Hey there, and happy summer! What better time to be taking advantage of Louisiana’s natural beauty and recreational resources than full bloom, sun shine of summer? My name is Victoria Bourque, Special Projects Coordinator for Restore or Retreat, and as a coastal advocate in both my personal and professional lives, my passion for Louisiana’s coast, plus the communities and culture it supports, runs deep. 

After a year like 2020, many people have a reinvigorated desire to be outdoors, enjoying our coastal wetlands with a new sense of care and passion. Louisiana wetlands can be recreationally utilized in a multitude of ways throughout all seasons; however, the summer season brings an immensely larger flow of people to the coast, in addition to 2.3 million Louisiana residents who live there. Restore or Retreat and Restore the Mississippi River Delta Coalition are always looking forward to meeting new friends, while visiting with old friends, to engage and inform all in efforts to enjoy and save our coast… especially in the summer!
 

Hurricane Season

One critical piece of summer that we can’t forget, especially in Louisiana, is preparation. While we are hopeful that our preparations do not have to be put into play, having a plan in the start and throughout hurricane season is crucial. Our state’s coastal agency, CPRA, continues to have a heavy focus on strengthening our first line of defense, barrier islands, in addition to many other supportive and protective restoration projections but we must do our part in preparations, as well. Last year, Restore the Mississippi River Delta Coalition put together a comprehensive hurricane season digital care package, stocked with great resources! Check out the hurricane season care package here, as well as this Delta Dispatches podcast with Meteorologist Steve Caparotta. This video hosted by Restore or Retreat, COAST program partners, and officials from the Governor’s Office of Emergency Preparedness on the must-have plans as Louisiana residents during hurricane season, and additional shared resources.

If you are curious of the flood risk in your current home location, check out CPRA’s Master Plan Data Viewer. Learn more about coastal flood risks to Louisiana communities now and in the future, as well as how to make your home, business, and community safer and more resilient. This viewer displays the results from CPRA’s 2017 Coastal Master Plan and provides resources to reduce risk, as well as the state’s proposed restoration, structural protection, and nonstructural risk reduction projects.

Summer Kid & Family Activities
 

Talking about all of the issues surrounding hurricane season can be a hefty topic for anyone to handle, let alone when you’re trying to explain it to kids. Check out this coloring book that could help your family prepare. “It’s Always Raining in New Orleans: A Children’s Guide to Storms” was created to showcase the oft-hidden structures and vital preparedness procedures that make day-to-day life possible living in a deltaic coastal city.

Aside from hurricane season, let’s immerse ourselves in the beauty that Louisiana has to offer by learning some familiar, and maybe surprising, key features that makes our state a place to treasure… and restore! Restore or Retreat’s Activity Booklet provides a fun set of activities to challenge your knowledge on all things coastal Louisiana, for both kids and adults! Check out this Delta Dispatches podcast for more on bayou eco-tours as a great way to dive into summer and staycation-ing along Louisiana’s coast.

A Coastal Crisis & Our Steps Toward Solutions

It is no secret; coastal Louisiana is at stake. This video is a great overview into the challenges Louisiana is facing with climate change and sea level rise, and the steps being taken to overcome our coast’s challenges. Another critical step against Louisiana’s land loss crisis is the  Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion. Click here to read a letter supporting the project signed by a group of more than 55 natural and physical scientists, engineers and social scientists with a combined 1,300 years of research and technical experience related to Louisiana’s coast – that’s a lot of expertise! Check out this article detailing the significant gains for Louisiana’s coast during the 2021 Louisiana Regular Legislative Session, having adjourned with a strong effort to protect funding for coastal restoration and prioritize community resilience.

Volunteer Opportunity

The Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana has several upcoming volunteer opportunities in their Plaquemines Reef project as part of the Oyster Shell Recycling Program. For this Plaquemines Reef project, volunteers will load bagged oyster shells onto trailers, trucks, and boats at the Buras Boat Harbor site to facilitate on the water deployment by Grand Bayou community members. The Plaquemines Reef will protect a sensitive heritage site from further erosion. Click here to learn more and register! There’s a lot to enjoy and engage on this summer in coastal Louisiana. We hope to see you soon!