Summer is here! While we often view the smothering and lingering heat as an annual burden, I challenge you to take a different perspective. Summer heat and rain are part of what makes Louisiana’s ecosystems so incredibly diverse and special. Without summer, our beautiful live oaks wouldn’t be so grand and vibrant, our coast wouldn’t be filled with birds, and we wouldn’t hear the hum of the cicadas fill the air at night.
Don’t get me wrong: summers in Louisiana can be brutal, but I encourage you to focus on the beautiful nature around us and remember that our toughest season is part of what makes Louisiana thrive.
This month we're featuring natural landbuilding at Neptune Pass and its lessons for coastal restoration, shorebird protection during 4th of July, helpful resources for hurricane preparedness, and more. This summer, let’s appreciate our unique natural environment and work together to protect and restore our coast for many summers to come.
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Dennis Clutter
Community Engagement Coordinator
Pontchartrain Conservancy
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| Restore the Mississippi River Delta staff walking on some of Louisiana's newest land |
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Trip Spotlight: Neptune Pass
At the end of May, several MRD employees visited the downriver community of Buras to witness real-time coastal restoration at Neptune Pass. Located on the eastern bank of the Mississippi River, Neptune Pass is a natural crevasse that has experienced rapid widening due to river floods in the last five years. The resulting influx of water and suspended sediment has started accumulating downstream of the pass and producing some of the newest land in the state. Led by Pontchartrain Conservancy’s Michael Hopkins and Cajun Fishing Adventures’ Ryan Lambert, we witnessed firsthand the creation of new, thriving marsh habitat, all made possible by the natural land-building process of Neptune Pass.
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| Emerging vegetation at Neptune Pass |
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Downstream of the pass, there are visible indicators of sediment accumulation like young grasses emerging just above the water level, anchored into mud that will soon breach the surface and become new land. As sediment accumulates, plant species become established, and within a few years, underwater mud and sandbars progress into a thriving marsh teeming with wildlife. We observed over thirty species of birds in the area, including several with active nests. Ryan and Michael pointed out several locations in and around Bay Denisse and Quarantine Bay that have seen dramatic increases in land gain and vegetation growth in just a few years.
Neptune Pass has been one of MRD’s highlight case studies in river dynamics and shows us how we can use manmade structures like sediment diversions to mimic the natural land-building process. In our trips there over the last few years, we’ve seen further and further land construction and marsh creation, all powered by the Mississippi River’s natural processes. If you have the opportunity to visit Buras, we highly recommend seeing Neptune Pass in person for an example of what we at MRD would like to see across our coast.
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| Want to make your voice heard in support of protecting and restoring our beautiful coast? Add your name to the list of over 200 businesses, organizations, and individuals throughout Louisiana urging the state to maintain our successful coastal program. You can read the full open letter here and see the press release here. And check out the nola.com and Washington Post articles about the letter, which include responses and further context. |
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| Two least tern chicks in a nest on Grand Isle / Erik Johnson, Audubon Delta |
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Call for Volunteers:
Audubon Delta Shorebird Projects
The smallest tern in the world, the least tern, nests in colonies where each pair lays two to three eggs that carefully camouflage into sandy and shell-laden beaches. Unfortunately, with sea-level rise, habitat degradation, and increased human encroachment on the Gulf Coast, suitable beachfronts for these birds become scarcer every year. In response, a few colonies have adjusted to nesting on gravel rooftops around New Orleans and other coastal places.
As the 4th of July quickly approaches, Audubon Delta is recruiting volunteer bird stewards to help protect these nesting birds along beachfronts of Louisiana and Mississippi. The loud noises and bright lights from fireworks, coupled with increased human activity close to nesting areas, can cause colonies to abandon their nesting sites. Volunteers help us ensure that beachgoers do not enter protected nesting areas, educate visitors, and help monitor the birds’ nesting outcomes. This is a family-friendly volunteer opportunity with the flexibility to choose your day, time, and location. If you’d like to learn more about what you can do to help protect Least Terns, then please register in advance for the virtual volunteer orientation on June 20 at this link or contact [email protected].
Volunteers are also welcome to join our Greater New Orleans Rooftop-nesting Program, which takes place each year from April through August. If you would like to learn more, or if you suspect you have found a rooftop nesting colony, please contact [email protected]. |
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| Dennis Clutter, Scot Pilié, and Kristi Trail at Pontchartrain Conservancy's Storm Aware & Prepare event June 1 |
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Start of Hurricane Season
With a forecasted above-average hurricane season having officially started on June 1, it’s important to be hurricane aware and prepared. Here are some important tips as we begin this season courtesy of meteorologist Scot Pilié:
- Create an Emergency Kit: Include water, non-perishable food, medications, batteries, and important documents.
- Have a Family Plan: Know your evacuation routes and establish a communication plan.
- Stay Informed: Monitor weather updates and alerts from reliable sources.
- Secure Your Home: Check and reinforce your home’s structure, secure outdoor items, clear out storm drains, catch basins, and secure loose trash to help alleviate flooding.
- Get to Know Your Neighbors: Build relationships with your community to support each other before, during, and after a hurricane.
For more detailed information and resources, visit:
The very active forecasted season is another sobering reminder as to why supporting coastal restoration and protection efforts is so crucial. If we restore and protect the coast, the coast can protect us. |
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Save the Date: Hurricane Ready and Resilient
Sông Community Development Corporation will be hosting an in-person hurricane preparedness event from 11 AM – 1 PM on June 29th at the Mary Queen of Vietnam Church. There will be resources and information from city and community organizations. You can learn more about Sông CDC here: https://www.songcdc.org/.
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This past Wednesday was Juneteenth, which celebrates the day in 1865 that enslaved people in Galveston, Texas finally learned that they were free. This holiday has long been celebrated by Black Americans and was finally made a federal holiday in 2021. This article from the Equal Justice Initiative's History of Racial Injustice Calendar provides an excellent explainer on the day's history and the legacy of slavery in present-day America.
Juneteenth falls during Pride Month, which presents an opportunity to celebrate the intersection of Black and LGBTQ+ identities. This essay by Preston D. Mitchum outlines the history of LGBTQ+ people of color and their ongoing resistance to oppression in the present. This story from the Associated Press features celebrations that merge Juneteenth and Pride.
More resources below:
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Featured Recipe: Coconut Milk & Fresh Herbs Yellowfin Salad
With the weather getting warmer, I think it’s time to bust out some of the cold recipes! Our Coastal Community Cookbook highlights lots of recipes using Gulf seafood authored by Gulf residents. This month’s recipe highlight comes to us from Jared Austin of the New Orleans-Baton Rouge Steamship Pilots Association. Pairing yellowfin tuna with citrus juice, peppers, and coconut milk, this delicious recipe is the perfect blend of spicy, fresh, and cooling.
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