![]() And he knew that West Bay was important to the survival of his home.Īfter living and working in the Plaquemines coastal community all his life, Earl’s expertise allowed him to see that West Bay would fill in if more islands would be constructed and that, as sediment was increasingly trapped in the basin, it would reduce the amount of dredging required downstream. Earl knew, however, that land was growing, though it was happening slowly. That year, West Bay’s administering agency voted to close the project due to increases in cost associated with dredging the Pilottown Anchorage Area-a demand of lobbyists from the maritime industry. In 2008, the West Bay Diversion project showed little to no land growth and constituted a growing financial burden. West Bay was an unprecedented project that allowed coastal restoration scientists to examine whether river diversions can successfully build land. Sediment diversions are one of the strategies used to rebuild land in the Louisiana Master Plan-the largest strategic land-building effort in the history of the United States. The West Bay Diversion was the first uncontrolled sediment diversion for restoration purposes built in Louisiana. And, also, any water project in coastal communities from now on should take into account climate change, which is clearly affecting our state despite denial at the highest level. Instead, fix the flooding problems that the entire system caused in the first place. Public funds would pay for half of this project. ![]() This water planning decision is based solely on economics: increasing maritime profit. The lock replacement will cost 1bn (most likely more as the ACE have never completed on budget) and will take 13 or more years to complete. Now, the Army Corps of Engineers want to replace the Lock, the only working component of the entire system. One of these large planning projects, the industrial canal system, has also been responsible for loss of over 50,000 acres of wetlands as it continues to collapse in on itself. At the same time, Louisiana is the last to see equitable economic value from these resources. The citizens of Louisiana have long paid a price in health, well-being, property and life for the indigenous resources of the region. In coastal communities, we must take into account the environmental and social bottom lines as well and put citizens above private industry profit. Large water planning organizations in coastal communities such as New Orleans have traditionally addressed only one bottom line: economic. Jayur Mehta’s research at the Grand Caillou site in Bayou Grand Caillou And as state officials determine the cost-benefit analysis of who and what in our state will be protected, are these indigenous sites of cultural heritage going to make the cut? Today, we are facing the loss of many of these sacred and historical sites due to rising sea levels and subsidence. Neglect, however, and coastal subsidence – the result of engineered changes to the flow of the Mississippi River – are wearing away at the mounds. That so many mound sites have survived in coastal Louisiana is a testament to their careful construction. Mounds are thought to have served as community centers, ceremonial sites and even, high ground. In the Mississippi River Delta mounds were built near resource-rich waterways, which could support larger human settlements. The Mississippi River Delta of southeastern Louisiana encompasses one of the largest areas of wetlands in North America, and archaeology attests a long and a rich history of Native American settlement. Today she teaches Research Methods in Social Innovation at Tulane University.Īncient peoples began building earthen mounds in North America as early as 4,500 B.C. She is a 2018 Fellow in the UnionDocs Summer Documentary Lab, a 2018 Fellow in the inaugural Southern Producer’s Lab and an Artist in Residence at A Studio in the Woods for their Adaptations Residency. Her work has been funded by the Smithsonian, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities, and Tulane University Center for the Gulf South. She is also developing ROLEPLAY, a feature documentary that follows a group of college students as they create an original theater piece about sexual violence in their campus community. Katie is currently producing MOSSVILLE, a documentary feature in post production that explores the psychological trauma of community displacement at the hands of the petrochemical industry. She has experience in production management, directing, creative producing and editing. Katie Mathews is a filmmaker and ethnographer based in New Orleans.
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