OCTOBER 2022
THE GULF COAST POST Want to hear a scary story? Louisiana’s coastal wetlands are disappearing – more than 2,000 square miles have turned into open water in less than a century. That’s the bad news. The good news is that we have solutions to our coastal land loss crisis, and our state has made a lot of progress. CRCL has been a big part of our state’s success so far. But to maximize our effectiveness, we need as much support as possible. There
are
lots
of
ways
to
get
behind
coastal
restoration, but here’s an easy one: CRCL is one of five environmental groups that are finalists in the Land Rover Defender Service Awards, and we’re the only finalist from Louisiana. The winner will be determined in an online vote, and you can vote once per day just by clicking. The grand prize is a Land Rover Defender outfitted for service for the winning nonprofit. If we win, we plan to use the vehicle for our Oyster Shell Recycling Program and Native Plants Program, hauling our trailers filled with oyster shell, native grasses and trees and the tools we use to do our work. Having a vehicle of our own will mean we’ll have more time and another tool to save more Louisiana.
Before and after planting at Big Branch Marsh. Top picture from June 2022. Bottom picture from October 2022. Thank you to our partners at Glass Half Full for sharing these photos
State of the Coast After having to make the 2021 iteration of our State of the Coast conference a virtual affair, we are excited to announce the return of an in-person State of the Coast in 2023. It will be from May 29 to June 3 at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans, and the theme is: Together Again. We expect to open registration and issue a call for proposals next month. In the meantime, visit our SOC website and sign up for updates. We hope to see you in May!
Call for 2023 Board and CAC Members We are seeking to fill positions on both our Board of Directors and our Coastal Advisory Council. Are you or is someone you know interested? Please complete this survey if so. Our Board meets six times per year, with some of those meetings done remotely. Our CAC’s role is strictly advisory, but its members frequently are involved in making public comments on coastal restoration and are invited to join us for many different events.
Join the Conversation Restore the Mississippi River Delta and the state’s Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority are partnering to host a series of meetings starting this month on the 2023 draft Coastal Master Plan, and you are invited. CRCL is a co-host of the first meeting, which will be held in Belle Chasse.
Restoration Programs Updates Oyster shells come full circle We built our fifth oyster reef in September! This community reef was the second in partnership with the Pointe-au-Chien community, near Montegut southeast of Houma. We rallied 165 volunteers to build this 250-foot living shoreline with more than 80 tons of recycled oyster shells. Thank you to the partners, volunteers and sponsors that made this living shoreline project possible. Our oyster reefs slow coastal erosion, create habitat for new oysters and other aquatic species, and minimize storm surge during hurricanes. Plus they keep a valuable natural resource out of the landfill and put it back in the water where it belongs. Now it’s time to replenish the shell pile -- visit one of our restaurant partners and join an upcoming recycling event to prepare shell for our next reef.
See the official video recap of recycled reef #5
Speaking of coastal restoration ... We hosted our first CRCLecture on Oct. 21, with David Muth as the keynote speaker. The bimonthly lecture series was conceived of as a new way to connect with supporters of coastal restoration, one that is both fun and interesting. Speakers will address a variety of topics that may or may not be directly related to coastal restoration. The next lecture in the series will be held in Baton Rouge in December. Follow our social media and check our website for further details.
3935 Louisa Street New Orleans, LA Drop-off hours: Mondays 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Saturdays 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
2831 Marais Street New Orleans, LA Drop-off hours: Wednesday to Saturday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Tis the season to shuck some oysters. Don't forget to visit our public shell recycling drop-off locations to recycle your shells!
CRCL in the News We’ve been all over the news in the past few weeks. Here are some of the highlights: Halle Parker of WWNO covers our fall reef deployment for National Public Radio Darrah Bach, our Oyster Shell Recycling Program coordinator, is interviewed by the BBC radio show/podcast People Saving the World. Darrah also talks to John Snell of Fox 8 about the program. James Karst, our communications director, talks to WWL radio about the Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion. NOLA.com does a profile on Al Duvernay, a member of our Coastal Advisory Council. Kim Reyher, our executive director, talks to WWL radio about coastal restoration spending.
UPCOMING EVENTS 11.4.22 Oyster Shell Recycling Volunteer Event 11.18.22 Grass Planting @ Rutherford Beach 11.19.22 Grass Planting @ Rutherford Beach 12.2.22 Oyster Shell Recycling Volunteer Event 12.10.22 Tree Nursery Planting & Oyster Shell Recycling Volunteer Event 5.31.23-6.2.23 State of the Coast Conference SOC23
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