Common Ground Relief - Wetlands

MRGO Must GO: Common Ground Relief Support the Campaign to close the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet

Fri, 20 Jun 2008 19:04:46 +0000

by Edwin Lopez
Photo by Peter Lucak
June 19, 2008

On Tuesday, June 17 a coalition of concerned citizens gathered in front of the St. Bernard Government Complex. They posted a stream of yard signs along Judge Perez Street and waved signs exclaiming that MRGO must go. Catching the attention of passing traffic, both in and out of Chalmette, participants of the event encouraged drivers to pull over and collect yard signs and bumper stickers to take with them. The purpose of the event was to raise local awareness concerning the now de-authorized Mississippi River Gulf Outlet (otherwise known as MRGO).

The man-made76 mile canal was constructed in the 1960s as a shortcut for large vessel coming in from the Gulf of Mexico. Prior to Hurricane Katrina criticism befell the use of the outlet due to the small number of ships that passed through and the multi-million dollar maintenance costs. Also of concern were the detrimental effects on the natural wetlands. As Katrina approached, MRGO served as a funnel that intensified the storm surge that entered the Industrial Canal and contributed to the breakage of the levee.

The restoration of the channel is imperative due to the loss of natural wetlands that could have served as a barrier to the surge. When the outlet was opened it allowed salt water to enter inland and eventually kill an entire forest of trees. Although the Army Corps of Engineers already plans to fill the canal, the coalition is concerned that it may not occur in a timely manner and stressed the need for restoration.

The coalition made the following press statement, “The MRGO Must Go campaign applauds the Corp's decision to plug the channel, but is asking the public to take action to ensure the channel is plugged on time. The campaign also asks the public to ensure the White House and Congress keep the Corps focused on restoring the MRGO-damaged wetlands that used to protect New Orleans and St. Bernard.”

Common Ground's Wetlands Restoration Project

Fri, 30 Nov 2007 14:20:34 +0000

Common Ground planting bulrush in the wetlands outside of New Orleans. Planting bulrush helps stop soil erosion and wetlands loss. The wetlands are important barriers against hurricanes. By planting bulrush, Common Ground is simultaneously restoring habitat and helping to prevent damages from future Hurricanes. Watch Video

Wetlands Restoration

Fri, 04 Aug 2006 14:20:48 +0000

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:

The Common Ground Wetlands Restoration program was created to proactively address the dangers faced by New Orleans and the Gulf Coast. We work to bring immediate attention to the ecological and political causes and effects of the 2005 hurricane devastation. The goal is to shed light on where wetlands restoration needs to happen, determine who should be responsible for doing it, and then to do it ourselves where ever possible. We are also dedicated to educating as many folks as possible, both in Louisiana and beyond, on the critical role that wetlands play in our protection from storm surge and how to best keep them healthy. Our goal is to work with consideration and in solidarity with the people of the Gulf Coast.

Information for Interested School Groups

Fri, 14 Sep 2007 01:19:26 +0000

Common Ground Relief's wetlands restoration project currently collaborates with several nonprofits which have a special focus on developing and implementing wetlands education for school aged children. Since the responsibility of wetlands restoration will be passed on to the next generation, we feel that wetlands education is a central priority. Seminars, educational resources, lesson plans, coloring books and more are available to teachers and administrators who are interested in bringing wetlands into the classroom. Hands-on teaching with a strong restoration and conservation focus characterizes most wetlands education programs.

Information for Prospective Volunteers

Fri, 14 Sep 2007 01:16:12 +0000

Common Ground wetlands restoration project is not accepting volunteers for general labor at this time. As the project matures, we believe it is important to shift to a more community-oriented restoration model. That said, we welcome collaborations with individuals, school groups, persons with wetlands expertise, and nonprofits across the country. We would love to talk about how we can work together to raise awareness about the importance of wetlands.

Long-term volunteers willing to acquire a large knowledge base, build and maintain community connections, and work independently in developing programs that are responsive to the community's wetlands restoration needs and goals are welcome to apply through Common Ground's regular on-line application process.

Common Ground Continues to Preserve Louisiana Wetlands

Sat, 28 Jul 2007 21:42:04 +0000

by Kate Marvin
photography by Mavis Yorks

This month, twelve Common Ground volunteers and two media teams went on a planting mission at Lake Cataouatche. This mission is part of a continuing planting project designed to reverse some of the damage done to the wetlands prior to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita and provide a sustainable restoration program to protect the city from future hurricanes.

For over a year, members of Common Ground’s Wetlands Restoration program have been working with a division of the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry to restore the wetlands through small scale vegetative planting. Together, these organizations pick sites, plant, and monitor the survival of plants in the wetlands.

Common Ground has focused on planting smooth cord grass, cypress trees, and other native wetlands plants. Last Thursday’s project -- planting bulwhip, also known as bulrush, a deep-water plant often used in coastal restoration projects for erosion control. Bulwhip has a comprehensive network of rhizomes and forms dense colonies. It traps sediment, buffers wave action from boats, and helps soil accumulate, providing better growing conditions for other vegetation along the shoreline.

Wetlands Volunteer Info

Tue, 26 Jun 2007 17:39:13 +0000

Calling all ecologists, botanists, hydrologists, outdoors enthusiasts, environmental justice advocates, and lovers of wetlands! Common Ground Relief is working on a Wetlands Restoration project created to proactively address the dangers faced by New Orleans and the Gulf Coast from the ongoing destruction of wetlands.

Contacts: Zeraph, Heather, and Michael

commonwetlands@gmail.com, 504-442-2314

Minimum Time Commitment: One Month

We are looking for long-term volunteers who can stay for a month or more as most of our projects require a strong knowledge base and a considerable investment of time and energy. However, if you are interested in helping and do not have a month to volunteer, email or call to see if we will be working on a planting or clean up during your stay!

Wetlands Calendar for the week of June 18 (today is the 21st)

Thu, 21 Jun 2007 18:01:03 +0000

Schedule 6/18- 6/22

6/18 Monday: Coordinator's meeting, Zeraph attended. Malik reviewed resource binder. We did not go to the Plant Materials Center . Truck was not available early in the morning. Tree farm couldn't supply mulch for cypress triangle walkway on Monday, but can next week. Clark and Brandon did minor tree farm maintenance and planted a cypress tree at the Deslonde community garden.

6/19 Tuesday: Tools for Audubon work were picked up. Planning for educational workshop, volunteer coordination, scheduling

6/20 Wednesday:

9:30 56 students and CG volunteers will meet at Audubon Nature Center.

Soil & Sediment testing Results

Wed, 20 Jun 2007 19:19:15 +0000

The wetlands group has several studies to share about the quality of the wetlands and the soil near Murphy's Oil Refinery. A tank at Murphy's Oil Refinery in Chalmette, LA spilled one million gallons of crude oil into the surrounding residential area during the flooding that happened after Katrina.

The first study was conducted in January 2006 by an independent consulting firm. This study found significant oil contamination.

In the second study Common Ground volunteers took samples and a Professor from Xavier University tested the samples for oil contamination.

Wetlands Restoration: A Volunteer's Tale

Mon, 23 Apr 2007 17:53:56 +0000

April 19th, I joined Common Ground volunteers and environmental workers in planting on the coastal wetlands. We were going to plant spartina, a grass that thrives in the salty water and damp soil of the wetlands. The benefit of planting this grass is great: its roots help anchor the soil, preserving the wetlands and helping to prevent further erosion. Two other volunteers and I drove out to the Westbank town of Lafitte, bordering on the Intracoastal Waterway. There we met with another three environmental workers, and soon the six of us were in a small motorboat, eager to plant. We reached our first destination about twenty minutes later – a small island off the Waterway. The banks in the section where we arrived were noticeably barer than those of most the other small islands.

Common Ground Wetlands Restoration Project Accomplishments

Fri, 13 Apr 2007 00:33:02 +0000

Since June 2006 the Common Ground Wetlands Restoration Project has achieved a great deal in restoring precious Wetlands and Coastal regions while at the same time raising awareness of an issue that has been largely ignored by the media. Wetlands play a crucial role in both the region’s biodiversity and in lessening the impact of flooding on local environments. The Gulf Coast area had been losing wetlands at a rate of 16,000 acres a year prior to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, and the aftermath of those disasters left hundreds of miles of coastal wetlands already in peril from development and engineering projects devastated, endangering local wildlife and leaving the area more vulnerable to further damage. The Wetlands Restoration Project has led and assisted efforts in both restoration and education in the hopes that the wetlands can be restored in an effective and sustainable fashion.

The Common Ground Wetlands Restoration Project’s accomplishments in the last ten months have been numerous and varied. These accomplishments include planting over 11,500 clumps of smooth cord grass, a species that helps prevent erosion, throughout coastal Louisiana. The Project also led an effort to recycle Christmas trees in Laffite, La.,using them to construct cribs and build a wall that will help break wave action and prevent erosion. Common Ground volunteers have also been assisting with the planting of over 6,500 cypress trees in the Louisiana wetlands.

On April 3rd Common Ground volunteers worked in the Lafreniere Park Wetlands removing Chinese Tallow Trees, an invasive non-native species that can become toxic to other plants when the leaves decay. At the same time volunteers re-integrated cypress trees and other native wetlands species along the shoreline.

The Wetlands Project has organized hundreds of volunteers to restore shorelines in Bayou Materie, Bayou St. John and the City Park Lagoon system. Volunteers have continued to work in City Park restoring and maintaining a wetlands plant material greenhouse and assisted with wetlands debris pick up in critical nesting grounds for migratory birds. The project has also begun research on effective ways to use tactics of bioremediation to deal with oil spills within wetlands regions, focusing on the Murphy Oil spill, which dumped over a million gallons of oil into adjacent residential and wetlands areas in St. Bernard Parish.

In the areas of education and awareness, the Wetlands Project has worked with groups beyond Louisiana, giving informative power point presentations to increase national awareness of the current conditions and the critical role of Louisiana’s coastal wetlands. Locally, Common Ground has received a grant to begin wetlands education in New Orleans schools, providing classrooms with equipment to conduct effective science lessons. Wetlands Project volunteers have also assisted with educational canoe trips that bring students from Jefferson and Orleans Parishes to Louisiana wetlands, helping them gain a greater appreciation of their environment and the issues it faces.

Google Map of Common Ground Wetlands Project Activity

Home Locations (yellow markers), Planting Locations (green markers), and Areas of Concern (red markers) are indicated.

Common Ground Wetlands Reclaim a Golf Course at City Park

Sun, 08 Apr 2007 01:07:59 +0000

Common Ground Wetlands recently helped reclaim a golf course at City Park. The effort to restore natural wetland habitat at City Park has been an on-going initiative since the hurricane, which rendered the golf course unusable. Common Ground Wetlands has been planting irises, smooth cordgrass, cypress trees, and bullrushes at City Park in an effort to prevent the lake shoreline from eroding, to help build the shoreline back up and to provide inviting homes for native fishes. Common Ground has been working with park officials and local schools to facilitate the gathering, propagation, and planting of native wetland plants. In the process, local and national volunteers have learned about the importance of wetlands in flood control, storm protection, water and soil contamination clean-up, and the prevention of loss of the southern Louisiana land mass into the Gulf of Mexico. In addition to contributing to these causes, the restored wetland habitat in City Park will serve an aesthetic and educational purpose for New Orleans residents.

News articles and stories

Wed, 10 May 2006 23:04:19 +0000

Why New Orleans Needs Saving
The City's Natural Vulnerability Is Also Its Greatest Strength
By Newt Gingrich, John M. Barry
AEI, March 6, 2006

Shortly after Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans, Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert wondered aloud whether the Federal Government should help rebuild a city much of which lies below sea level...

Wetlands education

Sat, 29 Apr 2006 15:35:56 +0000

Field-based summer program trips with youth K-12 will carry on the tradition of wetlands education, and then provide the opportunity to demonstrate understanding of those values through participation in the restoration projects and being a part of the awareness campaign. We need flexible educators with perspectives ranging from city through wilderness to add their energy.

Monitoring

Sat, 29 Apr 2006 15:33:01 +0000

One component of restoring coastal Louisiana to the point that it is self-sustaining are large projects to divert freshwater and sediment into receding marshlands, move sand out to barrier islands to reinforce them, and more. Before any of these projects are started, engineers and scientists perform detailed modeling studies to predict how well the project will work and whether it is a worthwhile undertaking. They also assess different project variables – such as how deep dredging should be or how much water should flow – to find which set of variables will likely lead to the best results. These models are of incredible importance when it comes to best spending the limited money that does flow to coastal Louisiana. However, these models are not perfect and typically do not function exactly as they were planned, and in terms of accuracy they strand to gain tremendously from broadscale monitoring to assess how well the predictions line up with what actually happens. This monitoring is a key step in designing models that will be effective and accurate in predicting long-term effects of water diversions on wetland creation. We therefore want to work with scientists and engineers to find out what types of monitoring programs and support they need to make these models suitable for long-term predictions, and then apply our resources to making this modeling happen.