Vanishing Paradise

Explosive fishing on Louisiana's barrier islands

Tue, 08 May 2012 07:00:00 +0000

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.

One step forward for plan to restore the coast

Wed, 02 May 2012 07:00:00 +0000

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.

How long must we wait?

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 07:00:00 +0000

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.

New report says addressing Louisiana coastal loss is worth national investment

Tue, 24 Apr 2012 07:00:00 +0000

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.

Shimano American Signs Vanishing Paradise’s Letter to Congress

Thu, 29 Mar 2012 07:00:00 +0000

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.

Shimano American Corporation Signs on to Vanishing Paradise’s Letter to Congress

Wed, 28 Mar 2012 07:00:00 +0000

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.

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.

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)

Is there hope for the coast?

Tue, 27 Mar 2012 07:00:00 +0000

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.

Vanishing Paradise Hails Senate Passage of RESTORE Act on Transportation Bill

Wed, 14 Mar 2012 07:00:00 +0000

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

A Thank You Note From 35 Conservation Groups to 76 Senators

Wed, 14 Mar 2012 07:00:00 +0000

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.

RESTORE Act Passes Senate with Strong Bipartisan Support

Fri, 09 Mar 2012 08:00:00 +0000

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.

Sportsmen: We Need Your Voice TODAY

Thu, 08 Mar 2012 08:00:00 +0000

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.

National Sportsman’s Group Praises Senate for Passing Gulf Restoration Amendment

Thu, 08 Mar 2012 08:00:00 +0000

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.

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.

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

BP settlement needs to include accountability, restoration

Wed, 29 Feb 2012 08:00:00 +0000

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:

Settle the BP Oil Spill Litigation? Maybe, But Let’s Not Let BP Shortchange the Gulf Yet Again (National Wildlife Federation’s Wildlife Promise blog)

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

Oil and water mixing in a vanishing paradise

Mon, 27 Feb 2012 08:00:00 +0000

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

Delta B.A.S.S.

Fri, 24 Feb 2012 08:00:00 +0000

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

Time for the Senate to Act

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 08:00:00 +0000

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!

Win $2,500 of fishing tackle!

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 08:00:00 +0000

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.

National Sportsmen’s Groups to Congress: ‘Restore Mississippi River Delta and Gulf Coast Now’

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 08:00:00 +0000

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

Make A Call for the Gulf

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 08:00:00 +0000

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,*

A Blueprint for Fixing the Coast

Fri, 20 Jan 2012 08:00:00 +0000

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.

Vanishing Paradise Lauds Visionary Coastal Master Plan

Thu, 12 Jan 2012 08:00:00 +0000

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

Something Needs to be Done, But What?

Tue, 20 Dec 2011 08:00:00 +0000

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.

The Good Folks at Recycled Fish

Mon, 14 Nov 2011 08:00:00 +0000

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

The Simple Pleasure of Wandering the Marsh

Sun, 13 Nov 2011 08:00:00 +0000

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.

Photo Contest: Fishing Across America

Thu, 20 Oct 2011 07:00:00 +0000

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® 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.

New Report Shows U.S. Wetland Losses Accelerating

Mon, 17 Oct 2011 07:00:00 +0000

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

Gulf Restoration Gains Momentum With Introduction of House Bill and Task Force Calling For Action

Wed, 12 Oct 2011 07:00:00 +0000

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

New Study Documents BP Oil’s Impact on Common Baitfish in Gulf Ecosystem

Mon, 03 Oct 2011 07:00:00 +0000

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

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The Oil Spill's Lingering Impact on Gulf Minnows

Mon, 03 Oct 2011 07:00:00 +0000

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.

Land Tawney, senior manager for sportsmen leadership with the National Wildlife Federation, said today:

Vanishing Paradise Praises Senate Committee For Approving Gulf Restoration Bill

Wed, 21 Sep 2011 07:00:00 +0000

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.

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.

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

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One Step Forward for Gulf Restoration

Wed, 21 Sep 2011 07:00:00 +0000

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.

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.

The "Laid Back" Sweepstakes

Mon, 12 Sep 2011 07:00:00 +0000

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

From the Delta to the Headwaters

Fri, 02 Sep 2011 07:00:00 +0000

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.

A Letter to the Advocate

Fri, 02 Sep 2011 07:00:00 +0000

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

Faces of the Delta: Captain Ryan Lambert

Mon, 22 Aug 2011 07:00:00 +0000

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.

Barrier Island Bounty

Mon, 08 Aug 2011 07:00:00 +0000

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.”

Meet the Crew: Ben Weber

Fri, 05 Aug 2011 07:00:00 +0000

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.

Win a Tackle Box Trivia Contest!

Fri, 05 Aug 2011 07:00:00 +0000

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.

Restoring Pointe-aux-Chenes

Tue, 02 Aug 2011 07:00:00 +0000

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

Bijou Blowout

Thu, 28 Jul 2011 07:00:00 +0000

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.

Lone Star Outdoor News: Nick Conklin's excellent (angling) adventure

Tue, 26 Jul 2011 07:00:00 +0000

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.

Baton Rouge Advocate: Anglers learn about marsh

Mon, 25 Jul 2011 07:00:00 +0000

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.

Vanishing Paradise Praises Gulf Senators for Cosponsoring Restoration Bill

Thu, 21 Jul 2011 07:00:00 +0000

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.’”

“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

Bipartisan Support for Restoration

Thu, 21 Jul 2011 07:00:00 +0000

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.

“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.”

Only Two Weeks Left to Win 'Cast and Blast' Getaway in Mississippi River Delta

Tue, 19 Jul 2011 07:00:00 +0000

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

Time is Running Out

Fri, 15 Jul 2011 07:00:00 +0000

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?

Sportsmen on Capitol Hill

Thu, 16 Jun 2011 07:00:00 +0000

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.

Sportsmen Tell Congress: Use Oil Spill Fines to Restore the Gulf

Tue, 14 Jun 2011 07:00:00 +0000

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

New Study Confirms Significant Land Loss Along Louisiana Coast

Fri, 03 Jun 2011 07:00:00 +0000

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

New Study Details Rapid Land Loss

Fri, 03 Jun 2011 07:00:00 +0000

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.

Flooding's Impact on Wildlife: VP's Chris Macaluso on CNN

Wed, 18 May 2011 07:00:00 +0000

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

Mercury Marine Gives Support to Sportsmen’s Effort to Restore Louisiana’s Coastal Wetlands

Thu, 28 Apr 2011 07:00:00 +0000

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:

Mercury Marine is On Board

Thu, 28 Apr 2011 07:00:00 +0000

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.

Down Payment for Coastal Restoration

Fri, 22 Apr 2011 07:00:00 +0000

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:

One Year Later: A Look at the BP Oil Disaster’s Effects on Wildlife

Thu, 21 Apr 2011 07:00:00 +0000

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

Sacramento Bee: Help for Gulf Wetlands Still Vital After BP Spill

Wed, 20 Apr 2011 07:00:00 +0000

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.

One Year Later: TeleTown Hall

Mon, 18 Apr 2011 07:00:00 +0000

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 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.

Restoration Wins Big at 2011 Bassmaster Classic

Sun, 27 Mar 2011 07:00:00 +0000

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:

Cast and Blast Giveaway Announced

Fri, 25 Feb 2011 08:00:00 +0000

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

Detroit Free Press: Mississippi Delta's fish are fine, but wetlands vanishing

Thu, 24 Feb 2011 08:00:00 +0000

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.

The Times-Picayune: Southeast Louisiana fishing faces a very uncertain future

Wed, 23 Feb 2011 08:00:00 +0000

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.”

B.A.S.S. Anglers Speak Up for the Louisiana Coast

Sun, 20 Feb 2011 08:00:00 +0000

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.”

Baton Rouge Advocate: Iaconelli helps group's Vanishing Paradise program

Sun, 20 Feb 2011 08:00:00 +0000

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

B.A.S.S. signs VP letter urging Congress to restore Louisiana's Coast

Thu, 17 Feb 2011 08:00:00 +0000

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

Michael Iaconelli Joins Effort to Protect, Restore Louisiana's Coastal Wetlands

Wed, 02 Feb 2011 08:00:00 +0000

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

Louisiana Sportsman: B.A.S.S. pro Iaconelli supports Vanishing Paradise effort

Wed, 02 Feb 2011 08:00:00 +0000

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.

Read the rest of the article in the Louisiana Sportsman here.

DU Calls Attention to Threatened Gulf Coastal Wetlands

Tue, 01 Feb 2011 08:00:00 +0000

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.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – MEMPHIS, Tenn., Feb. 1, 2011

Contact: Lauren Oxner, loxner@ducks.org, 901-758-3851

Vanishing Paradise Praises House Bill Amendment to Dedicate Gulf Oil Spill Fines to Gulf Restoration

Thu, 27 Jan 2011 08:00:00 +0000

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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Chris Nook, Conservation Hero

Wed, 26 Jan 2011 08:00:00 +0000

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.

Wildfowl: Paradise in Peril

Fri, 14 Jan 2011 08:00:00 +0000

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

Oil Spill Commission Says Congress Should Use BP Fines for Gulf Restoration

Wed, 12 Jan 2011 08:00:00 +0000

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

B.A.S.S. Backs Wildlife Federations' Coastal Restoration Efforts

Thu, 06 Jan 2011 08:00:00 +0000

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.

Fall Brings Restoration Developments Following Summer's Oil Disaster

Thu, 16 Dec 2010 08:00:00 +0000

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.

Anglers Fish Re-opened Gulf Waters at the Annual 'Marsh Madness'

Thu, 16 Dec 2010 08:00:00 +0000

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.

Meet the Crew: Chris Macaluso

Thu, 16 Dec 2010 08:00:00 +0000

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.

Vanishing Paradise Unveils New Website

Wed, 15 Dec 2010 08:00:00 +0000

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

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CONTACT:
Emily Guidry Schatzel, National Wildlife Federation, 225.253.9781
Land Tawney, National Wildlife Federation, 406.370.3243

Bob Marshall Interviews Grigsby about the 'Battered Delta' and upcoming Bass Master Classic

Mon, 13 Dec 2010 08:00:00 +0000

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

A-List Celebs Step Up to Restore the Gulf on Women of the Storm Video

Mon, 18 Oct 2010 07:00:00 +0000

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.

Nope, this isn't an old post. Yes, there is new oil washing ashore.

Mon, 18 Oct 2010 07:00:00 +0000

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

National Wildlife Federation Urges Sportsmen to Support Coastal Louisiana Restoration

Mon, 18 Oct 2010 07:00:00 +0000

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

Gulf Region Voters More Likely to Vote for Legislators Who Support Gulf Restoration

Mon, 18 Oct 2010 07:00:00 +0000

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

Mabus Report Delivers on Part of President's Promise to Make Gulf Better than Before

Mon, 18 Oct 2010 07:00:00 +0000

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

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CONTACTS:

Emily Guidry Schatzel, National Wildlife Federation, 225.253.9781, guidrye@nwf.org

A Good Sign for the Wetlands

Mon, 18 Oct 2010 07:00:00 +0000

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.

Ducks Unlimited Urges Obama Administration to Speed Up Restoration Plans

Sat, 16 Oct 2010 07:00:00 +0000

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.

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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

July 28 - Sportsmen for Coastal Restoration Rally in Louisiana

Sat, 16 Oct 2010 07:00:00 +0000

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.

Case Study Gives Glimpse of Future for Gulf Wildlife

Fri, 15 Oct 2010 07:00:00 +0000

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

May 5 - National Sportsmen Chat "What is at Stake in the Gulf Coast?"

Fri, 15 Oct 2010 07:00:00 +0000

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

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Recording of tele townhall

BP Oil Spill Draws Thousands of Concerned Sportsmen to Virtual Town Hall

Fri, 15 Oct 2010 07:00:00 +0000

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.

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

Gulf Oil Leak a Concern for Anglers

Fri, 15 Oct 2010 07:00:00 +0000

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.

Study Shows Land Building Feasible for Miss. River Delta

Thu, 14 Oct 2010 07:00:00 +0000

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.

EPA Administrator, Lisa Jackson, Visits Louisiana

Thu, 14 Oct 2010 07:00:00 +0000

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

Congratulations to Giveaway Winner, Keith!

Thu, 14 Oct 2010 07:00:00 +0000

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!

Introduced Species Contributes to Coastal Louisiana Wetland Loss

Thu, 14 Oct 2010 07:00:00 +0000

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

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See other contributors to wetland loss

Field Report: Waiting for Ducks

Thu, 14 Oct 2010 07:00:00 +0000

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.

Bob Marshall Asks, "Where's the Ducks?"

Thu, 14 Oct 2010 07:00:00 +0000

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

Vanishing Paradise Unveils National Group Sign-On Letter for Congress

Thu, 14 Oct 2010 07:00:00 +0000

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!

BP Oil Spill an Epic Catastrophe

Thu, 14 Oct 2010 07:00:00 +0000

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.

Outdoor Wisconsin: Habitat Destruction on the Gulf Coast

Thu, 14 Oct 2010 07:00:00 +0000

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

World News: VP Field Report Good News for Coastal Louisiana

Tue, 05 Oct 2010 07:00:00 +0000

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

River Diversions Will Happen

Fri, 01 Oct 2010 07:00:00 +0000

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.

Anglers Rejoice While Officials Argue Amongst Themselves

Wed, 01 Sep 2010 07:00:00 +0000

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)

Outdoor News: Trouble in the Gulf

Fri, 20 Aug 2010 07:00:00 +0000

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.

New York Times: Playing for Columbus, but Fighting for the Lands Back Home

Sat, 14 Aug 2010 07:00:00 +0000

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

Outdoor Life: Hope for the Best Prepare for the Worst

Mon, 09 Aug 2010 07:00:00 +0000

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

Great Week for Coastal Louisiana

Sat, 31 Jul 2010 07:00:00 +0000

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…

Wildfowl: Louisiana's Coastal Marshes are Melting Away

Sun, 18 Jul 2010 07:00:00 +0000

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

Heavy Oil Arrives & the Long Road Ahead

Thu, 20 May 2010 07:00:00 +0000

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

Motivating the Masses & Volunteer Efforts

Tue, 04 May 2010 07:00:00 +0000

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.

Pulitizer Winning Editor Speaks to Sportsmen's Organizations

Fri, 02 Apr 2010 07:00:00 +0000

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.

Conservation for our Generation

Mon, 01 Mar 2010 08:00:00 +0000

“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.