Huddled Masses: Wetland Watch

A CALL TO ACTION FOR COASTAL PROTECTION OF THE GREATER NEW ORLEANS AREA TO LOCAL, STATE AND FEDERAL GOVERNMENT

Join Wetlands Watch google groups for updates at: http://groups.google.com/group/wetlands-watch?hl=en

We, the concerned citizens demand the following action from Congress (at state, federal and local levels).

1-      Allow Louisiana to move bills that contains its coastal restoration programs out of the WRDA (Water Resources Development Act) process so they can be reviewed, approved and funded in two years rather than the eight to 10 now required.

2-      Support the state's Master Plan for coastal restoration. This includes massive and many river diversions

3-      Support and fast-track funding to re-build our barrier islands

4-      START MOVING DIRT, DIVERT THE RIVER, REBUILD THE MARSHLANDS, and RESTORE THE CYPRESS FORESTS...NOW!

We the citizens and friends of the greater New Orleans area support and demand action to restore Louisiana's coast. Although levee projects are undeniably important in the protection of New Orleans, we are painfully aware and frustrated that coastal restoration action has been conducted at an astonishingly and agonizingly slow pace. Two years ago, Coastal experts have stated unequivocally that we had a 10 year window to restore our protective coast.

Eight years remain and the bureaucratic logjam remains an enormous obstacle.

Our coastal wetlands play an enormous role in the protection of the greater New Orleans area. Recent research shows healthy coastal marshlands are incredibly effective at weakening and markedly damping the devastating force of storm surge. Massive destruction and deforestation has crippled our once robust coast and severely compromised the safety and vitality of our communities.

Louisiana's coastal wetlands, created by the Mississippi river delta, has historically maintained the wetlands with fresh water and nourishing silt by flooding it's banks in a seasonal fashion. Due to the construction of the vast Mississippi River levee system, our protective marshlands no longer receive this freshwater silt lifeline. Additionally, dredging for oil, gas, shipping and development led to almost 20,000 miles of canals being dredged into the marshlands. These 20,000 miles of manmade canals have allowed salt water to penetrate and poison the marsh and, much like a cancer continues to destroy once robust cypress forests and natural storm surge protection. The only manner to meet the freshwater/silt needs of the wetlands is massive river diversions. 

Although it has been reported that 40% of the nation's domestic oil and gas production comes through our coast from more than 4000 oil and gas rigs via a massive highway of pipelines, the economic considerations of coastal erosion and catastrophic loss of storm surge protection had never entered the calculus.

We have lost 2000 square miles of marshland in the last several decades, 200 alone in the month hurricane Katrina ravaged coastal Louisiana.

We continue to lose one football field of marshland storm surge protection every 38 minutes. 

We are dissatisfied and terribly concerned that the LOCAL, STATE, AND FEDERAL GOVERNMENT agencies are delaying and neglecting the emergency of meaningful coastal restoration. It is our desperate wish to rally to a great project that will harness and inspire the talents of the community. We are ground zero of the Mississippi delta and coastal restoration issues. We need to be leaders of our nation's coastal issues, not reluctant nor expectant victims. The economic wealth of the nation and state of Louisiana depends on the health of our coast. They are inextricably bound. 

This petition is supported by Huddled Masses/Wetlands Watch.

 Huddled masses/ Wetlands Watch represent a group of concerned citizens who in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina have gathered to address the ongoing catastrophic loss of Louisiana's wetlands. WW is a wetlands advocacy/watchdog group whose goal is to urge local, state and federal action to restore and reclaim our endangered marshes.

Join Wetlands Watch google groups for updates at:
http://groups.google.com/group/wetlands-watch?hl=en

Further Resources:

Loosing Louisiana

New Orleans Times Picayune
December 14-16. 2008
http://www.nola.com/coastal/>http://www.nola.com/coastal/

The Clock Is Ticking on the Wetlands
January, 2008
The Times Picayune
http://www.nola.com/timespic/stories/index.ssf?/base/news-0/1193550536110240.xml&coll=1>http://www.nola.com/timespic/stories/index.ssf?/base/news-0/1193550536110240.xml&coll=1

Last Chance
Times %u2013 Picayune
March, 2008
http://www.nola.com/speced/lastchance/>http://www.nola.com/speced/lastchance/

New Orleans: A Perilous Future
National Geographic
http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2007/08/new-orleans/new-orleans-text>http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2007/08/new-orleans/new-orleans-text

Time Magazine cover story
August, 2007
http://www.time.com/time/specials/2007/article/0,28804,1646611_1646683_1648904,00.html>http://www.time.com/time/specials/2007/article/0,28804,1646611_1646683_1648904,00.html
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1649299,00.html

Gone with the Water
National Geographic, November 2004
National Geographic
http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0410/feature5/>http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0410/feature5/

American Museum of Natural History Exhibit: Water H2O = Life
http://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/water/?section=regeneration&page=regeneration_cii