Note from Storm: This is more of a mini-photo-essay than an article. I’m including it in this issue of REVITALIZATION because it’s reporting on the kind of experience I dearly love, and which more people need: witnessing the results of ecological restoration first-hand.
Even better: witnessing the results of ecological restoration in which we have played a role. After decades of bad news about the state of nature, there’s a profound satisfaction–even a form of bliss–that comes from actively healing our damaged planet.
From the article: On June 18, 2015, the Mississippi River Delta Restoration Coalition team traveled south to Plaquemines Parish to tour some of Louisiana’s disappearing wetlands.
Andy Buchsbaum, National Wildlife Federation’s Vice President of Conservation Action, was in town to see our work firsthand. We packed the cars and drove to Buras, La to meet Ryan Lambert, owner of Cajun Fishing Adventures.
We piled into two bay boats and set off through the marshes of Fort St. Philip. He explained how this natural opening on the east side of the Mississippi River was loading sediment into the marshes, building ground for plants to grow on. He has seen how rich and diverse the vegetation has become, and how wildlife has returned in droves in the last few years.
Everyone agreed that seeing the coast we are fighting to restore is a crucial part of our work. Our supporters in Plaquemines Parish, ground zero for Louisiana Coastal Restoration, are some of the most fervent advocates of restoration.