and president of Louisiana Publishing, I'm truly blessed to have a job that I love. I've been an avid duck hunter since the age when my dad would drop me off on the side of the road and we would hike into the Blind River swamps with our duct-taped tennis shoes. Of course, I've hunted anything that might be edible and I particularly love to get in the woods deer hunting, but I haven't been able to break with my first hunting love. I primarily fish for specks and reds out of Grand Isle where we have had a camp for over 25 years. My wife, Ann, and I have lived in Luling, Louisiana for 25 years.

]]> Thu, 13 Dec 2012 08:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/advisory-council/tony-taylor/ What Would Justice for the Gulf Look Like? http://vanishingparadise.org/updates/what-would-justice-for-the-gulf-look-like/ It doesn't seem that long ago that I found myself on the bow of an offshore charter fishing boat trying to process the sight that lay before me. We had been working out of Venice, LA since the 2010 BP oil spill began and reports had come in from a charter captain that there was a huge swath of water just a few miles out of the pass that appeared to be covered in oil thick enough to stand on. We had left the Venice marina just an hour or so earlier, and in the short run out of South Pass, we found what we were looking for. Miles and miles of thick, dark, oil as far as the eye could see.

At this point, the 2010 BP oil spill had been going on for weeks, and we had seen multiple failed attempts to plug the well. We had seen large bands of oily sheen creeping slowly towards Louisiana's coastline. We would eventually see portions of our beloved marshes-where we had been sight casting to tailing redfish just prior to the spill-become inundated with oil.

Of all the terrible things I would witness during the spill, it was this day out of South Pass that would stick with me. The beautiful fishing grounds of south Louisiana, both inshore marshes and open water, were completely saturated with oil from BP's Macondo well.

It was the first time the fishing guides I had befriended during the spill seemed defeated. Until this point, they had remained optimistic that the Gulf could survive this onslaught of oil, exemplifying the resilience that has come to define the people of coastal Louisiana. But today, they could not mask their emotions and the anxiety brought about by the thought of losing the resource upon which their livelihoods and their families depended.

Those of us lucky enough to really know the Gulf, recognize that this ecosystem is incredibly resilient. Yes, there have been natural seeps leaking oil into the deep waters of the Gulf since long before our time. Yes, there have been countless devastating hurricanes. Yes, so many of the Gulf's critical coastal wetlands-particularly in the delta-have been lost. But despite it all, the Gulf remains full of life and full of fish.

But I think we need to be honest with ourselves, as the charter captains were that day. This unprecedented release of 4.9 million barrels of oil plus large amounts of methane and dispersants has caused near-term impacts to the fishery, coastal habitat, and thousands of people's livelihoods. It will cause long-term damage to the Gulf, with the full extent of impacts revealing themselves as the years go by. That's the bad news.

The good news is that the Gulf region has a potential champion in the Department of Justice (DOJ). It's a pretty simple scenario-if DOJ gets it right, they will prevent BP from walking away with the bargain basement settlement agreement recent media reports have indicated BP is looking for.

To understand the crucial role DOJ plays, consider the outstanding elements of the case. BP still owes billions of dollars in civil penalties under a host of environmental laws, such as the Oil Pollution Act, Clean Water Act and others.

The Oil Pollution Act of 1990-introduced following the Exxon Valdez oil spill-created the rules for calculating BP's restoration liability. If BP paid the same per-gallon amount as Exxon did for the Valdez spill, the total payment would be in the range of $31 billion. This money will be used to clean up the spill and restore the Gulf.

The Clean Water Act fines will also be significant. If DOJ is able to prove that BP was guilty of gross negligence-and the agency seems confident in their ability to do just that-BP's total fines under this law alone could be in the range of $20 billion. Thanks to the recent passage of the RESTORE Act, 80% of these Clean Water Act fines will go back to the Gulf States for restoration.

To be clear, BP flagrantly violated both the Clean Water Act and the Oil Pollution Act-whatever settlement is reached needs to include robust payments under both these categories.

The surprisingly good news is the Department of Justice recently announced the largest criminal settlement in history: $4.5 billion. And in a totally unexpected move, the DOJ structured the plea agreement so it specifies that $1.2 billion of this money will be used for Mississippi River diversions and barrier island restoration in Louisiana.

Another $1.2 billion will be distributed to the remaining Gulf States-Florida, Alabama, Mississippi and Texas-also for restoration purposes.

This robust criminal settlement gives us reason to believe that DOJ is taking its role as a champion for the Gulf seriously-it is a wonderful start. However, the fight is far from over.

Folks down here in Louisiana don't believe we have seen the full extent of the spill's impacts on our hunting and fishing grounds. We know it will take years-even decades-before we understand the full extent of the impacts on the Gulf.

]]> Thu, 06 Dec 2012 08:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/updates/what-would-justice-for-the-gulf-look-like/ Duck Commander Urges Restoration of Mississippi River Delta's Imperiled Wetlands http://vanishingparadise.org/updates/duck-commander-urges-restoration-of-mississippi-river-deltas-imperiled-wetlands/ Duck Commander, a world-leader in the manufacture of duck calls and waterfowl hunting equipment and the company featured in the A&E television program "Duck Dynasty," recently added its name to a list of more than 800 businesses and organizations to sign a letter urging Congress to support the restoration of the Mississippi River Delta's imperiled wetlands.

The letter is part of the Vanishing Paradise campaign's efforts to encourage outdoorsmen and women and the organizations and businesses that support them to advocate for coastal restoration in Louisiana, where the Mississippi River meets the Gulf of Mexico. The Vanishing Paradise Campaign effort is headed by the National Wildlife Federation, the Louisiana Wildlife Federation and Ducks Unlimited.

Duck Commander joins other world-renowned hunting and fishing equipment manufacturers and conservation organizations like B.A.S.S. Inc, Mercury Outboards, Shimano American Corp, Pure Fishing, Quantum, Plano Molding, Orvis, Frabill and the Coastal Conservation Association. Located in West Monroe, La., Duck Commander and its sister company Buck Commander join more than 150 other Louisiana companies and organizations to sign the letter.

"Duck Commander has long been a supporter of efforts to protect and restore our hunting and fishing habitats," said Duck Commander Senior Manager Al Robertson. "Everyone working here at Duck Commander got into this business because we love to duck hunt. Without healthy wetlands, we lose opportunities to do what we love and we lose a chance to pass our love for the outdoors to the next generation. We are proud to support the Vanishing Paradise campaign."

The marshes and swamps of the Mississippi River Delta offer world-class hunting and fishing opportunities. They are the wintering grounds for as many as 10 million ducks and geese migrating through the middle of North America and are the nursery for fish that populate the entire Gulf of Mexico.

Unfortunately, this unique and vital habitat is vanishing faster than any other landmass in the world. Levees along the Mississippi River have starved the area's wetlands of vital sediment and freshwater while manmade canals have carved up wetlands and allowed saltwater to penetrate deep into freshwater and brackish swamps.

Nearly 2000 square miles of coastal habitat has been lost along Louisiana's coast in the last 80 years, an area equal to the size of the state of Delaware. Nearly 20 square miles sink or wash away every year. That land loss threatens hunting and fishing opportunities, entire communities and a unique culture and way of life.

"Losing wetlands in the Mississippi River Delta means the loss of healthy waterfowl populations in this country," said National Wildlife Federation Senior Manager for Sportsman Leadership Land Tawney. "The Vanishing Paradise Campaign has played a vital role in securing some much needed funding for the restoration of the delta but there is an enormous amount of work to be done if we hope to fully address this dire land loss. The support of Duck Commander and other companies makes our work possible."

Vanishing Paradise worked tirelessly to rally support from sportsmen across the country to urge Congress to pass the Restore Act last June, ensuring penalties from Clean Water Act violation from the BP oil spill will be sent to the Gulf Coast for ecosystem and economic recovery. The campaign also worked within Louisiana to help win legislative approval of the state's 2012 comprehensive coastal restoration and hurricane protection master plan, a scientifically-based plan that calls for a host of sediment diversion from the Mississippi River and large-scale marsh and barrier island restoration projects.

"Louisiana is rich in hunting and fishing opportunity and tradition and companies like Duck Commander are a big part of that," said Louisiana Wildlife Federation Coastal Outreach Coordinator Chris Macaluso. "This state is Sportsman's Paradise. Thanks to the organizations and individuals who are supporting the Vanishing Paradise campaign, we are working to make sure it stays that way."

Contact:
Chris Macaluso, Louisiana Wildlife Federation,
(225) 344-6707 or (225) 802-4048

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

]]> Tue, 04 Dec 2012 08:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/updates/duck-commander-urges-restoration-of-mississippi-river-deltas-imperiled-wetlands/ Fall Fishing in the West Bay Diversion http://vanishingparadise.org/updates/fall-fishing-in-the-west-bay-diversion/ There may be no better place in the entire world to catch fish in the fall than the mouth of the Mississippi. The river is low, the water is green and saltier and the cooler weather pushes redfish, speckled trout, flounder and sometimes even sea-run striped bass into passes, sand bars, rock jetties and spillways up and down lower Plaquemines Parish.

In the last few years, one of the go-to hotspots for early fall redfish and flounder and late-fall speckled trout has been the West Bay diversion, located between Venice and Head of Passes.

Mark Fisher of WileyX Sunglasses with Lew Carpenter of Vanishing Paradise in the West Bay Diversion

The diversion, built by a federal and state coastal restoration program called the Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection and Restoration Act (CWPPRA), is simply a cut in the river's bank designed to move sediment-laden water out of the main channel to build land in the adjacent, relatively shallow, open waters of West Bay.

That water movement and newly-formed habitat has attracted fish and fishermen for at least the last five Octobers and Novembers. For a while, it appeared October and November 2012 would be West Bay's last fall.

The agencies controlling CWPPRA decided, due to of a variety of complications, fiscal limitations, geographic and geologic reasons and bad agreements, that West Bay needed to be closed in 2013. Vanishing Paradise, Louisiana Wildlife Federation and conservation organizations across the country argued vehemently against that decision and lobbied to have it overturned.

Thankfully for those who have watched the diversion become a fishing hot spot and, more importantly build several acres of land in the last four years, CWPPRA listened to the pleas of conservation organizations and the decision to close the West Bay project was reversed October 11, 2012.

Four years ago, CWPPRA was forced to spend millions on dredging because of an agreement signed more than a decade ago by the State of Louisiana and the Army Corps of Engineers. The agreement basically made the CWPPRA program responsible for paying dredging costs for any "induced shoaling" in the Mississippi River caused by the diversion. Induced shoaling is a more technical way of saying the diversion causes sediment to pile up in the river.

Shoaling caused by West Bay is particularly troubling to riverboat pilots because of impacts to an area known as the Pilottown Anchorage, which is used by deep draft vessels as refuge and safe harbor adjacent to the main navigation channel.

By Congressional rules, the Corps of Engineers cannot dredge an anchorage, only the main channel. The cost to CWPPRA to dredge the anchorage has been in the $10-$20 million range per dredging cycle and there have been two cycles. That's a lot of money for a program that only gets about $80 million per year to spend on projects across Louisiana's coast.

Closing it seemed a fiscally prudent, albeit controversial and short-sighted, decision four years ago. The project wasn't living up to its land-building expectations, thanks in large part to massive erosion caused by Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, Gustav and Ike and the slow geologic process of river delta formation. Riverboat pilots had lost their anchorage and said it was entirely because of the diversion. And CWPPRA was out millions that could have been spent on better performing, less controversial projects.

Then in 2008 and 2011, Mother Nature buried that "prudent" decision in neck-deep mud. Record Mississippi River floods poured millions of tons of sediment through the diversion and into the adjacent bay. With a little help from strategically-placed soil dredged from the anchorage, land began to emerge at West Bay followed shortly by grass and more land.

New land emerges at the West Bay Diversion. Photo by eustatic via Flickr.

Then, two separate examinations of the lower Mississippi conducted by both the state and corps showed the diversion was only responsible for about 20-25 percent of the shoaling in the anchorage. The studies also pointed out the area had been silting in for more than 20 years prior to opening the diversion and would continue even if West Bay was shut down.

The new evidence and what was becoming a nightmarish public relations battle forced CWPPRA to revisit the decision to close the diversion. There was simply no way or reason to destroy one of the few areas in coastal Louisiana that is building rather than losing land.

The decision is being celebrated widely by coastal restoration advocates, state and federal officials and saltwater anglers though it still leaves many unanswered questions about dredging policy along the lower river. It also does little to address complications sure to arise from the opening of other badly-needed sediment diversions all along the Mississippi south of Baton Rouge.

Putting those concerns briefly aside, the decision to leave open West Bay is cause for optimism about the future of coastal restoration in Louisiana. There was a time, not so long ago, when the decision to close West Bay would have never been reversed.

Now, it seems those in charge of making those decisions realize they must be willing to use new information, make adjustments to policies and be much more accommodating to the ecosystem if Louisiana's coast is to have a fighting chance at restoration.

]]> Tue, 20 Nov 2012 08:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/updates/fall-fishing-in-the-west-bay-diversion/ Lake Pontchartrain's Best Kept Secret http://vanishingparadise.org/updates/lake-pontchartrains-best-kept-secret/ Typically, the fall's arrival focuses the attention of Lake Pontchartrain anglers on the bridges as speckled trout, flounder, black drum and redfish gather at the pilings of the Causeway, trestles and Twin Spans to fatten up for the winter.

But there is another, lesser-known area in the lake where the fishing heats up as the weather cools down. The marshes on the north shore east of Mandeville attract good numbers of trout, reds and flounder as summer slowly turns to fall. And as more and more cold fronts push from north to south, those marshes also become prime duck wintering-and duck hunting-grounds.

The Causeway isn't the only place for great fall fishing in Lake Pontchartrain. Photo courtesy of Peter Clark.

"We've had some very good trips catching trout in Bayou Lacombe in the early fall over the past few years," said Chas Champagne, owner of Dockside Bait and Tackle in Slidell. "While it's not a primary target for most guys fishing Lake Pontchartrain, it's always worth it to ride over there and check it out because you can often find some very good fishing."

Without an effort in the last five years to restore those marshes and shoreline, the fish Champagne is after and the ducks that attract hunters to Big Branch National Wildlife Refuge may have been headed elsewhere.

The U.S Fish and Wildlife Service and Louisiana's Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CWPPRA) invested nearly $16 million in pumping sediment from the bottom of Lake Pontchartrain onshore to restore and replenish nearly 600 acres of shoreline and marsh between Mandeville and Slidell.

The project is officially named the Goose Point/Point Platte Marsh Creation Project. It was completed in February of 2009 after new marsh was built both east and west of the mouth of Bayou Lacombe and enough shoreline was fortified to provide protection to an additional 1400 acres of wetlands.

CWPPRA has been working to build restoration projects like the one at Goose Point across coastal Louisiana for more than two decades and has built 10 projects in the Pontchartrain basin in that time, all restoring critical fish and wildlife habitat and the area's natural hydrology.

Before the restoration effort at Goose Point, decades of slow erosion along the lake's rim had allowed saltier water to intrude into what were once mostly freshwater marshes. As the saltwater made its way deeper into the marshes and killed vegetation, small ponds turned into larger and larger lakes. The open water areas expanded gradually each year and more rapidly as hurricanes and tropical storms sent saltwater farther inland and battered the marshes with high waves.

John Lopez, executive director of the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation, said restoring the marshes around Goose Point and Bayou Lacombe has had immediate benefits for the overall health of a variety of fish and wildlife in the Lake Pontchartrain Basin.

"The speckled trout and redfish and other popular sportfish certainly benefit from these healthy marshes," he said. "But looking at other species can give you a good idea of how healthy the system is. We have great crabbing in Lake Pontchartrain and those crabs rely on healthy marshes all around the lake. Plus, we see a lot of ducks spend the winter in the Lake Pontchartrain area. The big rafts of Dos Gris you see out in the lake feeding during the winter spend the night in the protection of those marshes around Goose Point as do other ducks like teal and gadwall."

Capt. Greg Schlumbrecht of To Fish Charters makes his living in search of speckled trout, redfish and flounder in Lake Pontchartrain. On his days off during the late fall and winter, he hunts the marshes along the lake's north shore as well. He said he's noticed an improvement in duck and fish habitat since the marsh creation project, though construction has led to some short-term inconveniences.

"A lot of the deeper lakes in the Big Branch area where we used to paddle around in pirogues to duck hunt were made much, much shallower by the restoration project and we can't get back into some of the areas we used to," Schlumbrecht said. "It's taken away some areas, but you can see the benefits because the grass has come back and is very thick. That grass is food for the ducks and where the young redfish and speckled trout go to grow."

He also said those marshes around Goose Point provide food for the larger trout and redfish that eventually show up along the bridges and in the passes.

"Shrimp and pogies and all kinds of food fish grow up in those marshes and come out of Bayou Lacombe in the spring and fall," he said. "That's why the trout we have are so healthy. They are eating all of that food coming out of the marsh."

Lopez said without efforts to restore the fertile marshes around Goose Point and all along the rim of Lake Pontchartrain there would undoubtedly be a drop in fisheries production and hunting opportunities.

"Lake Pontchartrain is a unique system because it is so large and influenced by so many freshwater sources," he said. "But it is just like any of our other basins along Louisiana's coast in that the fish and wildlife depend on the health of the wetlands around it for food, protection and production."

]]> Sun, 04 Nov 2012 07:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/updates/lake-pontchartrains-best-kept-secret/ My Son's First Hunt http://vanishingparadise.org/blog/my-sons-first-hunt/ When my son Jeb was nine, he was giving me fits about taking him hunting. Back in those days, whenever I would come home from a successful hunt, Jeb would come running to the truck to stare in awe at the beautiful widgeon, mallards, gadwalls and wood ducks.

We purchased his first shotgun a few weeks prior to big duck season. It was a single shot twenty-gauge, and he was incredibly proud of it. He was so excited about the prospect of going with me he could hardly stand it; as we would clean the birds I'd brought home he talked about nothing but the ducks he was going to see and shoot.

When the big day finally came, Jeb was up at 4:30 in the morning and had done his best to make a pot of coffee. I had set my alarm for five-and that was allowing us plenty of time since we weren't going far. But at 4:45-trying to be quiet so as not to wake his mother-he came in to our bedroom all decked out in his new camo with the strongest cup of coffee I have to date ever tasted.

I don't think he stopped talking from the time I woke up until we hit the blind. As I set the decoy spread, he peppered me with questions like, "Dad, why do you set the decoys in the water that way?" "Dad, why don't we set them in front of the blind?" "Dad, are you sure they won't be able to see us?" "Dad, do you think I'm going to shoot a duck today?"

As we sat in the blind drinking that strong coffee, Jeb did, in fact, shoot the first of many ducks he has shot over the last ten years. I still love to hunt with Jeb; we try to make it out to the blind a couple of times each year, just the two of us.

The author with his sons Jeb and Blake.

Research shows that most adult hunters started when they were children and I'm proud to say that my four boys are among them.

Our family lives in Oklahoma. The birds Jeb and I shot that day may well have been on their way to wintering grounds in Louisiana's Mississippi River Delta. But waterfowl don't recognize state lines. So even though I live hundreds of miles away, the fact that the delta loses an average of a football field of wetlands every hour affects me, its affects Jeb, and it will affect his children too.

In our unique American system, wildlife and their habitat are all of our responsibility. As hunters and anglers, we owe it to the next generation to leave a world that is better than the one that was left to us.

We also owe it to them-and to ourselves-to stand united with other sportsmen across the country as we fight for clean water, healthy habitat and open access. The legacy we leave our children depends on it.

]]> Fri, 02 Nov 2012 07:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/blog/my-sons-first-hunt/ Daily Comet: New land created in nearby Wax Lake Delta http://vanishingparadise.org/will-not-appear-on-front-page/daily-comet-new-land-created-in-nearby-wax-lake-delta/ The tremendous growth of the Wax Lake Delta has made it a haven for waterfowl, said Chris Macaluso, coastal outreach coordinator with the Louisiana Wildlife Federation.

"This is one of the truly great waterfowl grounds in the country," he said. "Barataria-Terrebonne used to have areas that looked like this, but you won't see the kinds of birds you'll see here."

Read the rest of New land created in nearby Wax Lake Delta on the Daily Comet's website.

]]> Mon, 29 Oct 2012 07:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/will-not-appear-on-front-page/daily-comet-new-land-created-in-nearby-wax-lake-delta/ A Letter to the Editor: BP Must be Held Accountable http://vanishingparadise.org/updates/houma-courier-a-letter-to-the-editor-bp-must-be-held-accountable/

Chris Macaluso gives a sportsman's take on the rumors that the U.S. Justice Department may be nearing a settlement with BP over oil spill damages in a letter to the Houma Courier/Thibodaux Daily Comet.-

An Oct. 17 article in The Courier and Daily Comet titled "BP settlement could remove local control" detailed purported information circulated last week the U.S. Justice Department was nearing a settlement with BP over oil spill damages.

According to the story, the settlement could favor directing the bulk of fines through the Natural Resources Damage Assessment over the Clean Water Act violation process and the RESTORE Act.

Under an NRDA-favored settlement, it is likely more money would go to addressing the direct damages to Louisiana's coastal ecosystems and loss of fishing and other access.

The concern from some Gulf Coast congressmen and local officials is favoring NRDA would mean a loss of access to funds that could address economic and infrastructure needs covered in the RESTORE Act.

First and foremost, regardless if the settlement favors either or neither, BP should be held accountable to the fullest extent and fined accordingly.

Anyone who lives on and cares for the Gulf will never forget the sickening images of oil coating Louisiana's beaches and wildlife in 2010 or the helpless feeling of losing access to our livelihoods and our beloved waters and beaches in places like Grand Isle, Cocodrie, Hopedale and Venice.

Louisianans, especially those who lost loved ones in the Deepwater Horizon accident, will contend with BP's carelessness for years to come. At every turn in its investigation, the Justice Department has found negligence on the part of BP and others responsible. That should be reflected in the settlement. Nothing less is acceptable.

Second, whether the money comes to our state through NRDA or RESTORE, it should favor projects that restore coastal wetlands, barrier islands and other habitats impacted by the spill and nearly a century of coastal land loss.

The Louisiana Wildlife Federation and a host of other conservation organizations, concerned business owners and individuals advocating coastal restoration spent countless hours and resources to push RESTORE's passage.

That effort was made with the promise that Louisiana would use the funds coming to our state to address the land loss that threatens our communities, culture, fisheries and wildlife.

That promise must be kept if we expect trust in the future and are to have any hope of saving what's left of our vital coastal habitats.

]]> Tue, 23 Oct 2012 07:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/updates/houma-courier-a-letter-to-the-editor-bp-must-be-held-accountable/ Ducks Unlimited Scientist Recognized by Wildlife Society http://vanishingparadise.org/press/ducks-unlimited-scientist-recognized-by-wildlife-society/ Ducks Unlimited director of science and public policy, Tom Moorman, Ph.D., has won The Wildlife Society's (TWS) 2012 Jim McDonough Award. Moorman received the award at the TWS annual conference in Portland, Ore., on Monday, Oct. 15.

"Dr. Moorman came into the public spotlight as the leader of DU's Gulf Coast Oil Spill Response Team in 2010, but his contributions to wildlife management and conservation planning have been known to those in the field for some time," said Dr. Curtis Hopkins, director of DU's Southern Region, Moorman's nominator and a past Jim McDonough Award recipient.

The Jim McDonough Award was created to recognize certified wildlife biologists known among colleagues as solid contributors to wildlife management, but who so far may not have received major awards, citations or prominent recognition.

"Any award like this really reflects the fact that I have been fortunate enough to work with fantastic people," Moorman said. "There has always been a person or a group of people who have provided education, guidance, friendship and generally set the stage for good work and solid achievements. It is never a solo act-that much I do know."

Utilizing his extensive experience with waterfowl and wetland research and management, Moorman has guided Ducks Unlimited's planning and evaluation within the 13-state Southern Region to strengthen the science underlying DU's conservation programs. By doing so, he has made a marked and tangible difference in the efficiency and impact of waterfowl habitat delivery across the migration and wintering grounds of the Central, Atlantic and Mississippi flyways.

One of his most significant accomplishments was directing in the Southern Region's rigorous evaluation of recent conservation deliveries and application of adaptive management to existing conservation programs. Because of what Moorman began in 1999, DU continues to use innovative technological solutions and partnerships to answer the question, "What is the real value to waterfowl of the acres we're putting on the ground?"

"Dr. Moorman continues to be an outstanding example of a consummate and well-rounded wildlife professional, excelling in a variety of important conservation arenas, including restoration of natural systems in the Mississippi River Alluvial Valley, science-based conservation planning, regional conservation communications and coordination of public policy work," Hopkins said. "He is respected and admired by wildlife professionals across the country, and we are very pleased to see him receive this well-deserved recognition."

That widespread respect was evident in the diversity of wildlife professionals who endorsed his award nomination. In addition to Hopkins, endorsers included the late Guy Baldassarre, distinguished professor at the State University of New York; John Thompson, research grade evaluation coordinator with the U.S. Geological Survey; Barry Wilson, coordinator for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Gulf Coast Joint Venture; and Jerry Holden, director of conservation programs for Ducks Unlimited.

Contact: Andi Cooper, acooper@ducks.org, 601.956.1936

]]> Wed, 17 Oct 2012 07:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/press/ducks-unlimited-scientist-recognized-by-wildlife-society/ Join Our Prostaff http://vanishingparadise.org/updates/join-our-prostaff/ Vanishing Paradise is putting together a team of passionate sportsmen and women who will help raise awareness of the importance of restoring the Mississippi River Delta across the entire country. You don't need to have visited the delta to be on our prostaff, you just need a passion for hunting, fishing and conservation and the desire to help restore this important resource.The deadline is November 30, so apply today!

The wetlands of the Mississippi River Delta host as many as 10 million ducks and geese from across the nation during winter migration. These same wetlands also support some of the best saltwater and freshwater fishing anywhere in the world. But roughly every hour, an area of the Mississippi River Delta the size of a football field is washed away. We can restore the delta, but we need your help.

As part of our volunteer conservation prostaff, you will:

  • Cultivate hunting and fishing businesses, organizations or leaders and encourage them to become champions for restoring the Mississippi River Delta.
  • Advocate for restoration by writing content for our website, submitting photos, promoting our social media feeds, and submitting comments or content to outside websites or forums.
  • Organize at least one event for hunters and anglers in your area.
  • Help us with media outreach by submitting letters-to-the-editor and distributing press releases.
  • Attend at least two hunting, fishing or outdoor activity trade shows or events per year.
  • Demonstrate strong personal ethics and respect for America's wildlife and habitat-as well as respect for other hunters and anglers.

Apply for our conservation prostaff today!

Apply for our prostaff

]]> Mon, 15 Oct 2012 07:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/updates/join-our-prostaff/ Vanishing Paradise Announces First-Ever Conservation Prostaff http://vanishingparadise.org/press/vanishing-paradise-announces-first-ever-conservation-prostaff/ Calling for applicants from across the country who value hunting, fishing and conservation-

Today, Vanishing Paradise announced the launch of the first-ever conservation prostaff, a group of dedicated and passionate sportsmen and women who will help raise awareness of the importance of restoration the Mississippi River Delta across the country. Interested individuals can apply for a position on the prostaff here until November 30.

Land Tawney, National Wildlife Federation's senior manager for sportsmen leadership, said in a statement:

"The Vanishing Paradise prostaff is an exciting next step in our work uniting hunters and anglers on the forefront of conserving our great Mississippi River Delta. We've been educating Americans on why we need restoration of the delta for years, including advocating for a large-scale renewal of the region following the 2010 Gulf oil disaster. The launch of the prostaff is a culmination of our development of partnerships with individuals, groups and businesses on safekeeping this region for future generations.

"Applicants for the prostaff need not have visited the delta to be a successful candidate. We are looking for sportsmen and women who have a passion for hunting, fishing and conservation, as well as the desire to help restore this important resource."

The Vanishing Paradise prostaff will cultivate hunting and angling individuals, organizations and businesses to be champions for the revitalization of the Mississippi River Delta through public and media outreach, event coordination and trade shows.

The Mississippi River Delta is one of the most productive habitats for fish, waterfowl and other wildlife of the U.S. The wetlands around the Mississippi River host as many as 10 million of North America's ducks and geese every winter and also provide some of the best freshwater and saltwater fishing anywhere in the world. In short, the region is a vital component of our nation's outdoor heritage for American sportsmen and women.

Learn more about Vanishing Paradise's efforts to unite hunters and anglers on the important issue of Mississippi River Delta restoration and the new prostaff at vanishingparadise.org/prostaff.

Contact: Andy McDaniels, mcdanielsa@nwf.org, 405.219.7878

]]> Mon, 15 Oct 2012 07:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/press/vanishing-paradise-announces-first-ever-conservation-prostaff/ Wide Open Bull Reds a Testament to the Delta http://vanishingparadise.org/updates/wide-open-bull-reds-a-testament-to-the-delta/ The value of the Mississippi River Delta spans economic, cultural and environmental functions too great to be lost by any one generation. As the rapid loss of these wetlands continues it is important to note that we can fix this problem. We must. It's a responsibility we have to be sure future generations can enjoy one of the world's great ecosystems.

Just how important this resource is to sportsmen was never more evident than this past week when a hearty group of anglers descended upon the marsh to chase bull redfish as they have each year for well beyond a decade. This group of more than 50 anglers engage in a self-titled "Marsh Madness" event that brings together boaters from Louisiana and Mississippi with hunting and fishing industry representatives, outdoor writers and Vanishing Paradise. Many proclaimed the fishing has never been more dynamic-a galvanizing statement that places the value of this resource in the crosshairs of the importance of restoration. We simply cannot afford to lose this sportsman's paradise.

Tony Taylor of Louisiana Sportsman with a flounder

Heading into a violent batch of thunderstorms that seemed to camp directly on the marsh it was tough to determine how the three days of fishing would unfold. Day one we waited out the torrential morning rains and headed out around lunch into strong winds and dark skies.

Tony Taylor, owner of Louisiana Sportsman magazine, remarked on the damage of Hurricane Isaac as he made his first dive into the marsh since the devastation. "It's hammered, it's blown out," he remarked, as we pushed through the marsh looking for clean water and cover from the wind. The roseau cane was battered and flattened everywhere we looked and it was obvious the hurricane had compounded the rapid loss of wetlands in the area. Without a good source of incoming freshwater and sediment the marshes' ability to recover is severely compromised.

We picked away at "rat" reds until we moved into the river and Taylor's rod bent further than one could imagine. The fight went on for 15 minutes before a fat jack crevalle came to boat. From that point on we were into decent reds and big flounder-all caught on great jigs provided by Top Brass Tackle, the organizer of the event, and Z-Man plastic baits.

Land Tawney of Vanishing Paradise with a bull red

Day two, the weather began to subside, though it was cool by Louisiana standards. The reds were increasing in size as we pitched along the rip rocks, points and cuts of the marsh edge.

Day three was when the magic revealed itself. The class size of the reds increased. I landed an 18-pounder and followed it with a 16 before we headed to South Pass, where nearly every fish was between 12 and 30 pounds! If this wasn't a testament for saving the marsh, nothing would be. One fish after another came to boat all afternoon, mixed in with powerful jack crevalles, sharks and speckled trout to 8 pounds. It was a remarkable sight, and an unforgettable experience.

Eric Crosby of Top Brass Tackle with a jack crevalle

The Marsh Madness team truly understands the value of this special place and many of the event's sponsors have signed our letter to Congress. Some, like Eric Cosby of Top Brass, traveled to Washington D.C. to speak to their senators about passing the RESTORE Act. With the help of sportsmen like Crosby, the bill was passed this summer, directing 80 percent of the BP oil spill fines under the Clean Water Act to go back to the states for restoration. A great victory for sportsmen-and the ecosystem.

We'd like to thank Top Brass Tackle, Plano Molding, B.A.S.S., Louisiana Sportsman magazine, Seaguar Line, WileyX sunglasses, Z-Man baits, Realtree Camo, Skeeter Boats, and Under Armor clothing for their support of Marsh Madness and its ability to highlight the tremendous value these wetlands provide to the American sportsman and the wildlife within.

All photos by Lew Carpenter. A version of this post was also published on The Fish and Wildlife Report.

]]> Tue, 09 Oct 2012 07:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/updates/wide-open-bull-reds-a-testament-to-the-delta/ A Hit-or-Miss Teal Season in the Delta http://vanishingparadise.org/updates/a-hit-or-miss-teal-season/ Louisiana duck hunters have a handful of days left to toss out decoy spreads and take aim at the nimble and shifty first-of-the-year birds as the state's 16-day special teal season ends September 30.

The teal season usually gives waterfowlers in Sportsman's Paradise a brief taste of what the regular duck season, opening in mid-November, promises to bring. For some-especially those hunting rice fields, shallow lakes, ponds and marshes in central and southwest Louisiana-that taste has been very sweet.

But for those hunting marshes still reeling from the impacts of Hurricane Isaac's late-August landfall, the taste has been bitter at times.

Isaac's persistent storm surge pushed saltwater far into popular and usually productive duck habitat east of the Mississippi River, killing submerged vegetation and, in some cases, washing away the small, isolated ponds that are most attractive to teal. The Delacroix area in St. Bernard Parish and the Pass-a-Loutre Wildlife Management Area and Delta National Wildlife Refuge near the mouth of the Mississippi River were especially hard hit by Isaac.

Hunters calling the popular "Outdoors with Don Dubuc" radio show in New Orleans from the blind throughout the September 15th opening morning reported easy four-duck per man limits from areas near the Atchafalaya Basin and west into coastal marshes in Vermilion and Cameron Parish. Some calling from Delacroix, Point-a-la-Hache and Venice on the east side of the river said they never fired a shot while others in the eastern part of the state reported consistent, but not fantastic, hunting.

Click this photo to tell us on Facebook how the season is shaping up where you are.

Cold fronts pushing through the Midwest and Gulf Coast have sent more teal into Louisiana, dramatically improving reports from the Atchafalaya Delta and Wax Lake area. And some additional teal have arrived east of the Mississippi despite poor habitat. But some hunters continue to say that despite the cooler weather they are struggling to find birds.

Long-time Delacroix duck hunter Brad Miller said he left the shotgun at his camp, opting to chase after abundant redfish instead of calling in the few-and-far-between teal.

"We had a few guys hunting our lease opening weekend, but they only took about one teal a piece each day," Miller said. "We went into the ponds around our lease in Delacroix with rods and reels and caught limits of redfish in less than two hours each morning. We'll just hold out and wait until big duck season and hope it gets better."

Wildlife agents checking teal hunters on public management areas opening weekend reported very few teal taken even in the Atchafalaya Delta, usually one of the state's can't-miss duck hunting areas. However, good reports came in from Terrebonne Parish, especially the Pointe-aux-Chenes WMA, where an average of three-teal per hunter was recorded.

This year's reports contrast what hunters saw last teal season when ponds and rice fields in western and central Louisiana were bone dry from drought. Last year, dry conditions in the west sent thousands of teal east to the marshes of the Mississippi River, Atchafalaya and Wax Lake Deltas that were flush with food and prime habitat after 2011's record floods.

Regular spring and summer thunderstorms and additional rain from Isaac have dramatically improved 2011's drought-stricken duck habitats in western, central and northern parts of Louisiana bringing a promise of terrific duck hunting in areas outside of Isaac-impacted coastal marshes.

Hunters in southeast Louisiana struggling to find teal can only hope hurricane-damaged habitat can recover enough by November to attract a share of the near-record numbers of migrating waterfowl predicted by state and federal biologists to migrate the Mississippi Flyway this fall.

]]> Thu, 27 Sep 2012 07:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/updates/a-hit-or-miss-teal-season/ National Poll of Hunters and Anglers Shows Overwhelming Support for Gulf Clean-up http://vanishingparadise.org/will-not-appear-on-front-page/national-poll-of-hunters-and-anglers-shows-overwhelming-support-for-gulf-clean-up/ Sportsmen and women want fines from 2010 Gulf oil disaster used to restore critical coastal ecosystems-

A new national poll released today shows that hunters and anglers prioritize protecting the Gulf ecosystem and using fines paid by BP and other parties responsible for the 2010 Gulf oil disaster to be used for Gulf restoration. The poll conducted by Chesapeake Beach Consulting shows threats to America's conservation heritage are priority issues for sportsmen and women, on par with gun rights.

An overwhelming 81% of sportsmen polled strongly believe BP should be held accountable and fined the maximum amount allowed for the 2010 Gulf oil disaster and that those funds should be used exclusively to restore the fish and wildlife habitat of the Gulf of Mexico and its hunting and fishing heritage and not used for infrastructure projects such as roads, bridges, ports and convention centers (87%).

The poll's results further support the RESTORE Act, an important piece of bipartisan, bicameral legislation passed earlier this year that dedicates 80 percent of the Clean Water Act fines collected from BP and other responsible parties to restoring the Gulf Coast.

"America's sportsmen and women understand the importance the entire Gulf Coast has for our nation's hunting and fishing heritage," said Land Tawney, National Wildlife Federation's senior manager for sportsmen leadership. "From the 10 million migratory waterfowl that use the marshes around the Mississippi River Delta for wintering grounds to the extremely important fisheries of the Gulf, this is a region that matters to the entire nation."

The Gulf ecosystem suffered from rapid decline before the oil spill, which only exacerbated existing landloss issues, especially around the Mississippi River Delta. Although much of the visible oil is gone, some of the tar balls and tar mats stirred up by last month's Hurricane Isaac were identified as remnants from the 2010 Gulf spill. The region remains in jeopardy as food supplies and habitats are still recovering from the impacts of oil - and may face impacts from the spill for decades.

"Restoring the Gulf is crucial to the safekeeping of our American conservation traditions," Tawney continued. "This poll ultimately validates what so many individuals, organizations and businesses have been calling for since the summer of 2010 - that the Gulf's fish and wildlife habitats must be made whole and preserved for our future generations' use and enjoyment."

Read the poll memo and slide deck at nwf.org/sportsmen and get more National Wildlife Federation news at nwf.org/news.

Poll background:

This national public opinion poll conducted among 800 self-identified hunters and anglers was conducted by Chesapeake Beach Consulting from August 27 through September 1, 2012 for the National Wildlife Federation. The sample for this survey was randomly drawn from a list of self-identified hunters and anglers. To qualify, a respondent must have indicated they were a hunter, an angler or both as well as a registered voter. All interviews were conducted by telephone, including 15% of the interviews by cell phone. The margin of error for this study is plus or minus 3.2% at the 95% confidence level.

The National Wildlife Federation is America's largest conservation organization inspiring Americans to protect wildlife for our children's future.

Contact: Emily Guidry Schatzel, schatzele@nwf.org, 225.253.9781

]]> Tue, 25 Sep 2012 07:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/will-not-appear-on-front-page/national-poll-of-hunters-and-anglers-shows-overwhelming-support-for-gulf-clean-up/ Poll: Hunters and Anglers Overwhelmingly Support Gulf Clean-up http://vanishingparadise.org/updates/poll-hunters-and-anglers-overwhelmingly-support-gulf-clean-up/ Sportsmen and women want fines from 2010 Gulf oil disaster used to restore critical coastal ecosystems.

A new national poll released today shows that hunters and anglers prioritize protecting the Gulf ecosystem and using fines paid by BP and other parties responsible for the 2010 Gulf oil disaster to be used for Gulf restoration. The poll conducted by Chesapeake Beach Consulting shows threats to America's conservation heritage are priority issues for sportsmen and women, on par with gun rights.

An overwhelming 81% of sportsmen polled strongly believe BP should be held accountable and fined the maximum amount allowed for the 2010 Gulf oil disaster and that those funds should be used exclusively to restore the fish and wildlife habitat of the Gulf of Mexico and its hunting and fishing heritage and not used for infrastructure projects such as roads, bridges, ports and convention centers (87%).

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The poll's results further support the RESTORE Act, an important piece of bipartisan, bicameral legislation passed earlier this year that dedicates 80 percent of the Clean Water Act fines collected from BP and other responsible parties to restoring the Gulf Coast.

"America's sportsmen and women understand the importance the entire Gulf Coast has for our nation's hunting and fishing heritage," said Land Tawney, National Wildlife Federation's senior manager for sportsmen leadership. "From the 10 million migratory waterfowl that use the marshes around the Mississippi River Delta for wintering grounds to the extremely important fisheries of the Gulf, this is a region that matters to the entire nation."

The Gulf ecosystem suffered from rapid decline before the oil spill, which only exacerbated existing landloss issues, especially around the Mississippi River Delta. Although much of the visible oil is gone, some of the tar balls and tar mats stirred up by last month's Hurricane Isaac were identified as remnants from the 2010 Gulf spill. The region remains in jeopardy as food supplies and habitats are still recovering from the impacts of oil - and may face impacts from the spill for decades.

"Restoring the Gulf is crucial to the safekeeping of our American conservation traditions," Tawney continued. "This poll ultimately validates what so many individuals, organizations and businesses have been calling for since the summer of 2010 - that the Gulf's fish and wildlife habitats must be made whole and preserved for our future generations' use and enjoyment."

Read the poll memo and slide deck at nwf.org/sportsmen and get more National Wildlife Federation news at nwf.org/news.

Poll background:

This national public opinion poll conducted among 800 self-identified hunters and anglers was conducted by Chesapeake Beach Consulting from August 27 through September 1, 2012 for the National Wildlife Federation. The sample for this survey was randomly drawn from a list of self-identified hunters and anglers. To qualify, a respondent must have indicated they were a hunter, an angler or both as well as a registered voter. All interviews were conducted by telephone, including 15% of the interviews by cell phone. The margin of error for this study is plus or minus 3.2% at the 95% confidence level.

]]> Tue, 25 Sep 2012 07:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/updates/poll-hunters-and-anglers-overwhelmingly-support-gulf-clean-up/ National Hunting and Fishing Day http://vanishingparadise.org/updates/national-hunting-and-fishing-day/ National Hunting and Fishing Day has been celebrated on the fourth Saturday in September for more than 40 years.

In 1972, President Richard Nixon and his Congressional colleagues decided sportsmen deserved a day of recognition for leading the way in protecting and conserving our nation's vital fisheries and wildlife resources.

Growing up and living in South Louisiana, every day is a day to recognize how much I love to hunt and fish and the important role sportsmen play in helping preserve and restore our nation's vital fisheries and wildlife resources.

I am lucky. My dad has been an outdoor writer for nearly 40 years in a state nicknamed "Sportsman's Paradise." Because of him and because I live in Louisiana, I've had the chance to spend my entire life fishing the richest waters in the world, catching everything from hand-sized bluegill in the Atchafalaya Basin to man-sized yellowfin tuna in the Gulf of Mexico's blindingly-blue waters.

I have duck hunted across South Louisiana both as a guest at exclusive hunting clubs and with veteran guides leading me to dry, warm pit blinds to blinds that were little more than wooden palates and willow sprigs planted in knee-deep marsh mud.

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I was catching monster speckled trout on topwater baits before I turned 10. By the time I was 15 I could call in mallards by the flock and make a killer duck gumbo.

Unfortunately, by the time I turned 20, I recognized a lot of my paradise was vanishing faster than I could comprehend. Marshes where I had caught redfish by the hundreds and watched ducks fly by the thousands had washed away, crumbled and turned into open water.

Levees and dams along the lower Mississippi River have starved Louisiana's marshes, swamps and barrier islands of the sediment that created them and are necessary for their survival. Canals cut throughout the landscape have allowed vegetation-killing saltwater to penetrate deep into freshwater wetlands, ripping apart the fabric that binds the habitat. And crippling government policies and bureaucracy have hamstrung large-scale efforts to try and fix the problem.

In the 40 years since Congress decided to honor our sporting heritage, Sportsman's Paradise has lost more than 1000 square miles of world-class, vitally-important fishing and hunting habitat. Since 1930, nearly 2000 square miles have vanished in all. That habitat loss not only threatens hunting and fishing opportunities throughout our country but communities and lives as well.

It also means my infant son, Hank, will hear a lot more stories of how it once was-instead of experiencing the south Louisiana that embraced and raised me.

Fortunately, sportsmen from across the country have recognized the dire state of Louisiana's coastal landscape, heard our pleas and decided to help.

Legislation like the RESTORE Act, which will send potentially billions in fines from the 2010 BP oil spill back to Louisiana for restoration efforts, may not have passed this year without sportsmen spreading the word.

Sportsmen across Louisiana also worked tirelessly to ensure our state's legislature approved a comprehensive plan this year to rebuild coastal habitats and protect our communities. This plan, given the proper attention and resources, envisions an end to coastal land loss in Louisiana in the next 30 years, enough time to ensure my son has a place to take his son fishing and hunting.

While the collective voice of sportsmen has helped, the time to lower our voice will not come until the projects are on the ground and the new habitat appears and continues to be built year after year.

This year on National Hunting and Fishing Day, sportsmen can again accept congratulations for leading the way in protecting and conserving our nation's vital fisheries and wildlife resources. But we must also remind ourselves that our work is far from finished.

]]> Fri, 21 Sep 2012 07:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/updates/national-hunting-and-fishing-day/ Fish Kills in Isaac's Wake http://vanishingparadise.org/updates/fish-kills-in-isaacs-wake/ Reports of fish kills in the wake of Hurricane Isaac have been pouring in from across southeast and central Louisiana since the storm brought its high winds, torrential rains and flooding storm surges throughout the last week of August.

The most devastating kills have been observed in the Lake Verret Basin, a broad area of shallow swamps, bayous and lakes near the towns of Morgan City and Pierre Part, about an hour southwest of Baton Rouge. Also impacted is the upper Barataria Basin, just minutes west of New Orleans and site of record-setting bass catches during the 2011 Bassmaster Classic tournament.

Smaller fish kills have been reported along the north shore of Lake Pontchartrain and around Lake Maurepas between Baton Rouge and New Orleans.

Forage fish like shad and small sunfish are generally hardest hit. However, that doesn't mean popular gamefish like largemouth bass and crappie (known locally as sac-a-lait) and commercial and sportfish species like channel catfish are spared.

The obvious culprit for the kills is the saltwater storm surge brought in by nearly a week of relentless, powerful southeast winds that inundated freshwater and brackish swamps both east and west of the Mississippi River. Freshwater fish like bass and bluegill simply cannot get away from the surge fast enough and succumb to the high salinity.

But increased salinity level isn't the only culprit. The primary cause of the die-offs is same reason Louisiana's vast array of shallow lakes, swamps and bayous are so tremendously productive in the first place.

These swamps contain an incredible amount of decaying materials like fallen leaves, trees, dead aquatic vegetation and dead animals. This provides an enormous amount of nutrients and feeds the food chain during stable weather. Microorganisms eat the nutrients. Small fish, crawfish, grass shrimp and other invertebrates eat the microorganisms. Then the bigger fish like bass, catfish and bluegill eat the small fish and crawfish.

That rich organic mixture can turn deadly when a hurricane makes landfall. High wave action caused by hurricane winds, rain runoff from interior swamps and currents from increased tidal flows stir up the decaying materials, dramatically increasing the amount of nutrients suspended in the water. After the hurricane passes and the waters heat up, a tremendous amount of decay takes place at once and can spawn algae blooms that suck the dissolved oxygen out of the water and increase bacteria levels.

The fish trapped in the oxygen depleted water are forced to the surface to try to breathe air and generally begin dying quickly.

It's a process south Louisiana has seen many times in the last 20 years in the wake of Hurricanes Andrew, Katrina, Gustav and now Isaac.

The most devastating die-offs came after Andrew in 1992 and Gustav in 2008, both strong storms that took direct paths across the Atchafalaya Basin. Surveys conducted in the weeks after both storms found miles-long stretches of bayous and canals in the Atchafalaya and Lake Verret where nearly every fish had died.

Fortunately, floods in the Mississippi River basin the following winters and springs brought oxygen-rich water into the Atchafalaya, flushing the dead water out and rejuvenating the area. And local anglers worked with state fisheries biologists to help restock fish and bring incredible fishing back within two years of the massive fish kills.

This connection to the Mississippi River gives the Atchafalaya Basin new blood each spring and will also help fish populations in the upper Barataria Basin and the Delacroix area affected by Isaac. Both areas' freshwater and brackish marshes were inundated with storm surge. But because of the Davis Pond and Caernarvon freshwater diversion projects, which carry water from the river through levees and into wetlands, freshwater fish populations could rebound in these areas in as little as a year.

Isaac's impacts don't appear to be nearly as widespread as Andrew's and Gustav's, but unfortunately come just two years after tremendous fishing returned to the Atchafalaya and Lake Verret area in Gustav's wake.

Anglers and wildlife agents stand ready to help this time around as well and anxiously await a slug of fresh, oxygen-rich water that will hopefully come from the Mississippi this upcoming winter and early spring.

]]> Thu, 13 Sep 2012 07:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/updates/fish-kills-in-isaacs-wake/ A Letter to the Editor: Use coast funds for coast http://vanishingparadise.org/updates/a-letter-to-the-editor-use-coast-funds-for-coast/ Chris Macaluso's letter to the editor was recently published in the Baton Rouge Advocate.

Hurricane Isaac is the fifth powerful tropical system to leave an unforgettable mark on south Louisiana in the last seven years. Each of these storms, from Katrina and Rita to Gustav and Ike and now Isaac had its own characteristics and personality and a unique legacy.

Isaac's will likely be the storm surge it pushed deep into parts of St. John, St. James, Ascension and Livingston parishes, areas where residents had never seen flood waters rise so far or fast.

Part of the blame for those flood waters was Isaac's tremendous size and lumbering track that pushed southeasterly winds into the Pontchartrain Basin for nearly a week.

Certainly some of the blame must also be placed on the dramatic loss of wetlands throughout southeast Louisiana over the past 80 years that have left our communities more vulnerable, threatened our culture and destroyed some of the world's best fish and wildlife habitat.

Isaac's landfall came just a few months after the passage of some of the most positive state and federal coastal restoration and protection legislation in our decades-long fight to remedy our state's coastal land loss plague.

The state's 2012 coastal master plan, approved and adopted by the Legislature in May, contains projects that could ultimately reverse Louisiana's coastal land loss.

And, the RESTORE Act passed in Congress in June will send much needed restoration dollars to the state.

Unfortunately, during the same legislative session where we gained so much, we also saw state lawmakers try to redirect dollars destined to restore and protect our coast.

Isaac also came just months before the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers intends to close a diversion at West Bay in Plaquemines Parish that's rebuilding coastal lands and shortly after the Corps decided it could not move forward with projects to restore wetlands damaged by the infamous Mississippi River Gulf Outlet.

Sadly, all five storms landed while billions in restoration projects that could have dampened impacts lay mired in endless federal bureaucracies that slow and stop construction.

While New Orleans, home to such failure and tragedy seven years ago, fared relatively well during Isaac thanks to corps and state efforts to fortify levees, floodwalls, pumps and gates, the rest of our coast becomes more vulnerable with each passing day.

Frustratingly, the same urgency behind building protection for New Orleans does not drive efforts to restore our vanishing coastal wetlands.

Those who make south Louisiana home can only hope that the misfortune of Isaac serves as yet another reminder to state and federal lawmakers and policymakers that coastal restoration and protection dollars must be used for their intended purpose and the crippling bureaucracies stopping our coast from being fixed must be eliminated.

]]> Thu, 13 Sep 2012 07:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/updates/a-letter-to-the-editor-use-coast-funds-for-coast/ Baton Rouge Advocate: Letter to the Editor: Use coast funds for coast http://vanishingparadise.org/in-the-news/baton-rouge-advocate/ Chris Macaluso's letter to the editor was recently published in the Baton Rouge Advocate.

Hurricane Isaac is the fifth powerful tropical system to leave an unforgettable mark on south Louisiana in the last seven years. Each of these storms, from Katrina and Rita to Gustav and Ike and now Isaac had its own characteristics and personality and a unique legacy.

Isaac's will likely be the storm surge it pushed deep into parts of St. John, St. James, Ascension and Livingston parishes, areas where residents had never seen flood waters rise so far or fast.

Part of the blame for those flood waters was Isaac's tremendous size and lumbering track that pushed southeasterly winds into the Pontchartrain Basin for nearly a week.

Certainly some of the blame must also be placed on the dramatic loss of wetlands throughout southeast Louisiana over the past 80 years that have left our communities more vulnerable, threatened our culture and destroyed some of the world's best fish and wildlife habitat.

Isaac's landfall came just a few months after the passage of some of the most positive state and federal coastal restoration and protection legislation in our decades-long fight to remedy our state's coastal land loss plague.

The state's 2012 coastal master plan, approved and adopted by the Legislature in May, contains projects that could ultimately reverse Louisiana's coastal land loss.

And, the RESTORE Act passed in Congress in June will send much needed restoration dollars to the state.

Unfortunately, during the same legislative session where we gained so much, we also saw state lawmakers try to redirect dollars destined to restore and protect our coast.

Isaac also came just months before the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers intends to close a diversion at West Bay in Plaquemines Parish that's rebuilding coastal lands and shortly after the Corps decided it could not move forward with projects to restore wetlands damaged by the infamous Mississippi River Gulf Outlet.

Sadly, all five storms landed while billions in restoration projects that could have dampened impacts lay mired in endless federal bureaucracies that slow and stop construction.

While New Orleans, home to such failure and tragedy seven years ago, fared relatively well during Isaac thanks to corps and state efforts to fortify levees, floodwalls, pumps and gates, the rest of our coast becomes more vulnerable with each passing day.

Frustratingly, the same urgency behind building protection for New Orleans does not drive efforts to restore our vanishing coastal wetlands.

Those who make south Louisiana home can only hope that the misfortune of Isaac serves as yet another reminder to state and federal lawmakers and policymakers that coastal restoration and protection dollars must be used for their intended purpose and the crippling bureaucracies stopping our coast from being fixed must be eliminated.

]]> Wed, 12 Sep 2012 07:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/in-the-news/baton-rouge-advocate/ Great News for Conservation: More Hunters and Anglers in America http://vanishingparadise.org/updates/great-news-for-conservation-more-hunters-and-anglers-in-america/ The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's preliminary hunting and fishing numbers show that over the past five years there were nine percent more hunters and 11 percent more anglers throughout the nation. These increases are proof that sportsmen recruitment and access efforts are working!

The survey also found that more than 37 million hunters and anglers spent $90 billion last year nationwide. That number doesn't include secondary economic boosts like the creation of new hunting or fishing-related jobs. It is clear that this sustainable, non-exportable industry provides great value during tough economic times.

The uptick is particularly welcome news for our nation's state wildlife agencies. The agencies responsible for maintaining healthy populations of fish and wildlife as a public trust for all of us get the vast majority of their funding from hunting and fishing license fees. Additionally, sportsmen and women had the foresight to fund conservation through excise taxes on the guns, ammunition, bows, arrows and fishing equipment we use.

One of the National Wildlife Federation's first achievements was the passage of the Pittman-Robertson Act in 1937. This established the first excise taxes to be collected into the Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Fund and distributed to states. Since its inception, the Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Fund has provided more than $14 billion to support fish and wildlife restoration and management.

Another number to note from the survey is the increase in wildlife watching. Last year 72 million Americans engaged in wildlife watching, contributing $55 billion to our nation's economy. One big difference between the hunting/angling and wildlife watching communities is that wildlife watchers have not yet taxed their gear to contribute to conservation and don't pay license fees. Attempts have been made to place excise taxes similar to those on guns and ammo on items like binoculars, cameras, backpacks-to no avail. I have high hopes in the American people that these efforts are not over.

Big Branch Marsh National Wildlife Refuge Law Enforcement officer checks for compliance of fishing license. Photo: USFWS.

For the Mississippi River Delta, the increased numbers of hunters and anglers across the country is good news for a different reason. I am hopeful that the more people who connect with the natural world-be it through hunting and fishing or through wildlife watching-the more advocates there will be for conserving our natural resources, including the great American landscape of the Mississippi River Delta.

So let's celebrate this good news, revel in it, and plot and scheme for the future!

A version of this post originally appeared on Wildlife Promise.

]]> Mon, 10 Sep 2012 07:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/updates/great-news-for-conservation-more-hunters-and-anglers-in-america/ Recovering from Hurricane Isaac http://vanishingparadise.org/updates/recovery-from-hurricane-isaac/ Hurricane Isaac lumbered and plodded across South Louisiana, shoving storm surges as high as 14 feet into some of the state's most popular and productive coastal fishing and hunting areas.

Reports from charter boat captains and fishermen across the delta tell differing tales about Isaac's destruction to wetlands, beaches, communities, bait shops and marinas.

Hardest hit, undoubtedly, are areas east of the Mississippi River near popular fishing towns like Shell Beach and Delacroix where storm surges of 10-14 feet poured in and stayed for nearly 72 hours. Most areas west of the river through Jefferson, Lafourche and Terrebonne Parish still felt Isaac's wrath, with surge heights anywhere from two to eight feet.

Todd Masson, long-time South Louisiana outdoor writer and publisher of the popular fishing website laspecks.com, surveyed the marshes near Delacroix as soon as winds and waves abated enough to let him launch his boat.

Masson said much of the area's productive brackish and freshwater marsh, lush with aquatic vegetation and healthy stocks of largemouth bass and redfish in the days leading up to Isaac's landfall, showed profound scars from the nearly week-long pounding of salty storm surge. He said Delacroix's camps and marinas fared little better.

"Areas that still had some shoreline left after Hurricane Katrina looked to be washed out for good now," he said. "Big swaths of marsh, especially the freshwater and brackish marsh that looked healthy and full of good duck food and fish habitat before the storm, are now just open water. And the saltier marsh farther out showed damage as well. The impacts are very noticeable."

Masson said Katrina, which savagely battered the area seven years ago with winds topping 125 miles per hour and a storm surge exceeding 20 feet, seemed to pick up the marsh and shove it under every camp and house in Delacroix. But Katrina also moved an enormous amount of speckled trout into the marsh. Isaac, so far, has been different.

"Katrina was a marsh grass event. Delacroix was covered in grass as far as you could see but this time around it's mud. Every camp, every road has a couple of feet of mud on it," he said. "After Katrina, the speckled trout fishing was unbelievable. As devastated as the area was, the fishing was amazing. Not sure we'll see that this time around. It's Delacroix and the fall is coming so surely we'll catch them eventually. But it may take longer for the trout to show up after Isaac."

Captain Ryan Lambert, owner and operator of Cajun Fishing Adventures in Buras, said his prime duck hunting areas on the east side of the river, about 50 miles south of Delacroix in Plaquemines Parish, likely suffered similar damage from the relentless saltwater shoved in by Isaac.

"We have certainly lost a lot of that great food we had in the ponds but we should still have ducks coming to us," Lambert said. "As long as we get freshwater from the Mississippi flowing through the cuts along the river bank and into our marsh on the east side, we'll have some grass coming back and also have the snails and other invertebrates that the ducks will come to eat."

Lambert said the town of Buras was damaged very little from storm surge, though water levels reached the top of both the Mississippi River levee to the east and the storm surge levee to the west. But Isaac's relentless winds and rain still left their mark.

"We lost part of the roof on one of our lodges and it filled with rainwater, but we'll be back soon," he said. "Katrina didn't keep us from hunting and fishing and neither will this storm."

Damage reports west of the river in the Barataria Basin have been less severe, though the areas around Grand Isle and Fourchon still bear scars from the storm and lingering effects of the BP oil spill.

Powerful wave action washed out two large sections of beach at Elmer's Island, a popular surf fishing area just west of Grand Isle. The washouts now connect the Gulf to the marsh and bays behind the beach, exposing them to stronger waves and currents.

State officials have closed Elmer's beach west to Fourchon because tar balls likely from the BP oil spill in 2010 washed ashore during the storm. Crews began cleaning the beach as soon as Isaac's storm surge and waves receded.

Cleaning up is also the primary task for camp and marina owners on Grand Isle, Fourchon and Cocodrie. While damage to Louisiana Hwy 1 has limited access to Grand Isle, most camp and marina owners in the area said it could have been much worse. The Louisiana Dept. of Transportation and Development began repairing the only road in and out of Grand Isle as soon as water levels fell.

"We got some water across the island and there is some damage here and there," said Capt. Frank Dreher of Laid Back Charter in Grand Isle. "But this was not Katrina for us. Sure we have some mud to clean and there is definitely some damage to the marsh behind the island. But we'll be fishing again before you know it. And power washing away the mud is certainly much easier than replacing a roof or rebuilding the whole camp."

Video courtesy of ultimatefishfinder on YouTube/Photo of Reggio Marina courtesy of Jared Serigne/Photo of Cajun Fishing Adventures' damaged roof courtesy of Cajun Fishing Adventures/Photo of HWY 1 courtesy of the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development

]]> Sun, 09 Sep 2012 07:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/updates/recovery-from-hurricane-isaac/ Surveying the Damage from Hurricane Isaac http://vanishingparadise.org/updates/surveying-the-damage-from-hurricane-isaac/ Post and Pictures by Jared Serigné.

The Delacroix Island where my grandfather was raised will never exist again. I'm okay with that. I've come to terms with it. I love Delacroix for what it is now, and that's exactly why I went there on Sunday to survey the damage after Hurricane Isaac's storm surge flooded the area last week.

Delacroix is situated about an hour's drive outside New Orleans on Bayou Terre-aux-Boeufs in St. Bernard Parish. My Spanish and French ancestors settled there in the early 1800s, and I feel a deep connection to the place. I go down there often to experience the bounty of nature while hunting and fishing.

The Delacroix marshes in the Mississippi River Delta suffer from the same high rate of land loss as the rest of Louisiana's dying coastline. This is why I will never know the paradise that I hear the old-timers talk about. Still, it serves as the wilderness home for a wide range of fish and wildlife and is a productive environment even when under stress.

My last trip to Delacroix was on the Monday before Isaac struck. As its tropical storm force winds began to swing their way into the coast, I snuck in a pretty decent fishing trip that yielded an ice chest full of redfish. Everything was very alive on that day. The golden-green marsh grass swayed in the wind, mottled ducks called back and forth to each other, and bait fish and blue crabs scurried in and out of the submerged aquatic vegetation. I took it all in, but in the back of my mind I feared the worst and hoped for the best.

I waited out the storm at a friend's house in New Orleans. After hearing the news that the town of Braithwaite in Plaquemines Parish was flooded by a surge of up to 12 feet, I knew that Delacroix would have taken a major hit. I decided that as soon as the water went down I would make a trip to survey the damage.

As we drove down on Sunday and crossed outside the federal levee system that surrounds St. Bernard Parish, the impact from the surge of Gulf of Mexico saltwater was immediately apparent. Debris hung from trees and anything that would normally be green this time of year had been turned brown. I'm used to seeing that brown color in the marsh in the dead of winter, but in the heat of an early September morning, it was enough to make my stomach turn. Then I saw the mud. The same rich delta soils that formed the marsh now caked the lawns and driveways of the houses and camps that lined the highway.

I pulled up to my boat slip to find a large tree washed up on the dock. My friend Joe was busy cleaning up the mess that Isaac left behind. "Judging by the water line on the boat shed I'd say we got about 10 feet of water right here," he said. He seemed relieved that it wasn't any worse. But that still didn't relieve my own fears for the marsh, so we set out in a boat to revisit the places I saw on my last fishing trip.

When I turned from the main bayou out into the marsh, the smell of dead fish and stale marsh mud hit me like a freight train. Chunks of land had been picked up and moved to open water. Small trees and brush were toppled over one another and the once green marsh grass all blended together in a wasteland of grey. This is to be expected when a major surge of saltwater passes over a brackish marsh, but it still stings when you see it.

All of the submerged aquatic vegetation that once covered the shallow ponds was washed up and killed by the surge. These plants are important to the ecosystem. They provide shelter for small fish and crabs, and their seeds are food for waterfowl.

I ran back to a spot where I caught most of my fish on the last trip. I could tell that some of the marsh there was washed away because the small islands where we caught fish were now gone. There were still other islands left, so I decided to test the water for any signs of life. I grabbed the single rod and reel that I brought along and sent a gold spoon lure sailing into the murky water. Like clockwork, I felt a familiar tug on the other end of the line as a hungry redfish took the bait. After seeing all the destruction to the marsh it was a sweet relief to land the fish. It was a symbol of the abundance that Louisiana's coast has to offer and the exact reason why I feel something must be done to restore this great wilderness.

We toured the marsh until the scene had left a lasting impression. The verdict was that the marsh took a big hit with Hurricane Isaac-similar to the effects felt after Hurricane Katrina, but not nearly as bad. Vital marsh land will be lost, and I'm sure satellite imagery from before and after Isaac will reveal approximately how much. What hurts more is that we have once again lost more of our natural protection from storm surge. Most of us were spared as the federal levee system did its job to protect communities, but other areas were not as fortunate as the floodwater inundated areas outside the federal levees. Many citizens must once again consider their plans to rebuild.

Now that Isaac has passed, it is time to get to work putting the pieces back together here in the Mississippi River Delta. As we tackle the challenge before us, I hope the rest of the country takes note of our plight, but there is no need to feel sorry for us. We choose to be here. We know that sustaining our unique culture and way of life is directly tied to how we manage this dynamic landscape.

We now have a comprehensive, scientifically-sound plan to restore our coast, the 2012 Louisiana Coastal Master Plan. With funding from the RESTORE Act we can begin to create projects that will build land and better protect our communities from hurricanes.

]]> Wed, 05 Sep 2012 07:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/updates/surveying-the-damage-from-hurricane-isaac/ On Isaac http://vanishingparadise.org/updates/on-isaac/ The Vanishing Paradise team will be headed out to evaluate conditions in the Mississippi River Delta as soon as it's safe to do so-hopefully as soon as this weekend. We'll head southeast of New Orleans down into lower Plaquemines Parish.

We already know we're not going to like much of what we see. There's no question that we'll discover a lot of remaining high water or torn-up marsh where wetlands have sustained wind damage and storm surge. Hurricanes have played their role in the delta's ongoing wetlands loss, and there's no reason to think Isaac's effects on the landscape will be any different.

Lake Ponchartrain, a few hours before Isaac's landfall. Photo: Jared Serigne.

The impacts of Isaac on southeast Louisiana went far beyond many people's expectations. As of this writing, nearly 700,000 Louisiana residents were without power. Levees were overtopped in Plaquemines Parish, and several communities including Slidell and LaPlace sustained significant flooding. An emergency, immediate evacuation order was issued for Tangipahoa Parish this morning, and sections of I-10 and I-55 have been closed. While Isaac's heavy rains and slow pace pummeled areas around the delta, thankfully the improved levees and pump system surrounding New Orleans have passed their first test.

The heart and soul of the delta's hunting and fishing industry-places like Venice, Buras, and Grand Isle-have all been badly hit as well.

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries is warning that anglers could see fish kills due to low dissolved oxygen levels in some backwater areas.

Furthermore, residual oil, presumably from the 2010 Gulf oil disaster, has been reported on Grand Isle and could well be found elsewhere.

The status of aquatic vegetation in the duck ponds is of particular interest. With all of the flooding, high winds and inundation of salt water, we're expecting to see a reduction of available feed as we approach the opening of teal season on September 15.

The recreational alligator season opening has been pushed back in anticipation of hazardous conditions and stress on the alligator population.

We know from past experience that the Mississippi River Delta and the people who live there are incredibly resilient.

Long term, the best way to help the marsh recover is to put nature back to work by reconnecting the river with its wetlands. We're working to do just that.

Stay tuned-follow Vanishing Paradise on Twitter or Facebook, subscribe to our RSS, or sign up for our email list-for more updates on Isaac's impacts over the coming weeks and months.

]]> Thu, 30 Aug 2012 07:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/updates/on-isaac/ Outdoor Life: Gulf Conservation Crisis: Hurricane Isaac Update http://vanishingparadise.org/in-the-news/outdoor-life-gulf-conservation-crisis-hurricane-isaac-update/ "Jared and I will be headed out in the boat as soon as it's safe to do so (probably two days). We'll be looking to evaluate marsh conditions southeast of New Orleans down into lower Plaquemines Parish. Of particular interest will be the status of aquatic vegetation in the duck ponds. With all of the flooding, high winds and inundation of salt water, we expect to see a massive reduction of available feed as we approach the opening of Teal season on September 15th. We also have the recreational alligator season that was slated to start on September 8th. It remains to be seen when the season will open. The commercial alligator harvest season has already been pushed back, in anticipation of hazardous conditions and stress on the alligator population.. Another concern involves potential fish kills as we will likely see low dissolved oxygen levels in some back water areas.

Plaquemines parish levees, as reported last night, were experiencing very high water levels which caught some by surprise because of the extremely low level in the river leading up to this storm.

In Baton Rouge, it's blowing and raining like hell and we've got some tornado warnings. Storm is moving very slow, with very strong winds. Not what you want to hear. I told all the ducks and redfish they could evacuate to my house, but for some reason, they don't like the looks of all the cast iron pots hanging in my kitchen.

I'll try to provide updates as we go along."
- Ben Weber, National Wildlife Federation

Read the rest of Gulf Conservation Crisis: Hurricane Isaac Update on Outdoor Life's website.

]]> Thu, 30 Aug 2012 07:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/in-the-news/outdoor-life-gulf-conservation-crisis-hurricane-isaac-update/ Fishing Around the Clock and Around North America http://vanishingparadise.org/updates/fishing-around-the-clock-and-around-north-america/ Raising awareness for the problems facing our waters. Raising money to solve them.

We're doing something big, and we want you to be part of it. On September 7th and 8th, we're going to fish for twenty four hours straight-and we need your help.

In the course of any given year, you can find the crew from Vanishing Paradise traveling all over the country working hard to build support for restoration of the Mississippi River Delta. Often this work keeps us far-too far-from the marshes and waters we love.

I can't tell you how many times we find ourselves far from home, exchanging the all-too-familiar statement, "I sure wish we were fishing the delta right now." However, we know that without the efforts of sportsmen and women across the country, there may come a day when fishing and hunting the delta isn't possible anymore. That is what drives us; that is why we get on that airplane one more time.

So when we have the opportunity to do what we love while building support for restoration of these rapidly disappearing coastal wetlands, well, you can't wipe the smiles off of our faces.

And that is exactly what's happening during the Recycled Fish 24 Hour Fish-A-Thon. If you aren't familiar with Recycled Fish and what this nonprofit does on behalf of our waters and our opportunities to enjoy recreational fishing, I strongly urge you to give the organization a look. The folks at Recycled Fish have been strong partners of Vanishing Paradise and our mission from the very beginning.

The Recycled Fish 24 Hour Fish-A-Thon consists of anglers fishing around the clock and around the country to raise awareness for the problems facing our fisheries, and money to help solve those problems.

This is how it works: Two separate Vanishing Paradise teams have agreed to fish for twenty four hours straight. Half of the funds we raise will go to supporting the national work of Recycled Fish. The other half will go to supporting Vanishing Paradise.

Click here to sponsor one or both of our teams! Our goal is to get all twenty four of the hours that we're fishing sponsored. Every little bit counts-we thank you for your support.

]]> Thu, 23 Aug 2012 07:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/updates/fishing-around-the-clock-and-around-north-america/ A New Day Has Dawned http://vanishingparadise.org/updates/a-new-day-has-dawned/ The sun was high overhead as our Skeeter center console shot through the narrow canals of the marsh. Pushing out into open water, a roseate spoonbill crane launched skyward, its pink wings stretching out into graceful flight.

The Vanishing Paradise team was hosting the Field and Stream and Outdoor Life editorial staff for three days out of Ryan Lambert's Cajun Fishing Adventures lodge in Buras, Louisiana. The event was generously sponsored by Vanishing Paradise, the National Wildlife Federation, Top Brass Tackle, Bomber/Heddon Lures, HuntDucks.com, Frabil, Wiley X, Berkley Pro Fishing, Fowl Play Game Calls, and Marsh Works.

We spent three days fishing and educating the editors of America's premier sportsmen's publications on the threats to the wildlife and habitat of the Mississippi River Delta. But it didn't take much to convince this knowledgeable group-many were already acutely aware of the challenges the area is experiencing. America's Sportsmen's Paradise is in severe decline-and it amounts to a crisis for hunters and anglers across the country.

"If we let these wetlands disappear, what's next?" asked Vanishing Paradise's Land Tawney. "This ecosystem is directly connected to the Prairie Potholes along the U.S.-Canada border as well as the entire Mississippi flyway. The cost to American waterfowlers alone is too great to comprehend."

Anglers, too, have much to be concerned with. "This is one of the best places to fish on the planet," said Eric Cosby of Top Brass Tackle. "There are many great places to fish, but the Louisiana wetlands represent the best there is-from 200-pound-class offshore tuna to the magnificent bull reds inshore and within the marsh itself-pound-for-pound the action is unbeatable."

The good news is that shortly after our trip with Field and Stream and Outdoor Life, Congress finally passed a transportation bill. Contained within was the RESTORE Act-a piece of legislation that sends 80 percent of Gulf oil spill fines under the Clean Water Act directly back to coastal restoration.

"This has the potential to be the greatest influx of conservation dollars in history," Tawney said. "It took 75 years for Pittman-Robertson, Dingell-Johnson and Wallop-Breaux to put $14 billion into the system. We could bypass that amount in one fell swoop."

So what's next? Each Gulf state must put together a plan for this funding, and Louisiana has already approved a robust state master plan to use these dollars efficiently.

For Field and Stream and Outdoor Life the fight to educate Americans on the value, wealth of habitat and wildlife continues. Sportsmen and women across this nation continue to work hard to ensure our legacy survives and that those who come after us have the same opportunities we did to hunt and fish.

]]> Fri, 10 Aug 2012 07:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/updates/a-new-day-has-dawned/ Where the Trout Bite as Soon as the Bait Hits the Water http://vanishingparadise.org/updates/where-the-trout-bite-as-soon-as-the-bait-hits-the-water/ Pass Chaland: A restoration success story

A buzz spread among the fleet of charter captains at Bridgeside Marina in Grand Isle in late summer of 2009. The talk was about a new spot, far to the east, where the speckled trout were biting as fast as the bait hit the water.

"There was a new beach and a new pass that was built out east called Pass Chaland," Frank Dreher of Laid Back Charter remembered. "Some of us had never been there before. Some didn't even know how to pronounce it. But if you took the 25 minutes or so to ride out there, you were going to catch a lot of fish. There were days when it took longer to get there and back than it did to catch a limit of trout."

That new beach and pass, a project officially called the Pass Chaland (sha-lawnd) to Grand Bayou Pass Barrier Shoreline Restoration, was completed in the spring of 2009 by the Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA) and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS).

The area had certainly seen its share of coastal habitat loss. It was ravaged by Hurricane Katrina in 2005, bearing the brunt of winds exceeding 150 miles per hour and a storm surge that reached more than 20 feet. Katrina's damage combined with previous decades of storm surges and subsidence had turned the once-healthy beach into a strong of small sand bars, humps and open passes that were allowing strong waves and currents to penetrate deep into the bay, damaging marsh and nursery grounds.

The $40 million project to repair the damage began in 2007. Sand was pumped by dredge from an offshore sediment deposit about five miles off the beach. Within months, areas that had become open-water passes six feet deep were turned into beach as much as four feet above sea level. On either end of the new beach, passes were reconstructed to allow water to flow in and out.

Just as important as restoring the beach and dunes was the rebuilding of extensive tidal marshes north of the beach along the entire length of the restored island. Those marshes are nursery grounds for shrimp, crabs, mullet and minnows and provide habitat for popular sportfish like redfish and speckled trout. The marsh also serves as a sediment trap, capturing sand washed over the island by storm surges, helping to keep the newly-created island stable and intact.

"These barrier islands are part of a system and the sand and the dunes must work together with the marshes and tidal inlets for the system to be healthy," said Darrin Lee, coastal resource scientist with the CPRA. "Rebuilding shorelines like the one at Pass Chaland will make it possible for us to restore the system as a whole. The new beach will knock down the wave action that can be devastating to the
marshes father north in the system."

Efforts are currently underway to rebuild two other islands in lower Plaquemines located along the same barrier shoreline as Pass Chaland to Grand Bayou Pass. Pelican Island, located east of Pass Chaland, began undergoing an extensive rebuilding effort in 2011 while the restoration of Scofield Island is currently in the design and engineering phase.

For guides like Dreher coming out of Grand Isle, Capt. Ryan Lambert from Cajun Fishing Adventures in Buras and thousands of others seeking summertime speckled trout in the Barataria Basin, the more beaches restored and habitat created, the better the fishing.

"The beach is where we go to look for trout during the late spring and summer," Lambert said. "We had lost so much beach to Katrina, it was becoming difficult to find good beach habitat where you could find fish. Plus, all of that washed-away beach was letting strong waves and strong currents come way up into the marsh and wash it away too. Now that we're getting some of our beaches back, we can find fish and we can start rebuilding the important nursery grounds behind those beaches."

]]> Wed, 01 Aug 2012 07:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/updates/where-the-trout-bite-as-soon-as-the-bait-hits-the-water/ Taking the Message of Restoration to ICAST http://vanishingparadise.org/updates/taking-the-message-of-restoration-to-icast/ From exhibitors to buyers to reporters, more than 9,000 representatives from the global fishing community recently converged on the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando for ICAST, the world's largest sportfishing trade show, which is produced by the American Sportfishing Association. Vanishing Paradise was there in full force, taking our message of restoring the Mississippi River Delta right to the heart of the industry.

With Congress's recent passage of the RESTORE Act, several billion dollars from the Gulf oil spill penalties will soon be sent to the affected states. Our goal is to make sure an appropriate share of this money is used on projects benefiting the fish and wildlife of the Mississippi River Delta, so hunters and anglers all over the country can reap the rewards. There's no question we will need support from the sportfishing industry to make this a reality.

Professional B.A.S.s. angler Mike Iaconelli is a big supporter of restoring the delta.

We spent plenty of time at the event thanking all those who have helped to this point-including Plano Molding, WileyX, Top Brass Tackle, Pure Fishing, Quantum Tackle and Mike Iaconelli-who have signed on to our letter to Congress, alerted the media, or traveled to Washington D.C. to speak to their senators.

Each ICAST highlights fishing's greatest threats and galvanizes anglers, manufacturers and media across the nation to remain active in the fight for healthy habitat and fishing opportunities.

At this year's ICAST, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director Dan Ashe joined the American Sportfishing Association and other partners in celebration of the 75th anniversary of the Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program (WSFR), one of the most successful partnership approaches to fish and wildlife conservation in U.S. history.

"The Service is proud to join our partners in recognizing more than seven decades of wildlife conservation and quality outdoor recreational opportunities," Ashe said. "With our nation's support and our partnership's renewed commitment, WSFR will help more Americans enjoy wildlife and our great outdoors for many years to come."

Vanishing Paradise hopes that the funds from the RESTORE Act will have a similarly positive track record when it comes to restoring habitat. With strong support from industry leaders and hunters and anglers across the country, we can make it happen.

To be a part of the movement for Gulf restoration, please take a moment to sign up for our email updates, and follow our Facebook and Twitter accounts.

]]> Fri, 27 Jul 2012 07:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/updates/taking-the-message-of-restoration-to-icast/ Outdoor Life: Rookies vs. Redfish http://vanishingparadise.org/in-the-news/outdoor-life-rookies-vs-redfish/ The best part of the trip wasn't catching fish. The best part was being surrounded by the pulsating life of the Mississippi River delta. The best part was being surrounded by people, each and every one different from the next, with the same passion for the land that is quickly disappearing-people who are fighting to restore coastal Louisiana to its former splendor.

"Read the rest of "Rookies vs. Redfish" here":http://www.outdoorlife.com/blogs/gone-fishin%E2%80%99/2012/07/louisiana-delta-rookies-vs-redfish .

]]> Mon, 16 Jul 2012 07:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/in-the-news/outdoor-life-rookies-vs-redfish/ Outdoor Life: A Paradise Lost http://vanishingparadise.org/in-the-news/outdoor-life-a-paradise-lost/ The National Wildlife Federation's initiative to heal the impaired Louisiana Gulf Coast is called "Vanishing Paradise," and nothing could be closer to that description than the view from Jacques Blaize's fishfinder.

We are parked on the western, or Gulf of Mexico side, of Highway 23, the asphalt lifeline that connects this southernmost watery tip of Louisiana with New Orleans and points north.

Blaize's GPS shows a braided labyrinth of marshes and bayous, narrow waterways threading through grassy hummocks. The fish we're hunting -redfish and speckled sea trout, the occasional flounder and even largemouth bass - love edges, and the view on the electronic screen is a paradise of edge habitat.

Only the landscape depicted on the fishfinder doesn't exist any more. I raise my head from the electronics and look west. It's a desert of open water. No grass beds, no floating mats of maidencane and bulrush. The diverse marsh has disappeared so recently that the digital map loaded in Blaize's GPS hasn't been updated.

Read the rest of A Paradise Lost on Outdoor Life's website.

]]> Fri, 13 Jul 2012 07:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/in-the-news/outdoor-life-a-paradise-lost/ Field & Stream: How I Fish: An Interview With Ryan Lambert of Cajun Fishing Adventures http://vanishingparadise.org/in-the-news/field-stream-how-i-fish-an-interview-with-ryan-lambert-of-cajun-fishing-adventures-in-buras-louisian/ We know how to fix the delta, but it's not being done. It is extremely easy to fix, because all you need to do is reconnect the river in strategic spots to make the sediments flow like Mother Nature intended.

The whole place is so special. To an outdoorsman, this delta is on the same level as the Grand Canyon. It ought to be a national park. It's of significant importance to our country.

Read the rest of How I Fish: An Interview With Ryan Lambert on Field & Stream's website.

]]> Fri, 13 Jul 2012 07:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/in-the-news/field-stream-how-i-fish-an-interview-with-ryan-lambert-of-cajun-fishing-adventures-in-buras-louisian/ Field & Stream: Why My Favorite Fishing Spot is Being Washed Away http://vanishingparadise.org/in-the-news/field-stream-why-my-favorite-fishing-spot-is-being-washed-away/ I have written many times that the Mississippi Delta in Louisiana is one of my all-time favorite places on Earth to fish. It is so vast you can spend a week running back creeks and bayous and never see another angler. And, by the way, if you think this is purely a salt game, you're wrong.

Part of what I love is that one cut, perhaps with slightly higher salinity level, will be loaded with redfish, and the next with more freshwater will be full of 5-pound largemouth. It is a true angler's paradise, so imagine how pumped I was when the entire editorial staffs of Field & Stream and Outdoor Life got to spend a week in the Delta for an off-site meeting. We had a great time, but also learned some startling facts about the area from the folks at the National Wildlife Federation (NWF) who joined us on the trip.

Read the rest of Why My Favorite Fishing Spot is Being Washed Away on Field & Stream's website.

]]> Fri, 13 Jul 2012 07:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/in-the-news/field-stream-why-my-favorite-fishing-spot-is-being-washed-away/ Outdoor Life: The Duck Pipeline http://vanishingparadise.org/in-the-news/outdoor-life-the-duck-pipeline/ One of the most important pipelines for sportsmen is the one that our waterfowl migrate through each winter and spring. The end of the pipe near where I live in Montana is the famous duck factory of the Plains that extends through the pothole region of the Dakotas up into Canada.

These fertile grounds are critical nesting habitat for ducks, geese, swans and countless other birds. The National Wildlife Federation says that the prairie pothole region accounts for 50 to 80 percent of the ducks in North America - so the importance of that habitat cannot be overstated. Not surprisingly, there has been a concerted push by conservation groups for years to keep the duck factory healthy.

But there are two ends to a pipe, and at the other end of this pipe is the mouth of the Mississippi River. The Mississippi Delta in Louisiana is the winter destination for the upwards of 13 million waterfowl - 28 percent of the entire waterfowl population in Alaska, Canada and the Lower 48.

Read the rest of The Duck Pipeline on Outdoor Life's website.

]]> Thu, 12 Jul 2012 07:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/in-the-news/outdoor-life-the-duck-pipeline/ Outdoor Life: Why I Love Fishing the Marsh http://vanishingparadise.org/in-the-news/outdoor-life-why-i-love-fishing-the-marsh/ In 2009 we were looking for a new location to conduct the annual Outdoor Life Fishing Tackle Test. Deputy Editor Gerry Bethge suggested we headquarter at Captain Ryan Lambert's Cajun Fishing Adventures in Buras, Louisiana, and test the new rods and reels against the sea trout, largemouths and giant redfish that occupy the marshes of southern Louisiana at the mouth of the Mississippi River.

Gerry had been to the area a number of times and couldn't speak highly enough of the fishing. After completing our last three Tackle Tests there, I can't imagine ever doing it anywhere else.

Read the rest of Why I Love Fishing the Marsh on Outdoor Life's website.

]]> Wed, 11 Jul 2012 07:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/in-the-news/outdoor-life-why-i-love-fishing-the-marsh/ Outdoor Life: Mother Nature Got it Right the First Time http://vanishingparadise.org/in-the-news/outdoor-life-mother-nature-got-it-right-the-first-time/ The area where the Mississippi River meets the Gulf of Mexico is one of the most engineered places in the country. For two centuries people have drained marshes, rerouted the river and built about 2,000 miles of levees.

The result has been destruction from hurricanes and land loss. Many experts are now saying (and some have been for awhile) that the only way to save the Louisiana delta and the people who live off of it, is to finally let mother nature do her thing.

Read the rest of Mother Nature Got it Right the First Time and watch the accompanying video on Outdoor Life's website.

]]> Tue, 10 Jul 2012 07:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/in-the-news/outdoor-life-mother-nature-got-it-right-the-first-time/ Two Sides of the River http://vanishingparadise.org/updates/two-sides-of-the-river/ When you invite staff from two of the most prominent outdoors publications in the country to experience South Louisiana's tremendous fishing, you cross your fingers that the weather will allow you to show off everything the Mississippi River Delta has to offer.

Unfortunately, when the staff from Field & Stream and Outdoor Life magazines came to Buras, LA, they were greeted by a stiff 20-25 knot wind fanned by Tropical Storm Debby.

Despite tides three feet above normal and white-capped waves in normally calm inland ponds, the intrepid guides at Cajun Fishing Adventures were able to improvise and put our guests on some fish.

On the first day ten boats carrying the writers, photographers and Vanishing Paradise staff concentrated their fishing on the east side of the river. After bucking and bouncing through three-foot waves in the Mississippi River, the boats meandered through a maze of crevasses, cuts and sloughs that help spread the life-giving water and sediment from the river into the wetlands between the Mississippi River and Breton Sound.

The marshes on this side of the river are the true representation of Sportsmen's Paradise. Mottled and wood ducks, roseate spoonbills, herons and ibises all took to the sky as boats passed while large alligators and otters slid from grassy banks into the water to escape the oncoming vessels. Lush, seed-bearing vegetation lined every bayou, canal and bay. Submerged grass mats lined the banks, filtering the sediment and harboring schools of forage fish like mullet and menhaden as well as the predators like redfish, largemouth bass and flounder. Those grasses are also food for millions of migrating ducks and geese when they come to Louisiana's coast each fall and winter.

Redfish chased the minnows and crabs dislodged by the rising tides into marsh waters less than two feet deep. Berkley Gulp jerk shads on light jig heads and spinnerbaits tossed into narrow pockets and worked tight along grass beds produced 15 beautiful redfish, a couple bass and a handful of flounder for my boat. Others boats fished cuts in the main river channel for reds and even a couple hard-fighting striped bass.

The next day, we experienced the contrast between Buras' east and west sides. On the west side of the river, levees have cut off all the natural cuts and crevasses that connect the river to its wetlands. Consequently, the marsh on the west side is vanishing faster than any other landmass in the world. Three decades ago these wetlands stretched more than 10 miles into the Gulf. Now the area is home to wide expanses of featureless, open water and is largely void of fish and waterfowl habitat.

But when the conditions line up just right, the fishing can still be incredible, as we soon discovered. Our four-man crew landed more than 50 speckled trout and redfish in a four-hour stretch, but even these fish are dependent on healthy marsh and wetlands existing somewhere.

If don't take action soon, we could lose much of the marsh we still have. The Louisiana legislature recently unanimously approved a comprehensive plan to restore the wetlands and create stronger hurricane protections while the recent passage of the RESTORE Act should give us funds to get started making this plan a reality.

All this week Outdoor Life will be posting articles about their experiences on the delta, including today's installment, "The Biggest Habitat Catastrophe You've Never Heard Of." Meanwhile Field and Stream writes that "it was the hard work and relentless advocacy of sportsmen" that made the ‪RESTORE Act‬ a reality.

We need sportsmen across America to join us as we fight to reconnect the river to the wetlands and restore this great national treasure. We're delighted to see two of America's most influential outdoors magazines spreading the word.

]]> Mon, 09 Jul 2012 07:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/updates/two-sides-of-the-river/ Outdoor Life: The Biggest Habitat Catastrophe You've Never Heard Of http://vanishingparadise.org/in-the-news/the-biggest-habitat-catastrophe-youve-never-heard-of/ In reality, however, a threat far greater than any hurricane or oil spill threatens to bring more catastrophe to southern Louisiana. This threat doesn't garner many headlines yet should be at the forefront of our collective thoughts as sportsmen.

Each year, a chunk of land about the size of Manhattan turns into open water in Louisiana and fishermen and hunters across the nation have a huge stake in first stopping and then reversing the alarming loss of habitat. For the more than 10 million ducks and geese wintering in these fertile marshes, to the world-class inshore and offshore fisheries-Louisiana's coastal wetlands are the key to sustaining Mississippi Flyway hunting and abundant Gulf Coast recreational fishing. No less significant, these wetlands serve as a natural barrier for coastal communities, protecting the Gulf region from storms (read about the Restore Act here). Their overall health and vitality makes the entire system better able to withstand an assault like the BP oil spill.

Read the rest of The Biggest Habitat Catastrophe You've Never Heard Of on Outdoor Life's website.

]]> Mon, 09 Jul 2012 07:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/in-the-news/the-biggest-habitat-catastrophe-youve-never-heard-of/ Field & Stream: Conservation Update: The Gulf Gets a Win, But the Losses for Sportsmen Keep Coming http://vanishingparadise.org/in-the-news/field-stream-conservation-update-the-gulf-gets-a-win-but-the-losses-for-sportsmen-keep-coming/ Sportsman's groups from Ducks Unlimited to the Louisiana Wildlife Federation and everywhere in between were celebrating the passage of the RESTORE Act last week. Land Tawney of the National Wildlife Federation said, "The RESTORE Act is the culmination of years of work from hunters and anglers all across the nation, all working to restore the Gulf."

Read the rest of The Gulf Gets a Win, But the Losses for Sportsmen Keep Coming on Field & Stream's website.

]]> Mon, 09 Jul 2012 07:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/in-the-news/field-stream-conservation-update-the-gulf-gets-a-win-but-the-losses-for-sportsmen-keep-coming/ A Victory for the Delta! http://vanishingparadise.org/updates/a-victory-for-the-delta/ On Friday, Congress came together to pass the Transportation Bill. Within the bill was the RESTORE Act, which will dedicate 80% of the Clean Water Act penalties from the 2010 Gulf oil spill back to Gulf Coast restoration, the largest one-time investment by Congress for conservation in American history.

This could not have happened without support from hunters and anglers from across the country. Through trips to our nation's capitol, phone calls to elected officials, emails, postcards or tweets, you helped make sure Congress got the point.

For more than 150 years hunters and anglers have stepped up in support of something uniquely American: our outdoor heritage. It is our duty to pass along opportunities as good or better to the next generation. You all just did that, and we thank you.

Please help us spread the word by liking and sharing the photo below on Facebook:

The passage of the RESTORE Act is a giant step forward for the health of the Gulf Coast, including the Mississippi River Delta, and all the hunting and fishing the region supports.

This is far from the end of the road. Over the coming months and years, Vanishing Paradise will continue its efforts to ensure that this money is spent wisely and that restoration moves forward in the Mississippi River Delta.

One of my favorite quotes from Theodore Roosevelt is, "I believe in men who take the next step, not those who theorize about the two-hundredth step." Thank you for taking the next step and taking action to restore our nation's Vanishing Paradise.

]]> Tue, 03 Jul 2012 07:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/updates/a-victory-for-the-delta/ Chicago Now: Vanishing Paradise Hails Congressional Progress on RESTORE Act http://vanishingparadise.org/in-the-news/chicago-now/ The RESTORE Act has been an important initiative in conservation legislation for hunters and anglers from across the country due to the 10 million migratory waterfowl that winter or stopover on the Mississippi River Delta and the hugely significant commercial and recreational fishery the Gulf produces. The amendment comes at a crucial time for an ecosystem that faced extreme degradation before the oil spill, which only added insult to injury. Although much of the visible oil is gone, the region remains in jeopardy as food supplies and habitats are still recovering from the impacts of oil-and may face impacts from the spill for decades.

Read more of Vanishing Paradise Hails Congressional Progress on RESTORE Act on Chicago Now's website.

]]> Mon, 02 Jul 2012 07:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/in-the-news/chicago-now/ National Sportsman...s Group Hails Congressional Progress on RESTORE Act http://vanishingparadise.org/updates/national-sportsmans-group-hails-congressional-progress-on-restore-act/ Legislation will dedicate $5 to $21 billion to Gulf Coast restoration-

Today, the coalition of more than 700 national state and local hunting and fishing organizations and businesses that is Vanishing Paradise praised the Senate and House for reaching an agreement on a Surface Transportation Extension Act conference report that includes the RESTORE Act. The RESTORE Act dedicates 80 percent of the Clean Water Act fines from BP and other parties responsible for the 2010 Gulf oil disaster to restoring the Gulf Coast environment and economy.

"We applaud the transportation bill conferees in the House and Senate for making Gulf Coast restoration a priority by including the RESTORE Act in their conference report," said a statement by Vanishing Paradise. "Passing this bipartisan, bicameral legislation is the fair and just thing to do for the ecosystem and communities of the Gulf. We look forward to seeing the RESTORE Act through to the final stage of congressional consideration and signed by the President into law as soon as possible."

"The RESTORE Act is the culmination of years of work from hunters and anglers from across the nation, all working to restore the Gulf. A tremendous number of individuals, organizations and businesses have voiced strong support for restoring the Mississippi River Delta and the Sportsman's Paradise that is coastal Louisiana," said Land Tawney, National Wildlife Federation's senior manager for sportsmen leadership. "This issue is extremely important to the sportsmen and women of America and lies at the heart of our conservation heritage."

The RESTORE Act has been an important initiative in conservation legislation for hunters and anglers from across the country due to the 10 million migratory waterfowl that winter or stopover on the Mississippi River Delta and the hugely significant commercial and recreational fishery the Gulf produces. The amendment comes at a crucial time for an ecosystem that faced extreme degradation before the oil spill, which only added insult to injury. Although much of the visible oil is gone, the region remains in jeopardy as food supplies and habitats are still recovering from the impacts of oil-and may face impacts from the spill for decades.

"The outdoorsmen and women of Louisiana thank our congressional delegation, especially Senators Landrieu and Vitter and Congressman Steve Scalise, for their diligent and tireless work on the RESTORE Act," said Chris Macaluso, coastal outreach coordinator for the Louisiana Wildlife Federation. "Louisiana now stands a few signatures away from potentially billions to begin building the projects needed to restore and protect our vanishing coast. It is now up to the hundreds of thousands of sportsmen and women in Louisiana to ensure these RESTORE Act dollars are put to work rebuilding our coast as quickly as possible."

"The RESTORE Act will provide desperately needed funding for restoration of the Gulf Coast's wetlands," said Bart James, director of public policy for Ducks Unlimited. "Positioned at the terminus of the Central and Mississippi Flyways, these wetlands represent the single most important wintering area for waterfowl in North America and a top priority for DU. We applaud Congress for their hard work and vision in getting the RESTORE Act across the finish line to help restore the Gulf's wetlands that are the backbone of the nation's economy by supporting significant oil and gas, navigation, commercial fisheries and recreational hunting and fishing industries."

In addition to restoring ecosystems and communities, a recent report by Mather Economics estimates that spending $1.5 billion per year in coastal wetland restoration would create 57,000 new jobs over the first 10 years. Funding for such projects will be made possible through the RESTORE Act. These jobs will not just rejuvenate an ailing economy but also provide a boost to a degraded environment - an environmental and economic win-win.

"Using money from the oil spill to restore the Gulf makes sense to anglers all across the country," said Jim Martin, conservation director for the Berkley Conservation Institute, which is part of the tackle manufacturer Pure Fishing, Inc. "In February, the Bassmaster Classic was held in Louisiana in the same region where premier saltwater fishing attracts sportsmen and women from all around the world. It all depends on a healthy marsh that is the incubator for the fisheries of the Gulf. It is a region that matters to sportsmen and women."

"When we at Huntducks.com first heard about the issue of the vanishing wetlands in America's most important waterfowl wintering grounds, we stepped up right away. It is encouraging to see Congress is listening to the sportsmen and women of the country. The RESTORE Act will provide critical funding for the restoration of the Gulf Coast and the vital wetlands that our nation's waterfowl depend on. This important first step will also help insure the $70 billion a year economy generated by sportsmen and women continues and protects the vital sustainable jobs that go along with it. We are proud of our partnership with Vanishing Paradise and we will continue to work with them to affect positive change for America's waterfowl, our economy and our hunting heritage."

Contact: Emily Guidry Schatzel, 225.253.9781, guidrye@nwf.org
Andy McDaniels, 405.218.7878, mcdanielsa@nwf.org
Ben Weber, 225.421.9130, weberb@nwf.org

]]> Thu, 28 Jun 2012 07:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/updates/national-sportsmans-group-hails-congressional-progress-on-restore-act/ Outdoor Life: Big Win for Outdoorsmen: Senate Moves to Pass RESTORE Act http://vanishingparadise.org/in-the-news/outdoor-life-big-win-for-outdoorsmen-senate-moves-to-pass-restore-act/ It's been seven years since Hurricane Katrina devastated southern Louisiana, and two since the Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion threatened to throw a knock-out punch to North America's most fertile waters and wetlands. At long last, it seems as if recovery help is on the way thanks to the unified voices of Vanishing Paradise, a coalition of more than 700 national, state and local hunting and fishing organizations led by the National Wildlife Federation.

The United States Senate and House conferees agreed yesterday on a Transportation Bill package that includes the RESTORE Act, which dedicates 80% of the Clean Water Act penalties from the Deep Water Horizon oil spill to Gulf Coast restoration, mostly for the Mississippi River Delta region. Both chambers of Congress are expected to approve the bill, as is President Obama.

Read the rest of Big Win for Outdoorsmen: Senate Moves to Pass RESTORE Act on Outdoor Life's website.

]]> Thu, 28 Jun 2012 07:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/in-the-news/outdoor-life-big-win-for-outdoorsmen-senate-moves-to-pass-restore-act/ Conservation: Making Land http://vanishingparadise.org/in-the-news/conservation-making-land/ The Wax Lake Delta "is by far the best example of what can be done to restore coastal wetlands that I've ever seen. It is incredible."

Replicating it elsewhere, however, will be no easy task. It would mean punching expensive new holes into the levees and dikes that now straitjacket the Mississippi and the Atchafalaya, allowing sediment to spill back into eroding wetlands. And it would mean taking on powerful shipping interests and government bureaucracies that are heavily invested in keeping things as they are. In particular, they see sediment as the enemy, something that needs to dredged out of shipping channels and dumped out at sea. Currently, officials "treat sediment as the problem, dredging it, moving it," says Twilley. But "for wetlands scientists, and for anyone who wants to see the restoration of the Delta, sediment is the whole answer."

Read the rest of Making Land on Conservation's website.

]]> Thu, 07 Jun 2012 07:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/in-the-news/conservation-making-land/ Topwater Bite Still Going Strong http://vanishingparadise.org/updates/topwater-bite-still-going-strong/ The key to consistently catching big fish on topwater baits is to avoid the tempatation to throw something else-something easier. Wednesday at Raccoon Island and points west, I managed to do just that, as did Capt. Howard Cuevas of Xpectations Guide Service out of Dulac. Cuevas is undoubtedly one of the best hard-bait fishermen in Louisiana. If he's not throwing a big topwater bait, he's tossing a Bomber Long-A, a hard plastic jerk bait that dives and darts just below the surface.

Cuevas walks the dog with a topwater or chunks the Long-A all day long and year round with great success regardless of water color or depth, defying the notions that topwaters only work in clear, calm, shallow water and before 9 a.m.

Joining us on the trip were photographer John Balance from The Advocate and Paradise Louisiana cameraman Gary Krouse. At the end of the day, between Coon Point and Enstar, a large, abandoned rig just west of Raccoon Island, we had 60 beautiful trout all between 16-22 inches. The trout wanted the topwaters most of the morning, even blowing up on the new Heddon Chug'N Spook well past 10 a.m. in a foot-plus chop in 14 feet of water!

While Cuevas and I kept chunking the big topwaters, the other two avid fishermen free-lined live croakers around the platform and added some beautiful trout to the box.

I threw a bone-colored Chug'N Spook that I doctored a bit with some black Marks-a-lot and a raid of my wife's red fingernail polish. I find that a bit of red on the throat of any topwater bait makes it look more like the distressed mullet that bait is designed to imitate. We started on the west end of Raccoon Island walking the Spooks through mullet and pogey schools in 2 feet of water or less before making the short hop to the rig about a mile away.

The intent of the trip was to document for Paradise Louisiana the importance of our coast's barrier islands as first-lines of defense against storms, habitat for brown pelicans and other birds and as vital fisheries habitat. I also wanted to get some photos specifically of Raccoon Island for an upcoming article in Louisiana Sportsman about successful coastal-restoration projects and their imporatance to hunters and fishermen.

Raccoon Island is one of the few relatively stable islands along our coast. It is growing each year that it is not ripped apart by hurricanes. One of the primary reasons for that was an effort to add a handful of rock breakwaters to the east end of the island back in 1997. At the relatively low cost of about $2 million, those segmented breakwaters have helped trap migrating sediment in the Terrebonne Basin and helped the island grow in size.

I write that with the caveat that adding rocks to barrier islands, while popular with politcians and great as fishing reefs, is not a wholesale solution to solving Louisiana's barrier-island loss problem. One only has to look at East Timbalier Island, which probably has more rock on it than all other barrier islands in the state combined and has still washed away almost completely, to know rocks don't always work. In the case of Raccoon Island, they have helped. And Raccoon's rocks and sandbars hold a lot of very nice speckled trout and some giant redfish.

Fishing at Raccoon and Enstar should be fantastic through the end of September as long as weather and dirty water don't limit access.

Cross-posted from Laspecks.com, a new website aimed at helping Louisiana anglers catch more speckled trout.

]]> Fri, 01 Jun 2012 07:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/updates/topwater-bite-still-going-strong/ Louisiana Senate Finance Committee Actions Could Derail Future Coastal Restoration Funding http://vanishingparadise.org/updates/louisiana-senate-finance-committee-actions-could-derail-future-coastal-restoration-funding/ A proposed constitutional amendment introduced this week in the Louisiana Legislature that would require fines from the Gulf oil spill to go into a coastal protection and restoration fund has been radically changed while under consideration by the Senate Finance Committee. The committee added language in the form of an amendment offered by Senator Edwin Murray in coordination with Senate President John Alario that would give legislators authority to redirect money to other pursuits, effectively derailing the intent of the legislation, which was to use oil spill fines to repair the damaged wetlands around the Mississippi River Delta.

Louisiana's hunters and anglers should contact their state senator today and tell him or her that the Senate Finance Committee amendment must be removed from HB 812. The committee has burdened the proposed legislation with unnecessary bureaucracy and has broadened the use of these funds beyond the original intention.

The oil spill damaged the delta's wetlands. It's only right that the fines collected from BP and other responsible parties be reinvested into making the coast whole again.

Last week, we commended the Louisiana Legislature for unanimously passing the 2012 Louisiana Coastal Master Plan, a bold step forward that outlines a suite of restoration projects that could create up to 800 square miles of wetlands over fifty years.

With projected costs for the plan totaling some $50 billion, the state must now tackle funding for the projects. One potential source of funding is the RESTORE Act, a Congressional bill that, if passed, would dedicate 80% of Clean Water Act fines from the Gulf oil disaster to Gulf Coast states for restoration.

More encouraging news came with the introduction of House Bills 812 and 838, the amendments that would go before Louisiana voters to dedicate RESTORE Act fines to the Coastal Master Plan. The idea of a constitutional amendment enjoys wide public support. In a poll conducted in April by Southern Media and Opinion Research, 79% of voters surveyed indicated they would vote yes on a constitutional amendment to dedicate RESTORE Act fines to Coastal Master Plan projects.

The proposed change to the House Bill that the Senate Finance Committee has put forth, however, could disrupt the progress the state has made thus far by allowing legislators to use funds that would otherwise go to coastal restoration for other purposes.

With Congress currently considering the RESTORE Act, which is close to passage, Louisiana's message to Congress must be clear-that oil spill penalty money will be spent on coastal restoration and nothing else. Louisiana must show its strong commitment to ease and reverse its staggering land-loss rates.

]]> Wed, 30 May 2012 07:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/updates/louisiana-senate-finance-committee-actions-could-derail-future-coastal-restoration-funding/ 'I caught more fish today than I have my entire life combined.' http://vanishingparadise.org/updates/i-caught-more-fish-today-than-i-have-my-entire-life-combined/ My streak of limiting out ended at four straight trips this past weekend at Grand Isle, but that doesn't mean we struck out. We still caught plenty of very nice trout, a few redfish and even a pompano fishing the barges at Fourchon Saturday, then behind Grand Terre Sunday.
 I had the pleasure of welcoming in Matt Wood and his wife Jamie from Chino, Calif., to the island. They won a weekend fishing with Capt. Frank Dreher of Laid Back Charter from Vanishing Paradise.

The Woods' first Louisiana fishing day resulted in 30 very nice specks that hit croakers near the barges on Fourchon Beach. The fish were not ganged up like they had been in the couple weeks before. Each point of the barges would give up four or five fish before they would shut down and we'd have to move to the next spot.

Though the bite was a little off, the fish we did catch were all very nice. All trout were in the 17- to 22-inch range, and took croakers on Carolina rigs and free-lined around the barges.
Sunday greeted us with a steady 15-knot east wind, which Dreher and I thought would make it difficult to find the trout ganged up in their usual spots. But we were wrong.

Capt. Frank Dreher, left, found feeding fish at the barges along Fourchon Beach as well as behind Grand Terre.

We made two stops, the first right behind Grand Isle where we picked up 25 very nice trout and a pompano fishing live shrimp under corks and the new Marsh Works CMAC color under a popping cork. The key, again, was finding the mullet schools and fishing in and around the mullet.

By about 8 a.m, the bite slowed, so we moved east to Grand Terre. It was very choppy behind the island, but again we found the mullet and dropped anchor. Two hours later, we were returning to Grand Isle with 70 very nice trout in the box. Again, live shrimp and plastics under a popping cork were best.
 I asked Matt and Jamie if the trip lived up to their expectations.

"I didn't really know what to expect, but I promise I caught more fish today than I have my entire life combined," Matt said. 
Sometimes it takes bringing folks in from other parts of the country to remind us just how lucky we are. And it is a reminder of how hard we must work to make sure this incredible resource is here for generations to come.


Tuesday I got the wonderful and sometimes rare opportunity to fish with my dad. We snuck away to the Causeway. I had to get one more Lake Pontchartrain trip in before focusing my full attention on Grand Isle and Cocodrie the rest of the summer.

We found decent water, plenty of bait and a lot of very small trout at the four-mile hump out of the northshore. Plenty, plenty bites and plenty of fish caught, just lots of fish turned loose.

We made a move a little farther south, and found better water and even more bait and the fish got bigger. In the span of five casts, I was able to catch two 2-pound trout, a 3-pounder and one just over 4 pounds. Then they slowed again.

We bounced to a couple spots to end the day and made our way back to the landing with 20 trout, a couple drum, a couple reds and a couple flounder.

Best baits were the Deadly Dudley Fool's Gold in the stained water and the Matrix Shad avocado in the cleaner water. 
I'll be back at it next week with a trip to Raccoon Island and points west out of Cocodrie.

Cross-posted from Laspecks.com, a brand-new website aimed at helping Louisiana anglers catch more speckled trout.

]]> Thu, 24 May 2012 07:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/updates/i-caught-more-fish-today-than-i-have-my-entire-life-combined/ Vanishing Paradise Commends Louisiana Legislature for Approving State...s 2012 Coastal Master Plan http://vanishingparadise.org/will-not-appear-on-front-page/vanishing-paradise-commends-louisiana-legislature-for-approving-states-2012-coastal-master-plan/ Plan lays out vision for protecting and restoring Louisiana's coastal resources and communities-

The coalition of more than 700 national state and local hunting and fishing organizations and businesses that is Vanishing Paradise praised the Louisiana Legislature today for unanimously approving the 2012 Louisiana Coastal Master Plan, a 50-year blueprint for restoring the rapidly disappearing coastal wetlands around the Mississippi River Delta. The plan lays out a vision for protecting the state's natural resources and communities and is a comprehensive, science-based vision that realistically addresses the range of possibilities for restoring and protecting the coast.

"The 2012 Coastal Master Plan illustrates the type of bold, decisive action needed to build a more secure future for the fish, waterfowl and other wildlife of the great Mississippi River Delta," said Land Tawney, National Wildlife Federation's senior manager for sportsman leadership. "We must reconnect the river to its wetlands, and repair the coast that provides world-class fresh and saltwater fishing opportunities and gives millions of our nation's waterfowl a warm home for the winter."

"As we applaud the state Legislature for its leadership and commitment to restoration, we must also now begin the difficult task of funding critical elements of the plan," Tawney continued. "The $50 billion necessary to achieve the state's vision of restoration is far from guaranteed, but it is vital for securing our future. Louisiana is unified in addressing the coastal issues moving forward, and sportsmen and women from across the country are now calling on Congress to pass the RESTORE Act, so that we can work toward not just recovery from the oil spill but also long-term coastal resiliency."

The RESTORE Act, currently making its way through Congress, would dedicate 80 percent of Clean Water Act penalties from the gulf oil disaster toward Gulf Coast environmental and economic restoration. These funds could be used to jump start the development of restoration projects in the Coastal Master Plan, which is expected to cost $50 billion over the next fifty years.

The RESTORE Act has been an important initiative in conservation legislation for hunters and anglers from across the country due to the 10 million migratory waterfowl that winter or stopover on the Mississippi River Delta and the hugely significant commercial and recreational fishery the Gulf produces. The amendment comes at a crucial time for an ecosystem that faced extreme degradation before the oil spill, which only added insult to injury. Although much of the visible oil is gone, the region remains in jeopardy as food supplies and habitats are still recovering from the impacts of oil-and may face impacts from the spill for decades.

The suite of projects outlined in the plan has received widespread support from a diverse array of coastal advocates, stakeholders, parish officials and communities. Additionally, a recent poll conducted by Baton Rouge-based Southern Media & Opinion Research revealed that an overwhelming majority of Louisiana voters recognizes the value of our wetlands, natural resources and coastal infrastructure to the state's future.

Baton Rouge, LA-May 22, 2012

Contact: Emily Guidry Schatzel, 225.253.9781, guidrye@nwf.org

###

]]> Tue, 22 May 2012 07:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/will-not-appear-on-front-page/vanishing-paradise-commends-louisiana-legislature-for-approving-states-2012-coastal-master-plan/ The Coastal Master Plan: A Blueprint for the Delta...s Future http://vanishingparadise.org/updates/the-coastal-master-plan-a-blueprint-for-the-deltas-future/ Today, the Louisiana Legislature unanimously approved the 2012 Coastal Master Plan, a 50-year, science-based vision for restoring the rapidly disappearing coastal wetlands around the Mississippi River Delta.

"The 2012 Coastal Master Plan illustrates the type of bold, decisive action needed to build a more secure future for the fish, waterfowl and other wildlife of the great Mississippi River Delta," said Land Tawney, National Wildlife Federation's senior manager for sportsman leadership.

The plan would create or restore up to 800 square miles of coastal marshes while reducing damage from flooding and hurricanes by up to $18 billion annually. These estimates depend on all 109 projects in the plan being constructed over the 50-year planning period.

Click here to support the plan by liking this photo on Facebook!

"As we applaud the state Legislature for its leadership and commitment to restoration, we must also now begin the difficult task of funding critical elements of the plan," Tawney continued. "The $50 billion necessary to achieve the state's vision of restoration is far from guaranteed, but it is vital for securing our future. Louisiana is unified in addressing the coastal issues moving forward, and sportsmen and women from across the country are now calling on Congress to pass the RESTORE Act, so that we can work toward not just recovery from the oil spill but also long-term coastal resiliency."

Take action here.

Read the full press release here.

]]> Tue, 22 May 2012 07:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/updates/the-coastal-master-plan-a-blueprint-for-the-deltas-future/ Explosive fishing on Louisiana's barrier islands http://vanishingparadise.org/updates/explosive-fishing-on-louisianas-barrier-islands/ Fishing on Louisiana's barrier islands is about to explode.

The warm winter and early spring combined with less freshwater from the Mississippi and Atchafalaya Rivers should mean brown shrimp will be showing up in passes and off barrier islands in large numbers this year.

Trout, redfish and flounder will be following the shrimp and should be eager to grab a topwater bait or a plastic jig under a popping cork, particularly during early morning tides.

Barrier islands are much-heralded-not only because of their incredible worth as fisheries producers and wildlife and bird habitat-but also as a first line of defense against wind and waves from tropical storms and hurricanes.

It may be hard to believe now, but most of the Mississippi River Delta's barrier islands were once connected to the mainland. Islands like Grand Isle and Timbalier are remnant headlands of sediment deposits from the Mississippi River that gradually turned into islands after the river switched course and the marsh behind the headlands subsided.

Like much of the delta, barrier islands are very unstable. Tides and wave action pick them up and move them around. They sink. They migrate. And, like the marsh near them, they sometimes wash away completely.

State and federal agencies working have been trying for more than 20 years to try and stop some of these islands from completely vanishing. Coastal parishes have also chipped in some of their own money to try and stabilize these important resources.

Some techniques have been successful. For instance, sand dunes on Timbalier Island that were rebuilt and fortified in 1999 withstood the forces of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita and kept the island much more intact than others to the east and west. Breakwaters built on the east end of Raccoon Island have trapped much of the migrating sediment and stabilized an incredible fishery and vital brown pelican rookery.

Other efforts have not fared as well. It was once thought that the wholesale use of rocks along shorelines was a surefire way to keep an island in place. Unfortunately the thousands of tons of rock lying on the floor of the Gulf near East Timbalier and Wine Island belie that notion.

The current thinking in barrier island restoration is to take a more wholesale approach. Rather than building a beach here and a marsh there, both are built at the same time to completely restore an island's footprint. The hope is that when storm surges wash over the islands and force them northward, the marshes will help capture the heavier sand and keep the island in place.

Here's hoping it works, and here's hoping the money needed to restore more barrier islands keeps on coming. If so, speckled trout will be exploding on topwater baits along Louisiana's island beaches for generations to come.

]]> Tue, 08 May 2012 07:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/updates/explosive-fishing-on-louisianas-barrier-islands/ One step forward for plan to restore the coast http://vanishingparadise.org/updates/one-step-forward-for-plan-to-restore-the-coast/ Louisiana's 2012 comprehensive coastal restoration and hurricane protection master plan took another big step toward final legislative approval this week when the state senate approved it without a dissenting vote.

The next step is approval by the state's House of Representatives. The plan must first get approval from house committees on natural resources and transportation and infrastructure before moving to the house floor for an up or down vote. The legislative session ends in early June.

Many coastal scientists and conservation organizations have called the plan the most comprehensive and scientifically-sound document for restoring Louisiana's coastal wetlands and protecting infrastructure and communities written to date, laying out a 50-year strategy that could cost as much as $50 billion.

It contains a host of coastal restoration projects and techniques including large-scale marsh creation projects, barrier island restorations and water and sediment diversions designed to reconnect the Mississippi River and its distributaries with adjacent coastal wetlands.

The plan optimistically envisions that Louisiana's coastal land loss, which is the fastest rate of land loss in the world, can be significantly curbed or even reversed in the next half century. Currently, Louisiana loses about 18 square miles a year and has lost nearly 2000 square miles of coastal wetlands, barrier islands and other habitats in the last 80 years.

Without construction of the large-scale diversions and many of the marsh creation projects, the plan is far less optimistic about the future of Louisiana's coast. As much as 500 square miles more of coastal habitats could wash away or sink into the Gulf of Mexico in the next 50 years without the aggressive efforts called for in the plan.

The plan can be read at www.coastal.louisiana.gov.

]]> Wed, 02 May 2012 07:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/updates/one-step-forward-for-plan-to-restore-the-coast/ How long must we wait? http://vanishingparadise.org/updates/how-long-must-we-wait/ An old friend who's been on the front line of Louisiana's coastal restoration and hurricane protection efforts for more than a decade recently passed along a comment that the Corps of Engineers' New Orleans District is likely the only corps district in the country in position to be responsible for such great failure and consequently such great accomplishment.

The great failure is obviously the devastating and unprecedented collapse of the hurricane protection system around New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina.

The accomplishment has been the commitment to rebuild and drastically improve that system in the nearly seven years since Katrina plowed ashore. While there are still holes in the system to be filled, gates left to be completed and floodwalls to erect, the corps can be commended for aggressively building what is now one of the world's great flood protection systems.

Levee failure isn't the only catastrophe the New Orleans District has had a hand in. The erosion, subsidence and disappearance of nearly 2,000 square miles of coastal wetlands has happened on its watch as well.

To be fair, the corps can't be blamed for all of Louisiana's coastal problems. The oil and gas industry has its share of responsibility for land lost through the construction of thousands of miles of canals that allowed saltwater to penetrate deep into brackish and fresh marshes. And subsidence and erosion are natural processes in the life cycle of a river delta, especially one as dynamic as the Mississippi's.

It is undeniable, however, that the primary culprit for the bulk of coastal land loss over the last 80 years is the levees built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The levees, built in response to the unprecedented flooding throughout the Mississippi River Basin in 1927, have done wonders to protect communities and infrastructure from riverine flooding and have helped maintain America's most important shipping lane. But these benefits have come at a terrible cost.

Three decades prior to the "Great Flood," an article in National Geographic contemplated the benefits and consequences of building a comprehensive levee system along the entire length of the lower river. The article makes it clear that engineers and geologists, even in the late 1800's, understood that the tradeoff for the enormous economic gains of containing the river was the loss of the sediment and freshwater vital to Louisiana's coastal wetlands. The article further explains that the federal government would surely have the smarts to put aside some of those financial gains to address land loss and protect communities from the encroaching Gulf of Mexico.

It never happened. Almost 2,000 square miles of wetlands have been lost already. If nothing is done, we could to lose an additional 1700 square miles of wetlands over the next 50 years.

After Katrina, Congress scrambled to find $15 billion to build a proper hurricane protection system for New Orleans while stripping away many of the bureaucratic impediments to construction. That same urgency has yet to be applied to addressing coastal land loss.

In a recent meeting, corps employees working hard to navigate the federal red tape to design marsh-creating river diversions told a gathering of conservation organizations that construction of the much-anticipated diversion at Myrtle Grove might happen by 2028. Sixteen years from now.

After 16 years, who knows how much marsh will even be left near Myrtle Grove to
restore?

If we are to have any hope of saving the marsh we still have and reversing nearly a century of land loss the answer to the question of how fast the Corps of Engineers can build one essential coastal restoration project cannot be 16 years.

]]> Mon, 30 Apr 2012 07:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/updates/how-long-must-we-wait/ New report says addressing Louisiana coastal loss is worth national investment http://vanishingparadise.org/updates/new-report-says-addressing-louisiana-coastal-loss-is-worth-national-investment/ A recent report by the Mississippi River Delta Science and Engineering Special Team addressed 10 fundamental questions about saving the Mississippi River Delta, including how to reverse coastal marsh loss, what impacts could result from restoration efforts and the economic blow to Louisiana and the nation if this important coastal ecosystem is lost.

The economic health of much of the United States depends on sustaining the navigation, flood control and energy and seafood production functions of this system, the report says. Each of those functions is currently at risk due to the degradation of coastal wetlands.

"Ducks Unlimited has long recognized the Gulf Coast marshes and prairies as the single most important waterfowl wintering habitat on the continent," said Tom Moorman, DU director of conservation planning. "If we do not restore the system's ability to maintain and build coastal wetlands, waterfowl, fisheries and other wildlife will be displaced, along with the billions of dollars in economic infrastructure and the millions of people that live and work along the Gulf Coast."

Coastal marsh loss is not a local problem. Many of the nation's energy and shipping industries depend on the same marshes, which support multi-billion-dollar fishing and wildlife industries. Just three weeks of oil and natural gas production from coastal Louisiana support $4.5 billion in sales and 45,000 jobs. Americans have the opportunity to support coastal restoration right now by urging Congress to pass the RESTORE Act , a bill which would direct Clean Water Act penalties related to the Deepwater Horizon disaster back to the Gulf Coast states impacted by the spill.

Guest post from Ducks Unlimited, originally posted here.

]]> Tue, 24 Apr 2012 07:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/updates/new-report-says-addressing-louisiana-coastal-loss-is-worth-national-investment/ Field & Stream: The Conservationist http://vanishingparadise.org/in-the-news/field-stream-the-conservationist-a-new-planning-rule-for-national-forest-land-will-benefit-all/ In other good news, the powerhouse Shimano American Corporation, one of the world's largest tackle manufacturers (they make the G. Loomis rod, my personal favorite for Louisiana marsh fishing), has signed a letter of support for the Vanishing Paradise campaign to restore the Louisiana marshes and the Mississippi Delta. Shimano joins other giants such as B.A.S.S., Inc., Mercury Motors, Primos, and over 700 other companies, tackle shops and sportsman's groups in calling for dedicated funding and work on what has been described by many conservationists and geomorphologists (scientists who study landforms and the forces that change them) as the single greatest conservation challenge of our time.

Read more of The Conservationist on Field & Stream's website.

]]> Fri, 30 Mar 2012 07:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/in-the-news/field-stream-the-conservationist-a-new-planning-rule-for-national-forest-land-will-benefit-all/ Shimano American Signs Vanishing Paradise...s Letter to Congress http://vanishingparadise.org/updates/shimano-american-signs-vanishing-paradises-letter-to-congress/ The Shimano American Corporation-along with its G.Loomis and PowerPro lines-has added its name to Vanishing Paradise's letter to Congress.

"Sustainable recreational use by anglers of our natural resources relies on healthy fisheries and the habitat which supports them," said Phil Morlock, director of environmental affairs for Shimano's operations in the both the U.S. and Canada. "We are pleased to be able to support our friends in Louisiana through this effort."

Shimano-a world leader in fishing tackle design and manufacturing-joins organizations like B.A.S.S. Inc, the Coastal Conservation Association and the American Sportfishing Association, manufacturers like Mercury Marine, Lund Boats, Legend Boats, Pure Fishing, Pradco, Avery, Primos, Orvis, Yeti Coolers and professional anglers Mike Iaconelli, Kevin VanDam and Greg Hackney in signing the letter.

In fact, more than 750 businesses and organizations have signed the letter to Congress and pledged their support to the Vanishing Paradise campaign.

"Having Shimano, a household name in the fishing industry, sign this letter shows how much appreciation and understanding there is in the fishing and hunting community for Louisiana's vital and productive-but rapidly vanishing-coastal habitats," said Land Tawney, National Wildlife Federation's senior manager for sportsmen leadership. "We are making significant strides in helping the federal and local governments advance legislation that will help restore these incredible resources. We couldn't do that without the help of companies like Shimano and the other great supporters who have signed our letter to Congress. Sportsmen have always been the conservation leaders in this country and now, they are leading the fight to restore the Mississippi River Delta."

Read the entire media release here.

]]> Thu, 29 Mar 2012 07:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/updates/shimano-american-signs-vanishing-paradises-letter-to-congress/ Shimano American Corporation Signs on to Vanishing Paradise...s Letter to Congress http://vanishingparadise.org/will-not-appear-on-front-page/shimano-american-corporation-signs-on-to-vanishing-paradises-letter-to-congress/ Shimano American Corporation, a world leader in fishing tackle design and manufacturing, and its G.Loomis Rods and PowerPro operations today added its name to a growing list of hunting and fishing business and organizations to sign a letter urging the federal government to support the restoration of the Mississippi River Delta. The letter is authored by Vanishing Paradise, a national coalition organized by the National Wildlife Federation and the Louisiana Wildlife Federation. Vanishing Paradise has been canvassing the country for the last three years, soliciting support from sportsmen and women for the restoration of the coastal marshes, barrier islands and other habitats of the Mississippi River Delta.

"Sustainable recreational use by anglers of our natural resources relies on healthy fisheries and the habitat which supports them," said Phil Morlock, director of environmental affairs for Shimano's operations in the both the U.S. and Canada. "We are pleased to be able to support our friends in Louisiana through this effort."

By joining this restoration effort, Shimano joins organizations like B.A.S.S. Inc, the Coastal Conservation Association and the American Sportfishing Association, manufacturers like Mercury Marine, Lund Boats, Legend Boats, Pure Fishing, Pradco, Avery, Primos, Orvis, Yeti Coolers and professional anglers Mike Iaconelli, Kevin VanDam and Greg Hackney in signing the letter. More than 750 businesses and organizations, including a host of local tackle shops and charter fishermen and guides have signed the letter and pledged their support to the Vanishing Paradise campaign.

Vanishing Paradise has spearheaded an effort among sportsmen to pass the RESTORE Act , legislation recently passed by the Senate that directs 80 percent of Clean Water Act penalties for the 2010 Gulf oil spill back to the Gulf Coast for ecosystem and economic recovery.

"Having Shimano, a household name in the fishing industry, sign this letter shows how much appreciation and understanding there is in the fishing and hunting community for Louisiana's vital and productive-but rapidly vanishing-coastal habitats," said Land Tawney, National Wildlife Federation's senior manager for sportsmen leadership. "We are making significant strides in helping the federal and local governments advance legislation that will help restore these incredible resources. We couldn't do that without the help of companies like Shimano and the other great supporters who have signed our letter to Congress. Sportsmen have always been the conservation leaders in this country and now, they are leading the fight to restore the Mississippi River Delta."

The wetlands of the Mississippi River Delta serve as the nursery grounds for fish that populate the entire Gulf of Mexico and are one of the most important wintering grounds in the nation for waterfowl and other migrating birds. However, more than 1,900 square miles of that vital habitat has vanished from Louisiana's coastal marshes in the last 80 years, a direct result of levees built along the Mississippi River Delta that have isolated the sediment and fresh water that once built and replenished the rich coastal marshes, swamps and barrier islands. Adding to the habitat loss are thousands of miles of man-made waterways that have cut through coastal wetlands and allowed saltwater to intrude deep into brackish and freshwater marshes and swamps far inland of the Gulf of Mexico.

"Louisiana has long been known as ‘Sportsman's Paradise,' but that paradise is vanishing before our eyes. Our coastline will continue to disappear unless significant resources are invested on both the national and state level to restore and protect these vital habitats," said Chris Macaluso, Louisiana Wildlife Federation coastal outreach coordinator. "With the help of Shimano and all of the businesses and organizations signing this letter, we can show political leaders and sportsmen from across the country that Louisiana's coast is too important for our fish and wildlife and coastal communities to continue to watch it wash away."

Contact:

  • Chris Macaluso, Louisiana Wildlife Federation, 225.344.6707, chris@lawildlifefed.org
  • John Mazurkiewicz , Shimano, 574.289.1331, jpmazurk@ameritech.net
  • Emily Guidry Schatzel, National Wildlife Federation, 225.253.9781, guidrye@nwf.org

(New Orleans, LA-March 28, 2012)

]]> Wed, 28 Mar 2012 07:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/will-not-appear-on-front-page/shimano-american-corporation-signs-on-to-vanishing-paradises-letter-to-congress/ Is there hope for the coast? http://vanishingparadise.org/updates/is-there-hope-for-the-coast/ How the Wax Lake Delta made one man an optimist.

Everyone who has traversed South Louisiana's myriad of marshes, bayous, lakes and bays in a Global Positioning System-equipped boat has had the same experience. Showing brightly are big green or yellow blobs that, according to the GPS, should be land. In reality, there's nothing around but open water.

It's a stark reminder of just how much land Louisiana is losing-and how quickly.

There are, however, two areas along Louisiana's coast where the naked eye belies the GPS in the opposite way. When you travel to the end of the Atchafalaya River or to the nearby Wax Lake Outlet, even the latest GPS units indicate a wide-open bay gradually giving way to the Gulf of Mexico. But in reality, there are islands teeming with bird life and America's newest territory stretching as far as the eye can see.

I have made two trips to the Wax Lake Delta in the last six months. The first in October with a group of National Wildlife Federation volunteers from across the country and a handful of charter fishing guides from across South Louisiana. For all but a few of us, it was our first Wax Lake experience. Most of us were stunned by what we saw.

The out-of-staters were mostly fascinated with the incredible bird life. Throughout the morning, teal and grey ducks by the thousands took flight from the expanses of shallow ponds and mudflats, especially when Bald Eagles would swoop low to pick out a straggler. The fall's first mallards methodically chose landing spots, joined by small groups of wigeon and pintail. And wading birds dotted the shoreline, picking off shrimp, mullet and pogies that ventured too close to the sandbars.

There were thousands and thousands of ducks there. Ducks like I used to see in the wetlands between Chauvin and Montegut 25 years ago before all of that marsh was torn apart by saltwater intrusion and hurricane storm surges. I became so preoccupied with trying to figure out the best spot to brush a boat blind I forgot I was supposed to be explaining what we were seeing to our guests.

As if the ducks buzzing overhead weren't enough to draw attention, from time to time I noticed the telltale swirl of tailing redfish pushing mullet against the newly-formed sand bars. I also couldn't help but see groups of six or eight gulls diving over schools of shrimp and pogies in the green brackish waters between the sand bars. Surely, there were speckled trout in these waters too.

In February, when I returned to the Wax Lake Delta, the same channels that had saltwater fish in them in October now churned with brown, sediment-laden freshwater coursing its way into the bay. The ducks were still filling the sky.

The Bald Eagles still soared and swooped. And a couple thousand geese stood on what seemed like the very last spit of mud on the delta, framed by large oil rigs silhouetted against the misty sky less than a mile away.

Had I not seen redfish and trout feeding there last October, it would be hard to believe those same channels filled with February's muddy waters and land-building sediment would be filled with green water again. But, I had no doubt the trout and redfish would return as spring floods subsided. And, likely those fish would return to find several more sand bars, humps and mudflats, North America's newest land.

Had I not gone to Wax Lake, perhaps I would lack the optimism that tells me what I saw there can be duplicated in the marshes near the Mississippi River that are vanishing faster than anywhere else in the world. If the Wax Lake Outlet can make a liar out of a GPS and build land far reaching toward the Gulf of Mexico, there must be hope for those areas falling apart at the toe of the Mississippi River Levee, right?

Wax Lake has made me an optimist.

]]> Tue, 27 Mar 2012 07:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/updates/is-there-hope-for-the-coast/ Vanishing Paradise Hails Senate Passage of RESTORE Act on Transportation Bill http://vanishingparadise.org/updates/vanishing-paradise-hails-senate-passage-of-restore-act-on-transportation-bill/ Vote Follows Recent House Approval of Efforts to Dedicate BP Fines to Gulf Restoration-

The coalition of more than 700 national state and local hunting and fishing organizations and businesses that is Vanishing Paradise commended the Senate today for passing the Surface Transportation Bill with the RESTORE the Gulf Coast States Act included as an amendment. The RESTORE Act is historic legislation that passed the full Senate last week with support from 76 senators, including all Democrats and half of the Senate's Republicans. The Senate's approval of the RESTORE Act follows the House's recent approval of an amendment by the same name.

"Especially in this day and age, we thank the bipartisan Senate leadership and the overwhelming number of Senators from both sides of the aisle who have brought the RESTORE Act so far," said Land Tawney, National Wildlife Federation's senior manager for sportsmen leadership. "A thunderous chorus of duck and goose wing beats and the tails of redfish can be heard spurring us on! Coupling the RESTORE Act with two years of significant funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund-a measure that ensures public access for hunting, fishing and other outdoor activities across America-is a great day for anyone who hunts or fishes."

"This is the culmination of more than three years of a national effort by hunters and anglers to restore the Gulf. An awe-inspiring number of individuals, organizations and businesses have stepped up over the past year to voice strong support for restoring the Mississippi River Delta," Tawney continued. "This issue isn't new to American sportsmen and women-this is our conservation issue for our time."

The RESTORE Act has been an important initiative in conservation legislation for hunters and anglers from across the country due to the 10 million migratory waterfowl that winter or stopover on the Mississippi River Delta and the hugely significant commercial and recreational fishery the Gulf produces. The amendment comes at a crucial time for an ecosystem that faced extreme degradation before the oil spill, which only added insult to injury. Although much of the visible oil is gone, the region remains in jeopardy as food supplies and habitats are still recovering from the impacts of oil-and may face impacts from the spill for decades.

"This move helps Louisiana's coast, its wildlife and fisheries and its people and communities take a big step forward in efforts to repair not only damages from the oil spill but also to begin addressing the dire coastal land loss that has plagued our state for the last 80 years," said Louisiana Wildlife Federation's Coastal Outreach Coordinator Chris Macaluso. "Louisianans have watched our coast vanish before our eyes for nearly a century, including losing some of the world's best wildlife and fisheries habitat. Now that the Senate has shown a commitment to addressing this much-needed restoration, Louisiana has hope that it can start putting the resources needed toward the projects that will help save what we have left and hopefully turn land lost into habitat gained in the coming decades."

Sportsmen and advocates from outside the Gulf are also praising the devotion of resources to reviving the Gulf ecosystem.

"With our state's location in the Mississippi Flyway, Illinois waterfowl depend heavily on the Gulf Coast as a wintering ground," said Mike Galloway of Hard Core Brands. "Restoring the Gulf means providing our waterfowl with healthy habitat-and that's something Illinois sportsmen and women can support. Now we look forward to Congress passing, and the President signing into law, the final transportation bill with the RESTORE Act."

"The Senate's approval of this measure to use money from the oil spill to restore the Gulf resonates with hunters and anglers across the nation," said Jim Martin, director of the Berkley Conservation Institute. "The Gulf Coast supports a world-class fresh- and saltwater fishery vital to our business and outdoor heritage, so it's a region that matters."

"Using money from the oil spill to restore the Gulf makes sense to anglers and hunters even in places like Nebraska and Iowa," said Teeg Stouffer, Executive Director at Recycled Fish. "Many of our nation's waterfowl, including the sandhill cranes that are famous in Nebraska, spend part of their lives on the Gulf Coast. Anglers around the world have watched the BASSMASTER Classic-the Superbowl of fishing-play out on the stage that the delta presents, so it's a region that matters to fishermen and women everywhere."

The legislation will ensure that penalties paid by BP and others responsible for the 2010 Gulf oil disaster are used to rebuild the economies of Gulf Coast communities that were impacted by the spill and to restore the natural resources, ecosystems, fisheries, marine and wildlife habitats, beaches, barrier islands, dunes, coastal wetlands, that are the foundation of the Gulf Coast economy.

A nationwide poll of 1,006 likely general election voters conducted by the Democratic firm, Lake Research Partners, and the GOP firm, Bellwether Research and Consulting, showed that the vast majority of U.S. voters (84 percent) believe the Gulf Coast-including the Mississippi River Delta-impacts the nation's economy. Nearly two-thirds of those voters (63 percent) believe this region impacts the economy in their part of the country.

(Washington, D.C.-March 14, 2012)

Contact:
Emily Guidry Schatzel, guidrye@nwf.org, 225.253.9781
Andy McDaniels, mcdanielsa@nwf.org, 405.219.7878
Ben Weber, weberb@nwf.org, 225.421.9130

]]> Wed, 14 Mar 2012 07:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/updates/vanishing-paradise-hails-senate-passage-of-restore-act-on-transportation-bill/ A Thank You Note From 35 Conservation Groups to 76 Senators http://vanishingparadise.org/updates/a-thank-you-note-from-35-conservation-groups-to-76-senators/ American Fisheries Society - American Fly Fishing Trade Association - American Sportfishing Association - Archery Trade Association - Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies - B.A.S.S. LLC - Berkley Conservation Institute, Pure Fishing - Boone and Crockett Club - Catch-A-Dream Foundation - Coastal Conservation Association - Center for Coastal Conservation - Conservation Force - The Conservation Fund - Delta Waterfowl - Ducks Unlimited - Houston Safari Club - Izaak Walton League of America - Masters of Foxhounds - Mule Deer Foundation - National Marine Manufacturers Association - National Shooting Sports Foundation - National Wildlife Federation - The Nature Conservancy - North American Grouse Partnership - Pheasants Forever - Quail Forever - Quality Deer Management Association - Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation - Sportsman's Alliance for Alaska - Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership - Tread Lightly - Trout Unlimited - Wild Sheep Foundation - Wildlife Forever - Wildlife Management Institute

Sent to the 76 senators who voted in favor the RESTORE Act Amendment.

We are writing on behalf of 35 of the country's leading conservation and sportsmen's organizations and trade associations to express our profound thanks for voting in favor of the RESTORE Act and Land and Water Conservation Fund amendment to the Transportation bill. That amendment, which passed with an overwhelming 76 bipartisan votes, dedicates 80 percent of Clean Water Act penalties collected from the responsible parties to restoration of Gulf Coast resources and economies. The amendment also, includes $700 million dedicated funding of Offshore Continental Shelf lease revenues for two years through the LWCF, and reauthorizes the fund for ten years. It is an enormous win for sportsmen and job-seekers throughout the nation.

As you know, the RESTORE Act and LWCF funding amendment will invest billions in needed conservation projects in the Gulf and throughout the country. The RESTORE Act dedicates Clean Water Act penalty funds from the BP spill to habitat restoration, conservation and other projects that will restore the health of the Gulf of Mexico for the benefit of all Americans. As such, it is a high priority for sportsmen. The Mississippi River Delta alone supports some of the best hunting and fishing in the world. It hosts millions of ducks and geese during the winter - roughly 70 percent of the waterfowl that use the Central and Mississippi flyways. Louisiana is one of the only places where you can catch bass, redfish, and tuna all within 25 miles from shore. Roughly one-third of all saltwater recreational fishing trips take place in the Gulf of Mexico.

The LWCF program provides funding for the conservation of critical game habitat, such as the Fish and Wildlife Service's Dakota Grasslands Conservation Area that is working with private landowners to place conservation easements on nearly two million acres of some of the most important waterfowl breeding habitat in North America.

Moreover, funding provided by the RESTORE Act and LWCF is an investment in American jobs. The outdoor industry, which depends on the conservation of habitat and scenic landscapes, generates $730 billion in economic activity, while hunting and fishing alone generate $122 billion. So, for many reasons, it makes sense to expand our investment in this sector.

We hope that you will continue to promote conservation and American jobs by actively supporting the retention of this amendment in the final conference report on the Transportation Bill.

Thank you again for your support of the RESTORE Act and the Land and Water Conservation Fund amendment.

]]> Wed, 14 Mar 2012 07:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/updates/a-thank-you-note-from-35-conservation-groups-to-76-senators/ Field & Stream: Conservation Update http://vanishingparadise.org/in-the-news/field-stream-conservation-update/ The RESTORE Act passed a major hurdle in the Senate. If blessed by the House and signed by President Obama, this means 80 percent of Clean Water Act fines resulting from the Deepwater Horizon disaster will be spent on restoring the Gulf Coast that event damaged.

This is a huge victory for the Mississippi River delta, the engine that drives much of the Gulf ecosystem, yet has been near collapsing due to the impacts of levees for shipping and development and tens of thousands of miles of canal dredged for oil and gas development.

Sportsmen groups and the outdoors industry lobbied hard for this passage - and got 72 votes in a Senate that typically offers fewer than 52 votes for anything.

Read the rest of this Conservation Update on Field & Stream's website.

]]> Wed, 14 Mar 2012 07:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/in-the-news/field-stream-conservation-update/ RESTORE Act Passes Senate with Strong Bipartisan Support http://vanishingparadise.org/updates/restore-act-passes-senate-with-strong-bipartisan-support/ Yesterday afternoon, the Senate passed the RESTORE Act amendment with an overwhelming show of bipartisan support-the final vote was 76 to 22. This legislation would dedicate 80 percent of the Clean Water Act fines from the oil disaster to restoring the Gulf's economies and ecosystems.

"Today, the Senate has taken a big step to make the coast of Louisiana whole again. We still haven't brought this over the finish line, but a thunderous chorus of duck and goose wing beats and the tails of redfish can be heard spurring us on. This is our time and our conservation issue. Coupling the RESTORE Act with two years of significant funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund-a measure that ensures public access for hunting, fishing and other outdoor activities across America-is a great day for anyone who hunts or fishes," said Land Tawney, National Wildlife Federation's senior manager for sportsmen leadership.

While this vote is a positive development, it's not over yet. A vote on the overall Senate transportation bill could come early next week. The House has already passed a "lite" version of the RESTORE Act as an amendment to their transportation bill, but has not passed a transportation bill itself. Once both transportation bills pass, the differences between the two will need to be worked out in conference.

Vanishing Paradise will be working hard to make sure the Senate version of the RESTORE Act is included in whatever the final package is, but yesterday's win and the recent show of support for RESTORE on the House amendment puts us in a strong position to ensure that money from BP's oil spill fines ends up dedicated to restoration.

There is also the possibility that BP and the Department of Justice will settle the case before it goes to trial. Read Vanishing Paradise's take on what any settlement agreement needs to include here.

This vote would not have turned out as well as it did without strong support from the sportsmen community. Most of the major sportsmen's conservation groups in the country were actively supporting the RESTORE Act.

The principles behind the RESTORE Act have wide public support. A nationwide poll of 1,006 likely general election voters showed that 83 percent of U.S. voters support dedicating BP's oil spill fines to the region affected, while only 7 percent opposed.

"The damage was done in the Gulf, and that's where the penalty money from the spill belongs. It's only fair that the fines come back to the area to help repair damage to the environment and the economy," Tawney concluded.

]]> Fri, 09 Mar 2012 08:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/updates/restore-act-passes-senate-with-strong-bipartisan-support/ Sportsmen: We Need Your Voice TODAY http://vanishingparadise.org/blog/sportsmen-we-need-your-voice-today/ UPDATE: Sportsmen, take a bow! The RESTORE Act Amendment just passed with a strong 76-22 vote. It's not over yet, but this is a huge first step. Thank you for all your support.

The Senate will vote today on an amendment that, if it passes, would be fantastic news for sportsmen all over the country.

The RESTORE Act, dedicating BP's oil spill fines to Gulf restoration, has been packaged with the Land and Water Conservation Fund, a critical tool for large-scale landscape conservation.

Right now, call the Senate switchboard at 202-224-3121 and urge your Senators to vote YES on amendment 1822, the Nelson-Shelby-Landrieu RESTORE Act amendment.

These strong pieces of conservation legislation are being considered as an amendment to the Senate transportation bill. The RESTORE Act will dedicate 80 percent of the Clean Water Act fines from the 2010 oil spill to restoring the Gulf Coast. The Land and Water Conservation Fund amendment will be funded at $700 million per year, and includes the re-authorization of LWCF till 2022.

We need 60 votes to get this amendment across the finish line. We believe we are close, but sportsman's voices can make the difference.

Please call the Senate switchboard at 202-224-3121 and urge both your Senators to vote yes to amendment 1822, the Nelson-Shelby-Landrieu RESTORE Act amendment.

]]> Thu, 08 Mar 2012 08:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/blog/sportsmen-we-need-your-voice-today/ National Sportsman...s Group Praises Senate for Passing Gulf Restoration Amendment http://vanishingparadise.org/will-not-appear-on-front-page/national-sportsmans-group-praises-senate-for-passing-gulf-restoration-amendment/ Today's Vote Follows Recent House Approval of Similar Amendment

Vanishing Paradise-an effort by National Wildlife Federation (NWF) to unite sportsmen and women on the important issue of Mississippi River Delta restoration-praised the Senate today for its strong bipartisan approval of legislation that would dedicate 80 percent of the Clean Water Act (CWA) fines for the gulf oil disaster to restoring the gulf ecosystem and economy. The RESTORE the Gulf Coast States Act was originally introduced by nine of the 10 gulf state senators, including Senators Mary Landrieu (D-La), Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) and Richard Shelby (R-Ala.), and was also supported by Environment and Public Works Committee Chairman Boxer. The RESTORE Act passed as an amendment to the Senate transportation bill by a vote of 76 to 22.

"Today, the Senate has taken a big step to make the coast of Louisiana whole again. We still haven't brought this over the finish line, but a thunderous chorus of duck and goose wing beats and the tails of redfish can be heard spurring us on. This is our time and our conservation issue. Coupling the RESTORE Act with two years of significant funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund-a measure that ensures public access for hunting, fishing and other outdoor activities across America-is a great day for anyone who hunts or fishes," said Land Tawney, National Wildlife Federation's senior manager for sportsmen leadership.

"The damage was done in the Gulf, and that's where the penalty money from the spill belongs. It's only fair that the fines come back to the area to help repair damage to the environment and the economy," Tawney continued.

The legislation will ensure that penalties paid by BP and others responsible for the 2010 Gulf oil disaster are used to rebuild the economies of Gulf Coast communities that were impacted by the spill and to restore the natural resources, ecosystems, fisheries, marine and wildlife habitats, beaches, barrier islands, dunes, coastal wetlands, that are the foundation of the Gulf Coast economy.

The Senate's approval of the RESTORE Act follows the House's recent approval of an amendment by the same name introduced by Rep. Steve Scalise (R-La.). Both the House and Senate bills affirm the principle that the penalties for the Gulf oil spill belong in the Gulf for restoration.

"Now we need the House and the Senate to work out the differences between these two amendments in conference and enact RESTORE into law to bring this victory home for the people, wildlife and habitat of the Gulf region," Tawney concluded. "We look forward to working with House, Senate and Gulf Coast leaders to make RESTORE a reality."

The Mississippi River Delta provides a wintering or stopover ground for 10 million of our nation's waterfowl each year, and the delta and the rest of the Gulf Coast is home to a hugely significant commercially and recreationally important fishery.

A nationwide poll of 1,006 likely general election voters conducted by the Democratic firm, Lake Research Partners, and the GOP firm, Bellwether Research and Consulting, showed that the vast majority of U.S. voters (84 percent) believe the Gulf Coast-including the Mississippi River Delta-impacts the nation's economy. Nearly two-thirds of those voters (63 percent) believe this region impacts the economy in their part of the country.

Contact: Emily Guidry Schatzel, guidrye@nwf.org, 225.253.9781

]]> Thu, 08 Mar 2012 08:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/will-not-appear-on-front-page/national-sportsmans-group-praises-senate-for-passing-gulf-restoration-amendment/ BP settlement needs to include accountability, restoration http://vanishingparadise.org/updates/bp-settlement-needs-to-include-accountability-restoration/ This week U.S. District Judge Carl Barbier delayed the start of the trial over the Deepwater Horizon oil disaster to allow more time for settlement negotiations.

Any final settlement must hold BP and the other responsible parties fully accountable for the magnitude of the disaster they caused, and it must ensure that penalty dollars come back to restore the region that was harmed by the disaster.

The gulf oil spill is the largest offshore oil disaster in history. The clean-up and restoration will continue for decades, and the full scale of damage won't be known for years. To this day, oil persists in the environment and continues to wash ashore. The clean-up and recovery must not be shortchanged.

Furthermore, the fines and penalties must go toward restoring the region that was harmed by the disaster rather than being diverted to unrelated federal spending. The RESTORE Act, currently under consideration in the Senate, lays out a framework for restoration of the gulf. We support that legislation and urge those considering settlement to draw on the RESTORE Act for guidance.

An overwhelming majority of American voters-more than 80 percent-expect BP's fines to be used to restore areas damaged in the disaster. It's a matter of simple fairness that unites voters of every political persuasion from all across the country. And voters understand the importance of the gulf to U.S. energy independence, to commercial fishing, to wildlife, to tourism and to jobs.

Any settlement deal must hold polluters accountable and direct dollars toward restoration. Anything less means that taxpayers will be making up the difference for years. And that's simply unacceptable.

Related resources:

A slightly different version of this article originally appeared on the Delta Dispatches blog on the Restore the Mississippi River Delta website.

]]> Wed, 29 Feb 2012 08:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/updates/bp-settlement-needs-to-include-accountability-restoration/ Oil and water mixing in a vanishing paradise http://vanishingparadise.org/will-not-appear-on-front-page/oil-and-water-mixing-in-a-vanishing-paradise/ The Gulf Oil Spill nearly two years later

It's been nearly two years since the nation witnessed one of the largest oil spills in U.S. history. In that time, Congress still has not taken decisive action to restore the Gulf Coast and its billion-dollar natural-resources-based economy.

Please join us at a briefing event next week to learn about ongoing conservation efforts and Congress's role in them, and have your questions answered by experts from the Gulf Coast region.

When: February 28, 2012, at 11:30 a.m.
Where: Cannon House Office Building, Room 334 (map)

National experts will provide an exclusive update on waterfowl, fisheries and wetland habitat nearly two years after the spill. They will give a brief assessment of what has happened to duck populations and the Gulf's marshes since the spill and the need for action. These experts will include:

  • Dale Humburg, chief scientist for Ducks Unlimited
  • Captain Ryan Lambert, professional fishing and hunting guide in the bays and marshes of the Gulf of Mexico
  • Chris Macaluso, Louisiana Wildlife Federation's coastal outreach coordinator
  • Dr. Tom Moorman, director of conservation planning for DU's Southern Region

Gulf Coast facts-Did you know…

  • More than 200 million gallons of oil spilled into the Gulf of Mexico and contaminated more than 1,000 miles of coastline.
  • Up to 15.3 million ducks and geese winter in the Gulf Coast every year.

Chick-Fil-A sandwiches will be provided for the first 100 event attendees.

###

Contact:
Sam Jefferies, sjefferies@ducks.org, 202.347.1530
Emily Schatzel, guidrye@nwf.org, 225.253.9781

]]> Mon, 27 Feb 2012 08:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/will-not-appear-on-front-page/oil-and-water-mixing-in-a-vanishing-paradise/ Delta B.A.S.S. http://vanishingparadise.org/updates/delta-bass/ The Mississippi River Delta is one of the best places on earth to catch monster largemouth bass. If America's anglers didn't know that before, they certainly discovered it last year when Kevin van Dam shattered the previous stringer record at the 2011 Bassmaster Classic.

Last night, the Vanishing Paradise team was honored to have the opportunity to make a presentation to executives at B.A.S.S. and the B.A.S.S. Federation Nation conservation directors about the work we are doing to rally hunters and anglers nationwide to support restoration of the Mississippi River Delta. We were particularly delighted when B.A.S.S. CEO Bruce Akin got up before our talk and discussed the importance of restoring the delta and supporting organizations like Vanishing Paradise.

Anglers who know the region intuitively grasp the need for restoration. As Kevin van Dam said before last year's Classic:

"The first time I fished was in the late 1990s and I was blown away by the quality of the fisheries. I've fished here a half a dozen times since then. … Each time, I'm just stunned at the changes. Areas that used to be marsh are now just open bay."

Vanishing Paradise wants to thank Van Dam as well as the other Bassmaster competitors who have signed our letter to Congress, including Mike Iaconelli, Skeet Reese, Stephen Browning, Cliff Pace, Greg Hackney, Brent Chapman, Edwin Evers, Todd Faircloth, Mark Davis and Terry Butcher.

Mike Iaconelli is one angler who knows the Delta well-he won the 2003 Bassmaster Classic there, after all-and he is a strong and vocal supporter of coastal restoration:

"If you hunt, if you fish, if you just love the outdoors, it's important to step up and care about this problem. The thing is we've got a way to fix it, we've got a solution. … We've got the Mississippi River, which is one of the main things we can use to bring the marsh back."

Seven-time Bassmaster Classic competitor Stephen Browning agrees, saying anglers everywhere can play a role in speaking up for the delta:
P
bq. "We can spread the message to the rest of the country, to our congressmen and senators. Hopefully the right person's eyes will be opened, and we can get something started.

Watch Kevin Van Dam, Mike Iaconelli and Stephen Browning discuss the need to restore the Delta:

Restoration Wins Big at 2011 Bassmaster Classic

]]> Fri, 24 Feb 2012 08:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/updates/delta-bass/ Time for the Senate to Act http://vanishingparadise.org/updates/time-for-the-senate-to-act/ Last week, America's hunters and anglers got some promising news when the House of Representatives passed an amendment by voice vote dedicating 80 percent of Clean Water Act fines from the BP oil spill to Gulf restoration.

The Gulf Coast provides wintering or stopover habitat for as many as 15 million ducks and geese annually and offers some of the best salt and freshwater fishing in the country.

The amendment, introduced by Rep. Scalise (R-LA), sets aside most of the money from the expected oil penalties into a trust fund for Gulf restoration.

The House's move sets up the Senate to pass the RESTORE Act, which will also direct oil spill penalty money to the Gulf for restoration. The Senate bill is not in conflict with the House amendment but has more specific language directing how this money should be used.

Speak up for the Gulf! Urge your senators to support S 1400, the RESTORE Act!

The Senate needs to act soon. BP, whose total liability claims clock in at around $71 billion, is furiously working on a deal with the U.S. Department of Justice to settle the criminal and civil claims from the Gulf oil disaster.

If a settlement is reached before the RESTORE Act is passed, money from BP's fines could be funneled straight into the Treasury. That's not right.

The Gulf oil spill was the largest accidental marine oil spill in history and fish and wildlife in the Gulf are still feeling the spill's impacts. Money from the resulting penalties should not be a windfall for the Treasury but should be used to restore the Gulf.

Please urge your Senators to support the RESTORE Act today!

]]> Thu, 23 Feb 2012 08:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/updates/time-for-the-senate-to-act/ Win $2,500 of fishing tackle! http://vanishingparadise.org/updates/win-2500-of-fishing-tackle/ Visit Booth #504 at the Bassmaster Classic Expo in Shreveport-

Berkley and its parent company Pure Fishing are working with Vanishing Paradise to raise awareness of the need to restore Louisiana's eroding coastal wetlands by giving away a $2,500 fishing package this weekend at the Bassmaster Classic Expo in Shreveport.

The package will be filled with premium tackle from Pure Fishing manufacturers like the latest in freshwater and saltwater lures from Berkley, fishing line from Stren and Trilene, Fenwick Rods and Penn Reels.

Contestants can register at booth #504 at the Bassmaster Classic Outdoors Expo in the Shreveport Convention Center February 24-26. Simply fill out a message supporting Gulf restoration with your contact information. Prizes will be shipped to the winner after the conclusion of the Classic.

The $2500 tackle package will include items from some of Pure Fishing's trusted brands.

"Vanishing Paradise thanks Pure Fishing for stepping up once again as industry leaders on this vitally important issue of restoring the Mississippi River Delta," said Land Tawney, National Wildlife Federation's senior manager for sportsmen leadership. "As we work to unite sportsmen and women from across the country on reconnecting the Mississippi River with its disappearing coastal wetlands, we applaud Berkley Pure Fishing for standing out as a true champion for this Sportsman's Paradise. We are excited to embark in ongoing efforts with them as we strive to preserve one of the best sport fisheries in our nation."

More than 650 of the best known names in the outdoor industry have signed onto Vanishing Paradise's letter to Congress urging restoration of the Mississippi River Delta including Berkley, B.A.S.S., Mercury Outboards, Plano Molding, the Coastal Conservation Association and the American Sportfishing Association.

Joining them are a host of competitors from this year's Bassmaster Classic including defending Classic champ Kevin Van Dam, Mike Iaconelli, Aaron Martens, Stephen Browning and Greg Hackney.

Click here to add your organization or business to the rapidly growing list of those who support the restoration of the Mississippi River Delta.

]]> Wed, 22 Feb 2012 08:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/updates/win-2500-of-fishing-tackle/ National Sportsmen...s Groups to Congress: ‘Restore Mississippi River Delta and Gulf Coast Now... http://vanishingparadise.org/press/national-sportsmens-groups-to-congress-restore-mississippi-river-delta-and-gulf-coast-now/ More than 650 outdoors companies and organizations sign on to letters calling for Gulf restoration

Washington, D.C., February 16, 2012-A group of more than 650 hunting, fishing and outdoor sporting businesses and organizations are sending two sign-on letters to Congress today with a clear message -restore the Mississippi River Delta and the Gulf Coast, a vast complex of wildlife habitat that has faced high rates of landloss and suffered further degradation after the unprecedented 2010 oil spill. The letter comes at a critical time for Gulf restoration, as news reports indicate that BP is attempting this month to pay $20-$25 billion to settle with the Justice Department on all charges related to the spill.

The letters' release was announced today, as outdoor equipment CEO's and other representatives from the outdoor communities convened in the nation's capital to urge members of Congress to move forward on the RESTORE Gulf Coast Act, a bipartisan piece of legislation that ensures that fines from last year's oil spill are used to help restore the Gulf ecosystem.

The first letter was authored by Vanishing Paradise, a project of National Wildlife Federation (NWF) to unite sportsmen and women to restore Louisiana's waterfowl and fishing habitats by reconnecting the Mississippi River with its wetlands. The letter asks Congress to secure significant investments for coastal restoration over the next five years, establish a new, dedicated funding stream for delta restoration and create a comprehensive restoration plan overseen by federal and state representatives with authority to implement the plan.

"In the spirit of Ding Darling, more than 650 hunting and fishing organizations and businesses from across the country are speaking out for the restoration of the Mississippi River Delta," said Land Tawney, NWF's senior manager for sportsmen leadership. "This collaboration ranges from local rod and gun clubs and mom and pop bait shops, to household names of national fishing and hunting manufacturers and sporting conservation organizations. We at Vanishing Paradise are truly humbled by the outpouring of nationwide support. Now it is time for Congress to take action and make the Gulf whole."

"The delta has suffered years of damage and is being lost at an alarming rate-a football field of land disappears every hour," Tawney continued. "The oil spill added insult to injury for this area and the entire Gulf region. Now is the time for Congress to pass the RESTORE Act, to ensure that oil spill fines reach the Gulf, where the latest round of damage was done."

The second letter was signed by a group of 30 national conservation and outdoors organizations calling on Congress to move on the RESTORE Act, to move proactively toward using the Clean Water Act penalties assessed against BP and other companies toward comprehensive environmental and economic restoration of the Gulf.

A bipartisan poll this spring showed that 83 percent of voters nationwide support-and 69 percent strongly support-dedicating the Gulf oil spill penalties to restoring the Mississippi River Delta and Gulf Coast. The poll also showed that an overwhelming majority of conservative voters favor this proposal, including 76 percent of Republicans, and 78 percent of voters who agree with the Tea Party movement.

Nearly 500 miles-almost half-of the coastline in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida that was contaminated by the Gulf oil spill remain oiled one year later, according to the National Atmospheric and Oceanic Administration.

"Sportsmen around the Gulf and all those who call the region home want to see specific steps taken to restore the area's natural resources," said Geoff Mullins, senior director at the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation partnership and Mobile, AL native. "It is a quality of life issue in numerous respects-from the recreational opportunities these resources offer to the significant dollars and jobs they bring to the local economies."

"Restoring the Gulf and the Mississippi River Delta is an important issue for all sportsmen," said Mike Iaconelli, 2003 Bassmasters Classic champion. "Those of us who hunt or fish need to step up and show we care about this issue. The disappearing Mississippi River Delta is not a problem we can't fix, and Congress has a chance to do what's right for the Gulf Coast. Now is the time for them to take action."

"Recreational fishing contributes $41 billion dollars in economic output in the Gulf Coast region annually and supports more than 300,000 jobs. This economic engine will sputter if critical fisheries habitat is not better conserved and managed in the Gulf," said Gordon Robertson, vice president of the American Sportfishing Association. "We urge Congress to act now to provide a much needed investment in business recovery and fisheries resources for the region."

"Generations of Louisiana hunters and fishermen have enjoyed the rare bounty that Louisiana has offered from its rich estuary," said Capt. Ryan Lambert, owner of Cajun Fishing Adventures, a fishing and waterfowl hunting lodge and guide service located near the mouth of the Mississippi River near Venice, Louisiana. "Every old timer has stories to tell of great times spent outdoors back in the day. Those great times are at the brink of being no more. Coastal erosion and saltwater intrusion have attacked our great state for 100 years, costing us 1883 square miles of precious wetlands thus far. Saltwater has intruded inland up to 80 miles killing even more freshwater marshes. If you want to pass on our great way of life to your grandchildren, the time to get involved is now."

"All sportsmen in Louisiana need to get behind the restore act," Lambert continued. "Please take the time to call your Senators for support of the RESTORE ACT. Better yet please get everyone you know outside of the state to call their legislatures. The Mississippi River built Louisiana and it is the only thing that can save our wetlands."

"The Mississippi River Delta provides one of the most significant wintering habitats for waterfowl in North American and plays a starring role in our country's rich waterfowl tradition," said Mike Galloway, vice president of sales and marketing at Hard Core Brands International. "Hunting and fishing are also vital revenue streams for the nation's economy. By passing the RESTORE Act and investing oil spill fines into restoring coastal wetlands, Congress is also investing in our national economy."

"The comprehensive effects of the oil spill remain to be seen," Tawney concluded. "Oil seeped into marshes and wetlands that support many species of fish, waterfowl and other wildlife. We need Congress to act now to ensure that the penalties from the oil spill go toward making the delta and the Gulf region whole again, by restoring one of the most significant wintering areas for waterfowl in North America and an area that provides us with commercial and recreational fishing opportunities unlike any other."

Contact: Emily Guidry Schatzel, guidrye@nwf.org, 225.253.9781

]]> Thu, 16 Feb 2012 08:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/press/national-sportsmens-groups-to-congress-restore-mississippi-river-delta-and-gulf-coast-now/ Make A Call for the Gulf http://vanishingparadise.org/updates/make-a-call-for-the-gulf/ Despite the continued threats to fish and wildlife in the Gulf, the Senate is stalling on a bipartisan piece of legislation called the RESTORE Act that will help the Gulf recover from the 2010 oil spill. Without your voice, this common-sense piece of legislation may not make it across the finish line. Please call your senator today by dialing the Congressional Switchboard at (202) 224-3121. Log your call below.

Tell your Senator why restoring the Gulf of Mexico and the Mississippi River Delta is important to you, your business or your organization.

Ask the Senators to make passage of the RESTORE Act a priority--before the two-year anniversary of the spill this April.

The RESTORE Act will dedicate 80% of the Clean Water Act fines from the BP oil spill to restoring the Gulf of Mexico.

Make the Call Today,*

]]> Tue, 07 Feb 2012 08:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/updates/make-a-call-for-the-gulf/ A Blueprint for Fixing the Coast http://vanishingparadise.org/updates/a-blueprint-for-fixing-the-coast/ The 2012 Coastal Master Plan is a realistic assessment of what it will take to create new wetlands and increase hurricane protections for people living in the coastal zone. Louisiana's sportsmen need to get behind this bold plan to save the coast.

In mid-summer of 2010, amid the chaos of the BP oil spill and the ever-present threat of approaching tropical storms and hurricanes, about a dozen scientists, planners and other specialists from Louisiana's Office of Coastal Protection and Restoration sat down to discuss what was probably the most difficult task they had ever faced.

By law, this group was required to write another coastal restoration and hurricane protection master plan, sell that plan to the people of Louisiana and have it ready before the 2012 legislative session.

The original master plan was approved by the state legislature in 2007 when the images of Hurricane Katrina and Rita were still fresh. It was highly conceptual and basically explained what most already knew: the state's coastal marshes and barrier islands were washing away at an alarming rate, Louisiana's coastal communities, industries, hunting and fishing opportunities and unique culture were all threatened, and something had to be done to fix it.

The 2012 version was envisioned to be much more specific about what could and could not reasonably be restored and protected. It was to use rigorous scientific analysis to pick where levees should be built and marshes should be restored. It was going to have to take a stand, finally, on where diversions from the Mississippi River needed to be built and what those diversions could accomplish. It was going to have to estimate how much all of this would cost. And, most importantly, it was going to have to make tough decisions regardless of political pressure to make every parish, every stakeholder, happy.

The just-released draft 2012 plan largely accomplishes those goals. It suggests as many as eight Mississippi River diversions that will protect swamps along the rim of Lake Maurepas and build land below New Orleans. The sediment diversions, staggered between the upper-Barataria and Breton Basins, will hopefully be self-sustaining and build new land after each river flooding cycle, similar to what is happening in the Atchafalaya and Wax Lake deltas.

The plan calls for the restoration of nearly every barrier island west of the Mississippi. It maps an extensive array of large-scale marsh creation projects from the upper reaches of the Biloxi Marsh west to areas between Fourchon and Grand Isle, western Terrebonne Parish, Vermilion and Cameron Parishes. It aims to direct water and sediment from the Atchafalaya Basin toward western Terrebonne to help curb saltwater intrusion. And it prescribes the restoration of a host of natural ridges and shorelines.

All this at an estimated price of $50 billion over 50 years-intimidating numbers considering Congress' current unwillingness to part with any federal funds and public demands that these areas be restored and protected yesterday rather than decades down the road.

The plan calls for a 50-50 split of this funding between restoration and hurricane protection, and will provide levees for communities that desperately need them and recommends the elevation of homes across the coastal zone.

It's a good plan but it also has its inherent weaknesses. It's just not possible to know exactly how each project will work and what political and natural obstacles lay ahead. Even those who wrote the plan admit that with excerpts like, "we must also acknowledge that substantial uncertainties remain…we do know, however, that dramatic land loss will continue unless we act boldly. In many cases, the risk of doing nothing is far greater than the risk of acting with incomplete knowledge."

Even with an estimated $50 billion to spend, which is far from guaranteed, some communities have been left out. Some marshes will not be restored. Some barrier islands will continue to wash away. People living in those communities, hunting in those marshes and fishing on those barrier islands are undoubtedly and understandably disappointed.

But, contemplating a future where political wrangling, piecemeal projects and an unwillingness to change continue to dominate means Louisiana's coast is destined to lose what little remains.

The plan gives hope that fate can be avoided. Louisiana's agencies and legislators need to hear that the sportsmen and women support this comprehensive science-based plan.

The state is accepting public comments through February 25, 2012. The plan is online at www.coastal.la.gov.

A version of this article will be published in the February issue of Marsh and Bayou magazine.

]]> Fri, 20 Jan 2012 08:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/updates/a-blueprint-for-fixing-the-coast/ Vanishing Paradise Lauds Visionary Coastal Master Plan http://vanishingparadise.org/press/vanishing-paradise-lauds-visionary-coastal-master-plan/ Vanishing Paradise Lauds Visionary La. Coastal Master Plan, Urges that Final Plan Provides Essential Protection for Mississippi River Delta Communities, Fish, Wildlife

(Baton Rouge- January 12, 2012) As the state of Louisiana released its draft 2012 Coastal Master Plan Thursday, Vanishing Paradise urged state officials to ensure that the final plan uses the best available science to create a bold, clear vision for the future of the Mississippi River Delta's wetlands and communities.

"We are rapidly losing our Mississippi River Delta and its surrounding wetlands at the rate of about a football field of land per hour, which puts people and wildlife at an increased risk each and every year," said a statement by Vanishing Paradise. "A healthier, safer, stronger coast for this ‘Sportsman's Paradise' will become reality only through bold actions based on the best available science that helps us clearly understand the possibilities for restoring and protecting our delta for future generations. We call on Louisiana's leaders, as well as hunters and anglers from across the state, to support a comprehensive, science-based approach to restoration as the draft plan moves through the review process."

Contact: Emily Guidry Schatzel, guidrye@nwf.org, 225.253.9781

]]> Thu, 12 Jan 2012 08:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/press/vanishing-paradise-lauds-visionary-coastal-master-plan/ Something Needs to be Done, But What? http://vanishingparadise.org/updates/something-needs-to-be-done-but-what/ I have had the wonderful opportunity for nearly the last six years to travel around Louisiana and elsewhere to meet with passionate outdoorsmen, business leaders, commercial fishermen, policy makers and coastal residents to discuss our state's rapidly vanishing coastal wetlands, the importance of those wetlands and the need to make every effort possible to restore this vital ecosystem.

I approached the issue for four years as a representative of the state's Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority trying to convince stakeholders Louisiana is making every effort to clear political, economic and financial hurdles and repair the coast as quickly as possible.

The last year and a half I have worked for the Louisiana Wildlife Federation and with the National Wildlife Federation, Ducks Unlimited and a host of other organizations to engage outdoorsmen and ask them to use their substantial clout to advance the cause of repairing Sportsmen's Paradise through the Vanishing Paradise campaign.

Among the various thoughts, frustrations and ideas from the myriad of different stakeholders, two things are clear and universal: everyone involved has lost something ranging from a favorite fishing spot or hunting ground to a camp, house or a way of life, and something needs to be done to quickly fix the problem.

What aren't so universally agreed upon are the projects and techniques that should be used by local, state and federal agencies and the definition of "restoration."

The projects and techniques can be, and have been, debated at length. However, it is safe to say there are a handful of proven methods like shoreline protection, water and sediment diversions and dredging and depositing sediment that are part of any restoration plan.

It's a bit easier (and in some ways more difficult) to narrow down the definition of "restoration." Statistics such as "Louisiana is losing a football field worth of land every hour," and "Louisiana has lost an area of coastal wetlands the size of the state of Delaware" can be found in nearly every coastal land loss report. Some want to know when they can expect their football fields back and when Delaware is going to be reclaimed.

Sadly, the truth is those football fields may be lost forever. Even sadder is the prospect of losing several thousand more if the effort is not made to restore function to Louisiana's coast well before the end of this decade. Restoration means trying like hell to save what is still there and trying to stop it too from washing away.

That means pumping sediment to rebuild marshes and barrier islands and then doing it again and again, protecting fragile shorelines and letting the Mississippi River again spread water and sediment into its delta.

River diversions are the most divisive and, at times, controversial of those techniques. But, the undeniable fact is the Mississippi River is the reason there are wetlands in Southeast Louisiana to debate and fret over.

Geologists have illustrated the Mississippi's delta has shifted several times in the last 10,000 years and once distributed its water and sediment through as many as 250 bayous, rivers and crevasses throughout South Louisiana including Bayou Lafourche, Oak River, Bayou Terre Aux Boeuffs, Bayou Dupont, Bayou Terrebonne, Blind River and many other well known and highly-travelled waterways.

Levees and dams that have done a decent job of protecting communities from floods and turned the Mississippi into a heck of a shipping canal have reduced that number to about a dozen. Those levees and dams, combined with man made canals like the MRGO, have created an artificial delta with saltwater and saltwater fish moving far inland from the Gulf of Mexico.

Opening more distribution points between Baton Rouge and the mouth of the river is not going to be easy for a variety of reasons. It will bring about changes that will inconvenience and anger some and maybe even put others out of business. It probably isn't the quickest way to build back what has been lost. And, it certainly cannot be the only method used.

But it is the only way the Mississippi River delta can once again function as a delta. Since the river originally built this Sportsman's Paradise, it only makes sense to use it to stop paradise from completely vanishing.

A version of this post was also published in Marsh & Bayou magazine.

]]> Tue, 20 Dec 2011 08:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/updates/something-needs-to-be-done-but-what/ The Good Folks at Recycled Fish http://vanishingparadise.org/blog/the-good-folks-at-recycled-fish/ Our good friend Teeg Stouffer over at Recycled Fish has been most kind to Vanishing Paradise. Some of you may remember this Fish Schtick video Teeg shot at the Bassmaster Classic in New Orleans back in February.

This month, the folks at Recycled Fish have done two incredible things for Vanishing Paradise. First, Teeg made this powerful video testimonial about why anglers all over the country should care about the disappearance of the Mississippi River Delta.

Second, Recycled Fish have also chosen to include us as one of the beneficiaries of their Holiday Tackle Box Auctions. If you have an angler on your Christmas list, you've got to check out the eBay listing for this Flambeau 3-tray tackle box. The auction ends Wednesday afternoon, so get your bid in today!

The tackle box features a pair of Onos Curlew Performance Polarized sunglasses with amber lenses and is loaded with tackle and accessories, including:

Sebile Magic Swimmers
FoodSource Lures
Bombshell Turtles
Secret Weapon Lures Mini-Kit
Recoil Rig Snack Pack
Scott's Elite Lures Jig & Trailer
SAFE Angling Nickel Spoon
Lucky Bug Lures "Bingo Bug"
Strike King Lures
SAFE Angling Sample Pack
Balsa Bobber
Vicious Fishing Pro Elite Fluorocarbon
Vicious Fishing Ultimate Monofilament
(4) Tru-Turn Bass Hook 6-Packs in 1/0, 2/0, 3/0, 4/0
12 LB Trilene Armor Coated monofilament
$5 DICK'S Sporting Goods Bonus Certificate
Berkley Fishing Multi-Tool
Grip-On Light
Recycled Fish & Fish Itch Stickers
Clean Angling Brush
Grabber Warmers Assortment
Wildlife Forever DVDs
(2) Shark Tooth Line Cutters
Ventafish Tool
Let Us Fish Decals (2)
Fishhound T-Shirt & Sticker
Deet-Free BugBand
A Bonus item from MonsterOutoors.com

]]> Mon, 14 Nov 2011 08:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/blog/the-good-folks-at-recycled-fish/ The Simple Pleasure of Wandering the Marsh http://vanishingparadise.org/updates/the-simple-pleasure-of-wandering-the-marsh/ Fishing Louisiana's coastal marsh is the highlight of my year and, for the past 13 years, I have been engaging annually in the simple pleasure of wandering the marsh in search of redfish. As past editor of Western Outdoors I've fished from Alaska to Baja, California to Florida-nothing compares to fishing this world-class destination.

Driving through miles of Rouseau Cane I am still stunned by the erupting flocks of spoonbill cranes and the burst of color that contrasts with the surrounding wetlands. Explosive redfish strikes, the movement of life throughout the marsh ecosystem and the activity of sportsmen on the water all combine to expose a rare gift in a world of rapidly depleting resources.

Each passing year generates new concern for a habitat in severe decline. Vast open water marks areas that were once land and as the marsh deteriorates ever northward, the dynamic process is easily seen by the naked eye.

Restoration Gaining Momentum

The Mississippi River Delta has not fully recovered since the largest accidental marine oil spill in history fouled its waters and shorelines. Vanishing Paradise supports using money from BP's oil spill fines towards restoring the Gulf Coast and the Gulf of Mexico.

Two recent developments have moved this idea a little closer to reality. A bipartisan group recently introduced a bill titled the "Restore Act" in the House dedicating money from these fines to restoration. Nine Gulf senators cosponsored a similar bill in the Senate, and it passed out of committee with strong support this past September.

The bill still faces a long road before it becomes law. To become active in the push to rebuild coastal wetlands and secure the hunting and fishing legacy of this Sportsmen's Paradise, sign on with your support and enter to win a sportsmen's trip for two to fish one of the greatest angling destinations on the planet.

The oil spill is still having an impact on the Gulf. For example, a recent study documented the effect of oil from the spill on a common minnow that is a critical part of the Gulf's food web. The study found that oil exposure has altered the minnow's cellular function in ways that are predictive of developmental abnormalities, decreased hatching success, and lowered survival rates.

This vote paves the way for Congress to do what voters expect: hold the companies responsible for the Gulf oil disaster accountable for restoring the region that was damaged. Using the Gulf oil spill penalties to restore the Gulf region's communities, environment and economy is the fair and right thing to do.

"Passing the RESTORE Act out of the EPW Committee by a voice vote shows the bipartisan support this issue commands," NWF's Senior Manager for Sportsmen Leadership Land Tawney said. "The Mississippi River Delta is a national treasure that deserves to be made whole from the impacts of the largest oil spill this country has ever seen. We must carry the momentum out of the committee and take it to the full Senate and House in a timely fashion. The chorus of ducks quacking and redfish tailing has started, but we must follow through to ensure our children can enjoy this phenomenal resource into the future."

Strong Support

Strong hunting and angling support exists to save the wetlands. At this latest incarnation of Marsh Madness, representatives from Top Brass (the organizer), Plano Molding, WileyX Sunglasses, RealTree Camoflauge, Seaguar fishing line, Underarmor clothing, Skeeter Boats and Zman lures all were in attendance at Venice, Louisiana in mid-October to once again take up their fishing rods and enjoy this incredible fishing destination.

Along for the ride were media representatives from across the country who care deeply about the future of the marsh and its ecosystem. Outdoor writers and editors from Louisiana Sportsmen's Magazine, Outdoor Life, In Fisherman Magazine, Bassmaster Magazine, BassTimes, ESPN and a pile of freelancers engaged to take the message to their readers. Hosted by Top Brass tackle and dedicated boaters and anglers from Mississippi, this national crew swarms through the marsh's backwaters in search of epic redfish adventure.

In addition, and with great pleasure during the event, I accepted on behalf of Vanishing Paradise an original watercolor by artist Chris Armstrong featuring the magnificent spoonbill crane.

Through three days on the marsh our wandering eyes took in the great gift this area has given all of us who spend time in the marsh. This precious resource has a savior in the sportsmen of America who value wild places and wild times to satisfy their need to both connect with the environment and recreate. We all know it's a legacy to protect, and restoring Louisiana's wetlands is something that can be done in our lifetime. Thanks for your support.

]]> Sun, 13 Nov 2011 08:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/updates/the-simple-pleasure-of-wandering-the-marsh/ Photo Contest: Fishing Across America http://vanishingparadise.org/will-not-appear-on-front-page/photo-contest-fishing-across-america/ What's your favorite fishing photo? Are you holding a tarpon almost as tall as you? Is it a picture of your granddaughter holding up her first blue gill? Or is it a snapshot of that day spent fly-fishing in a clear mountain steam?

In our new contest, we want to see fishing photos from our supporters all over the county. It doesn't matter where you live or what style of fishing you do.

The winner will get a Plano Guide Series Model 787 Angled StowAway(r) tackle storage system. This roomy tackle box has a hard-body structure that comes with nine StowAway utility boxes.

Fans of our Facebook page will help us pick the winner, but you don't have to be a Facebook user to enter. Just email your favorite fishing photos to info@vanishingparadise.org.

The contest will wrap up October 28th. This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook.

UPDATE: And the winner is….Marissa Rabalais Turner! Thanks to everyone who entered.

]]> Thu, 20 Oct 2011 07:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/will-not-appear-on-front-page/photo-contest-fishing-across-america/ New Report Shows U.S. Wetland Losses Accelerating http://vanishingparadise.org/will-not-appear-on-front-page/new-report-shows-us-wetland-losses-accelerating/ Ducks Unlimited scientists have completed an analysis of a recent federal report on the status of America's wetlands. The report, issued periodically by the U.S. Department of the Interior, indicates gains in some wetland types and disturbing declines in others that provide important habitat for waterfowl and other wildlife. Overall, the study shows a negative trend with the rate of wetland loss accelerating in recent years.

Status and Trends of Wetlands in the Conterminous United States 2004 to 2009 compares wetland losses and gains during this period to those documented during the previous study period (1998-2004). In recent decades, wetland loss had slowed, largely because of beneficial wetland conservation policies and programs, but the new report reveals wetland loss has now accelerated, increasing by 140 percent since 2004. The 1998-2004 report showed a net gain of 32,000 wetland acres per year while the latest research shows a net loss of 13,800 wetland acres each year. The new report covers the first complete study period since a 2001 U.S. Supreme Court decision weakened Clean Water Act protection of certain wetlands.

Some wetland types showed alarming declines:

  • Marine and estuarine intertidal wetlands in America's coastal regions were lost three times faster than during the previous study period. About 25,000 acres of salt marsh disappeared each year between 2004 and 2009. Eighty-three percent of these acres were lost to open water, predominantly through subsidence and sea-level rise.
  • More than 140,000 acres of bottomland hardwood forests were lost each year in the United States between 2004 and 2009. These seasonally flooded wetlands in the South and Southeast provide vital wintering habitat for ducks.

Since the 1950s, the United States has lost more than 26 million acres of coastal wetlands, bottomland hardwood forests and freshwater marshes-an amount equivalent to the surface area of Lakes Superior and Erie combined.

Wetlands are among nature's most productive ecosystems, providing habitat for waterfowl, fish and many other species of wildlife. Freshwater wetlands alone cover only 1 percent of the earth's surface but provide habitat for more than 40 percent of the world's species. Coastal wetlands are similarly productive and diverse. For example, 66 percent of marine fish rely on coastal wetlands at some stage in their life cycle. Wetlands also provide a host of important societal benefits, including recreational opportunities, floodwater storage, groundwater recharge and water purification.

"The Department of Interior's Status and Trends of Wetlands serves as a report card on our nation's wetlands," said Paul Schmidt, chief conservation officer for DU, "and with wetland losses now outstripping wetland gains, the findings in the 2004-2009 report are discouraging."

The accelerating losses documented in the report are especially troubling in light of current federal budget discussions centered on future funding for wetland conservation programs. "Significant cuts to federal funding for wetland conservation programs would result in further dramatic increases in the rate of wetland loss in the United States," Schmidt said. "Funding for programs such as the North American Wetlands Conservation Act , the Wetlands Reserve Program, and the Land and Water Conservation Fund is essential to protect our wetlands and wildlife, safeguard the quality and quantity of our nation's fresh water, and preserve our hunting and fishing heritage."

The report's findings highlight the significance of the habitat restoration and conservation efforts of DU and its partners, while underscoring the need for strong federal wetland policies and programs. "Everyone who cares about wetlands, wildlife, and the health of our nation's environment and economy should contact their members of Congress and urge them to support funding for the North American Wetlands Conservation Act, Wetlands Reserve Program, and Land and Water Conservation Fund," said Dale Hall, Ducks Unlimited CEO. "We agree that the deficit must be controlled and our nation's debt must be reduced, but Congress should avoid slashing funding for conservation programs that produce a positive return on investment for our nation's economy."

Overall, hunting and fishing support more than 1.6 million jobs and generate more than $25 billion a year in federal, state and local taxes. Hunters and anglers in the United States spend about $76 billion each year on their outdoor pursuits.

For assistance in contacting members of Congress to urge them to maintain funding for federal programs crucial to wetlands conservation, please visit www.ducks.org/conservation/public-policy.

Ducks Unlimited is the world's largest nonprofit organization dedicated to conserving North America's continually disappearing waterfowl habitats. Established in 1937, Ducks Unlimited has conserved more than 12 million acres, thanks to contributions from more than a million supporters across the continent. Guided by science and dedicated to program efficiency, DU works toward the vision of wetlands sufficient to fill the skies with waterfowl today, tomorrow and forever. Visit the DU website, www.ducks.org, for more information.

MEMPHIS, Tenn., Oct. 17, 2011

CONTACT:
Tom Fulgham
tfulgham@ducks.org
901-758-3777

]]> Mon, 17 Oct 2011 07:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/will-not-appear-on-front-page/new-report-shows-us-wetland-losses-accelerating/ Gulf Restoration Gains Momentum With Introduction of House Bill and Task Force Calling For Action http://vanishingparadise.org/press/gulf-restoration-gains-momentum-with-introduction-of-house-bill-and-task-force-calling-for-action/ Vanishing Paradise praises bill dedicating oil spill fines to restoring Gulf wildlife habitats-

(New Orleans, LA-October 12, 2011) Vanishing Paradise is commending the recent introduction of a bipartisan bill in the House that will ensure that 80 percent of penalties paid by BP and others responsible for last year's Gulf oil spill are used to help restore the damaged fish and wildlife habitats of the region, not for unrelated federal spending. The RESTORE Gulf Coast States Act of 2011 was introduced by U.S. Rep. Steve Scalise (R-La.) as lead sponsor, along with more than 20 other bipartisan leaders as joint co-sponsors.

"The widespread bipartisan support for the RESTORE Act in the House mirrors efforts in the Senate and is supported by hunters and anglers from across the country," NWF's Senior Manager for Sportsmen Leadership Land Tawney said. "We thank leaders in the House for their diligent efforts in introducing this bipartisan legislation, and we look forward to working with them to improve and pass a bill that will make this national treasure whole again."

Nine Gulf senators have introduced a similar bill in the Senate, the RESTORE Gulf Coast States Act (S. 1400), which passed through the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee last month.

The Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Task Force-a key federal and state panel convened by the White House-has also released its draft report calling for a significant new commitment to restore the vital resources of the Gulf Coast. The report also urged the dedication of oil spill penalties to the environmental and economic restoration of the Gulf, which is what the bills in both the House and Senate would accomplish.

"We praise the Task Force's report calling for swift and far-reaching action to restore the Gulf Coast," Tawney continued. "The draft report highlights key issues that demand immediate attention to make restoration a reality. Sportsmen and women across the country are standing with Vanishing Paradise, hoping the final report outlines specific steps that can be taken in the near term to ensure the restoration of one of our nation's most phenomenal resources. Recognizing the urgent need to translate words into action, we hope the final report will include specific steps that can be taken without delay to address the most pressing needs in the Gulf."

The coastal wetlands surrounding the Mississippi River Delta provide crucial wildlife habitat that help Louisiana live up to its nickname as a "Sportsman's Paradise." The delta provides a winter or stopover ground for 10 million migratory waterfowl each year, which accounts for up to 70% of the ducks and geese using the Mississippi and Central flyways. The delta also supports world-class salt- and freshwater fishing opportunities.

But sadly, this Sportsman's Paradise is vanishing at an alarming rate. Nearly 1,900 square miles, an area the size of the state of Delaware, have disappeared since the 1930s, largely because of flood control and navigation projects that have isolated the freshwater and sediment from the Mississippi River from its deltaic wetlands, while allowing saltwater from the Gulf of Mexico to intrude far inland. Every hour, an area of wetlands the size of a football field disappears. This habitat loss threatens homes, communities, nationally important economic interests-and our world-class hunting and fishing opportunities.

Contact: Emily Guidry Schatzel, 225.253.9781, guidrye@nwf.org

]]> Wed, 12 Oct 2011 07:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/press/gulf-restoration-gains-momentum-with-introduction-of-house-bill-and-task-force-calling-for-action/ New Study Documents BP Oil...s Impact on Common Baitfish in Gulf Ecosystem http://vanishingparadise.org/press/new-study-documents-bp-oils-impact-on-common-baitfish-in-gulf-ecosystem/ New Orleans, LA - A new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences documents the effect of BP oil on Gulf killifish. This minnow-like wetlands fish, also known as bull minnow or cacahoe, is a critical part of the Gulf's food chain and are a commonly used baitfish.

The study finds that oil exposure has altered the killifish's cellular function in ways that are known to be predictive of developmental abnormalities, decreased hatching success, and decreased embryo and larval survival.

Land Tawney, senior manager for sportsmen leadership with the National Wildlife Federation, said today:

"This study reminds us that the even small amounts of oil can have a lasting impact on fish, wildlife and habitats. These bull minnows are an important food source, a staple, for sportfish like redfish and speckled trout, which are key species for the Mississippi River Delta's recreational fishing.

"The study also reminds us that Congress has yet to act to protect the Gulf's ecosystem by passing comprehensive response legislation to restore this national treasure teeming with fish and wildlife. We urgently need action now-and sportsmen and women across the country are calling for Congress to dedicate fines and penalties from the oil spill to restoring the Mississippi River Delta and the Gulf Coast."

Learn more about Vanishing Paradise's efforts to unite hunters and anglers on the important issue of Mississippi River Delta restoration at www.vanishingparadise.org.

Contact: Emily Guidry Schatzel, guidrye@nwf.org, 225.253.9781

###

]]> Mon, 03 Oct 2011 07:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/press/new-study-documents-bp-oils-impact-on-common-baitfish-in-gulf-ecosystem/ The Oil Spill's Lingering Impact on Gulf Minnows http://vanishingparadise.org/will-not-appear-on-front-page/the-oil-spills-lingering-impact-on-gulf-minnows/ A new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences documents the effect of BP oil on Gulf killifish. This minnow-like wetlands fish, also known as bull minnow or cacahoe, is a critical part of the Gulf's food chain and are a commonly used baitfish.

The study finds that oil exposure has altered the killifish's cellular function in ways that are known to be predictive of developmental abnormalities, decreased hatching success, and decreased embryo and larval survival.

Land Tawney, senior manager for sportsmen leadership with the National Wildlife Federation, said today:

"This study reminds us that the even small amounts of oil can have a lasting impact on fish, wildlife and habitats. These bull minnows are an important food source, a staple, for sportfish like redfish and speckled trout, which are key species for the Mississippi River Delta's recreational fishing.

"The study also reminds us that Congress has yet to act to protect the Gulf's ecosystem by passing comprehensive response legislation to restore this national treasure teeming with fish and wildlife. We urgently need action now-and sportsmen and women across the country are calling for Congress to dedicate fines and penalties from the oil spill to restoring the Mississippi River Delta and the Gulf Coast."

]]> Mon, 03 Oct 2011 07:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/will-not-appear-on-front-page/the-oil-spills-lingering-impact-on-gulf-minnows/ Vanishing Paradise Praises Senate Committee For Approving Gulf Restoration Bill http://vanishingparadise.org/will-not-appear-on-front-page/vanishing-paradise-praises-senate-committee-for-approving-gulf-restoration-bill/ Senate urged to pass bipartisan bill to dedicate oil spill fines to restore Gulf

(Baton Rouge, LA-September 21, 2011) Vanishing Paradise, a joint effort of National Wildlife Federation (NWF) and multiple state, local and national hunting and fishing groups and businesses to unite hunters and anglers for Mississippi River Delta restoration, praised the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee today for approving The RESTORE the Gulf Coast States Act, with a strong showing of bipartisan support. The bill passed by voice vote with only three requested no's recorded.

The bill would ensure that penalties paid by BP and others responsible for last year's Gulf oil spill are used to restore the natural resources, ecosystems, fisheries, marine and wildlife habitats, beaches, barrier islands, dunes, coastal wetlands and economy of the Gulf Coast; and to address the associated economic harm suffered by the people and communities of the region.

"Passing the RESTORE Act out of the EPW Committee by a voice vote shows the bipartisan support this issue commands," NWF's Senior Manager for Sportsmen Leadership Land Tawney said. "The Mississippi River Delta is a national treasure that deserves to be made whole from the impacts of the largest oil spill this country has ever seen. We must carry the momentum out of the committee and take it to the full Senate and House in a timely fashion. The chorus of ducks quacking and redfish tailing has started, but we must follow through to ensure our children can enjoy this phenomenal resource into the future."

Senators Mary Landrieu (D-LA) and Richard Shelby (R-AL) authored the RESTORE the Gulf Coast States Act, which is cosponsored by nine of the 10 Gulf state senators. They were joined as original cosponsors by Senators David Vitter (R-LA), Jeff Sessions (R-AL), Thad Cochran (R-MS), Roger Wicker (R-MS), Bill Nelson (D-FL), Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Kay Bailey-Hutchison (R-TX). EPW Committee Chairwoman Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA) was instrumental in securing her committee's support for the bill.

The coastal wetlands surrounding the Mississippi River Delta provide crucial wildlife habitat that help Louisiana live up to its nickname as a "Sportsman's Paradise." The delta provides a winter or stopover ground for 10 million migratory waterfowl each year, which accounts for up to 70% of the ducks and geese using the Mississippi and Central flyways. The delta also supports world-class salt- and freshwater fishing opportunities.

But sadly, this Sportsman's Paradise is vanishing at an alarming rate. Nearly 1,900 square miles, an area the size of the state of Delaware, have disappeared since the 1930s, largely because of flood control and navigation projects that have isolated the freshwater and sediment from the Mississippi River from its deltaic wetlands, while allowing saltwater from the Gulf of Mexico to intrude far inland. Every hour, an area of wetlands the size of a football field disappears. This habitat loss threatens homes, communities, nationally important economic interests-and our world-class hunting and fishing opportunities.

Contact: Emily Guidry Schatzel, 225.253.9781, guidrye@nwf.org

###

]]> Wed, 21 Sep 2011 07:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/will-not-appear-on-front-page/vanishing-paradise-praises-senate-committee-for-approving-gulf-restoration-bill/ One Step Forward for Gulf Restoration http://vanishingparadise.org/will-not-appear-on-front-page/one-step-forward-for-gulf-restoration/ RESTORE Act passes out of Senate committee with strong bipartisan support -

The Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee today approved The RESTORE the Gulf Coast States Act with a strong showing of bipartisan support.

This vote paves the way for Congress to do what voters expect: hold the companies responsible for the Gulf oil disaster accountable for restoring the region that was damaged. Using the Gulf oil spill penalties to restore the Gulf region's communities, environment and economy is the fair and right thing to do.

"Passing the RESTORE Act out of the EPW Committee by a voice vote shows the bipartisan support this issue commands," NWF's Senior Manager for Sportsmen Leadership Land Tawney said. "The Mississippi River Delta is a national treasure that deserves to be made whole from the impacts of the largest oil spill this country has ever seen. We must carry the momentum out of the committee and take it to the full Senate and House in a timely fashion. The chorus of ducks quacking and redfish tailing has started, but we must follow through to ensure our children can enjoy this phenomenal resource into the future."

The bill still faces a long road before it becomes law. We're looking forward to seeing a similar bill in the House soon and to working with our Senate champions to get this through the full Senate. Stay tuned.

]]> Wed, 21 Sep 2011 07:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/will-not-appear-on-front-page/one-step-forward-for-gulf-restoration/ The 'Laid Back' Sweepstakes http://vanishingparadise.org/updates/the-laid-back-sweepstakes/ Enter to win two days of fishing and two night's lodging on beautiful Grand Isle with Captain Frank Dreher of Laid Back Charter. You and a friend will be chasing specs and reds in a 24-foot bay boat and staying in a first-class camp complete with an HD flat screen TV. All meals are provided, as is round-trip airfare for two.

We'll pick you up on a Friday at the New Orleans airport and provide dinner and drinks that night. You'll fish Saturday and Sunday mornings and you'll fly out Sunday afternoon or evening. All tackle will be provided. All you need is sunscreen, proper clothing, and something to transport your catch home in. The trip will take place in late April or May of 2012. Read the official rules here.

Enter to win our Laid Back Sweepstakes

]]> Mon, 12 Sep 2011 07:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/updates/the-laid-back-sweepstakes/ Field & Stream: Wax Lake Delta: Accidental Eden in the Atchafalaya http://vanishingparadise.org/in-the-news/field-stream-wax-lake-delta-accidental-eden-in-the-atchafalaya/ I want to shoot a big gar, but what I'm most fired up about today is that we're going to walk on the newest land in North America, a wild delta mud country that did not even exist twenty years ago, all of it teeming with fish and gators and flocks of waterfowl and cooking under the hot Louisiana sun like the very gumbo of life itself. While all the rest of southern Louisiana is besieged with massive erosion, land subsidence, marsh and land losses, the Wax Lake Delta is getting bigger and healthier every year.

The Wax Lake trip was part of about ten days that I spent in southern Louisiana this summer, fishing with the folks from the National Wildlife Federation (where Louisiana-native Ben Weber works on coastal restoration issues) and wandering with an old friend on the lower Pearl River. I came away convinced that Louisiana is still the Sportsmen's Paradise that its license plates have always claimed it was. And if we as a nation can act, it always will be.

Read the rest of Wax Lake Delta: Accidental Eden in the Atchafalaya on Field & Stream's website.

]]> Wed, 07 Sep 2011 07:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/in-the-news/field-stream-wax-lake-delta-accidental-eden-in-the-atchafalaya/ From the Delta to the Headwaters http://vanishingparadise.org/updates/from-the-delta-to-the-headwaters/ We have to push for practices that do what is right for people, industry, commerce, and habitat. In my mind, restoring the Mississippi River Delta is the next piece of the puzzle in a long fight to protect waterfowl habitat.

A few weeks ago I left my home in south Louisiana, as I often do, to travel the country and spread the word about the massive wetland loss we are experiencing on the Mississippi River Delta. More specifically, the purpose of these long nights away from my home and my family is to engage sportsmen's groups, organizations, and businesses to help them understand how much we all stand to lose if we don't restore the delta. The ultimate goal is to actively involve them in the fight for restoration.

This is my job. It's what I do, it's who I am, and I love it. I don't love the fact that this national treasure is falling apart before our very eyes, but I do love that I play an active part in working to restore this special place. Admittedly and maybe obviously, I'm focused on and addicted to the delta.

For this particular trip, I was headed to the Anoka Game Fair in Minnesota, a two-weekend gathering of all things waterfowl. I had been looking forward to this trip because Minnesota is where it all begins-the headwaters of the mighty Mississippi. I've spent almost my entire life at the southern end of this beautiful river, and somehow, this would be my first time visiting its northernmost reaches.

The Game Fair was great: two weekends surrounded by folks who are passionate about waterfowl hunting. We made new friends, caught up with old ones, and spent a lot of time talking to folks about delta restoration and how we need the help of all sportsmen to make restoration a reality. During the course of my work and travels, I often make the comment that as sportsmen and women across the country, the Mississippi River, the flyway, and the delta connects us all. This is something that waterfowlers understand. After all, the Mississippi River Delta serves as the wintering or stop-over grounds for more than 10 million migratory waterfowl each year. Most folks who pursue ducks and geese understand their migratory nature, and that each section of habitat along the journey is as important as the next. Without the Prairie Pothole region, we wouldn't have ducks to hunt as they winter down on the delta. Without the delta, there wouldn't be a healthy return flight to start the process anew each year. This example of waterfowl and the flyway is perhaps the most obvious and easy-to-understand illustration that we as sportsmen are connected by much more than our love of the hunt. Our opportunities depend on the stewardship of others and vice-versa. This idea, that we are all connected by the landscape and the resource, is the foundation of everything I'm doing when traveling the country. I firmly believe this idea to be fact, and while in Minnesota I was reminded just how true this idea is.

To most folks a wetland is just a wetland, no matter where you are. I look at it a bit differently. I've been fortunate enough to work on wetland issues ranging from high elevation bogs 9,000 feet above sea level in the Rocky Mountains, to the marshes in Louisiana which are sinking further and further below sea level each day. I have never been in a wetland that is the same as the previous one or the next one. They each have their own character and subtle differences. To me, that is what makes this type of habitat so interesting. Arriving in Minnesota, I was excited to see the differences in wetland habitat between the headwaters and the delta. However, once I arrived it wasn't the differences that had my attention, it was the similarities.

I found that the wetlands in both areas are struggling against a very similar fight for survival. Both the headwaters region and the delta were once tremendously productive waterfowl habitat. Unfortunately, the wetlands in both areas are disappearing at an alarming rate. As I spent more time talking with waterfowlers during the trip to Minnesota, it became apparent that the loss of wetland habitat binds the headwaters and the delta as much as the flyway or the river.

It's important to note that when we talk about restoring the delta's wetlands, you can't forget that this area is a working landscape. By this I mean that it's not unimpeded wilderness, void of the influence of man, industry, and commerce. This is the same for the wetlands in the headwaters region. Minnesota has been, and remains, a very important working agricultural landscape, a landscape from which we all benefit.

Down on the delta, the connection between the river and the wetlands has been severed by levees. The annual spring floods of the river and the deposition of its sediment are what built the wetlands of the delta. Now, that water and sediment no longer reaches the rapidly vanishing wetlands. All of that sediment is funneled into the deep waters of the Gulf of Mexico. The purpose of severing this connection is to provide flood control and navigation opportunities. I'm not attacking the idea of protecting communities from flooding or arguing that navigation isn't necessary; I'll be the first to admit that we need to manage the Mississippi River for flood control and navigation. In fact my brother and father both make their living on the river in the navigation business. In Minnesota, wetlands are rapidly disappearing as more and more water becomes tied up in agriculture, particularly due to the irrigation practice referred to as "tiling." The wetlands that would previously flood or hold water after irrigation are now dry. I will also admit that agriculture is incredibly important. Hell, we all have to eat.

We kept hearing from Minnesota hunters that it wasn't worth the effort anymore to hunt ducks. People we spoke to said that the flyway has shifted west, to the Dakotas, because agricultural practices in Minnesota have all but eliminated once plentiful wetlands found on agricultural land. We often heard comments like, "It's too late. The water is gone, and the ducks are gone. How are a small number of waterfowlers and conservationists supposed to combat the practices of a powerful industry like agriculture, especially when we depend on agriculture so much?" I can tell you, we hear the same thing on the Delta all the time. Are we supposed to take on flood control-which protects our families and homes? Are we supposed to fight the navigation industry-which many of us rely on for goods, services, and jobs?

So what do we do? Do we go to war with flood control, navigation, and agriculture? That hardly seems like a good idea or a fight that a small group of sportsmen and conservationists could win. Don't get me wrong, I don't mind being the underdog-after all I was a New Orleans Saints fan back when you couldn't give tickets away! But realistically, I think we can all agree that it's not the simple existence of these three things that are ruining waterfowl habitat and wiping wetlands off the face of the map. Instead, I believe it is how we go about managing our resources for flood control, navigation, and agriculture. And this is the fight that we must take on without turning our backs on these practices and industries.

Instead we have to do it better and smarter. It is possible to manage the Mississippi River in a way that addresses the goals of flood control, navigation, and restoring habitat. It is possible to manage agricultural operations for production and habitat without choking every last drop of water through a tiling system.

So what's my point? We have to be attentive to the needs of industries that we rely on, but not at the cost of every last inch of wetlands that we have been given. If we as sportsmen don't choose the fight and commit ourselves to it we're going to lose. We're going to lose wetlands habitat, waterfowl and the tradition that goes with it. I'm a firm believer that protecting and restoring habitat on the delta or in the headwaters region doesn't just mean building wetlands. It means protecting a heritage and a privilege that hunters and anglers understand.

We have to push for practices that do what is right for people, industry, commerce, and habitat. If sportsmen and women from Minnesota don't get behind restoring the delta, we won't win. If sportsmen and women from the delta can't be counted on when hunters in the headwaters region are fighting for wetlands, we won't win. In my mind, restoring the Mississippi River Delta is the next piece of the puzzle in a long fight to protect waterfowl habitat. If we don't band together and get it right, we will look back and say, "That was the one-The one fight that we as sportsmen can't afford to lose." And when our friends in the headwaters need us, we'll be there.

]]> Fri, 02 Sep 2011 07:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/updates/from-the-delta-to-the-headwaters/ A Letter to the Advocate http://vanishingparadise.org/updates/a-letter-to-the-advocate/

Chris Macaluso gives a sportsman's take on the impact of diversions on the coastal wetlands of the Mississippi River Delta in a letter to the Baton Rouge Advocate.-

I read with great interest Amy Wold's front-page article Sunday, Aug. 28, titled Help or Harm, detailing a report by LSU's Eugene Turner and others questioning the benefits and land-building capacity of Mississippi River diversions.

Turner and his collaborators from the University of Maryland state they studied diversions at Caernarvon and Davis Pond and the siphon at Naomi and determined, because of an over-abundance of nutrients and lack of sediment, diversions are weakening coastal marshes.

Those claims are countered in the article by several of Turner's contemporaries, including John Day from LSU's Department of Coastal and Environmental Science, who say Turner's findings are nothing new and some very healthy marshes are growing in the outflow areas of all of the diversions in question.

The Louisiana Wildlife Federation adopted a resolution this year urging more time and effort be devoted to studying diversions to better understand impacts and help coastal policymakers and scientists design projects as restoration efforts move forward.

Therefore, Turner's critiques of the diversions are appreciated. The more we know about how coastal marshes are responding to projects intended to restore them, the better.

However, much of the scientific and visual evidence of what is happening near these diversions favors the opinion of those who countered the study.

I'm not a scientist. I'm an outdoorsman who cares deeply and has spent the past 30 years watching Louisiana's marshes wash away and the last decade working with and listening to scientists and lawmakers working to restore our coast.

If Caernarvon is not building land, why did I see acres of new marsh in its outfall area last week, an area that was open water less than three years ago? If Davis Pond is weakening coastal wetlands, why did researchers find healthy cypress trees with rapid growth rates in its outflow area last year, an area that had historically been devastated by cypress-killing saltwater intrusion?

If diversions aren't building land, why is there a new island emerging near the West Bay Diversion in Plaquemines Parish? If the nutrients in the Mississippi watershed are hurting, why are the Wax Lake Outlet, a diversion near the mouth of the Atchafalaya River, and the Atchafalaya Delta building acres of healthy wetlands?

Wetland loss plagues Louisiana's entire coast. Marsh is washing away and sinking in Lafourche and Terrebonne parishes in areas nowhere near diversions. Vast areas of open water devoid of vegetation and fisheries and wildlife habitat remain.

At Caernarvon, Davis Pond, West Bay and Wax Lake, there is abundant vegetation and habitat, new land is emerging and there is the promise of more to come. It doesn't seem hard to determine the better option.

Chris Macaluso

coastal outreach coordinator, Louisiana Wildlife Federation

Baton Rouge

]]> Fri, 02 Sep 2011 07:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/updates/a-letter-to-the-advocate/ Baton Rouge Advocate: A Letter to the Editor: Questions of coastal land-building http://vanishingparadise.org/in-the-news/baton-rouge-advocate-a-letter-to-the-editor-questions-of-coastal-land-building/

Chris Macaluso gives a sportsman's take on the impact of diversions on the coastal wetlands of the Mississippi River Delta in a letter to the Baton Rouge Advocate.-

I read with great interest Amy Wold's front-page article Sunday, Aug. 28, titled Help or Harm, detailing a report by LSU's Eugene Turner and others questioning the benefits and land-building capacity of Mississippi River diversions.

Turner and his collaborators from the University of Maryland state they studied diversions at Caernarvon and Davis Pond and the siphon at Naomi and determined, because of an over-abundance of nutrients and lack of sediment, diversions are weakening coastal marshes.

Those claims are countered in the article by several of Turner's contemporaries, including John Day from LSU's Department of Coastal and Environmental Science, who say Turner's findings are nothing new and some very healthy marshes are growing in the outflow areas of all of the diversions in question.

The Louisiana Wildlife Federation adopted a resolution this year urging more time and effort be devoted to studying diversions to better understand impacts and help coastal policymakers and scientists design projects as restoration efforts move forward.

Therefore, Turner's critiques of the diversions are appreciated. The more we know about how coastal marshes are responding to projects intended to restore them, the better.

However, much of the scientific and visual evidence of what is happening near these diversions favors the opinion of those who countered the study.

I'm not a scientist. I'm an outdoorsman who cares deeply and has spent the past 30 years watching Louisiana's marshes wash away and the last decade working with and listening to scientists and lawmakers working to restore our coast.

If Caernarvon is not building land, why did I see acres of new marsh in its outfall area last week, an area that was open water less than three years ago? If Davis Pond is weakening coastal wetlands, why did researchers find healthy cypress trees with rapid growth rates in its outflow area last year, an area that had historically been devastated by cypress-killing saltwater intrusion?

If diversions aren't building land, why is there a new island emerging near the West Bay Diversion in Plaquemines Parish? If the nutrients in the Mississippi watershed are hurting, why are the Wax Lake Outlet, a diversion near the mouth of the Atchafalaya River, and the Atchafalaya Delta building acres of healthy wetlands?

Wetland loss plagues Louisiana's entire coast. Marsh is washing away and sinking in Lafourche and Terrebonne parishes in areas nowhere near diversions. Vast areas of open water devoid of vegetation and fisheries and wildlife habitat remain.

At Caernarvon, Davis Pond, West Bay and Wax Lake, there is abundant vegetation and habitat, new land is emerging and there is the promise of more to come. It doesn't seem hard to determine the better option.

Chris Macaluso

coastal outreach coordinator, Louisiana Wildlife Federation

Baton Rouge

]]> Fri, 02 Sep 2011 07:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/in-the-news/baton-rouge-advocate-a-letter-to-the-editor-questions-of-coastal-land-building/ Faces of the Delta: Captain Ryan Lambert http://vanishingparadise.org/updates/faces-of-the-delta-captain-ryan-lambert/ Captain Ryan Lambert of Cajun Fishing Adventures has emerged as one of the biggest advocates of restoration in the hunting and angling community. This interview with the captain was originally posted on Delta Dispatches as part of their Faces of the Delta series. This post was written by Amanda Moore of the National Wildlife Federation.

Some readers may also remember Captain Lambert as a sponsor of our 2011 Grand Giveaway. We're tallying up all the entries now and will announce the winner soon!

Meet Captain Ryan Lambert

Name: Captain Ryan Lambert

Location: Buras, Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana

Occupation: Charter captain; Board President, Cajun Fishing Adventures; Vice President, Louisiana Charter Boat Association.

Tell me about your connection to south Louisiana. I am South Louisiana! I was born here. I love the culture, the people, and the outdoors. I live and breathe it. I grew up in Luling and run Cajun Fishing Adventures-one of the top five hunting and fishing lodges in North America.

"Coastal restoration efforts are important because it can bring back a national treasure-the richest fishing industry in North America. It is a simple task; Mother Nature made it-you just have to release the Mississippi River back into the delta to restore the wetlands."

What does south Louisiana mean to you? South Louisiana means a different way of life. It is culture-oriented. People live off the land and make their living from their hands. They share with others in the area. It's unique.

What are your favorite things about the area? My favorite thing is accessibility to an abundance of outdoor activities. Nature is so vast here-we have 41% of our nation's wetlands.

How has coastal land loss impacted your life? When I think about it, it brings a somber feeling to see what has happened to the richest estuary in North America. It makes me sad that nothing has really started to fix it in 30 years. We still have the top fishing in North America, but I've watched it decline over the years at a rapid rate. It saddens me to know the next two or three generations won't be able to see what I've seen.

Then there is Hurricane Katrina-I had 24 feet of standing water in my fishing lodge. It put me out of business for nine months. The oil spill was a lot worse than Katrina for me. I could rebuild after Katrina, but the oil spill is impacting my business. Business was down 94% last year and 75% this year. I've had to sue BP. Really, everyone had to sue in my industry No one was made whole.

Why do you think coastal restoration efforts are important? Coastal restoration efforts are important because it can bring back a national treasure-the richest fishing industry in North America. It is a simple task; Mother Nature made it-you just have to release the Mississippi River back into the delta to restore the wetlands. Doing this tackles the coastal land loss, the dead zone, and reduces greenhouse gases. Losing the wetlands affects everything in the ecosystem. Everyone is connected to this land. For instance, if you're hunting ducks in Canada, you're impacted. Without the wintering habitat, it goes. The shrimp, the crabs, the oysters-they go.

What obstacles do you see hindering restoration? The Army Corps of Engineers and oystermen.

What do you fear losing if we don't take action to restore coastal Louisiana? I fear losing Louisiana. We've already lost one-fourth of Southeast Louisiana. It won't be long before we lose New Orleans because there are no wetlands left to protect us. We'll lose a national treasure if they don't get going with it soon.

What should people around the country know about efforts to rebuild New Orleans and surrounding communities and protect this area from another powerful storm that they don't know right now? People need to understand how they are connected to the Mississippi River Delta. Most people don't realize that if we lose the navigation route along the river due to the coastal land loss, everyone will be impacted because of the shipping implications. It will cost the nation billions of dollars. Our wetlands save the nation money in storm surge and infrastructure protection as well as wildlife habitat.

]]> Mon, 22 Aug 2011 07:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/updates/faces-of-the-delta-captain-ryan-lambert/ Barrier Island Bounty http://vanishingparadise.org/updates/barrier-island-bounty/ The Isle Dernier Chain provides explosive fishing-but the islands' future is uncertain-

The constant topwater action on speckled trout in the Trinity Island surf belied the reports.

Word from Capt. George Landry of Beachcomber Guide Service, our guide for the day, was the trout were in a typical late summer pattern. They were on the move, hard to locate and unlikely to be that day's target.

So, the plan for the early August fishing trip to the barrier islands of Terrebonne Parish for a group of about a dozen Louisiana outdoor writers was to look for redfish in the 15-30 pound range in the passes and then hunt and peck for smaller reds in the marsh on the way back to the dock about 15 miles north of the islands near the small fishing community of Dularge.

Instead, after spending about 45 minutes battling big reds near the west end of Raccoon Island, the western-most in a string of barrier islands known as the Isle Dernier Chain, word spread among the four boats in our party that the trout bite was smoking hot in the surf two islands to the east at Trinity.

Idling into the Trinity Island surf, the signs of trout feeding heavily were unmistakable. Four-inch shrimp jumped from the crests of the light chop near the sand while the water underneath them boiled and sea gulls hovered just above the surface waiting to snag the shrimp as the fish pushed them to the surface.

Since there's no finer way to catch any fish than watching them explode on a topwater plug, a red and white Rapala surface lure quickly replaced the soft plastic jig tied to my line. First cast yielded a nice 15-inch trout. Ten out of the next 15 casts resulted in the same.

Fish cleared the gunwales of the boat for the next two hours then it was time to head back to the dock through the maze of shallow passes and subsided marsh of lower Terrebonne. The return ride gave Capt. Landry time to reflect and talk about the profound changes to his home parish over the last half century.

"I usually don't like to run back through the passes and the marsh this way because it has changed so much in the last 10 years it's hard to know what you're running over," said the 55-year old Landry, who has been a charter captain for 15 years and an avid hunter and fisherman his entire life. "When I was a kid and I came out to these islands with my dad and my uncles, all of this open water was marsh and these islands were much, much bigger. You used to be able to come out here in a 16-foot flat boat. Now, it seems like you need a 24-foot boat just to deal with all of this open water."

Every veteran Louisiana coastal angler has a similar story. Landry's beloved Terrebonne Parish marshes and barrier islands are home to the fastest rate of landloss in the world and indicative of the kind of erosion and subsidence that is plaguing more or less all of Louisiana's coastal habitats.

In the mid-19th century, the Isle Dernier Chain was not a chain at all, but a contiguous inhabited island home to a couple hundred people and a large resort hotel. A series of hurricanes and the cutting off of the sediment supply to the island with dams and levees throughout the lower Mississippi River and its distributaries over the last 150-plus years has broken what was once Louisiana's largest barrier island into four smaller spits of sand named Last, Trinity, Whiskey and Raccoon.

All four play a vital role in providing fish and bird habitat as well as protection from wave action and storm surges for the marshes and communities of lower Terrebonne. Raccoon is the Gulf of Mexico's largest brown pelican rookery and serves as nesting ground for many other species of sea birds. Flocks of pelicans and gulls can blacken the sky at times, and the noise from all of cackles and shrieks is often deafening. All four islands are also constantly washing away as is the marsh behind them.

Projects built by the state and federal partners working through the Coastal Wetlands Planning Protection and Restoration Act (CWPPRA) over the last 20 years have gone a long way in helping keep the islands in place. Segmented rock breakwaters built on the gulf side of Raccoon have helped keep the beach intact and also served as sediment traps to prevent sand traveling with currents from east to west from washing away completely.

An aggressive project completed in 2010 at Whiskey Island restored about 2.5 miles of beach and dune as well as building nearly 300 acres of marsh along the backside of the island using sand and mud pumped by a dredge from an offshore deposit. Both projects aim to extend the life of the islands by as much as 20 years. Both could also be washed away with the next major hurricane that hits the northern Gulf Coast.

The long-term salvation for the islands could lie in the construction of the Terrebonne Basin Barrier Shoreline Project that was approved for construction by Congress in the 2007 Water Resources Development Act (WRDA). This aggressive, large-scale effort aims to rejuvenate all four islands by closing in beach breaches, building dunes and marshes and planting native vegetation.

The 2007 WRDA also contained a project designed to move water and sediment from the Atchafalaya Basin east into Terrebonne Parish to try and curb the saltwater intrusion that has devastated the area's fresh and brackish marshes for more than 50 years.

State and local officials are pushing to move these projects through federal bureaucracies as quickly as possible, knowing the longer they take to build, the more these fragile islands and coastal marshes will wash away.

Like most Congressionally-approved coastal restoration projects, the Terrebonne Basin Barrier Shoreline and the Atchafalaya Basin projects languish in wait for bureaucratic approvals and funding, which can often take decades that these islands and wetlands don't have.

The hope among many Terrebonne Parish residents is that funding can be found soon, possibly with the passage of recently-introduced legislation in Congress that would direct Clean Water Act penalties levied against BP to the Gulf Coast for ecosystem restoration projects.

The bill, called the RESTORE the Gulf Coast Act of 2011, still has a long way to go before becoming law. But, there is at least a glimmer of hope that one of the world's most productive fishing and nesting grounds will be given the chance to survive for generations to come.

"The fishing out here throughout my life has been so good at times I can hardly describe it or explain it to people who aren't from here," Landry said. "But if these islands wash away more and more, I'm not sure what the fishing's going to be like in the future."

]]> Mon, 08 Aug 2011 07:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/updates/barrier-island-bounty/ Meet the Crew: Ben Weber http://vanishingparadise.org/updates/meet-the-crew-ben-weber/ The newest member of Vanishing Paradise's outreach team describes himself as "addicted to chasing redfish in skinny water" and has spent much of his life doing just that in every Gulf state from Florida to Texas.

This disappearance of the delta is particularly close to Ben's heart as he grew up in Ascension Parish, LA and and spent vacations on a family fishing camp near Leeville, where he witnessed the loss of marshlands firsthand.

Before joining Vanishing Paradise, Ben coordinated outreach on the oil spill for the National Wildlife Federation. Ben is making sure that his love of fishing spans the generations-his 18-month old daughter already has her own rod and reel.

]]> Fri, 05 Aug 2011 07:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/updates/meet-the-crew-ben-weber/ Win a Tackle Box Trivia Contest! http://vanishingparadise.org/updates/win-a-tackle-box-trivia-contest/ To help you catch your limit this summer, we're giving away a Plano 737 tackle box with three drawers. Just answer the questions below-you'll find ALL THE ANSWERS elsewhere in the Updates section of the website.

1. How many square miles of wetlands does the USGS estimate Louisiana has lost since 1932?
2. Which Gulf Coast senators co-sponsored the RESTORE act?
3. Where is Ducks Unlimited restoring 3075 acres of marsh?

To enter just send an email with the correct answers to info@vanishingparadise.org. Entries due by August 15th. UPDATE: Contest extended to August 21st.

]]> Fri, 05 Aug 2011 07:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/updates/win-a-tackle-box-trivia-contest/ Restoring Pointe-aux-Chenes http://vanishingparadise.org/blog/pointe-aux-chenes/ Louisiana's Pointe-aux-Chenes Wildlife Management Area is famed for its large expanses of brackish marshes, so wet and wild they are only accessible by boat. The property's remoteness and incredible wildlife diversity draw sportsmen from across the country, helping to make Pointe-aux-Chenes one of the most popular management areas in Louisiana.

Unfortunately, this part of Louisiana is experiencing one of the highest rates of wetlands loss in the country, and Pointe-aux-Chenes is not immune. Additionally, since Hurricane Rita damaged critical management infrastructure salinities in Pointe-aux-Chenes' marshes have been rising, and fewer ducks, geese and other species of wildlife have been found in the area.

Enter Ducks Unlimited. DU is currently wrapping up a restoration project that will restore historic salinities on 3,075 acres of Pointe-aux-Chenes WMA-ensuring that the property continues to provide high-quality wintering habitat for over a dozen species of waterfowl.

"Historically, this area has supported large concentrations of waterfowl," said Bob Dew, DU's Manager of Conservation Programs in Louisiana. "The unit still holds good numbers of gadwall and green-winged teal, but the habitat conditions continue to deteriorate. The work ongoing at the Grand Bayou Unit will allow managers to manage water and salinity levels to create near ideal habitat conditions."

DU's improvements will also enhance storm surge protection, improve water quality, and restore habitat not just for waterfowl, but for many other species of birds and for saltwater fish such as redfish, croaker and speckled trout.

"The Grand Bayou project will benefit about 3,075 acres, but Louisiana has lost more than 1.2 million acres of coastal wetlands since the 1930s and continues to lose 10,000 acres per year." Dew added. "The power to reverse this trend, restore the Mississippi River Delta and build coastal wetlands lies with the freshwater and sediment from the Mississippi River. Implementing such restoration projects is expensive and requires a strong commitment from political leaders at all levels."

Pointe-aux-Chenes Grand Bayou Project supported by:
Ducks Unlimited, North American Wetlands Conservation Council, Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority, Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Foundation, Abita Brewing Company, Irene W. & C.B. Pennington Foundation, Go-Devil Manufacturers of Louisiana - Warren Coco, TransCanada, ExxonMobil Foundation, Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Foundation, Matthew Hagen, Dr. Ted Price, Pierre Olivier, Trapp Chevrolet, Inc. - Heinke Trapp, Songy's Sporting Goods - Barry Songy, Bobby & Linda Burguieres

]]> Tue, 02 Aug 2011 07:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/blog/pointe-aux-chenes/ Bijou Blowout http://vanishingparadise.org/updates/bijou-blowout/ The Vanishing Paradise team and outdoor writers descend on Lafitte, LA for explosive redfishing - as well as an education.

Five outdoor writers representing sportsmen from coast-to-coast recently joined a Vanishing Paradise team for two days of fishing out of Captain Theophile Bourgeois' Cajun Vista Inn in Lafitte, Louisiana.

The calm skies were dusted with distant thunderheads as we headed out into the marsh with Captain Mike. Several stops along the way afforded Louisiana Wildlife Federation Coastal Outreach Coordinator, Chris Macaluso, the opportunity to show us areas of vast wetland loss, as well as projects that are currently working to rebuild the marsh.

By bringing key outdoor writers into this precious resource the National Wildlife Federation's Vanishing Paradise campaign will reach hundreds of thousands of sportsmen across the country in a significant way.

For example, Rich Holland, an outdoor writer from the West Coast writes for BASS publications, West Coast fishing outlets and an abundance of other media outlets; Hal Herring of Montana writes for Field and Stream; Nic Conklin writes for Lone Star Outdoor News in Texas - you get the picture. These outdoor writers (among other writers in attendance) provide a well-vetted gateway to the nation's hunters and anglers - folks who care about the quality of habitat in the coastal wetlands and understand the significance of these wetlands to our hunting and fishing heritage.

Fishermen and hunters across the nation have a stake in the rapid loss of Louisiana's coastal wetlands. For the more than 10 million ducks and geese wintering in the fertile marshes, to the world-class inshore and offshore fisheries - Louisiana's coastal wetlands are the key to sustaining Mississippi Flyway hunting and abundant Gulf Coast recreational fishing.

The area is at great risk.

As we cruised the grasslands of the marsh and gazed upon the sporadic ghost trees - the last remnants of once great cypress forests - our day's dialogue pondered what losing the vast resource could mean. Conversation was broken up by the explosive strikes of bronze-backed redfish, reminding us of the great opportunities currently at hand, and those opportunities at risk as the marsh recedes and the habitat declines.

Afternoons back at Theophile Bourgeois' Cajun Vista Inn brought the message full circle as resource managers from Louisiana highlighted the struggles and successes of their fight to restore the wetlands. A common, unfortunate message pointed to the roadblocks of working with the Army Corps of Engineers. The future of the wetlands rests in sportsmen's ability to create action and a sense of urgency through the political process. This is where the Vanishing Paradise campaign comes into play: By uniting sportsmen throughout the Mississippi Flyway and across the country to speak up for one the greatest fisheries on the planet - as well as the millions of ducks and geese the use this area for winter habitat.

It's no coincidence that on July 21 a bipartisan coalition of Gulf Senators cosponsored the RESTORE Gulf Coast Act. The legislation ensures that fines from last year's oil spill are used to help restore the Gulf ecosystem. The oil spill compounded already degraded habitats that support many species of fish, waterfowl and other wildlife.

The Vanishing Paradise campaign is having success, and we urge all sportsmen to join the fight to restore coastal wetlands and provide the habitat necessary for the fish and game we love for now and future generations to enjoy.

]]> Thu, 28 Jul 2011 07:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/updates/bijou-blowout/ Lone Star Outdoor News: Nick Conklin's excellent (angling) adventure http://vanishingparadise.org/will-not-appear-on-front-page/nick-conklins-excellent-angling-adventure/ I couldn't lament on my lack of fish; I had a flight to catch the next morning to Louisiana.

Excellent.

David J. Sams, founder of Lone Star Outdoor News, arranged for me to attend a seminar on coastal issues that was put on by the National Wildlife Federation.

After struggling with other travelers to board a flight on Southwest Airlines, I found a seat. While enjoying a most excellent nap, I was startled by a cold sensation in my lap.

I awoke to find the stewardess standing next to me, staring down at my now sodden shorts.

She had spilled a cup of cold water into my lap.

Bogus.

However, I got over this shortly and my britches were dry by the time I got off the plane to meet up with some other writers and National Wildlife Federation members.

After a wild drive delivered by an outdated GPS unit, we arrived at Theophile Bourgeois Charter Service and Lodge based at Barataria, La.

Myself and the other invitees came to learn about the diminishing coastal landscape that was being stripped from Louisiana at nearly 24 square miles per year.

But, we were also there to fish.

Definitely excellent.

Read the rest of Nick Conklin's article here.

]]> Tue, 26 Jul 2011 07:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/will-not-appear-on-front-page/nick-conklins-excellent-angling-adventure/ Baton Rouge Advocate: Anglers learn about marsh http://vanishingparadise.org/will-not-appear-on-front-page/baton-rouge-advocate-anglers-learn-about-marsh/ When Andy McDaniels turned north from Barataria into the marsh near Little Lake early Wednesday morning, he was turning a page in his fishing life.

After a few minutes coaching from charter skipper Nick Rando and a few more frustrating minutes trying to figure out why he couldn't land the speckled trout that were blasting a new-to-the-market Rapala Trigger X soft-plastic shrimp imitation, McDaniels hauled in a pound-and-a-half speck.

"That's the first time I've caught a trout under a poppin' cork," he said.

Read the rest of Joe Macaluso's column here.

]]> Mon, 25 Jul 2011 07:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/will-not-appear-on-front-page/baton-rouge-advocate-anglers-learn-about-marsh/ Vanishing Paradise Praises Gulf Senators for Cosponsoring Restoration Bill http://vanishingparadise.org/will-not-appear-on-front-page/vanishing-paradise-praises-gulf-senators-for-cosponsoring-restoration-bill/ Landmark legislation dedicates oil spill fines to restore crucial fish and wildlife habitats-

Vanishing Paradise thanked a bipartisan coalition of Gulf Senators today for cosponsoring the RESTORE Gulf Coast Act. The legislation ensures that fines from last year's oil spill are used to help restore the Gulf ecosystem. The oil spill compounded already degraded habitats that support many species of fish, waterfowl and other wildlife.

Sens. Mary Landrieu (D-LA), and Richard Shelby (R-AL) are the original cosponsors of the bill, and are now joined by Sens. David Vitter, (R-LA), Jeff Sessions (R-AL), Thad Cochran, (R-MS), Roger Wicker (R-MS), Bill Nelson (D-FL), Marco Rubio, (R-FL) and Kay Bailey-Hutchison (R-TX). Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Chair of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, who was instrumental in securing the agreement among the senators, has pledged to consider this bill in her committee quickly.

"The Gulf region has suffered from years of degradation, and the oil spill added insult to injury," Land Tawney, NWF's Senior Manager for Sportsmen Leadership, said. "We look forward to working with the Gulf delegation, other members of Congress and the administration on passage of a bill that makes this critical ecosystem whole again. The Mississippi River Delta is a national treasure, important to hunters and anglers from all corners of our country. We applaud the efforts led by Senators Landrieu and Shelby to restore this ‘Sportsman's Paradise.'"

A bipartisan poll this spring showed that 83 percent of voters nationwide support-and 69 percent strongly support-dedicating the Gulf oil spill penalties to restoring the Mississippi River Delta and Gulf Coast. The poll also showed that an overwhelming majority of conservative voters favor this proposal, including 76 percent of Republicans, and 78 percent of voters who agree with the Tea Party movement.

Nearly 500 miles-almost half-of the coastline in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida that was contaminated by the Gulf oil spill remain oiled one year later, according to the National Atmospheric and Oceanic Administration.

"Coastal Louisiana is one of the most significant wintering areas for waterfowl in North America and plays an important role in our nation's rich waterfowling tradition," DU's Director of Public Policy Barton James said. "Hunting and fishing are vital streams of revenue for our nation's economy. By investing in coastal wetlands, we are also investing in our economy."

New Orleans, July 21, 2011

Contact: Emily Guidry Schatzel, guidrye@nwf.org, 225.253.9781 Emily Tyner, etyner@ducks.org, 202.347.1530

]]> Thu, 21 Jul 2011 07:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/will-not-appear-on-front-page/vanishing-paradise-praises-gulf-senators-for-cosponsoring-restoration-bill/ Bipartisan Support for Restoration http://vanishingparadise.org/updates/bipartisan-support-for-restoration/ Vanishing Paradise would like to thank a bipartisan coalition of Gulf Senators today for cosponsoring the RESTORE Gulf Coast Act. The legislation would ensure that fines from last year's oil spill are used to help restore the Gulf ecosystem.

Sens. Mary Landrieu (D-LA), and Richard Shelby (R-AL) are the original cosponsors of the bill, and are now joined by Sens. David Vitter, (R-LA), Jeff Sessions (R-AL), Thad Cochran, (R-MS), Roger Wicker (R-MS), Bill Nelson (D-FL), Marco Rubio, (R-FL) and Kay Bailey-Hutchison (R-TX). Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Chair of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, who was instrumental in securing the agreement among the senators, has pledged to consider this bill in her committee quickly.

"The Gulf region has suffered from years of degradation, and the oil spill added insult to injury," Land Tawney, NWF's Senior Manager for Sportsmen Leadership, said. "We look forward to working with the Gulf delegation, other members of Congress and the administration on passage of a bill that makes this critical ecosystem whole again. The Mississippi River Delta is a national treasure, important to hunters and anglers from all corners of our country. We applaud the efforts led by Senators Landrieu and Shelby to restore this ‘Sportsman's Paradise.'"

A bipartisan poll this spring showed that 83 percent of voters nationwide support dedicating the Gulf oil spill penalties to restoring the Mississippi River Delta and Gulf Coast. The poll also showed that an overwhelming majority of conservative voters favor this proposal, including 76 percent of Republicans, and 78 percent of voters who agree with the Tea Party movement.

Nearly 500 miles-almost half-of the coastline in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida that was contaminated by the Gulf oil spill remain oiled one year later, according to the National Atmospheric and Oceanic Administration.

"Coastal Louisiana is one of the most significant wintering areas for waterfowl in North America and plays an important role in our nation's rich waterfowling tradition," DU's Director of Public Policy Barton James said. "Hunting and fishing are vital streams of revenue for our nation's economy. By investing in coastal wetlands, we are also investing in our economy."]]> Thu, 21 Jul 2011 07:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/updates/bipartisan-support-for-restoration/ Only Two Weeks Left to Win 'Cast and Blast' Getaway in Mississippi River Delta http://vanishingparadise.org/press/only-two-weeks-left-to-win-cast-and-blast-getaway-in-mississippi-river-delta/ Registration for Vanishing Paradise's Fishing and Hunting Sweepstakes Ends July 31-

There are only two weeks left to enter Vanishing Paradise's ‘cast and blast' adventure sweepstakes. One lucky winner and their guest will experience three days and two nights of hunting and fishing in the Mississippi River Delta.

"The Mississippi River Delta provides a waterfowl hunting experience like no other," said Land Tawney, Senior Manager for Sportsmen's Leadership for the National Wildlife Federation (NWF). "The delta is the most important habitat for wintering waterfowl in this country, but these wetlands are disappearing rapidly. We're hoping this contest raises awareness of the problem and of the solutions."

Registration in the sweepstakes is free. The contest is sponsored by Vanishing Paradise, a joint campaign of NWF and Ducks Unlimited. Vanishing Paradise will also provide roundtrip airfare for the winner and their guest.

The winners will stay at Cajun Fishing Adventures, a luxurious hunting and fishing lodge located one hour south of New Orleans, right where the mouth of the Mississippi River disappears into the warm water of the Gulf of Mexico. The lodge will provide meals, accommodations and guide services.

The Mississippi River Delta is also known as one of the best places in the country for saltwater fishing-and Cajun Fishing Adventures' guides are some of the best around.

"The more I fish in the marshes of Louisiana, the more I fall in love," Tawney said. "Catching stringers of speckled trout, giant redfish, flounder and catfish, in just a few hours, exemplifies what a great resource the delta is."

Unfortunately, since the 1930s, coastal erosion has claimed an area of wetlands almost as large as the state of Delaware. Without changes to the way the Mississippi River is managed, the delta's wetlands will have largely disappeared by mid-century.

"We can fix this. We can reconnect the river to its delta and restore this national treasure," Tawney said. "Hunters and anglers from across the country are sending Congress the message that the Mississippi River Delta is important to everyone who loves to fish and hunt, no matter where they live."

New Orleans, July 19, 2011

Contact: Emily Guidry Schatzel, guidrye@nwf.org, 225.253.9781

]]> Tue, 19 Jul 2011 07:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/press/only-two-weeks-left-to-win-cast-and-blast-getaway-in-mississippi-river-delta/ Time is Running Out http://vanishingparadise.org/updates/time-is-running-out/ Have you entered our 2011 Grand Giveaway yet? The contest closes July 31. One lucky winner and their guest will experience three days and two nights of hunting and fishing in the Mississippi River Delta. Round-trip airfare is included. It's free to enter, so what are you waiting for?

]]> Fri, 15 Jul 2011 07:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/updates/time-is-running-out/ Sportsmen on Capitol Hill http://vanishingparadise.org/updates/sportsmen-on-capitol-hill/ Sportsmen from across the country are in D.C. this week, asking Congress to step up and hold BP accountable by dedicating the Clean Water Act penalties from the spill towards restoring the Gulf.

The oil hit the Mississippi River Delta particularly hard. The Delta hosts as many as 10 million ducks and geese during the winter and is famed for its diverse fishing opportunities.

We asked some of the sportsmen why they volunteered their time to come and talk to Congress about restoration of the Gulf of Mexico and the Mississippi River Delta. Here's what they told us:

"These folks know how critical restoration of the Gulf and the Delta is to the future of waterfowl hunting in this country," said Land Tawney, NWF's Senior Manager for Sportsmen's Leadership. "It just makes sense to do right by the Gulf and direct the Clean Water act penalties back to the places where the damage occurred."

The group included representatives from the outdoors industry, including leaders from Drake Waterfowl, Decoy Outdoors, HuntDucks.com, Webley & Scott, Team Real Duck, The Sportsman Channel show Sporting Dog Adventures, and others.

]]> Thu, 16 Jun 2011 07:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/updates/sportsmen-on-capitol-hill/ Sportsmen Tell Congress: Use Oil Spill Fines to Restore the Gulf http://vanishingparadise.org/will-not-appear-on-front-page/sportsmen-tell-congress-use-oil-spill-fines-to-restore-the-gulf/ Outdoor industry leaders from across the country are meeting with their members of Congress today, urging them to dedicate the Clean Water Act penalties from last summer's oil spill towards restoring the Gulf.

Vanishing Paradise, a joint effort of the National Wildlife Federation and Ducks Unlimited, organized the event and took out a full-page ad in Politico magazine with support from over twenty of the top hunting and angling companies and conservation organizations in the country, including The Sportsman Channel, B.A.S.S., The American Sportfishing Association, Drake Waterfowl, Frabill, Webley & Scott, and Lund Boats.

"The oil spill sent over 200 million gallons of oil into the Gulf, oiling hundreds of miles of shore and closing tens of thousands of square miles of fishing areas," Land Tawney, senior manager of sportsmen leadership for NWF, said. "It is our responsibility as Americans to do right by the Gulf."

The oil spill particularly impacted the Mississippi River Delta, a region that hosts as many 10 million ducks and geese every winter and offers some of the best fresh and saltwater fishing in the country.

"The Gulf Coast has incredibly diverse fishing opportunities and is the country's most important wintering habitat for ducks and geese," Tawney continued. "These fragile coastal wetlands are the nursery for the Gulf's food web and restoring the health of this region is vital to the nation's economic interest."

The Gulf Coast supports a $23 billion dollar fishing industry-with the Mississippi River Delta region alone providing 30% of the seafood caught domestically. But the Gulf was in trouble even before the oil spill, with the Gulf Coast as a whole losing an estimated 60,000 acres of wetlands annually. The Mississippi River Delta is losing land particularly rapidly-on average, an area of wetlands the size of a football field disappears every hour.

"We're calling on Congress to dedicate the Clean Water Act fines to Gulf restoration," Tawney continued. "The money from these penalties rightfully belongs at work restoring the places affected. It's time for Congress to step up and support restoring the Gulf and protecting our nation's hunting and fishing heritage."

June 14, 2011

]]> Tue, 14 Jun 2011 07:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/will-not-appear-on-front-page/sportsmen-tell-congress-use-oil-spill-fines-to-restore-the-gulf/ New Study Confirms Significant Land Loss Along Louisiana Coast http://vanishingparadise.org/press/new-study-confirms-significant-land-loss-along-louisiana-coast/ Coastal Louisiana has lost more than 1.2 million acres in the past 78 years, according to a new study by the U.S. Geological Survey National Wetlands Research Center. The study analyzed wetland changes from 1932 to 2010 and provides a more accurate picture than previously available.

"This more detailed analysis provides vital information for conservation planning," Bob Dew, Ducks Unlimited's manager of conservation programs in Louisiana, said. "We have a clearer picture of which areas are in greatest need of restoration efforts, and which areas are most likely to contribute to future land gains."

Ducks Unlimited's coastal habitat programs have restored more than 100,000 acres in Louisiana, including marsh in areas like the Barataria and Terrebonne basins - two of the areas undergoing the greatest wetland loss, according to the study.

"By understanding land change on the Louisiana coast, decision makers can make informed choices about how to actively manage the land to help reduce future loss," Phil Turnipseed, USGS National Wetlands Research Center director, said. "We can't manage what we don't measure."

Louisiana land loss accounts for nearly 90 percent of the total coastal marsh loss in the contiguous U.S. Much of the land loss is caused by depriving the marshes within the Mississippi River delta of sediment. Dams, levees and channels along the Mississippi River and its tributaries have cut off the source of land-building sediment responsible for forming and sustaining coastal marshes.

But there is hope.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers diverts 30 percent of the Mississippi River through the Atchafalaya River system, and its delta is growing.

The Atchafalaya and Wax Lake Deltas have grown significantly since the 1970s proving land building is still possible when freshwater and sediments are allowed to flow into adjacent wetlands.

"Ducks Unlimited has long advocated for sustainable ecosystem restoration of the Mississippi River Delta by reconnecting the river to its marshes," Dew said. "This study further demonstrates the strength of that solution."

The Gulf Coast winters 40 percent of the continent's waterfowl population and boasts some of the best waterfowl hunting in the country. For that reason, coastal restoration is a top priority for Ducks Unlimited.

"We know we've already lost 1.2 million acres of this important area, which is home to the largest population of wintering waterfowl in North America. We have a duty to address this national scale catastrophe, a duty to our children and their children," Dew said. "The loss of Gulf Coast habitat is one of the most significant threats to waterfowl on the continent, and everyone has a stake in the outcome."

Ducks Unlimited is the world's largest non-profit organization dedicated to conserving North America's continually disappearing waterfowl habitats. Established in 1937, Ducks Unlimited has conserved more than 12 million acres thanks to contributions from more than a million supporters across the continent. Guided by science and dedicated to program efficiency, DU works toward the vision of wetlands sufficient to fill the skies with waterfowl today, tomorrow and forever.

LAFAYETTE, La., June 3, 2011
Andi Cooper, 601-206-5463, acooper@ducks.org

]]> Fri, 03 Jun 2011 07:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/press/new-study-confirms-significant-land-loss-along-louisiana-coast/ New Study Details Rapid Land Loss http://vanishingparadise.org/updates/new-study-details-rapid-land-loss/ It's not news that the Mississippi River Delta has lost a stunning amount of land over the past eight decades. But a new U.S. Geological Survey study analyzing wetlands changes from 1932 to 2010 provides a more accurate picture of the state of the delta's wetlands than had been previously available.

The USGS estimates that since 1932, Louisiana has lost 1,883 square miles-an area roughly the size of Delaware.

The report also makes it clear that there is hope. The Wax Lake and Atchafalaya Deltas have steadily gained land from the 1970s to present, showing that land building is still possible when water and sediments are allowed to flow into coastal marshes, rather than being funneled into the Gulf of Mexico.

Vanishing Paradise is working to restore the Mississippi River Delta by reconnecting the river to its wetlands; this study confirms that this solution is feasible and viable.

"We have a duty to address this national scale catastrophe, a duty to our children and their children," Bob Dew, Ducks Unlimited's manager of conservation programs in Louisiana said. "The loss of Gulf Coast habitat is one of the most significant threats to waterfowl on the continent, and everyone has a stake in the outcome."

Read the study here and our press release here.

The two images below (taken from the map accompanying the report) clearly illustrate the differing fates of the two basins. The image of the Atchafalaya River river basin has mostly browns and greens, indicating where land has been gained. The reds, purples, blues and yellows on the Mississippi River Delta image all represent places where land has been lost.

]]> Fri, 03 Jun 2011 07:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/updates/new-study-details-rapid-land-loss/ Flooding's Impact on Wildlife: VP's Chris Macaluso on CNN http://vanishingparadise.org/updates/flooding-impact-on-wildlife/ Vanishing Paradise's own Chris Macaluso talks about how animals impacted by the current flooding are reacting-and what you should do if you encounter wildlife looking for dry ground.

from CNN

]]> Wed, 18 May 2011 07:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/updates/flooding-impact-on-wildlife/ Mercury Marine Gives Support to Sportsmen...s Effort to Restore Louisiana...s Coastal Wetlands http://vanishingparadise.org/will-not-appear-on-front-page/mercury-marine/ Mercury, a marine industry leader in manufacturing and sales of outboard, inboard and stern drive engines, gauges and controls, today added its name to a rapidly growing list of businesses and organizations to sign a letter urging Congress to dedicate the resources needed to restore Louisiana's vanishing coastal wetlands.

The letter, authored by the National Wildlife Federation's and Ducks Unlimited's Vanishing Paradise campaign, asks the federal government to begin building large-scale, land-building projects to reverse nearly a century of wetland and habitat loss along Louisiana's coast. Mercury joins nearly 500 other businesses and organizations to sign the letter including B.A.S.S. Inc, Plano Molding, The Louisiana Wildlife Federation, four-time Bassmaster Classic Champion Kevin VanDam, Mike Iaconelli's Professional Edge Fishing, Quantum Fishing, Bill Lewis Lure Company, InFisherman Magazine, CarecoTV, Primos, Hank Parker and a host of others.

The letter and the complete list of businesses and organizations that have signed are available at www.vanishingparadise.org.

"It's vital that we conserve our nation's wetlands so future generations can enjoy the vast fishing and outdoor opportunities these areas have to offer," said Mercury Sales, Marketing and Commercial Operations President Kevin Grodzki. "Mercury Marine is proud to join these organizations in advocating the conservation and restoration of Louisiana's coastline. These wetlands play an important role in maintaining a sustainable fish population throughout the Gulf of Mexico that is essential to the recreational and commercial fishing industry."

Flood control and navigation projects that have isolated the Mississippi River from its delta and the widespread construction of canals over that last 80 years have led to the loss of more than 2000 square miles of wetlands, barrier islands and other habitats along Louisiana's coast, an area about the size of the state of Delaware. An area of wetlands the size of a football field is lost every 38 minutes in Louisiana.

"Louisiana's coast is truly a Sportsmen's Paradise and is home to some of the best hunting and fishing opportunities in the world," said National Wildlife Federation Sportsmen's Outreach Coordinator Land Tawney. "But, that paradise is literally vanishing before our eyes. Simply put, if we don't act quickly, one of the greatest places on earth to hunt and fish is going to wash away. Having Mercury, a company universally recognized as one of the best in the business, give its support will go a long way in the effort to save this incredible resource."

Louisiana contains about 40 percent of the nation's coastal wetlands but experiences 90 percent of the nation's wetland loss. Those wetlands serve as nursery grounds for fish and shellfish that populate the entire Gulf of Mexico and overwinter millions of waterfowl and other migrating birds.

The continued loss of Louisiana's coast not only threatens one of the world's most productive fishery and wildlife habitats but has removed the natural protection of Louisiana's coastal communities from hurricanes.

"As we saw by the record-setting fish weighed in during the Bassmaster Classic in New Orleans in February, Louisiana is a first-class destination for freshwater fishing while hosting the best saltwater fishing in the country," Louisiana Wildlife Federation Coastal Outreach Coordinator Chris Macaluso said. "But our saltwater and freshwater fishing, our tremendous waterfowl hunting and the communities that support those efforts are all threatened by the continued loss of our coastal wetlands. With the help of Mercury and all of the companies that have signed and will sign this letter to Congress, we are hopeful that the commitment will be made by the people of America to restore this national treasure."

For more information about Vanishing Paradise and the effort to restore and protect Louisiana's coastal habitats, please visit www.vanishingparadise.org.

New Orleans, April 28, 2011

Contacts:

Emily Guidry Schatzel, National Wildlife Federation: guidrye@nwf.org, (225) 253-9781

Chris Macaluso, Louisiana Wildlife Federation: chris@lawildlifefed.org, (225) 344-6707

Lucas Lauderback, Mercury Marine: lucas.lauderback@mercmarine.com, (920) 929-5980

PDF of release:

]]> Thu, 28 Apr 2011 07:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/will-not-appear-on-front-page/mercury-marine/ Mercury Marine is On Board http://vanishingparadise.org/updates/mercury-marine-is-on-board/ Mercury, a marine industry leader in manufacturing and sales of outboard, inboard and stern drive engines, gauges and controls, added its name to Vanishing Paradise's letter to Congress today.

"It's vital that we conserve our nation's wetlands so future generations can enjoy the vast fishing and outdoor opportunities these areas have to offer," said Mercury Sales, Marketing and Commercial Operations President Kevin Grodzki. "Mercury Marine is proud to join these organizations in advocating the conservation and restoration of Louisiana's coastline. These wetlands play an important role in maintaining a sustainable fish population throughout the Gulf of Mexico that is essential to the recreational and commercial fishing industry."

Read the full press release here.

]]> Thu, 28 Apr 2011 07:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/updates/mercury-marine-is-on-board/ Down Payment for Coastal Restoration http://vanishingparadise.org/press/landmark-down-payment-for-coastal-restoration/ Vanishing Paradise commends landmark announcement-

Agreement comes at first memorial of oil disaster and marks first step toward restoration-

One year after the BP oil disaster began in the Gulf of Mexico, the Natural Resources Trustees announced that BP has agreed to provide an unprecedented $1 billion toward early restoration projects along the Gulf. This Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA) down payment is a significant first step toward restoration in coastal Louisiana and the other Gulf states. Vanishing Paradise released the following statement:

"This $1 billion down payment is an exciting first step on the long road to restoring the Gulf Coast from damages suffered throughout last year's BP oil spill," said Land Tawney, National Wildlife Federation's senior manager for sportsmen leadership. "Encroaching oil caused serious impacts to coastal Louisiana and its wetland habitats that support an abundance of our nation's fish, waterfowl and other wildlife. These threatened resources urgently need restoration. The NRDA funds announced today-combined with other potential sources of funding-give us an opportunity to achieve lasting, meaningful restoration of our Gulf Coast.

The Trustees involved are: Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas, the Department of the Interior (DOI) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The Department of Justice provided assistance in reaching the agreement.

New Orleans, LA-April 22, 2011

Contact: Emily Guidry Schatzel, National Wildlife Federation, guidrye@nwf.org , 225.253.9781

PDF of statement:

]]> Fri, 22 Apr 2011 07:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/press/landmark-down-payment-for-coastal-restoration/ One Year Later: A Look at the BP Oil Disaster...s Effects on Wildlife http://vanishingparadise.org/will-not-appear-on-front-page/one-year-later-a-look-at-the-bp-oil-disasters-effects-on-wildlife/ New Orleans, April 20, 2011-A national teleconference for sportsmen and women hosted by National Wildlife Federation (NWF) and Ducks Unlimited (DU) drew thousands of hunters and anglers calling for Congress to dedicate Clean Water Act penalties from last summer's oil disaster to Gulf Coast restoration. The oil disaster has jeopardized already degraded wildlife habitats that support many species of fish, waterfowl and other wildlife.

Listen to a recording of the event above.

"Unfortunately, the BP oil disaster could not have happened at a worse time for many commercially and recreationally important fish species that were spawning," Larry Schweiger, NWF's President and CEO, said. "Coastal Louisiana also provides a warm winter habitat for 10 million ducks and waterfowl each year, many of which were starting their annual migrations when the oil spill hit. While the long-term impacts of the BP oil disaster remain unknown, one thing is certain: Congress must get together now to achieve Gulf Coast restoration. We must ensure that penalty money collected from BP is reinvested into reviving an environmentally and economically healthy Gulf ecosystem."

The continued damage the oil spill wreaked on Louisiana's coastal wetlands threaten important fish and waterfowl populations, including the largest catch of redfish, world class opportunities for speckled trout, tuna and rockfish, and 70% of the waterfowl from the Mississippi and Central flyways winter in coastal Louisiana and truly make the state a "Sportsmen's Paradise."

"There is no doubt that last year's oil spill has resulted in major consequences for habitat, waterfowl, and other wildlife on the Gulf Coast. In order to protect this vital ecosystem from vanishing, we must focus on policy initiatives and projects that will prevent the long-term loss of Louisiana coastal wetlands," said DU CEO Dale Hall.

NWF and DU have joined together to form "Vanishing Paradise," a bold effort to raise awareness of hunters and anglers on the important issue of conserving coastal Louisiana's damaged wetlands.

"Hunters and anglers have long been at the forefront of the conservation movement," Schweiger continued. "Now, the Gulf Coast needs sportsmen and women to unite to support large-scale restoration of the Gulf ecosystem. We must reconnect the Mississippi River with the wetlands and ensure that Clean Water Act penalties are used to restore the ecosystem that has faced the brunt of the damage of the oil spill."

CONTACT: Emily Guidry Schatzel, National Wildlife Federation, 225.253.9781, guidrye@nwf.org

]]> Thu, 21 Apr 2011 07:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/will-not-appear-on-front-page/one-year-later-a-look-at-the-bp-oil-disasters-effects-on-wildlife/ Sacramento Bee: Help for Gulf Wetlands Still Vital After BP Spill http://vanishingparadise.org/will-not-appear-on-front-page/sacramento-bee-editorial/ Editorial-

A year ago this week, the Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded and unleashed the largest U.S. offshore oil spill in history. While this spill might seem like distant memory, its lessons shouldn't quickly be forgotten. …

BP has returned to handing out campaign contributions to key members of Congress, but it is being more stingy with gulf oyster fishermen. To protect its coast, Louisiana released fresh water into marshes to keep the oil at bay during the spill. Yet those releases, coordinated with BP, damaged oyster beds. The company has refused to help pay for restoring them, according to an editorial Wednesday in the New Orleans Times-Picayune.

Congress could send a message to the gulf that, despite its slipshod oversight of offshore drilling, it wants to make things right. One smart step would be to pass bipartisan legislation, led by U.S. Rep. Steve Scalise, R-La., that would dedicate at least 80 percent of BP's fines toward restoring gulf marshes damaged by the spill, dredging and canal building. Lots of bad has come from this spill, but perhaps some good is also possible.

Read more here.

]]> Wed, 20 Apr 2011 07:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/will-not-appear-on-front-page/sacramento-bee-editorial/ One Year Later: TeleTown Hall http://vanishingparadise.org/updates/one-year-later/ Vanishing Paradise's national teleconference for sportsmen and women hosted by the National Wildlife Federation and Ducks Unlimited was a huge success, drawing over five thousand hunters and anglers from across the country.

Listen to a recording of the event above.

The CEOs of the two organizations discussed the impacts of the spill on ducks and other wildlife and pointed out that unless Congress steps up, the penalties that BP and the other responsible companies will pay as a result of the spill will not be invested in Gulf restoration.

"The BP oil disaster could not have happened at a worse time for many commercially and recreationally important fish species that were spawning," Larry Schweiger, NWF's President and CEO, said. "Coastal Louisiana also provides a warm winter habitat for 10 million ducks and waterfowl each year, many of which were starting their annual migrations when the oil spill hit."

The continued damage the oil spill wreaked on Louisiana's coastal wetlands threaten important fish and waterfowl populations, including the largest catch of redfish, world class opportunities for speckled trout, tuna and rockfish, and 70% of the waterfowl from the Mississippi and Central flyways that winter in areas hit hard by the spill."

"There is no doubt that last year's oil spill has resulted in major consequences for habitat, waterfowl, and other wildlife on the Gulf Coast. In order to protect this vital ecosystem from vanishing, we must focus on policy initiatives and projects that will prevent the long-term loss of Louisiana coastal wetlands," said DU CEO Dale Hall.

The TeleTown Hall was held on April 20th, 2011, one year after the spill began.

Hunters and anglers have long been at the forefront of the conservation movement," Schweiger continued. "Now, the Gulf Coast needs sportsmen and women to unite to support large-scale restoration of the Gulf ecosystem. We must reconnect the Mississippi River with the wetlands and ensure that Clean Water Act penalties are used to restore the ecosystem that has faced the brunt of the damage of the oil spill."

Click here to send a message to your members of Congress, urging them to dedicate the penalties resulting from the spill to restoring the Gulf Coast.

]]> Mon, 18 Apr 2011 07:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/updates/one-year-later/ Restoration Wins Big at 2011 Bassmaster Classic http://vanishingparadise.org/updates/restoration-wins-big-at-2011-bassmaster-classic/ Kevin VanDam won his fourth Bassmaster Classic and shattered the Classic stringer record in the Tank Pond area of Lake Cataouatche. In fact, this spot turned out to be the honey hole for all of the top four finalists.

But a decade ago, Lake Cataouatche was anything but a world-class fishery. The difference? A freshwater diversion known as Davis Pond that reconnected the Mississippi River with the wetlands in that area. Scientists now think they can design even more effective diversions, based in part on what they've learned from Davis Pond and Lake Cataouatche.

Vanishing Paradise wants to thank B.A.S.S. as well as the eleven Bassmaster Classic competitors who signed our letter to Congress asking for a dedicated source of funding for the restoration of coastal Louisiana.

The B.A.S.S. anglers on the letter include: Kevin VanDam, Mike Iaconelli, Skeet Reese, Stephen Browning, Cliff Pace, Greg Hackney, Brent Chapman, Edwin Evers, Todd Faircloth, Mark Davis, and Terry Butcher.

Watch VanDam and Iaconellli about the need for restoration below:

]]> Sun, 27 Mar 2011 07:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/updates/restoration-wins-big-at-2011-bassmaster-classic/ Cast and Blast Giveaway Announced http://vanishingparadise.org/press/cast-and-blast-giveaway-announced/ It's a sportsman's dream come true: a two-day, three-night cast and blast vacation for you and a friend courtesy of Captain Ryan Lambert and Cajun Fishing Adventures. Round-trip airfare for two is also included, provided by Vanishing Paradise.

Cajun Fishing Adventures, named one of the top five lodges in the North America by Sport Fishing magazine, is located is the heart of the Mississippi River delta. The area is known for its fresh and saltwater marshes-and the hunting and fishing opportunities those marshes provide.

"The winner of this trip will be able to experience some of finest saltwater fishing and waterfowl hunting anywhere in the world," said Land Tawney, the National Wildlife Federation's senior manager for sportsmen leadership. "But unfortunately, this ‘Sportsman's Paradise' is also a ‘Vanishing Paradise.' Every 38 minutes another area of coastal marsh the size of a football field slides into the Gulf. We have solutions-all we need is the political will to implement them."

Vanishing Paradise also announced the winner of its 2010 Grand Giveaway: Richard Burton of Sedro Woolley, Washington will receive a two-person, two-day hunting trip with Mike Smith of Louisiana Duck Hunts, as well as tickets from Seattle to New Orleans and accommodations in the heart of downtown New Orleans.

"I've heard all about the amazing hunting and fishing along Louisiana's coast and I'm delighted to have the opportunity to experience it for myself," Burton said. "I'm also honored to be supporting Vanishing Paradise's campaign to raise awareness of the importance of protecting the delta."

To enter the 2011 Grand Giveaway, contestants need to be at least 18 years old, and entries must be received online by July 31, 2011. One lucky winner will be selected by a random drawing. Enter online and see complete rules at www.vanishingparadise.org.

February 25, 2011

Contact: Emily Guidry Schatzel, 225-253-9781, guidrye@nwf.org

]]> Fri, 25 Feb 2011 08:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/press/cast-and-blast-giveaway-announced/ Detroit Free Press: Mississippi Delta's fish are fine, but wetlands vanishing http://vanishingparadise.org/in-the-news/detroit-free-press-mississippi-deltas-fish-are-fine-but-wetlands-vanishing/ The most important news out of last week's Bassmaster Classic on the Mississippi Delta wasn't the $500,000, four-time victory by Kalamazoo's Kevin VanDam.

It was the concern by VanDam and many other top tournament anglers that there won't be a Delta for them to return to if we don't soon stop the erosion that's wiping America's most productive wetlands from the map.

It's also a story of fishing guides, marina owners, tackle shop operators and tens thousands of others who depend on recreational fishing trying to overcome a false impression that hurricanes and the BP oil spill have ruined their area as a sport fishery.

In truth, fishing is as good or better than ever for both species like largemouth bass, redfish, flounder and sea trout and offshore species like yellowfin and blackfin tuna, wahoo and snapper.

It was here in Cajun country that Mike Iaconelli won the Bassmaster Classic in 2003. The title made him an idol in the eyes of 20 million dedicated bass fishermen. The New Jersey pro won when he found a honey hole, a small clear water pond full of big largemouth bass only a few miles from the Gulf of Mexico.

When the Classic returned to New Orleans last week to decide the 2011 champion, the first thing Iaconelli did was make a beeline for his secret pond far out in the wetlands.

"When I got there, it was gone. My little pond had become a giant bay," Iaconelli said. "I'd read about the loss of wetlands here, but that really brought it home. I couldn't believe it happened in such a short time."

The marsh that surrounded his pond was among coastal wetlands being scoured away by wind and waves at a stunning rate - the size of a football field every 38 minutes, the size of Kensington Metropark in a month, the size of Detroit in five years and two-thirds the size of Lake St. Clair in a decade.

Read the rest of Eric Sharp's column in the Detroit Free Press here.

]]> Thu, 24 Feb 2011 08:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/in-the-news/detroit-free-press-mississippi-deltas-fish-are-fine-but-wetlands-vanishing/ The Times-Picayune: Southeast Louisiana fishing faces a very uncertain future http://vanishingparadise.org/will-not-appear-on-front-page/louisiana-fishing-faces-a-very-uncertain-future/ Bob Marshall's column for the Times-Picayune is worth reading for anyone who cares about the future of fishing (and hunting) in Louisiana:

At current rates of erosion, subsidence and sea-level rise, most of the wetlands the pro fished in the last week will be part of the Gulf in 40 years.

That's the bad news.

The good news is, the pros get it, they don't like it, and they want something done about it.

Last week the B.A.S.S officials signed a national petition the National Wildlife Federation, Ducks Unlimited and the Louisiana Wildlife Federation are sending to Congress urging funding for coastal restoration projects that could bump new life into these starved deltas.

At least 10 of the top-ranking pros also signed on because they've seen the changes first-hand during their four visits over nine years.

"The pond I caught my winning fish from (below Venice) is gone. It's just part of one large bay now," said Mike Iaconelli, a New Jersey angler who won the Classic in New Orleans in 2003. "When I got to the (GPS) waypoint that said I was on the spot, it just wasn't there.

"We can't let this happen to one of the greatest fisheries in the world. It's good the Classic is here because maybe when people watching on TV see just how fabulous it is, they'll want to help protect it."

]]> Wed, 23 Feb 2011 08:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/will-not-appear-on-front-page/louisiana-fishing-faces-a-very-uncertain-future/ B.A.S.S. Anglers Speak Up for the Louisiana Coast http://vanishingparadise.org/updates/bass-anglers-speak-up-for-the-louisiana-coast-video/ At the Bassmaster Classic, ten of the fifty competitors signed Vanishing Paradise's letter to Congress: Classic winner Kevin VanDam, Skeet Reese, Stephen Browning, Cliff Pace, Greg Hackney, Brent Chapman, Edwin Evers, Todd Faircloth, Mark Davis and Terry Butcher.

This was in addition to the B.A.S.S. organization and Mike Iaconelli-who were already on board. The day before the Classic started, Iaconelli said, "If you hunt, if you fish, if you just care about the outdoors, it's important to step up and care about this problem. The main thing is, we've got a way to fix it, we've got a solution."

]]> Sun, 20 Feb 2011 08:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/updates/bass-anglers-speak-up-for-the-louisiana-coast-video/ Baton Rouge Advocate: Iaconelli helps group's Vanishing Paradise program http://vanishingparadise.org/will-not-appear-on-front-page/iaconelli-helps-groups-vanishing-paradise-program/ Michael Iaconelli knows the highs and lows of fishing Louisiana.

He qualified for his first Bassmaster Classic in 1999, the first time the Louisiana Delta was host to the most well-known bass tournament in the country. …

"You know I can't forget what this area means to me," Iaconelli said Thursday, the day before the opening of the Classic's three-day run in the Crescent City. "I won the Classic here (in 2003). This is a place that changed my life."

In 1999, Iaconelli said his "rookie" success here came after years spent chasing fish in the marshes bordering Chesapeake Bay.

"I guess that's why I get asked about how a guy from New Jersey would know so much about the Louisiana Delta," he said.

His explanation was an appetizer to what Iaconelli considered to be his main course.

"The area I won it in in 2003 was a small, clear-water pond. So I checked it when I came back here (in December) to begin practice for this Classic. I just wanted to see it and, when I pulled up to that spot, it was a great bay."

Iaconelli said that sight was an epiphany for him, so much so that when representatives of the Louisiana Wildlife Federation and the National Wildlife Federation called for his endorsement of their Vanishing Paradise initiative he didn't hesitate.

"I get a lot of requests to help with this and this that, and when I looked at it, it hit me because I was seeing it firsthand," Iaconelli said after Friday's opening day of the 2011 Classic. "A lot of us, a lot of people around this country, hear from afar about what's going on in Louisiana, but until you see it …

"When I went (Venice, along the Mississippi River) it was new to me in 2003," he said. "Now when I came back I saw that people are right when they talk about how much of Louisiana is washing away. I know it's happening."

Read the rest of Joe Macaluso's article in the Baton Rouge Advocate here

]]> Sun, 20 Feb 2011 08:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/will-not-appear-on-front-page/iaconelli-helps-groups-vanishing-paradise-program/ B.A.S.S. signs VP letter urging Congress to restore Louisiana's Coast http://vanishingparadise.org/press/bass-signs-vp-letter/ B.A.S.S. today added its name to Vanishing Paradise's growing list of sportsmen's organizations signing a letter to Congress urging it to dedicate the resources and implement policies needed to restore Louisiana's imperiled coastal wetlands.

The letter, authored by the National Wildlife Federation's Vanishing Paradise campaign and Ducks Unlimited, was signed by the three owners of B.A.S.S., Jerry McKinnis, Don Logan and Jim Copeland at Bassmaster Classic Media Day in Mardi Gras World in New Orleans. Other letter-signing participants include the Louisiana Wildlife Federation and Bassmaster Elite Series angler and 2003 Bassmaster Classic Louisiana Delta champion Mike Iaconelli.

"B.A.S.S. is committed to promoting progressive, positive change on issues related to conservation and fisheries management," said Logan. "We support the efforts of Louisiana's coastal restoration and are proud to be back in Louisiana for the Bassmaster Classic."

Iaconelli said he has witnessed the loss of wetlands first-hand this week while scouting for fishing areas for the Classic this week.

"This place is important to me," he said. "Winning the 2003 Classic here changed my life. I couldn't wait to go back to the pond where I won. When I got there, that little pond had become a giant bay."

Roughly 1,900 square miles, an area the size of the state of Delaware, have disappeared from Louisiana's coast over the last 80 years largely because of flood control and navigation projects that have isolated the water and sediment from the Mississippi River from its delta while allowing saltwater from the Gulf of Mexico to intrude far inland. An area of wetlands the size of a football field disappears along Louisiana's coast every 38 minutes.

That land and habitat loss threatens a world-class saltwater and freshwater fishery, an ecosystem that serves as the wintering ground for as many as 10 million migratory waterfowl, the nursery ground for fish that populate the entire Gulf of Mexico and the communities that depend on the wetlands for protection from hurricanes.

"Louisiana is nicknamed ‘Sportsman's Paradise' for a good reason," said Land Tawney, sportsmen's outreach coordinator for National Wildlife Federation. "The Mississippi River built one of the finest estuaries in the world with first-class freshwater and saltwater fishing and waterfowl hunting. But, that paradise is vanishing before our eyes because the river's resources have been separated from the wetlands they built. The sustainability of this delta is 100 percent dependent upon returning the sediment and water from the Mississippi back into these wetlands."

B.A.S.S.‘s commitment to helping restore and protect Louisiana's coast is part of a more than 40-year dedication to conservation. B.A.S.S. has worked cooperatively with state and federal agencies and other conservation organizations to develop sound management policies and protect and enhance aquatic resources.

"This year's Classic will show the world again what a wonderful fishery we have in Louisiana," Louisiana Wildlife Federation Coastal Outreach Coordinator Chris Macaluso said. "Hopefully it will also emphasize to those fishing and following the tournament the need to restore and protect our coastal habitat. B.A.S.S.‘s commitment to Louisiana will go a long way in helping us achieve that restoration and protection."

For more information about the Vanishing Paradise Campaign and to read the letter to Congress, please log on to www.vanishingparadise.org.

NEW ORLEANS-February 17, 2011

]]> Thu, 17 Feb 2011 08:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/press/bass-signs-vp-letter/ Michael Iaconelli Joins Effort to Protect, Restore Louisiana's Coastal Wetlands http://vanishingparadise.org/press/michael-iaconelli-joins-effort-to-protect-restore-louisianas-coastal-wetlands/ Michael Iaconelli, one of professional bass fishing's elite anglers and host of City Limits Fishing on the Versus Network, is giving his support to help the National Wildlife Federation and Louisiana Wildlife Federation raise awareness for the need to restore and protect Louisiana's imperiled coastal wetlands.

Iaconelli's Professional Edge Fishing has joined with more than 350 businesses and organizations nation-wide, including Ducks Unlimited and The International Hunter Education Association in signing a sportsmen's letter to the United States Congress urging it to dedicate resources to build desperately-needed projects to restore Louisiana's coastal habitats. The letter can be read at www.vanishingparadise.org.

He will compete in the upcoming Bassmaster Classic held in the coastal swamps and marshes of the Louisiana Delta February 18-20. Tournament weigh-ins will be held at the New Orleans Arena each day with a tackle expo held in the Morial Convention Center that is free and open to the public.

"The Louisiana Delta is an incredible fishery because you have so many places you can go and catch a lot of different kinds of fish," he said. "I am very excited to have the opportunity to fish another Classic in these waters. This place is special and we need to do all we can to save these coastal marshes and swamps."

Iaconelli won the last Bassmaster Classic held in New Orleans in 2003 and credits that tournament win with helping establishing his successful professional fishing career.

"When scouting for the upcoming Classic, we found plenty of bass, caught a bunch of redfish and experienced some of the best fishing anywhere in the country," he said. "Louisiana's coast is a place fishermen across our country should come and experience and want to save. I'm certain that this year's Classic will be just the event to show that."

More than 2100 square miles of Louisiana's coastal wetlands, islands and swamps have washed away from Louisiana in the last 80 years while levees and navigation projects built along the Mississippi River have isolated it from the delta it built. That, combined with man-made navigation channels cut through the marsh has led to the fastest land loss rate in the world.

The continued loss threatens to completely destroy habitat vital for a variety of fish like bass, redfish and speckled trout as well as shrimp, oysters and crabs and has made Louisiana's coastal communities mush more vulnerable to flooding from storm surges. It has also led to far less habitat for the roughly 10 million ducks and geese that use Louisiana as wintering grounds.

"We are very excited that Mike and several more of the best anglers in the world are headed here to fish the Bassmaster Classic because we want the world to see how wonderful our fishing is," Louisiana Wildlife Federation Coastal Outreach Coordinator Chris Macaluso said. "But, we also need those fishing the tournament and watching the coverage to understand that our coastal land loss is so severe that a lot of the marsh that will be fished won't be here in 10 years. We must put the Mississippi River back to work and start rebuilding this coast."

More information about efforts to restore Louisiana's vital coastal habitats can be found at the following links:

www.vanishingparadise.org
www.lawildlifefed.org/coastal

More information about Michael Iaconelli is available at www.mikeiaconelli.com.

Contact: Chris Macaluso, Louisiana Wildlife Federation, 225.344.6707 Emily Guidry Schatzel, National Wildlife Federation, 225.253.9781

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE-February 2, 2011

]]> Wed, 02 Feb 2011 08:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/press/michael-iaconelli-joins-effort-to-protect-restore-louisianas-coastal-wetlands/ Louisiana Sportsman: B.A.S.S. pro Iaconelli supports Vanishing Paradise effort http://vanishingparadise.org/will-not-appear-on-front-page/bass-pro-iaconelli-supports-vanishing-paradise-effort/ Bassmaster Elite Series pro and national fishing show host Michael Iaconelli, who will compete in the Bassmaster Classic set for New Orleans later this month, has announced his support of the Vanishing Paradise program that aims to raise awareness of the need to restore and protect Louisiana's coastal wetlands, the Louisiana Wildlife Federation announced today (Feb. 2).

"The Louisiana Delta is an incredible fishery because you have so many places you can go and catch a lot of different kinds of fish," Iaconelli said. "I am very excited to have the opportunity to fish another Classic in these waters. This place is special, and we need to do all we can to save these coastal marshes and swamps."

Iaconelli, who hosts City Limits Fishing on Versus Network, knows first hand just how productive the fisheries can be along the Louisiana coast: He won the 2003 Bassmaster Classic fishing in Venice's Delta Duck.

Iaconelli's Professional Edge Fishing has joined with more than 350 businesses and organizations nation-wide, including Ducks Unlimited and The International Hunter Education Association in signing a sportsmen's letter to the United States Congress urging it to dedicate resources to build desperately-needed projects to restore Louisiana's coastal habitats.

Read the rest of the article in the Louisiana Sportsman here.

]]> Wed, 02 Feb 2011 08:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/will-not-appear-on-front-page/bass-pro-iaconelli-supports-vanishing-paradise-effort/ DU Calls Attention to Threatened Gulf Coastal Wetlands http://vanishingparadise.org/press/du-calls-attention-to-threatened-gulf-coastal-wetlands/ On the 14TH Annual World Wetlands Day -

Tomorrow marks the 14th annual celebration of World Wetlands Day, when government agencies, non-governmental organizations and citizens seize the opportunity to recognize the importance of wetland ecosystems for humans and wildlife alike.

In light of this past year's Deepwater Horizon oil spill, Ducks Unlimited is using this opportunity to call attention to the Gulf Coast, one of DU's five highest-priority conservation areas in North America and a mainstay for wintering waterfowl, as it traditionally supports more than 13 million ducks and geese in some years. DU has been working to restore Gulf Coast wetlands for more than 20 years and has conserved more than 250,000 acres in the gulf coastal zone. Unfortunately, this region continues to lose wetland habitat the size of a football field every 30 minutes.

"Though we escaped last year's oil spill with less near-term impact on coastal wetlands than could have occurred, I think it reminded people that long-term wetland conservation and restoration is critical," said Dale Humburg, DU's chief biologist. "Wetlands are some of nature's most productive and biologically diverse ecosystems, providing natural flood control, water quality and prime habitat for fish and wildlife. And they are essential for the hunting and fishing many of us enjoy. But we're losing these precious natural resources at an alarming rate. World Wetlands Day is a good opportunity to highlight this imperiled ecosystem, but the focus really needs to be continual."

DU is also using this opportunity to draw upon the theme of this year's World Wetlands Day: "Wetlands and Forests." DU has worked with the Natural Resources Conservation Service to reforest Wetlands Reserve Program-enrolled sites in the Mississippi Alluvial Valley with bottomland hardwood tree species. Historically, this region was comprised almost entirely of bottomland hardwoods. The oak-dominated forest with its intermingled cypress sloughs and brakes provided food and shelter for ducks, particularly mallards and wood ducks, and many other species of wildlife.

"Through NRCS WRP reforestation efforts, many existing mature tracts of bottomland hardwood forest have been reconnected, expanding the total forested area, and aiding the recovery of a variety of area sensitive species," said Dr. Tom Moorman, director of conservation planning for DU's Southern Region. "This work proves that through the efforts of DU and our partners, it is possible to restore these critical ecosystems to their natural state."

Click here to learn more about DU's celebration of World Wetlands Day.

Ducks Unlimited is the world's largest nonprofit organization dedicated to conserving North America's continually disappearing waterfowl habitats. Established in 1937, Ducks Unlimited has conserved more than 12 million acres, thanks to contributions from more than a million supporters across the continent. Guided by science and dedicated to program efficiency, DU works toward the vision of wetlands sufficient to fill the skies with waterfowl today, tomorrow and forever.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - MEMPHIS, Tenn., Feb. 1, 2011

Contact: Lauren Oxner, loxner@ducks.org, 901-758-3851

]]> Tue, 01 Feb 2011 08:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/press/du-calls-attention-to-threatened-gulf-coastal-wetlands/ Vanishing Paradise Praises House Bill Amendment to Dedicate Gulf Oil Spill Fines to Gulf Restoration http://vanishingparadise.org/press/vanishing-paradise-praises-house-bill-amendment-to-dedicate-gulf-oil-spill-fines-to-gulf-restoration/ House Democratic Amendment Similar to Recently Introduced Bill by GOP Congressman Scalise -

Vanishing Paradise commended an amendment in an updated oil spill response bill introduced last night by U.S. Rep. Ed Markey (D-Ma.) that would implement a key recommendation by the bipartisan oil spill commission. The recommendation is for Congress to dedicate 80 percent of Clean Water Act penalties to be assessed for the Deepwater Horizon oil spill to Gulf Coast restoration.

Vanishing Paradise also praised GOP Louisiana Congressman Steve Scalise for introducing bipartisan legislation earlier this month to require at least 80 percent of the civil and criminal penalties charged to BP under the Clean Water Act be returned to the Gulf Coast for long-term economic and environmental recovery. That bill, the Gulf Restoration Act (H.R. 56), is cosponsored by four Louisiana GOP Congressmen - Reps. Rodney Alexander, Charles Boustany, Bill Cassidy and Jeffrey Landry - and one Louisiana Democratic Congressman, Rep. Cedric Richmond.

"We thank the Louisiana delegation and Representative Markey for their leadership on an issue that is vital to restoring the Gulf ecosystem, especially coastal Louisiana," Land Tawney, National Wildlife Federation's senior manager for sportsmen leadership, said. "We look forward to working with House and Senate leaders of both parties-and sportsmen who support the recovery of this ‘Sportsmen's Paradise'-on securing legislation to send the oil spill penalties back to the Gulf region where they belong."

The fines for violations of the Clean Water Act (CWA) alone will range from a maximum of between $1,100 and $4,300 for each of the 4.9 million barrels spilled, depending upon whether the responsible parties are found to have been grossly negligent for the Macondo Well blowout. Current estimates of the CWA fines range from a maximum of between $5 billion and $21 billion.

"Without this Congressional action, any fines collected from parties responsible for the Gulf oil disaster will automatically be deposited in the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund and Federal Treasury, respectively, and not to address the needs of fish and wildlife habitat impacted by the disaster," Tawney added. "It's time for Congress to fulfill President Obama's promise to make the Gulf ecosystem better than it was before the disaster by heeding a key recommendation from the bipartisan oil spill commission to dedicate 80 percent of the Clean Water Act penalties to long-term restoration of the Gulf."

The oil spill commission's recommendation echoed a recent government report by Navy Secretary and former Mississippi Governor Ray Mabus. The Mabus report detailed the need for a long-term environmental restoration plan for the Gulf Coast to fulfill President Obama's "commitment to the Gulf Coast that goes beyond responding to the crisis of the moment multiple economic disasters and decades of environmental degradation that has led to disappearing wetlands and habitats."

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - BATON ROUGE -January 27

CONTACTS:
Emily Guidry Schatzel, guidrye@nwf.org, 225.253.9781
Land Tawney, tawney@nwf.org, 406.541.6733

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]]> Thu, 27 Jan 2011 08:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/press/vanishing-paradise-praises-house-bill-amendment-to-dedicate-gulf-oil-spill-fines-to-gulf-restoration/ Chris Nook, Conservation Hero http://vanishingparadise.org/updates/chris-nook-conservation-hero/ Vanishing Paradise wants to thank Chris Nook, the CEO of HuntDucks.com and prostaff director at Hard Core Decoys for dropping everything and flying down to the coast to testify about importance of restoring the wetlands around the infamous MRGO (Mississippi River Gulf Outlet).

This so-called shipping canal - which never actually saw much shipping traffic - damaged roughly a thousand square miles of wetlands important for ducks, geese, and other wildlife. The U. S. Army Corps of Engineers is currently taking public comment on a plan to restore the ecosystem surrounding the canal.

Chris gave the testimony below at a public meeting in Waveland, Mississippi last night. If you want to join Chris in speaking up for the Mississippi delta, go here to send a message to the Corps.

Chris' Testimony

My name is Chris Nook, I am duck hunter and the CEO of Huntducks.com as well as Director for pro staff with Global Manufacturing Associates; our Hard Core decoy line provides top quality equipment for duck hunters across this country.

I come here tonight from Ohio, to talk about the importance of Louisiana's coastal marshes to waterfowl populations throughout our nation.

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.

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. Tens of thousands, some even say hundreds of thousands, of acres of freshwater swamp and freshwater and brackish marsh have been damaged or completely destroyed by the "Mister Go."

The Mississippi River built this delta. It built all of these marshes we are here to talk about tonight, both fresh and saltwater. And, it is the reason why Louisiana has such a productive commercial and recreational fishery and why our nation's waterfowl come here. The fact that fewer ducks come now shows us that this ecosystem is declining and as it continues to decline, more and more species of fish and wildlife will be impacted as well.

A diversion of freshwater and the delivery of sediment into this area is the only way to restore this critical national waterfowl habitat. That being said, this diversion can be operated to provide benefit for all species… fresh and saltwater… and not just ducks… and that is true of this entire delta.

We urge the Corps of Engineers to work with the communities, the state and within its own bureaucracies to move this project forward. I have been told that there is some concern in St. Bernard Parish about digging a new channel for the diversion because one exists already that can do the job. Please consider using the channel already in place.

We also urge the Corps to start looking at the river for its importance to the ecosystem and not just flood control and navigation. And, we urge the Corps to make the best use of the sediment dredged from the Mississippi River for navigation to build wetlands on both the east and west sides of the river. Without the vital habitat provided by this river delta, fishermen throughout the Gulf of Mexico and waterfowl hunters throughout this country face a dim future.

]]> Wed, 26 Jan 2011 08:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/updates/chris-nook-conservation-hero/ Wildfowl: Paradise in Peril http://vanishingparadise.org/articles/wildfowl-paradise-in-peril/ A new feature article in Wildfowl magazine focuses on Louisiana's disappearing wetlands:

Camera shutters clicked as tour guide Bob Marshall shared from a well of knowledge gathered during 40 years of fishing and hunting in the sprawling marshes southwest of New Orleans.

"See that?" Marshall asked, pointing to a free-floating, basketball-sized chunk of soil covered in lush, long-stemmed grass. "That's the Louisiana Gulf Coast bleeding to death."

Paradise in Peril: Louisiana's coastal marshes are disappearing at an astonishing rate by Paul Wait, January 14, 2011

]]> Fri, 14 Jan 2011 08:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/articles/wildfowl-paradise-in-peril/ Oil Spill Commission Says Congress Should Use BP Fines for Gulf Restoration http://vanishingparadise.org/press/oil-spill-commission-says-congress-should-use-bp-fines-for-gulf-restoration/ Commission Recommendation Echoes Mabus Report to President -

Today, Vanishing Paradise is calling on Congress to heed a key recommendation in the final report from the bipartisan National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling. The recommendation is that "Congress should dedicate 80 percent of the Clean Water Act penalties to long-term restoration of the Gulf of Mexico" (see page 280 of report). Restoration of these coastal Gulf areas-especially in coastal Louisiana-could improve degraded waterfowl habitat and both salt- and freshwater fisheries that have been damaged by this summer's Gulf oil disaster and the massive land loss coastal Louisiana has faced over the past several decades.

"Congress must take action to dedicate this large portion of Clean Water Act penalties to the comprehensive restoration of coastal Louisiana's devastated ecosystem," said Land Tawney, National Wildlife Federation's senior manager for sportsman leadership. "Following the oil spill, Louisiana needs aggressive restoration now more than ever. Now is the time to implement projects that can successfully reconnect the Mississippi River with the wetlands it has been severed from for years, and the Clean Water Act penalties can provide the necessary funding to move those projects forward."

"Coastal Louisiana's marshes provide 10 million ducks and geese wintering habitat every year and world class waterfowling opportunities follow," Tawney continued. "Only this winter-in addition to facing greatly reduced habitats due to land loss-migrating waterfowl had to deal with wetlands damaged by oil. Plus, we remain uncertain of the long-term effects these species and their habitats may face, especially diving ducks like scaup, canvasbacks, and redheads. Speckled trout and redfish were also affected during their spawning seasons. Devoting Clean Water Act penalties to coastal Louisiana restoration is a key first step in rebuilding these damaged wildlife habitats and protecting these species."

Last year, U.S. Senators Mary Landrieu (D-La.) and David Vitter (R-La.) and U.S. Rep. Steve Scalise (R-La.) introduced legislation that would require at least 80 percent of the civil and criminal penalties charged to BP under the Clean Water Act to be returned to the Gulf Coast for long-term economic and environmental recovery. However, those bills expired at the end of the lame duck session for the previous Congress last month.

The Commission's recommendation echoes a recent government report by Navy Secretary and former Mississippi Governor Ray Mabus. The report details the need for a long-term environmental restoration plan for the Gulf Coast to fulfill President Obama's "commitment to the Gulf Coast that goes beyond responding to the crisis of the moment multiple economic disasters and decades of environmental degradation that has led to disappearing wetlands and habitats." The report recommended that the President urge Congress to "allow a significant amount of any civil penalties recovered under the Clean Water Act from the Deepwater Horizon spill to be deposited into a Gulf Coast Recovery Fund managed by a Gulf Coast Recovery Council."

The fines for violations of the Clean Water Act alone will range from a maximum of between $1,100 and $4,300 for each of the 4.9 million barrels spilled, depending upon whether the responsible parties are found to have been grossly negligent for the Macondo well blowout. Thus far, estimates are that the total fines will be between $5 billion and $21 billion.

January 11, 2011

###

Contact:

Emily Guidry Schatzel, guidrye@nwf.org, 225.253.9781
Land Tawney, tawney@nwf.org, 406-541-6733

]]> Wed, 12 Jan 2011 08:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/press/oil-spill-commission-says-congress-should-use-bp-fines-for-gulf-restoration/ B.A.S.S. Backs Wildlife Federations' Coastal Restoration Efforts http://vanishingparadise.org/press/bass-backs-wildlife-federations-coastal-restoration-efforts/ The 2011 Bassmaster Classic, to be held Feb. 18-20 in New Orleans, will showcase more than 50 of the world's best bass anglers. It will also draw attention to important efforts to revitalize what the National Wildlife Federation calls a "Vanishing Paradise."

B.A.S.S. LLC, which conducts the annual world championship of bass fishing, is partnering with the Louisiana Wildlife Federation (LWF) and National Wildlife Federation (NWF) in campaigns to promote the restoration and protection of Louisiana's imperiled coastal wetlands and reconnect the Mississippi River to its delta.

While the Louisiana Delta is rebounding from devastating hurricanes and a massive oil spill, a continuing and more destructive force threatens the long-term survival of the coastal wetlands, according to Land Tawney, NWF's senior manager for sportsmen leadership.

Levees and navigation projects along the Mississippi River have isolated Louisiana's wetlands from the freshwater and sediment that once built them while allowing saltwater to penetrate far inland, destroying once healthy coastal forests and freshwater swamps, Tawney said. As a result, more than 2,300 square miles of coastal lands and estuaries, an area nearly the size of the state of Delaware, has washed away or subsided in the last 80 years. An area of land the size of a football field becomes open water nearly every half-hour along the Louisiana coast.

River diversion projects already in place have dramatically improved delta bass fishing since the Classic last visited New Orleans in 2003. LWF's Sportsmen for the Coast campaign and NWF's Vanishing Paradise effort are aimed at gaining federal approval of additional projects to restore the vast marshland.

"B.A.S.S. supports these efforts to protect and improve this great fishery that is so important to bass fishermen and other sportsmen," said Jerry McKinnis, an owner of B.A.S.S. "Unless something is done to protect these coastal wetlands, the fantastic fishing we have now won't be around for our children to enjoy."

The LWF and NWF campaigns are being promoted through Bassmaster Magazine, B.A.S.S. Times, www.bassmaster.com and other B.A.S.S. media. In addition, LWF and NWF will host Bassmaster Classic Media Day on Thursday, Feb. 17, and will have representatives available to answer questions and distribute information to angling enthusiasts attending the Bassmaster Classic Outdoors Expo presented by Dick's Sporting Goods at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, Feb. 18-20.

"The best bass fishing and, arguably, even the best saltwater fishing in Louisiana over the past 10 to 15 years has been in the coastal areas near the Caernarvon and Davis Pond diversions," said LWF Coastal Outreach Coordinator Chris Macaluso. "Bringing the river back into those areas has increased the aquatic vegetation, made the food chain healthier and made both the bass fishing and the saltwater fishing much better. The Mississippi River built this delta, and it only makes sense that it needs to be used to restore and rebuild it."

More information about both LWF's and NWF's efforts to involve anglers, hunters and all outdoors enthusiasts in the restoration of Louisiana's coast can be found at www.vanishingparadise.org and www.lawildlifefed.org/coastal.

For more information please contact:

Melissa J. Dixon, B.A.S.S. Communications, 407-566-2295 or melissa.j.dixon@bassmaster.com

Chris Macaluso, Louisiana Wildlife Federation, 225-344-6707 or chris@lawildlifefed.org

Emily Guidry Schatzel, National Wildlife Federation, 225-253-9781 or guidrye@nwf.org

January 6, 2011

About B.A.S.S.
For more than 40 years, B.A.S.S. has served as the authority on bass fishing. The organization advances the sport through advocacy, outreach and an expansive tournament structure while connecting directly with the passionate community of bass anglers through its Bassmaster media vehicles.

The Bassmaster brand and its multimedia platforms are guided by a mission to serve all fishing fans. Through its industry-leading publications - Bassmaster Magazine and B.A.S.S. Times - comprehensive website Bassmaster.com, and ESPN2 television programming, Bassmaster provides rich, leading-edge content true to the lifestyle.

The Bassmaster Tournament Trail includes the Bassmaster Elite Series, Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Open Series, B.A.S.S. Federation Nation events presented by Yamaha and Skeeter Boats and the ultimate celebration of competitive fishing, the Bassmaster Classic.

B.A.S.S. offers an array of services to its more than 500,000 members and remains focused on issues related to conservation and water access. The organization is headquartered in Celebration, Fla.

]]> Thu, 06 Jan 2011 08:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/press/bass-backs-wildlife-federations-coastal-restoration-efforts/ Fall Brings Restoration Developments Following Summer's Oil Disaster http://vanishingparadise.org/articles/fall-brings-restoration-developments-following-summers-oil-disaster/ Senator Sherrod Brown of Ohio, Chris Nook of Huntducks.com and Nook Industries, and NWF's Andy McDaniels at the fly-in.

This fall has brought exciting updates as we move forward on calling for large-scale comprehensive coastal restoration, especially in light of this summer's Gulf oil disaster.

Navy Secretary Ray Mabus recently delivered a plan to President Obama with his recommendations for post-spill Gulf Coast recovery. The plan calls for Congress to create a Gulf Coast Recovery Fund, dedicating a "significant amount" of penalties levied against BP for the Gulf oil disaster to restoration efforts along the coast.

As recommended in the plan, President Obama issued an executive order establishing the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Task Force to coordinate efforts to implement restoration projects in coastal areas. New Orleans native and EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson is in charge of the Task Force, with John H. Hankinson, Jr. serving as executive director.

These encouraging steps preceded the six-month anniversary of the Gulf oil disaster on October 20. NWF is calling for Congress to enact legislation in this session to put a substantial portion of penalty funds back into the region that will continue to suffer the impacts of the spill. For updates on how to take action, please visit www.vanishingparadise.org.

Vanishing Paradise also hosted a Washington, DC fly-in for sportsmen from different regions of the country to meet with members of Congress. The meetings were helpful in educating members of the delegation on the importance of coastal Louisiana restoration and provided an opportunity to call for their support in passing legislation directed at reviving the Gulf coast ecosystem.

]]> Thu, 16 Dec 2010 08:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/articles/fall-brings-restoration-developments-following-summers-oil-disaster/ Anglers Fish Re-opened Gulf Waters at the Annual 'Marsh Madness' http://vanishingparadise.org/updates/anglers-fish-re-opened-gulf-waters-at-the-annual-marsh-madness/ With the lifting of restrictions on fishing in Gulf waters affected by BP oil, the first national contingent of sportsmen came to the coastal waters of south Louisiana. The annual "Marsh Madness" gathering brought fifteen outdoor writers, industry representatives, and Mississippi and Louisiana boaters to Venice, Louisiana to test the waters and the fishing following the oil spill.

The group reported no visible oil and great fishing conditions-welcome news for an area hit hard with thick oil just weeks ago. However, new reports of oil discovered at the bottom of inland marsh areas have many wondering about long-term effects to the wildlife and habitat of this area.

Lew Carpenter, a Regional Representative with NWF, reported that more than 900 pounds of tuna were brought in in just one day, with big fish weighing 214, 196 and 184 pounds each. Others had tuna, too, and great takes of cobia, red snapper, bull reds, jacks and angelfish.

"Even with the great fishing we had, the rapid loss of wetlands was obvious," Carpenter said. "As I fished with Eric Cosby of Top Brass tackle at a point off Blind Bay, he commented that his father caught a world-record redfish on a fly rod at that very point just a few years ago. Further investigation on our GPS revealed that the actual point was more than a quarter mile out in open water and is now part of the Gulf of Mexico-an eye-opening fact indeed."

"Each time I fish the Louisiana marsh I feel one year closer to the demise of a once-great ecosystem,"Carpenter continued. "Watching the parade of bull reds headed over the gunwale and then gingerly released is inspiring, but the constant reminder that what was once grassy, cane-filled marsh is now open water disturbs me to my core."

NWF and Vanishing Paradise sponsored the event along with Top Brass Tackle, Skeeter Boats, Realtree camo, Plano Moulding, Underarmour, WileyX sunglasses, Mustad hooks, Seaguar line, LiveWire Electric and the Lighthouse Lodge.

]]> Thu, 16 Dec 2010 08:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/updates/anglers-fish-re-opened-gulf-waters-at-the-annual-marsh-madness/ Meet the Crew: Chris Macaluso http://vanishingparadise.org/updates/meet-the-crew-chris-macaluso/ Chris Macaluso recently joined the staff of the Louisiana Wildlife Federation as the organization's first Coastal Outreach Coordinator. Macaluso's primary role is to work closely with hunters, anglers and other outdoor enthusiasts and sportsmen's organizations to ensure sportsmen and women are engaged in the effort to restore Louisiana's imperiled coastal ecosystems. He will be traveling the state, talking to organizations and attending festivals and other events to educate sportsmen on the need for coastal restoration.

Macaluso joins LWF after spending the last four years as the public information director for the Louisiana Governor's Office of Coastal Activities, the Office of Coastal Protection and Restoration and the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority. In his role at LWF, he will continue to work closely with local, state and federal officials to help guide and advance coastal restoration efforts.

In addition to his work with LWF, Macaluso also hosts a weekly hunting and fishing radio show on Wednesdays from 7-8 p.m. on 104.5 FM ESPN Radio in Baton Rouge and www.1045espn.com. He is a lifelong Louisiana resident, a graduate of LSU and an avid outdoorsman who enjoys both fresh and saltwater fishing and duck hunting.

He can be reached at chris@lawildlifefed.org.

]]> Thu, 16 Dec 2010 08:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/updates/meet-the-crew-chris-macaluso/ Vanishing Paradise Unveils New Website http://vanishingparadise.org/press/vanishing-paradise-unveils-new-website/ Updated Design Helps Educate Hunters and Anglers on Importance of Coastal Louisiana Restoration -

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 wetlands-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," Land Tawney, NWF's senior manager for sportsmen leadership, said. "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," Tawney continued. "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 some 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.

December 14, 2010

###

CONTACT:
Emily Guidry Schatzel, National Wildlife Federation, 225.253.9781
Land Tawney, National Wildlife Federation, 406.370.3243

]]> Wed, 15 Dec 2010 08:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/press/vanishing-paradise-unveils-new-website/ Bob Marshall Interviews Grigsby about the 'Battered Delta' and upcoming Bass Master Classic http://vanishingparadise.org/articles/bob-marshall-explores-the-battered-delta-and-upcoming-bass-master-classic/ If you haven't heard, the Bassmasters Classic is returning to Louisiana after a six year absence. In his recent article, Bob Marshall interviews Shaw Grigsby about the fishing in Louisiana. Bob notes that even though 400 square miles have disappeared from the Delta since the last Bass Master Classic in Louisiana, the Delta is still one of the best places for fishing… for now.

Battered delta still top fishing spot for Bassmasters Classic
12/10/2010

]]> Mon, 13 Dec 2010 08:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/articles/bob-marshall-explores-the-battered-delta-and-upcoming-bass-master-classic/ A-List Celebs Step Up to Restore the Gulf on Women of the Storm Video http://vanishingparadise.org/updates/a-list-celebs-step-up-to-restore-the-gulf-on-women-of-the-storm-video/ As a part of our many efforts to protect our sportsmen traditions and restore habitat impacted by the BP oil spill, the National Wildlife Federation has joined with Women of the Storm to help raise public awareness and support for the critical funding and policy response needed to restore the Gulf Coast.

This week, Women of the Storm released a new celebrity-packed video that features A-list stars like Sandra Bullock, Peyton and Eli Manning, and Emeril Lagasse asking viewers to join them in signing a petition that will help demonstrate to national leaders, the strong and deep support across America for funding to restore the Gulf Coast.

We love the video at the Vanishing Paradise campaign, and we are happy to share this initiative to make coastal restoration a national issue.

]]> Mon, 18 Oct 2010 07:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/updates/a-list-celebs-step-up-to-restore-the-gulf-on-women-of-the-storm-video/ Nope, this isn't an old post. Yes, there is new oil washing ashore. http://vanishingparadise.org/articles/nope-this-isnt-an-old-post-yes-there-is-new-oil-washing-ashore/ Oil the thickness of peanut butter previously found in the marshes

Just in case you think this may be an old post, today's date is September 13th, and more oil has appeared along Louisiana.

"Everyone thinks this is over, but it's not - not if we can still get soakings like this," states Captain Ryan Lambert in Bob Marshall's recent article in the Times Picayune. Louisiana Dept of Wildlife and Fisheries confirmed oil sightings in Plaquemines Parish. Sightings include 72 square feet and other spots up to a mile long. The sightings began as Teal season started this past Saturday.

New Oil Washes Ashore West of the Mississippi River by Bob Marshall, New Orleans Time Picayune

]]> Mon, 18 Oct 2010 07:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/articles/nope-this-isnt-an-old-post-yes-there-is-new-oil-washing-ashore/ National Wildlife Federation Urges Sportsmen to Support Coastal Louisiana Restoration http://vanishingparadise.org/press/national-wildlife-federation-urges-sportsmen-to-support-coastal-louisiana-restoration-/ BATON ROUGE, LA-This Saturday, sportsmen from across the country will be celebrating National Hunting and Fishing Day, a large, long-standing grassroots initiative promoting outdoor sports and conservation.

As hunters focus their attention on waterfowl season and anglers look forward to casting lines, National Wildlife Federation (NWF) continues to keep its eye on the recovery and restoration of the Gulf Coast in the wake of the BP Oil Disaster that has caused heavy damage to a region so important to American sportsmen.

"The Deepwater Horizon well has been capped and reports are claiming that much of the oil has been removed from the Gulf," Land Tawney, NWF's Senior Manager for Sportsmen Leadership, said. "Unfortunately, this is just the end to the beginning of the impacts we may see from this disaster. The impacts to wildlife, hunting and fishing remain to be seen."

Not only is the Gulf of Mexico home to the world's most productive fishery, the coastal areas along the mouth of the Mississippi River-especially Louisiana's wetlands-provide vitally important wintering habitat for twenty percent of the nation's waterfowl each year.

The Mississippi River Delta faces an astonishing amount of land loss annually due to natural and manmade factors, such as levees that cut off the river's natural ability to deposit replenishing sediment into the wetlands and salt water intrusion made possible by canals built for industrial purposes. In fact, every 38 minutes coastal marsh the size of a football field vanishes. These problems are now combining with oil seeping into the marshes, posing a serious threat to an ecosystem that supports wildlife and our outdoor heritage all along the Mississippi and Central Flyways.

"Coastal Louisiana's ecosystem was in trouble long before the oil spill from the rapid rate of land loss this region suffers annually," Tawney said. "We have to take aggressive action now to preserve and restore these areas for future generations. National Hunting and Fishing Day is a perfect opportunity to remind us how important this habitat is for our sporting heritage. Without large-scale restoration and recovery of these wetlands, our legacy is at risk not only in Louisiana but up and down the Mississippi and Central Flyways."

Sportsmen can visit www.vanishingparadise.org for more information on how to take action to help protect and restore Louisiana's coastal wetlands.

September 24, 2010

CONTACT: Emily Guidry Schatzel, guidrye@nwf.org, 225-253-9781

]]> Mon, 18 Oct 2010 07:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/press/national-wildlife-federation-urges-sportsmen-to-support-coastal-louisiana-restoration-/ Gulf Region Voters More Likely to Vote for Legislators Who Support Gulf Restoration http://vanishingparadise.org/press/gulf-region-voters-far-more-likely-to-vote-for-legislators-who-support-gulf-restoratio/ BATON ROUGE, LA-This Saturday, sportsmen from across the country will be celebrating National Hunting and Fishing Day, a large, long-standing grassroots initiative promoting outdoor sports and conservation.

As hunters focus their attention on waterfowl season and anglers look forward to casting lines, National Wildlife Federation (NWF) continues to keep its eye on the recovery and restoration of the Gulf Coast in the wake of the BP Oil Disaster that has caused heavy damage to a region so important to American sportsmen.

"The Deepwater Horizon well has been capped and reports are claiming that much of the oil has been removed from the Gulf," Land Tawney, NWF's Senior Manager for Sportsmen Leadership, said. "Unfortunately, this is just the end to the beginning of the impacts we may see from this disaster. The impacts to wildlife, hunting and fishing remain to be seen."

Not only is the Gulf of Mexico home to the world's most productive fishery, the coastal areas along the mouth of the Mississippi River-especially Louisiana's wetlands-provide vitally important wintering habitat for twenty percent of the nation's waterfowl each year.

The Mississippi River Delta faces an astonishing amount of land loss annually due to natural and manmade factors, such as levees that cut off the river's natural ability to deposit replenishing sediment into the wetlands and salt water intrusion made possible by canals built for industrial purposes. In fact, every 38 minutes coastal marsh the size of a football field vanishes. These problems are now combining with oil seeping into the marshes, posing a serious threat to an ecosystem that supports wildlife and our outdoor heritage all along the Mississippi and Central Flyways.

"Coastal Louisiana's ecosystem was in trouble long before the oil spill from the rapid rate of land loss this region suffers annually," Tawney said. "We have to take aggressive action now to preserve and restore these areas for future generations. National Hunting and Fishing Day is a perfect opportunity to remind us how important this habitat is for our sporting heritage. Without large-scale restoration and recovery of these wetlands, our legacy is at risk not only in Louisiana but up and down the Mississippi and Central Flyways."

Sportsmen can visit www.vanishingparadise.org for more information on how to take action to help protect and restore Louisiana's coastal wetlands.

September 24, 2010

CONTACT: Emily Guidry Schatzel, guidrye@nwf.org, 225-253-9781

]]> Mon, 18 Oct 2010 07:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/press/gulf-region-voters-far-more-likely-to-vote-for-legislators-who-support-gulf-restoratio/ Mabus Report Delivers on Part of President's Promise to Make Gulf Better than Before http://vanishingparadise.org/press/mabus-report-delivers-on-1st-part-of-presidents-promise-to-make-gulf-better-than-befor/ Obama, Congress must agree on how much BP fine money is dedicated to restoration fund -

National Wildlife Federation issued a statement with partner organizations today praising a new government report detailing a long-term environmental restoration plan for the Gulf Coast. The groups called on the President and Congress to implement the report's recommendations by using the fines BP will have to pay for the blowout of the company's Macondo well.

The report urges Congress to create a Gulf Coast Recovery Fund-managed by a council including federal, state, local and tribal representatives-and funded with a "significant amount" of BP fine money. The fund would support large-scale ecosystem recovery of a region that is so important to hunters and anglers from across the country. The report was presented today in New Orleans by Navy Secretary and former Mississippi Governor Ray Mabus, who was appointed by President Obama to lead the team developing the plan.

"Secretary Mabus is doing his part to fulfill President Obama's promise to create a long-term plan to restore the Gulf Coast and make it better than it was before the BP oil disaster," said a joint statement by the Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana, Environmental Defense Fund, Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation, and National Audubon Society and National Wildlife Federation. "Now it's up to President Obama and Congress to act this year to ensure that the fines paid by BP under existing law are directed to restoring the Gulf, and that the new penalties included in House legislation are made law."

As a first step in the restoration plan, the President soon plans to sign an executive order creating a Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Task Force, which will be led by Environmental Protection Agency administrator Lisa P. Jackson, a New Orleans native. The joint statement also applauded this commitment, noting that moving forward quickly with a robust task force is necessary to move forward already-authorized projects, ensure that congressional appropriations are put in place, and that the full scope of needed restoration projects is designed and implemented.

"Aggressive, bold action is needed to restore the crucial wildlife habitats found all along the coast-especially in coastal Louisiana's wetlands," Land Tawney, NWF's Senior Manager for Sportsmen Leadership, said. "We are rapidly losing coastal marshes that provide wintering grounds for millions of waterfowl each year and support an abundance of commercial and recreational fishing. Today's report recommends much-needed cooperation among federal agencies and state governments to ensure that we can restore and recover this region, which is encouraging news to sportsmen all over the country."

The U.S. House of Representatives has passed an amendment to oil response legislation (H.R. 3534) authored by Congressman Charlie Melancon (D-La.) that would create a new civil penalty for any oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico-including the BP oil disaster-but the Senate has yet to act on this provision or on dedicating penalties from existing Clean Water Act provisions.

U.S. Senators Mary Landrieu (D-La.) and David Vitter (R-La.) and U.S. Rep. Steve Scalise (R-La.) have introduced legislation that would require that at least 80 percent of the civil and criminal penalties charged to BP under the Clean Water Act for oil spill damages be returned to the Gulf Coast for long-term economic and environmental recovery. Penalties for violations of the Clean Water Act alone will range between $1,100 and $4,300 for each of the 4.9 million barrels spilled, totaling between $5 billion and $21 billion. The exact amount will depend upon if BP is found grossly negligent for the Gulf oil disaster.

September 28, 2010

###

CONTACTS:

Emily Guidry Schatzel, National Wildlife Federation, 225.253.9781, guidrye@nwf.org

]]> Mon, 18 Oct 2010 07:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/press/mabus-report-delivers-on-1st-part-of-presidents-promise-to-make-gulf-better-than-befor/ A Good Sign for the Wetlands http://vanishingparadise.org/field-report/a-good-sign-for-the-wetlands/ Vanishing Paradise has an exciting news update on Coastal Louisiana restoration to share with you! Please watch the brief VP Field Report video to find out more.

For up-to-the-minute news, keep visiting our website or find us on Facebook.

]]> Mon, 18 Oct 2010 07:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/field-report/a-good-sign-for-the-wetlands/ Ducks Unlimited Urges Obama Administration to Speed Up Restoration Plans http://vanishingparadise.org/press/ducks-unlimited-urges-obama-administration-to-speed-up-restoration-plans/ Ducks Unlimited urges President Obama and his Administration to accelerate implementation and funding of existing Gulf Coast restoration plans. In his speech to the nation from The Oval Office last night, the President declared, "…it's clear we need a long-term plan to restore the unique beauty and bounty of this region…that's why we must make a commitment to the Gulf Coast that goes beyond responding to the crisis of the moment."

DU encourages the Administration to rapidly move forward with coastal restoration work planned under Louisiana's Comprehensive Master Plan for a Sustainable Coast, and also the Louisiana Coastal Area Plan, which includes planned but presently unfunded restoration projects authorized under WRDA of 2007. Such work includes a variety of restoration projects that can help coastal wetlands recover from oil spill impacts and other impacts that have occurred over decades.

"There are many projects for which design could be accelerated, and many that are on the shelf ready for implementation," said Dr. Tom Moorman, DU's lead scientist for the Gulf Coast. "Some of this work awaits only funding and could begin as soon as tomorrow."

The Gulf Coast region is of vital importance to North America's migratory waterfowl and other wetland dependent birds, wintering as many as 13 million ducks in some years. The livelihood of many of the region's residents depends upon the renewable natural resources provided by coastal wetlands, including commercial and recreational fisheries. The region also provides more than 250,000 waterfowl hunter days each year.

"Restoration of the region's fragile wetlands and waterfowl habitats is essential and we urge the Administration to ensure that coastal restoration planning and implementation is accelerated to benefit the region's people and the waterfowl and other wildlife that depend on these wetlands," Dr. Moorman said.

###
Ducks Unlimited is the world's largest non-profit organization dedicated to conserving North America's continually disappearing waterfowl habitats. Established in 1937, Ducks Unlimited has conserved more than 12 million acres thanks to contributions from more than a million supporters across the continent. Guided by science and dedicated to program efficiency, DU works toward the vision of wetlands sufficient to fill the skies with waterfowl today, tomorrow and forever.

Lauren Oxner
901-758-3851
loxner@ducks.org

DU Urges President to Accelerate Funding, Implementation of Existing Gulf Coast Restoration Plans

]]> Sat, 16 Oct 2010 07:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/press/ducks-unlimited-urges-obama-administration-to-speed-up-restoration-plans/ July 28 - Sportsmen for Coastal Restoration Rally in Louisiana http://vanishingparadise.org/upcoming-events/july-28-sportsmen-for-coastal-restoration-rally-in-louisiana/ Sportsmen and women are gathering in Venice, Louisiana, next week to show their support for Coastal Restoration in Louisiana. We hope to see you among the crowd of supporters.

What: Sportsman Rally for Coastal Louisiana
**Shrimp/Crawfish Boil and frosty beverages

When: July 28, 2010 4pm

Where: Venice, LA
Venice Marina
237 Sports Marina Road
Venice, LA 70091-4437

PLUS A CHANCE TO WIN A SHOTGUN!

Help us spread the word. It's clear that sportsmen like you place a high recreational value on Louisiana's wetlands, and the catastrophic tragedy of the oil spill may be the catalyst to allow long-overdue restoration projects to move forward.

For more information, please contact Land Tawney at tawney@nwf.org.

]]> Sat, 16 Oct 2010 07:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/upcoming-events/july-28-sportsmen-for-coastal-restoration-rally-in-louisiana/ Case Study Gives Glimpse of Future for Gulf Wildlife http://vanishingparadise.org/articles/case-study-gives-glimpse-of-future-for-gulf-wildlife/ Prince William Sound, Photo Credit: USFWS

The Gulf of Mexico is not the first to experience oil spills in its water, though it is likely to go on record as being the worst. As we were searching around for wildlife articles to update our new page on the oil spill, we stumbled across this brief report from US Fish & Wildlife Services. It is an overview of what happened to wildlife in Prince William Sound area, and can give us a glimpse of the future for Gulf coast wildlife:

US Fish & Wildlife Services: Effects of Oil Spill on Wildlife and Habitat - Alaska Region

]]> Fri, 15 Oct 2010 07:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/articles/case-study-gives-glimpse-of-future-for-gulf-wildlife/ May 5 - National Sportsmen Chat 'What is at Stake in the Gulf Coast?' http://vanishingparadise.org/upcoming-events/national-sportsmen-chat-what-is-at-stake-in-the-gulf-coast/ Please join Bob Marshall, outdoor staff writer for the New Orleans based Times Picayune and conservation editor-at-large for Field and Stream, and NWF's President and CEO, Larry Schweiger on a free phone conservation about the fishing and hunting grounds at risk in Louisiana from the gulf oil spill.

Please call in tomorrow, May 5th, at 7pm Central Time

Bob and Larry will be calling in from ground zero in Louisiana, and will relay the most up-to-date impacts on the treasured fishing and hunting grounds in America's Sportsman's Paradise. Stay tuned with information at www.vanishingparadise.org/oilspill

--

Recording of tele townhall

]]> Fri, 15 Oct 2010 07:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/upcoming-events/national-sportsmen-chat-what-is-at-stake-in-the-gulf-coast/ BP Oil Spill Draws Thousands of Concerned Sportsmen to Virtual Town Hall http://vanishingparadise.org/press/bp-oil-spill-draws-thousands-of-concerned-sportsmen-to-virtual-town-hall/ Washington, DC (May 7, 2010) - A virtual town hall hosted by National Wildlife Federation tonight drew thousands of hunters and anglers concerned about the tremendous ecological and wildlife impacts of the BP oil spill along the Gulf Coast. The area is a draw for hunters and anglers nationwide and often called a "Sportsman's Paradise."

Louisiana's coast sustains one of the world's largest fisheries, produces the largest catch of redfish, hosts up to 20% of the nation's wintering waterfowl, and is home to more than 400 species of birds, fish and wildlife. It is bracing for what could be the worst oil spill in America's history.

NWF has a team on the ground in Venice, Louisiana, leading boat tours of the region and has served as a focal point for volunteer activism and media inquiries. Leading the team is NWF President and CEO Larry Schweiger who spoke about what he's witnessed over the last several days.

"With a huge volume of oil flowing in the Gulf of Mexico unabated, we clearly have an epic catastrophe unfolding," Schweiger said. "The greatest coastal wetland system in America is at the height of spring wildlife nesting season, including the Louisiana mottled duck, now faces what may be the largest oil spill in the nation's history. It is hard to imagine a more dire situation."

Bob Marshall, Times Picayune outdoor staff writer and conservation editor-at-large for Field and Stream spoke about his personal connection to the Gulf Coast and his alarm at what may be in store.

"This river of oil is still flowing out of the Gulf these toxins will stay in the marsh mud for years," said Marshall. "We need your help to turn this around."

Coastal Louisiana was already in trouble prior to the spill. Levees built for flood control have straight-jacketed the Mississippi River. Instead of spreading nutrient-rich sediment that builds and sustains the delta and surrounding wetlands, the sediment funnels into the Gulf of Mexico. Canals dredged for navigation and oil and gas extraction have carved up the once-vast coastal wetland system. The canals accelerate saltwater intrusion, destroying the protective cypress forests and replacing brackish and freshwater wetlands with degraded salt marshes. Coupled with sea-level rise caused by global warming, Louisiana is losing the equivalent of about two football fields of land every hour. Since the 1930s, more than 2,300 square miles of Louisiana's vital marshlands have disappeared. Schweiger made clear that restoration of Coastal Louisiana and a clean energy future would be priorities NWF would aggressively pursue.

For audio of the town hall, visit http://www.vanishingparadise.org/oilspill and interviews contact NWF.

  1. # #

The National Wildlife Federation is America's largest conservation organization inspiring Americans to protect wildlife for our children's future.

Immediate Release: May 5, 2010

Contact:

Tony Iallonardo, senior communications manager, 202-797-6612, iallonardot@nwf.org

]]> Fri, 15 Oct 2010 07:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/press/bp-oil-spill-draws-thousands-of-concerned-sportsmen-to-virtual-town-hall/ Gulf Oil Leak a Concern for Anglers http://vanishingparadise.org/field-report/gulf-oil-leak-a-concern-for-anglers/ by Lew Carpenter

Anglers understand the importance of Coastal Louisiana wetlands to both wildlife and people. For example, a recent virtual town hall hosted by National Wildlife Federation drew more than 9,000 hunters and anglers concerned about the tremendous ecological and wildlife impacts of the BP oil spill along the Gulf Coast.

The ongoing oil leak crisis compounds the rapid loss of wetlands and places a world-class fishing destination at risk. During a mid May poll about the Gulf oil leak, anglers proved they have a variety of concerns, which include recreational fishing bans, personal behavior and long term health of fish populations.

The poll, commissioned by Pure Fishing and facilitated by AnglerSurvey.com, showed the majority of anglers put conservation concerns first. More than 67 percent of anglers who participated in the poll said long-term health of fish populations -as a result of the oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico - was a major concern.

Those responding to the poll also revealed the Gulf crisis will change their angling behavior in many ways. Slightly more than 40 percent of anglers who planned to fish the Gulf, Florida Keys or east coast of Florida in the next 12 months anticipate their fishing activity in those areas will decrease as a result of the leak.

When asked if the number of trips they take to fish for certain species will change, a third to nearly half of anglers predicted a decrease in the number of fishing trips for saltwater species because of the Gulf crisis. However, anglers indicated freshwater fishing might be a viable alternative. Approximately 26 percent of respondents anticipated an increase in the number of trips to fish for largemouth bass and 27 percent expected to take more fishing trips for other freshwater species.

A concern about government restrictions that would ban fishing also was high on anglers' minds, with 62 percent rating this as a major concern.

It's clear that sportsmen place a high recreational value on Louisiana's wetlands, and this catastrophic tragedy may be the catalyst to allow long-overdue restoration projects to move forward. Reconnecting the Mississippi River with the wetlands is the only answer to long-term health and sustainability of the wetlands, as well as the game fish dependent upon the habitat.

]]> Fri, 15 Oct 2010 07:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/field-report/gulf-oil-leak-a-concern-for-anglers/ Study Shows Land Building Feasible for Miss. River Delta http://vanishingparadise.org/articles/study-shows-land-building-feasible-for-miss-river-delta/ What does it mean reconnecting the river with the wetlands and is it possible? A new white paper finds that 700-1200 square kilometers (270-463 square miles) of new land could be built over a century in the Mississippi River Delta…

Reprinted from Delta Dispatch, Nov 2009

A new white paper finds that 700-1200 square kilometers (270-463 square miles) of new land could be built over a century in the Mississippi River Delta if the river's levees were cut below New Orleans, allowing 45 percent of the water and sediment to flow out and build new deltas. This finding contradicts recent arguments that land building in the delta a lost cause because of sea level rise and the fact that dams reduce sediment supply in the river.

The paper, "Is It Feasible to Build New Land in the Mississippi River Delta?" was published in EOS Transactions of the American Geophysical Union paper and authored by University of Texas Department of Geological Sciences Assistant Professors Wonsuck Kim and David Mohrig, Louisiana State University Department of Oceanography and Coastal Sciences Professor Robert Twilley, University of Minnesota Department of Geology and Geophysics Professor Chris Paola, and University of Illinois Department of Geology Professor Gary Parker.

The authors calculate that if you diverted all the sediment in the Mississippi and Atchafalaya Rivers and included the organic sedimentation contribution, one quarter to one half of the Mississippi River Delta land loss estimated in recent studies (see footnotes below) could even be regained.

Barras, J., et al. (2003), Historic and predicted coastal Louisiana land changes: 1978-2050, Natl. Wetlands Res. Cent., U.S. Geol. Surv., Baton Rouge, La.

Blum, M. D., and H. H. Roberts (2009), Drowning of the Mississippi delta due to insufficient sediment supply and global sea-level rise, Nat. Geosci., 2, 488-491.

]]> Thu, 14 Oct 2010 07:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/articles/study-shows-land-building-feasible-for-miss-river-delta/ EPA Administrator, Lisa Jackson, Visits Louisiana http://vanishingparadise.org/articles/epa-administrator-lisa-jackson-visits-louisiana/ Nov 18, 2009

The New Orleans Times Picayune discusses yesterday's visit by EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson. She was in New Orleans for a national conference. In addition to the conference, she took tours of certain neighborhoods and discussed EPA's role in Louisiana.

A month ago, NWF and other environmental organizations advised President Obama that a number of federal agencies have a stake in the future of this area. It looks like the EPA is listening.

"Environmental Connection: An Editorial" :http://www.nola.com/opinions/index.ssf/2009/11/environmental_connection_an_ed.html Times Picayune, Nov 09

"EPA keeping close eye on Louisian, new chief Lisa Jackson says in N.O." :http://www.nola.com/politics/index.ssf/2009/11/post_156.html, Times Picayune, Nov 09

]]> Thu, 14 Oct 2010 07:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/articles/epa-administrator-lisa-jackson-visits-louisiana/ Congratulations to Giveaway Winner, Keith! http://vanishingparadise.org/articles/congratulations-to-giveaway-winner-keith/ Season's Greetings! Keith C. from New York was our winner for the autumn giveaway. He won a Drake MST hunting coat. We're about to start adding your comments to the Tell Us Your Story page, but we wanted to share Keith's thoughts. We think they sum up our reason to help restore Coastal Louisiana wetlands:

Vanishing wetlands, wherever they are, affect us all, not just those of us who hunt delicious waterfowl. Wetlands are nature's re-generator. They harbor and support so many species of flora and fauna. This world is in grave danger if we continue to lose wetlands, rain forests, and prairies. We, as a species, are incredibly destructive. We need to reverse this course.

Absolutely Keith! Hope that coat is well-used!

]]> Thu, 14 Oct 2010 07:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/articles/congratulations-to-giveaway-winner-keith/ Introduced Species Contributes to Coastal Louisiana Wetland Loss http://vanishingparadise.org/articles/introduced-species-contributes-to-coastal-louisiana-wetland-loss/ Credit: USFWS

An article from the New Orleans Times- Picayune examines how one community contemplates a controlled hunt of an invasive wetlands rodent. Not only have levees and navigation channels damaged wetlands, but natural causes, such as sea rise and a pesky critter called Nutria, are adding to the issue.

Nutria were introduced from South America nearly eighty years ago. They were responsible for damaging over 100,000 acres of wetlands during a five year study. Like many invasives, the question is how to deal with them. Full article Nutria hunting proposed along Bayou St. John

--------
See other contributors to wetland loss

]]> Thu, 14 Oct 2010 07:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/articles/introduced-species-contributes-to-coastal-louisiana-wetland-loss/ Field Report: Waiting for Ducks http://vanishingparadise.org/articles/notes-from-the-field-waiting-for-ducks/ NWF Outreach Coordinator Andy McDaniels (foreground) and NWF Senior Manager for Sportsmen's Leadership, Land Tawney, wait patiently for the ducks that never arrived.

by Lew Carpenter

To say that I haven't yet earned a perfect duck hunt in Louisiana is an understatement. Humping my way south with gun and ammo for the first time hardly warrants massive expectations - I've been a first-time hunter before, as we all have.

It's probably best to garner some appreciation for a place - spending time observing - before harvesting its resources. Some might say it's the law of the land, and on a recent duck hunt to Louisiana's wetlands, I spent some quality time waiting for ducks…appreciating…and then I waited some more.

As a conservation professional deeply concerned about the health of Louisiana's wetlands and its relationship with the Mississippi Flyway, the hours spent watching the skies for ducks cemented my appreciation for this unique destination - a place vital to waterfowl and hunter alike. Certainly, the two are joined by countless years of tradition and place.

Tradition spans the deep connection between the hunter - his heritage and passion - and the soul of the sport. And place, obviously, is the habitat neither hunter nor prey can live without.

It comes as no surprise that the old saying "No habitat, no ducks, no hunting," is clearly expressed by the plight of Louisiana's wetlands. These days, a lack of game means more than just being in the wrong place at the wrong time. It can also mean the habitat and natural system that supports said game is broken in some way - be it connectivity issues for big game or, direct and rapid loss of habitat - as is the case in Louisiana's wetlands.

The impact stretches throughout the Mississippi Flyway, affecting a broad swath of this nation's hunters.

So, sitting carefully hidden among the cypress with four companions - NWF staffers Land Tawney from Missoula, and relative company newcomers Andy McDaniels of Oklahoma, and Chris Pulaski and Ben Weber of Louisiana - and our guide, Hunter, we all contemplated the true nature of a bad duck season and the absence of our quarry.

Make no mistake; it was a spectacular day. Two hundred yards in front of us was an active great blue heron rookery. Watching the big, graceful strokes of the majestic birds as they came and went on unknown errands beyond our field of view, while listening to the harsh croaks of their chatter, made us acutely aware that we were visitors.

The constant sounds of life in the flooded timber, the quiet conversations between new-found friends and the expression of our sport without drawing blood - all made the day worthwhile.

Yet I am still left with deep feelings about what is being lost on a grand scale in Louisiana's wetlands. I'll certainly return - perhaps to that exact spot - and hope that we can remedy this loss to our natural treasure before it's too late.

_______________________________

Lew Carpenter is the National Wildlife Federation Regional Representative for Wyoming, Nevada and Nebraska. He lives in Denver, Colorado.

]]> Thu, 14 Oct 2010 07:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/articles/notes-from-the-field-waiting-for-ducks/ Bob Marshall Asks, 'Where's the Ducks?' http://vanishingparadise.org/articles/bob-marshall-asks-wheres-the-ducks/ Sportsman and outdoor writer, Bob Marshall, reviews the duck season lamenting with local hunters on the "worst-ever season" for Louisiana waterfowlers. Bob Marshall gets local opinion and examines possible causes:

"So what's the explanation? Are there just fewer ducks than we're being told? Are they being stopped by land managed changes north of us? Is the habitat in southeast Louisiana finally too poor to attract great numbers of birds?" Wrapup of 2009-10 duck season has been a post-mortem

]]> Thu, 14 Oct 2010 07:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/articles/bob-marshall-asks-wheres-the-ducks/ Vanishing Paradise Unveils National Group Sign-On Letter for Congress http://vanishingparadise.org/press/vanishing-paradise-unveils-national-group-sign-on-letter-for-congress/ by Emily Guidry Schatzel

The Mississippi River Delta needs sound policies before it can be restored for the next generation of sportsmen. Vanishing Paradise is now circulating a national sign-on letter from sportsmen clubs and businesses urging Congress to support large-scale land building restoration projects and encourage cooperation between federal and state agencies.

Sign-on businesses and organizations for the letter include a variety of outdoor equipment manufacturers, businesses, and state and national hunting and fishing organizations. We will be updating the website with a running list of sign-on organizations, so check back often to see if your favorite local businesses have supported coastal Louisiana restoration. "Add your business" ** to the sign-on letter today!

Although the letter is for organizations and businesses, you can also voice your support for this initiative as an individual!

Without a healthy Mississippi River Delta, Sportsman's Paradise is in serious jeopardy!

]]> Thu, 14 Oct 2010 07:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/press/vanishing-paradise-unveils-national-group-sign-on-letter-for-congress/ BP Oil Spill an Epic Catastrophe http://vanishingparadise.org/press/bp-oil-spill-an-epic-catastrophe/ NWF's Andy McDaniels briefs Outdoor Writers Association of America on organization's response to BP oil spill

Rochester, Minn. (June 10, 2010) - The BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is an unfolding tragedy that is having profound impacts on people and wildlife, the National Wildlife Federation said at the annual gathering of the nation's outdoor writers.

"We clearly have an epic catastrophe unfolding," said Andy McDaniels, Coastal Louisiana outreach coordinator for the National Wildlife Federation. "The greatest coastal wetland system in America is at the height of spring wildlife nesting season, including species such as the Louisiana mottled duck. Wildlife in the region now faces the largest oil spill in the nation's history. It is hard to imagine a more dire situation."

The National Wildlife Federation briefed attendees of the Outdoor Writers Association of America annual conference on the tremendous ecological and wildlife impacts of the BP oil spill along the Gulf Coast-an area labeled a "Sportsman's Paradise" because of the world-class fishing and hunting opportunities that draw hunters and anglers from around the United States to the region.

Louisiana's coast sustains one of the world's largest fisheries, produces the largest catch of redfish, hosts up to 20 percent of the nation's wintering waterfowl, and is home to more than 400 species of birds, fish and wildlife. It is bracing for the worst oil spill in America's history.

NWF has a team on the ground in Venice, Louisiana, leading boat tours of the region and has served as a focal point for volunteer activism and media inquiries.

"This river of oil is still flowing out of the Gulf these toxins will stay in the marsh mud for years," said McDaniels, who briefed reporters on the spill. "We need your help to turn this around."

Coastal Louisiana was already in trouble prior to the spill. Levees built for flood control have straight-jacketed the Mississippi River. Instead of spreading nutrient-rich sediment that builds and sustains the delta and surrounding wetlands, the sediment funnels into the Gulf of Mexico. Canals dredged for navigation and oil and gas extraction have carved up the once-vast coastal wetland system. The canals accelerate saltwater intrusion, destroying the protective cypress forests and replacing brackish and freshwater wetlands with degraded salt marshes. Coupled with sea-level rise caused by global warming, Louisiana is losing the equivalent of about two football fields of land every hour. Since the 1930s, more than 2,300 square miles of Louisiana's vital marshlands have disappeared. McDaniels made clear that restoration of Coastal Louisiana would be a priority NWF would aggressively pursue.

For more information , visit www.vanishingparadise.org.

###

Vanishing Paradise is a project by the National Wildlife Federation to restore Louisiana's waterfowl habitat by reconnecting the Mississippi River with the wetlands.

Immediate Release: June 10, 2010

Contact:

Andy McDaniels, mcdanielsa@nwf.org.

]]> Thu, 14 Oct 2010 07:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/press/bp-oil-spill-an-epic-catastrophe/ Outdoor Wisconsin: Habitat Destruction on the Gulf Coast http://vanishingparadise.org/in-the-news/outdoor-wisconsin-habitat-destruction-on-the-gulf-coast/ TV show Outdoor Wisconsin looks at how Wisconsin's migratory waterfowl are impacted by the oil spill and loss of wetlands on Louisiana's Gulf Coast. A number of people working with the Vanishing Paradise campaign are interviewed in this informative video. Air date: October 14, 2010

Habitat Destruction on the Gulf Coast, Outdoor Wisconsin
Milwaukee PBS

]]> Thu, 14 Oct 2010 07:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/in-the-news/outdoor-wisconsin-habitat-destruction-on-the-gulf-coast/ World News: VP Field Report Good News for Coastal Louisiana http://vanishingparadise.org/in-the-news/world-news-vp-field-report/ Vanishing Paradise's video Field Report on the Mabus Recommendations appeared on World News feed. "In an exciting development for coastal restoration this week Navy Secretary Ray Mabus released a report with his recommendations for long-term Gulf Coast restoration following this summer's tragic Gulf oil disaster."

Vanishing Paradise on World News

]]> Tue, 05 Oct 2010 07:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/in-the-news/world-news-vp-field-report/ River Diversions Will Happen http://vanishingparadise.org/articles/river-diversions-will-happen/ By Amanda Moore

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers held a summit in New Orleans in early March with scientific experts and stakeholders to talk about using river diversions to build land in Louisiana. The director Louisiana Governor's Office of Coastal Affairs boldly stated at the start of the summit, "We are going to do diversions in Louisiana. It's going to happen."

A panel of representatives from state and federal agencies listened to dozens of presentations during two days of the summit. The majority of speakers - many of whom warned that we need bold, aggressive action and cannot wait any longer to restore coastal wetlands - expressed support for the use of diversions.

A diverse team from leading nonprofits including the National Wildlife Federation addressed how to best build diversions and the leadership to move the projects forward in a timely manner. The lessons learned from Myrtle Grove, a current diversion authorized by Congress in 2007, were used as a model for future large-scale diversions. The group of nonprofits recognized the opportunities and challenges of building diversions, but assured the panel that inaction was not an option.

The message of the united NGO community was clearly delivered to the state and federal agencies at the summit:

  • Louisiana is extremely vulnerable and at risk due to coastal land loss in the deltaic plain.
  • Large-scale diversions are a vital key to coastal restoration and must be built immediately.
  • This effort must entail strong leadership from the Army Corps, outstanding coordination of both state and federal agencies as well as NGOs, and meaningful engagement of stakeholders.
]]> Fri, 01 Oct 2010 07:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/articles/river-diversions-will-happen/ Anglers Rejoice While Officials Argue Amongst Themselves http://vanishingparadise.org/articles/anglers-rejoice-while-officials-argue-amongst-themselves/ On Friday, August 20th, Louisiana Sportsman magazine reported that the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission overrode a decision by Louisiana Dept of Wildlife & Fisheries and FDA to close more fishing areas. The Commission held a special meeting and decided to immediately reopen all state waters to recreational finfishing. They stated that all tests to date have shown that the seafood is safe to eat and further delays were unnecessary. The article also covers the opinions surrounding the reopening of recreational fishing on commercial fishing interests. Check out the full article with the link below:

LWF Commission Reopens All Recreational Finfishing in All State Waters by Andy Crawford, Louisiana Sportsman

(Psst, Louisiana Sportsman mag is also a good resource for finding a fishing guide now that the waters have reopened)

]]> Wed, 01 Sep 2010 07:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/articles/anglers-rejoice-while-officials-argue-amongst-themselves/ Outdoor News: Trouble in the Gulf http://vanishingparadise.org/in-the-news/outdoor-news-trouble-in-the-gulf/ Dan Small met up with us down in Louisiana to tour the coastal wetlands to see the oil spill and discuss the ongoing loss of coastal marshes. His 3 part series covers his experiences, "It is the story of gradual loss of some of the most valuable wetlands on the continent, punctuated by brief periods of accelerated loss caused by hurricanes, tidal surges, or oil spills."

Part 1: Oil in the Marsh, August 5, 2010
Part 2: A Vanishing Paradise, August 13, 2010
Part 3: Regaining Paradise, August 20, 2010

Outdoor News Inc.

]]> Fri, 20 Aug 2010 07:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/in-the-news/outdoor-news-trouble-in-the-gulf/ New York Times: Playing for Columbus, but Fighting for the Lands Back Home http://vanishingparadise.org/in-the-news/jason-garey-of-columbus-crew-becomes-newest-spokesman/ Vanishing Paradise would like to welcome our newest spokesman, soccer player Jason Garey of the Columbus Crew. Though he lives in Ohio now, he still understands the importance of conserving Coastal Louisiana wetlands.

Full article from the New York Times

]]> Sat, 14 Aug 2010 07:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/in-the-news/jason-garey-of-columbus-crew-becomes-newest-spokesman/ Outdoor Life: Hope for the Best Prepare for the Worst http://vanishingparadise.org/in-the-news/outdoor-life-hope-for-the-best-prepare-for-the-worst/ Joel Lucks of Outdoor Life magazine reports on the Gulf after the oil is plugged. Report includes a great photo gallery.

Hope for the Best Prepare for the Worst by Joel Lucks
Outdoor Life, August 09, 2010

]]> Mon, 09 Aug 2010 07:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/in-the-news/outdoor-life-hope-for-the-best-prepare-for-the-worst/ Great Week for Coastal Louisiana http://vanishingparadise.org/updates/great-week-for-coastal-louisiana/ It has been a long week for the crew of Vanishing Paradise but we are darn proud of what we accomplished. We started off the first half of our week by giving outdoor media tours of Coastal Louisiana to see the oil spill damage and the areas of opportunity to restore the wetlands. There should be some downright amazing articles over the next few months in a variety of outdoor magazines so let us know if you spot them.

We also held a sportsmen's rally at the Venice Marina to demonstrate that sportsmen support restoration of Coastal Louisiana. The food was tasty and the people were amazing. I'm grateful to everyone who showed up to show that sportsmen are true conservationists.

By the end of the week we were all working our tails off to make sure the Melancon Amendment to the CLEAR Act would pass in the House. Our Vanishing Paradise supporters proved to themselves to be great friends as they quickly leaped to sign-on the Melancon letter and personally call their Representatives.

With your help, the U.S. House of Representatives took historic action and passed an oil response bill that provide $1 billion in Gulf Coast restoration. This money is a good start in establishing dedicated funding for restoration projects in Coastal Louisiana.

Though the week is done and I'm worn out, I am proud of all that has been done by our crew with the assistance of the sportsmen and women like you who care about the largest wetland complex in the lower 48 states. Now on to the Senate…

]]> Sat, 31 Jul 2010 07:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/updates/great-week-for-coastal-louisiana/ Wildfowl: Louisiana's Coastal Marshes are Melting Away http://vanishingparadise.org/in-the-news/wildfowl-louisianas-coastal-marshes-are-melting-away/ Over the summer, our crew brought the top outdoor press in America to coastal Louisiana for a tour of the disappearing marsh exacerbated by the oil spill. Chris Madson toured the wetlands and spoke to experts and locals writing a number of fantastic articles on the issue. This one mentions a number of duck species affected by the loss of wetlands.

Louisiana's Coastal Marshes are Melting Away: Drowning the Delta by Chris Madson
Wildfowl, July 18, 2010

]]> Sun, 18 Jul 2010 07:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/in-the-news/wildfowl-louisianas-coastal-marshes-are-melting-away/ Heavy Oil Arrives & the Long Road Ahead http://vanishingparadise.org/updates/heavy-oil-arrives-the-long-road-ahead/ Well my friends, the worst has happened. After a month of spewing oil into the Gulf of Mexico, heavy oil concentrations are moving into the Louisiana wetlands. I shudder to think of the consequences, and of the impacts this will have on the wintering grounds for our waterfowl. Many species of wildlife are already being impacted. Now is the time, we must unite to protect this, our, national treasure. North America's largest wetlands complex and the wintering grounds for over ten million of our ducks and geese is in jeopardy.

Vanishing Paradise folks will be here to help with the clean up and to keep you informed. Help us spread the word, and sign up on vanishing paradise to stay on top of this issue.

State offshore waters near Empire shut down, ‘heavy, brown oil' hits Fourchon beach
Louisiana Sportsman, 5/20/2010

]]> Thu, 20 May 2010 07:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/updates/heavy-oil-arrives-the-long-road-ahead/ Motivating the Masses & Volunteer Efforts http://vanishingparadise.org/updates/motivating-the-masses-volunteer-efforts/ Recent events have put Louisiana's coast in the nation's spotlight. As we prepare for the worst, large-scale coastal restoration just became much more important.The Gulf Coast-which sustains one of the world's largest fisheries and is home to more than 600 species of birds, fish and wildlife-is bracing for what could be the worst oil spill in America's history. It is difficult to fathom the environmental damage that is being caused by this spill, not to mention the socioeconomic repercussions this will have on people and communities who rely on the Gulf Coast for their livelihoods.

The National Wildlife Federation and the Louisiana Wildlife Federation will be on the ground in impacted areas, assessing the impact on wildlife and habitat and helping determine what volunteers can do to help. NWF is coordinating volunteer efforts with local and national partners, BP, and local, state, and federal officials. To sign up to help in the recovery effort, please visit www.gulfresponse.org.

As you know, NWF was already entrenched in the restoration of coastal Louisiana before this spill happened. Now we are using our in-depth knowledge of the ecosystem, wildlife and habitats, and local and state governments to stand at the forefront of volunteer recovery with National Audubon Society, the Barataria-Terrebonne National Estuary Program, and the Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana.

NWF is also on the ground in Louisiana in a big way. President and CEO Larry Schweiger has been touring the area to assess the damage and potential impacts, as well as how NWF can best use our resources to help in the recovery of the coast.

]]> Tue, 04 May 2010 07:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/updates/motivating-the-masses-volunteer-efforts/ Pulitizer Winning Editor Speaks to Sportsmen's Organizations http://vanishingparadise.org/updates/pulitizer-winning-editor-speaks-to-sportsmens-organizations/ Milwaukee, WI-Bob Marshall, Pulitzer prize-winning outdoor editor of The Times-Picayune, addressed attendees of the North American Wildlife Conference at a luncheon hosted by the National Wildlife Federation on Thursday. Marshall spoke to a packed house that included organizations like Orion The Hunters' Institute, Delta Waterfowl, the Wild Sheep Foundation, Ducks Unlimited, the Boone and Crockett club and the National Rifle Association. From start to finish, his presentation placed a spotlight on the national importance of Coastal Louisiana restoration.

"This is not your typical habitat story. It's not about a forest being cut or wetlands being drained or a lake being polluted. All of those are bad, and worth addressing. But in most cases, the habitat being impacted can be repaired," Marshall said. "What's happening in south Louisiana is much, much worse," he continued.

"One of the greatest expanses of fish and wildlife habitat left in North America is being erased from the map permanently. It's being converted to open saltwater, into part of the Gulf of Mexico. Two thousand square miles in the last 70 years have been lost. A delta that took nature 6,000 years to build is being erased in a single human lifetime."

Saving the Mississippi River Delta is a daunting task that will require multi-level coordination throughout our local, state, and federal governments. It can be done, but it will require sportsmen and women from across the country to unite to save this national treasure.

Bob Marshall is a veteran reporter and columnist at The Times-Picayune and conservation editor of Field and Stream whose work on wetlands related issues has earned two Pulitzer Prizes and numerous other awards.

]]> Fri, 02 Apr 2010 07:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/updates/pulitizer-winning-editor-speaks-to-sportsmens-organizations/ Conservation for our Generation http://vanishingparadise.org/blog/conservation-for-our-generation/ "There can be no greater issue than that of conservation in this country."
Theodore Roosevelt, Chicago, August 6, 1912

As I read those words I realize that they remain true nearly one hundred years later. Our fathers and grandfathers taught us to hunt and fish and, in doing so, instilled in us a great love and respect for the wildlife we hunt and the places in which our wildlife depend.

Our grandfathers understood the need for a conservation ethic as they saw waterfowl brought to the brink of extinction by market hunters in the late 19th and early 20th century. It is for this reason and others that the conservation movement began.It is our turn to pick up the torch, for our children and grandchildren.Since the 1930s, more than 1,900 square miles of Louisiana's vital marshlands have disappeared. Every 30 minutes, another area of coastal wetlands the size of a football field disappears. At stake is Louisiana's coastal marshes hosting up to 20% of the nation's wintering waterfowl. Incredibly, more than 10 million ducks and geese from the Mississippi and Central flyways winter on Louisiana's coast.

Hunters and anglers have been at the forefront of the conservation movement for over one hundred years, it is time for us to again stand shoulder to shoulder to address this issue. A conservation plan for the Louisiana coast must be two-fold. First, we must ensure that sound policies and partnerships are in place to support wetland habitats in the region, second, we must continue to conserve and restore coastal marshes. This issue is important and if we work together it can be accomplished. It is for this reason; I will be traveling the states in the Mississippi and Central flyway regions.

Duck and Goose Hunting remain the largest funding source for wetlands protection in the nation. If the quality of duck hunting continues to decline, hunters will be forced to leave the sport. What will happen to the millions of dollars they contribute to wetlands restoration and protection? Things will get much worse for the wetlands our waterfowl depend on without the support of our fellow hunters, and the dollars we bring to conservation. Please join me on my travels and lend your help and support for this all important issue.

]]> Mon, 01 Mar 2010 08:00:00 +0000 http://vanishingparadise.org/blog/conservation-for-our-generation/