Coalition To Restore Coastal Louisiana

Ever since reading the book «Bayou Farewell» by Mike Tidwell I’ve been concerned about the state of the shrinking coastline in Louisiana. Hurricanes, misguided land use and development all take their toll on the wetlands and barrier shoreline, causing land loss on this beautiful coast at an alarming rate. The southeast Louisiana coastline is now the fastest disappearing landmass on earth, with an estimated 600,000 acre loss predicted within the next 50 years. That’s not only bad news for the fishermen and women who make their livings here, but could be catrastrophic for the birds who make the barrier islands their first stop on the migratory route every year. The wetlands and barrier islands also protect the gas and oil drilling infrastucture that are now such an integral part of the economy. This impacts not only Louisiana, but also the rest of the country, as 25% of the oil and gas consumed in this country come from here, and 80% of our country’s off shore oil and gas pass through here. It also means hurricanes will impact cities further inland, such as New Orleans, Baton Rouge and Lafayette, with much more force and destruction than ever. What to do? Well, lots of fine minds are at work on the problem, and the Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana is at the forefront of this movement. They are heading up programs using volunteer people power to restore mangrove trees and marsh grasses on the bayous and rebuilding sand dunes and sand fences along the coast. CRCL has also been instrumental in getting the word out about this problem with their educational programs and annual State of the Coast conference, which will be taking place in New Orleans this year from June 25 – 27. This issue may seem remote to you if you don’t live anywhere near Louisiana, but habitat loss affects us all. I think about it everytime I eat Gulf shrimp and fish.