City Park CEO: Improving Drainage Is a Top Priority
NEW ORLEANS – The reopening of Carousel Gardens and the return of special events are great news for New Orleans City Park – but new CEO Cara Lambright says support from the community will…
Outdoor
Pontchartrain Conservancy to Launch Water Quality App
NEW ORLEANS – Pontchartrain Conservancy has created an Android and iOS app that will provide the public with the environmental nonprofit's weekly water quality sampling results. The Lake&Coast app will be available for download starting this August in celebration of…
River Ecologist Named Director of Tulane Bywater Institute
NEW ORLEANS (press release) - John Sabo has been hired as the new director of the Tulane ByWater Institute. Sabo’s appointment is effective Aug. 1, 2021 when, in addition to leading the ByWater Institute, he will be a full professor…
Solar Plants Draw Concerns from Louisiana Farmers, Officials
BATON ROUGE (AP) — The push to build solar plants in Louisiana has been drawing increasing scrutiny from state lawmakers and local officials, who say farmers fear being crowded out of land leases by solar companies with deeper pockets. The…
McIlhenny Family, Owners of Tabasco, Trying to Save Wetlands
AVERY ISLAND, La. (AP) — As storms grow more violent and Louisiana loses more of its coast, the family that makes Tabasco Sauce is fighting erosion in the marshland that buffers its factory from hurricanes and floods. Overall, the effort…
Entergy Helps ‘Sweep’ Lake Pontchartrain Basin
JEFFERSON, La. (press release) — Entergy has provided a $15,000 grant to the Pontchartrain Conservancy to support the nonprofit’s mission of driving environmental sustainability and stewardship through scientific research, education and advocacy. “We are grateful to Entergy for their ongoing…
Zipline Facility Coming to LaPlace
NEW ORLEANS (press release) – Zip NOLA is opening this month at 301 Peavine Road in LaPlace. Featuring five ziplines constructed 60 feet above the Maurepas Swamp, Zip NOLA offers thrill-seeking visitors and nature lovers of all ages the chance…
Scientists Express Support for Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion
NEW ORLEANS (press release) — 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 have co-authored and signed a letter voicing…
Edwards Announces $61.6M in Flood Mitigation Grants
BATON ROUGE – Louisiana will spend $61.6 million in federal money on 16 flood risk reduction projects throughout the state, Gov. John Bel Edwards' office announced. The projects are part of officials’ plans to spend a $1.2 billion grant the state received…
Committee Advances Coastal Funding Bill That May Affect Lawsuits
(The Center Square) – A Louisiana Senate committee advanced legislation Wednesday that supporters said would ensure money collected for violations of coastal permits is dedicated to coastal restoration and protection. An attorney for parishes that are suing oil companies over…
James M. Cox Foundation Donates $1.1M to Coastal Restoration
BATON ROUGE – The James M. Cox Foundation has announced a $1.1 million grant to support wetlands conservation efforts along Louisiana’s Gulf Coast. The planned project will include the construction of terracing and restoring the flow of sediment-rich water to…
'Louisiana Sunshine Magazine' Will Promote State to Visitors
BATON ROUGE – The Louisiana Office of Tourism is unveiling Louisiana Sunshine Magazine to promote the state to leisure travelers. “We want our visitors to feel right at home by sharing our locals’ insider tips and favorite spots to fish,…
Study: Mississippi River Engineering Has Helped Contain Carbon
NEW ORLEANS - A new study co-authored by a Tulane University geoscientist shows that human efforts to tame the Mississippi River may have had an unintended positive effect: more rapid transport of carbon to the ocean. The paper, published in…
Crescent City Classic Organizers Hope to Raise More Than $1M
Activism, Dining/Entertainment, Hospitality, Nonprofit, Outdoor, Philanthropy, Today's Business News
NEW ORLEANS – With the 43rd annual Allstate Sugar Bowl Crescent City Classic less than one month away, race officials with the Crescent City Fitness Foundation announced the goal of raising $1 million for local nonprofits at this year’s virtual…
Fleet of 500 Blue Bikes Will Return to N.O. Streets in September
Activism, Dining/Entertainment, Hospitality, Innovation, Outdoor, Technology, Today's Business News, Transportation
NEW ORLEANS – Blue Krewe and the City of New Orleans have announced that Drop Mobility has been selected as the vendor to provide e-assist bikes and software for the relaunch of the city's "Blue Bikes" bike share program. Blue…
Tour de Jefferson Scheduled for Sunday, April 18
METAIRIE - The Jefferson Chamber will host the Tour de Jefferson from 7:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. on Sunday, April 18. The event will begin and end at Estelle Playground, 5801 Leo Kerner, Lafitte Pkwy. in Marrero. "We're thrilled to…
Tulane Researchers Studying Volcanic Eruption on the Galapagos Islands
NEW ORLEANS - Scientists from Tulane University are part of an international team of researchers whose study of the 2018 eruption of the Sierra Negra volcano in the Galápagos Islands provides information about future volcanic activity on the islands. Their…
Coalition Advocates for Wetlands Restoration Project
NEW ORLEANS — Last week, the Army Corps of Engineers released an environmental impact statement for the Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion. This Louisiana Coastal Master Plan project hopes to reconnect the Mississippi River to adjacent wetlands to build and maintain tens…
Week in Review, March 1-5: Louisiana Industry Plays Defense
Activism, COVID-19, Dining/Entertainment, Environment, Healthcare, Hospitality, Oil and Gas, Outdoor, Politics, Technology, Today's Business News
NEW ORLEANS - The Louisiana oil and gas and petrochemical industries had to play defense this week. First, Attorney General Jeff Landry announced plans to publicly authorize a $100 million settlement with oil and gas company Freeport McMoRan Inc. A…
Louisiana Iris Makes a Comeback in Grand Isle’s Nature Conservancy
GRAND ISLE, La. – The Louisiana Iris Conservation Initiative planted over 500 Louisiana Irises on the Nature Conservancy’s Lafitte Woods Preserve nature trail. The LICI organized the iris restoration project with the Grand Isle Nature Conservancy, the Grand Isle Garden…
La. Bond Commission Approves Up to $300M in Construction Borrowing
BATON ROUGE – The Louisiana State Bond Commission approved up to $300 million in borrowing Thursday for construction projects. The bonds will fund about $288 million in lines of credit, of which $250 million is for state projects, $29 million…
Cook-Off for the Coast Goes Virtual
NEW ORLEANS — The first virtual iteration of Cook-Off for the Coast - a project of Restore the Mississippi River Delta, Vanishing Paradise, the Meraux Foundation, the Saint Bernard Parish Coastal Division, St. Bernard Parish Tourism and the Southern Food…
Levee System Would Bolster Southeast Louisiana Storm Protection
BATON ROUGE – The federal government has proposed building a levee system that could give residents of seven southeast Louisiana parishes the same level…
La. to Receive $26.7M as Part of $366M Coastal Project
BATON ROUGE – Louisiana is getting $26.7 million as part of a $366 million project to restore coastal marshland and defend against hurricanes, the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority announced Tuesday. The Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council, or RESTORE Council,…
Louisiana to Ban Oyster Harvest on 4 Reefs to Boost Numbers
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Aiming to increase the numbers of oysters spawning in public waters, Louisiana is taking steps to forbid harvesting on four artificial reefs. The reefs are east of the Mississippi River in St. Bernard and Plaquemines parishes,…
Unexplained Die-Off Latest Blow to Louisiana Oyster Fishers
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Oyster harvesters and a state agency are trying to find the reason for the death of millions of pounds of oysters in some Louisiana harvesting areas in January. The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate reports that harvesters believe…
Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana Names New Board Leadership
NEW ORLEANS — The Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana has announced its 2021 board membership and leadership. The organization, which was founded in 1988, has brought public awareness to the state’s coastal land loss crisis and helped craft solutions to…
Blue Krewe Needs Help Kick-Starting N.O. Bikeshare Program
Dining/Entertainment, Hospitality, Innovation, Nonprofit, Outdoor, Technology, Today's Business News, Transportation
NEW ORLEANS - When the city’s next bikeshare program launches later this year, it won’t be using the same motorized blue bikes that disappeared from local streets last May. Those were shipped out of…
Cara Lambright Named CEO of City Park
NEW ORLEANS - The City Park Improvement Association has announced that Cara Lambright will become the next chief executive officer of the 167 year-old park starting this February. "We are starting 2021 with a clear and progressive plan for the…
Army Corps Proposes $2B to Improve Levees in South Louisiana
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A federal agency is proposing $2 billion in improvements to the levee system that protects against hurricane flooding along portions of seven parishes in south Louisiana. The Army Corps of Engineers plans virtual public meetings Tuesday…
