Happy New Year! For me, this time of year is spent recovering from the holidays, reflecting on the previous year and pausing to prepare myself before the hustle and bustle of Mardi Gras season and work picking back up. Often that pause happens in nature –usually looking over the watery sunset on Lake Pontchartrain. Romanticism boasts of the healing and restorative properties of being in nature and I’d have to agree. As we work to restore our Mississippi River delta, it may be helpful to pause and let it restore us.
The recent arctic blast has kept me indoors away from my usual outdoor “nature-gazing.” In a way, I’m grateful for the cold weather. When the high winds keep me from the lake front, they encourage me inside to eat warm comfort food with family and friends. May these cold days draw us closer, but may we also use the pause to prepare for the warm days to come.
This month we are looking forward to the CPRA Annual Plan public hearings and preparing for Cook-Off for the Coast. Read about both below.
Get your flu shot!
|
|
|
|
|
Emma Frederick
Outreach Coordinator (Americorps)
Pontchartrain Conservancy
|
|
|
|
Fiscal Year 2026 Annual Plan
The Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority has released its draft Annual Plan for Fiscal Year 2026. You can view the interactive plan or read the plan in full at ap26.coastal.la.gov. There will be four public meetings about the 2026 Annual plan across coastal Louisiana. At these meetings, community members will be able to make comments about the plan.
- January 28th at 5:30pm in Lake Charles
- January 30th at 5:30pm in Houma
- February 11th at 5:30pm in Jefferson
- And a Virtual Public meeting February 12th at 1:30pm
Consider attending one of these meetings to learn more about the annual plan and have your voice be heard. View CPRA’s calendar for more details.
Can't make it to a meeting? Submit a written comment instead! The written comment deadline is March 22, 2025. You can email the CPRA at [email protected] OR mail comments to this address:
Coastal Protection & Restoration Authority
Public Comments
150 Terrace Avenue,
Baton Rouge, LA 70802
Letters must be mailed to arrive no later than March 22, 2025. |
|
|
|
Cook-Off for the Coast
Join us to celebrate the coast on February 1, 2025, at Docville Farms! Cook-Off for the Coast 2025 is a free, family-friendly event with great food, live music and more!
The Cook-Off is hosted by the Meraux Foundation, Vanishing Paradise and Restore the Mississippi River Delta. Check out our blog post about Cook-Off for the Coast 2024 and get excited to try some delicious food and learn more about coastal restoration. Proceeds from this year's Cook-Off will benefit the Nunez Community College’s Coastal Studies Scholarship Program, providing opportunities for students to earn their degree and directly impact our region’s coastal initiatives.
Interested in sponsoring this event? Email [email protected] to learn more. |
|
|
|
Ultimate Winter Fishing Thanks to Rock Dam
The colder weather has arrived and with it, warnings of potential fish deaths, a search for manatees in Lake Pontchartrain, but also the opportunity for great fishing in Hopedale. Down the road past New Orleans into lower St. Bernard, you can find some hot fishing action in this cold month. The spot is accessible by a quick paddle down the MRGO along a rock damn structure that was constructed after hurricane Katrina. This restoration project was designed to help stabilize the salinity fluctuations across the Pontchartrain Basin, protecting the upper estuary from saltwater intrusion that had led to the devastation of cypress trees and swamp habitat. Read more about the fishing spot in the Louisiana Sportsman.
In other fishing news, The Striped Bass Collaborative Anglers Project (SBCAP) is a community science initiative in the Pontchartrain Basin that - through the help of people fishing in the area - will allow LDWF biologists to better understand the Striped Bass population. They are calling for tissue samples from any caught Striped Bass or a cleaned carcass. Visit this link to learn more. |
|
|
|
California Wildfires Relief
The climate crisis has caused rising global temperatures and altered precipitation patterns. This is a huge contributing factor to the ongoing and recently devastating wildfires in California. Homes, businesses and communities were lost in moments to the raging fires and thousands of people have fled their homes. Please consider donating to the American Red Cross, California Fire Foundation, California Community Foundation’s Wildfire Recovery Fund, World Central Kitchen, or another fund. |
|
|
|
Featured Recipe: Oyster Artichoke Soup
Whether you are sharpening your cooking skills ahead of Cook-Off for the Coast or simply making something warm to get you through the cold weather, this recipe from our Coastal Community Cookbook is sure to be delicious. This month’s recipe highlight comes to us from Yvette Jemison of the Y Kitchen food blog. Oysters are my favorite part of the cooler months, and this soup is exactly what I need to warm up this January.
Have a recipe from the Gulf Coast you'd like to share? Let us know at the link below! |
|
|
|
|
