As impacts from Hurricane Ida continue to be assessed, Pontchartrain Conservancy's Water Quality Program Director Brady Skaggs discusses how the storm affected water quality across the region and what actions you can take to improve water quality in nearby waterways. Skaggs also highlights the newly-launched Lake and Coast App that puts water quality data at your fingertips. As a reminder, you can find ways to help those impacted by Hurricane Ida here, and don't forget to check out our...

This week on Delta Dispatches, we’re excited to welcome Kate Orff, Founding Principal of SCAPE. Jacques and Simone talk with her about the role nature can play in adapting to climate change, how she is reimaging landscape architecture through her studio, as well as on-the-ground restoration opportunities from Louisiana to New York. SCAPE’s recent work includes OurFutureCoast.org (https://www.ourfuturecoast.org/) and Kate was featured in the New Yorker in the story “The Seas Are Rising. Could...

This week on Delta Dispatches, Jacques and Simone chat with Jeray Jambon Jarreau from Bless Your Heart Nonprofit. Jeray talks about life in South Lafourche after the devastation of Hurricane Ida. Bless Your Heart Nonprofit is working on the ground to address the needs of some of the most impacted communities in South Louisiana. Learn about the work they’re doing and how you can help through their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/blessyourheartnonprofit/

In the aftermath of Hurricane Ida, one of the most devastating hurricanes to ever make landfall in Louisiana, Simone and Jacques discuss ongoing impacts to communities and how people can help those in need. They also welcome Scot Pilié, EDF senior communications specialist and meteorologist, to discuss the extent of Ida’s impacts and why it was so destructive from a meteorological standpoint. Please visit MississippiRiverDelta.org/Ida to support organizations doing work in Louisiana to help...

Thanks for tuning into this week’s episode of Delta Dispatches! This week we’re chatting with photographer Matthew White about beautiful and inspiring work recently published in the New York Time. “Beauty, Serenity, Stillness: An Ode to the Final Miles of the Mississippi River” features photography of the landscape and communities of Plaquemines Parish. See more of Matthew’s work on his website and Tumblr.

On this episode of Delta Dispatches, Jacques interviews first time guest T. Brad Keith the new director of the Barataria-Terrebonne National Estuary Program (BTNEP). Founded in 1990, BTNEP is the oldest coastal organization in Louisiana and helps ensure access to sustainable clean water across the estuary. T. Brad talks about the history and future of this vital program for coastal Louisiana.

On today's episode, Simone and Jacques are joined by Jasmine Brown, Public Policy Manager for Greater New Orleans Inc. Jasmine discusses the work her organization is doing, through its Coalition for Coastal Resilience and Economy (CCRE) and beyond, to advance coastal restoration in our region to protect people and the economy, as well as to create jobs and economic growth. Learn more about GNO Inc.'s work and CCRE at https://gnoinc.org/business-climate/coastal-restoration/.

Thanks for listening to the latest episode of Delta Dispatches! Today Jacques and Simone are joined by Harry Vorhoff, of the Governor's Office of Coastal Activities, and Rep. Joseph Orgeron to discuss the state's first Wind Week, a series of public webinars on expanding wind energy in the Gulf. You can watch all Wind Week sessions online at: https://gov.louisiana.gov/index.cfm/page/124.

On today’s episode of Delta Dispatches, Jacques and Simone talk about the restoration of the “longest Main Street in the world!” First up, we catch up with Ryan M. Perque, Executive Director of the Friends of the Bayou Lafourche. He talks about the history of the waterway and the work his organization and others are doing to restore it. In the second half of the show, we continue our conversation about Bayou Lafourche with Tristan Baurick, environmental reporter with The Times Picayune New...

As summer kicks off and tourism ramps back up in Louisiana, Simone and Jacques welcome Jared Sternberg, founder of Beyond the Bayou eco-tours, to discuss how and why he founded his business as well as their tour offerings, eco-tourism as a tool for coastal education, and a new partnership with the Old 77 Hotel in New Orleans to bring more people out into the swamp.

This week on Delta Dispatches, Jacques brings back our friends from the Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana James Karst, director of communications and marketing, and Emily Vuxton, policy director. James talks about the upcoming State of the Coast conference (registration open now!) and Emily talks about things to keep an eye on in this year’s Louisiana state legislative session including the 2021 Coastal Annual Plan.

This week on Delta Dispatches we’re talking about the inspirational new exhibit at the Ogden Museum of Southern Art which features works from John Taylor, storyteller, environmentalist, self-taught artist and life-long resident of New Orleans’ Lower 9th Ward. Here to talk about the exhibit is Mikhayla Harrell, the Museum Educator and Teen Intern Coordinator at the Ogden Museum and Amanda Moore Deputy Director, Gulf Program for the National Wildlife Federation. This exhibition features a...

On today's episode, Jacques and Simone welcome author Adam Mandelman to discuss his book, The Place with No Edge: An Intimate History of People, Technology, and the Mississippi River Delta, "a book about people’s dreams of mastering nature through technology in one of the wettest, most unruly landscapes of North America. Published with Louisiana State University Press in April of 2020, it chronicles three centuries of European efforts to tame the Mississippi River Delta, an environment...

On today's episode, Jacques and Simone welcome Jeff Varisco, Senior Project Manager, and Brad Laborde, Regulatory Manager, with the Army Corps of Engineers New Orleans District. Jeff and Brad walk us through the milestone that is the release of a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the Mid Barataria Sediment Diversion, discuss how the public can engage in submitting comments over the comment period and provide insight into how these comments will inform a final Environmental...

On this week’s episode of Delta Dispatches, Simone and Jacques bring back their first-ever guests, Dr. Alisha Renfro with the National Wildlife Federation and Steve Cochran campaign director with Restore the Mississippi River Delta and Environmental Defense Fund, to mark a big milestone for Louisiana’s coast -- the release of the draft Environmental Impact Statement and Restoration Plan for the Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion. The Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion would be the single largest...

This week on Delta Dispatches, we sit down with one of our favorite guests, Bren Haase, Executive Director for the Coastal Restoration and Protection Authority. The CPRA is releasing their draft Annual Plan, which outlines the coastal projects moving forward in the next 12 months and Bren walks us through many of the big projects that will make 2021 a great year for coastal Louisiana.

On today's episode, Simone and Jacques welcome back National Wildlife Federation Outreach Manager Samantha Carter to discuss the fourth annual Cook-off for the Coast. Although this year's cook-off will be virtual, Sam highlights how it will still feature great content, including music from the Michot’s Melody Makers with special guest Leyla McCalla, a virtual coastal flyover, cooking demonstrations with celebrity chefs, as well as a recipe and artwork contest. On the second half of the show,...

This episode of Delta Dispatches features environmental law experts providing an overview of the legal and regulatory backdrop upon which Louisiana is executing its coastal restoration and protection efforts. Amy Reed, Staff Attorney, and Jarryd Page, Public Interest Law Fellow, both from the Environmental Law Institute, join Simone and Jacques to discuss the forthcoming draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Mid Barataria Sediment Diversion. They also discuss the National Environmental...

On today's show, Jacques checks in with Blaise Pezold, Coastal and Environmental Program Manager at The Meraux Foundation, who provides updates on a number of exciting programs the foundation is carrying out in St. Bernard Parish, from a new citrus research facility to ongoing coastal education and volunteer initiatives. Freelance journalist Sara Sneath then joins to discuss her recent reporting and highlight a unique way to tour St. Bernard Parish and the rest of our coastal communities --...

Welcome back to Delta Dispatches as Simone and Jacques kick off 2021 with a favorite guest, Dr. Robert Twilley, who updates the duo on the exciting development of Louisiana being considered for a National Estuarine Research Reserve (NERR). Louisiana is one of the few coastal states that doesn’t currently have a NERR. Dr. Twilley discusses what value a NERR would bring to a state and how having one would allow Louisiana’s coast to have greater attention at the national level. Simone and...

Simone and Jacques close out 2020 with their 150th episode of Delta Dispatches, welcoming Greg Grandy, Deputy Executive Director for Louisiana's Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA). Greg highlights the immense progress that the agency made on implementing coastal restoration and protection projects in 2020, despite obstacles ranging from the Covid pandemic to an extremely active, unprecedented hurricane season. CPRA advanced 112 coastal projects with 49 projects in...

Thanks for listening to Delta Dispatches! As we close out 2020, Jacques & Simone chat with one of Louisiana’s most iconic television journalists: WVUE Fox-8 News Anchor John Snell! You may know John from his decades-long career as a reporter and news anchor at WVUE Fox-8 in New Orleans, but in this episode, we get to know more about the man in front of the camera. John discusses what brought him to and kept him in New Orleans, advice to aspiring journalists, reflections on how the...

This week Simone and Jacques catch up with Pontchartrain Conservancy Executive Director Kristi Trail who recaps the biggest milestones for her organization in 2020. Kristi also highlights ongoing programs, from on-the-ground science on water quality and coastal restoration, to STEM education and volunteer tree plantings. There are many ways to support Pontchartrain Conservancy in their mission, from donations to volunteering to shopping at the New Canal Lighthouse. Learn more at...

Thanks for listening to this episode of Delta Dispatches. Our hosts, Simone & Jacques, catch up after a few weeks off and reflect on the long (and finally over) 2020 hurricane season. Our first guess is Ilissa Ocko, senior climate scientist with the Environmental Defense Fund. She talks about her work and how climate change impacts hurricanes. On the second half the show, we chat with Meg Adams, the Director of Environmental Stewardship at New Orleans City Park. Meg talks about the great...

Thanks for listening to the latest episode of Delta Dispatches. This episode was recorded early last week, before Hurricane Zeta made landfall. Everyone at Delta Dispatches sends good vibes to all our listeners, as we’ve been impacted with the rest of Southeast Louisiana and coastal Mississippi. We hope this episode will provide some entertainment as you may be waiting for the lights to come back on. We talk to Maida Owens, Louisiana Folklife Program Director about her important work...