On 17 June 2013, I traveled to The Water Institute of the Gulf (TWIG) in Baton Rouge, Louisiana to discuss the development of a Coastal Louisiana report card. The discussion centers around developing indicators of sustainable landscapes and resilient communities for coastal Louisiana. We established a strategy of providing annual coastal updates and biennial report cards ahead of the next Master Plan (2017).

Read more

We had a great visit with Dr. Robert Twilley, Louisiana Sea Grant Director and a faculty member at Louisiana State University. Robert gave a wonderful seminar at Horn Point Laboratory, covering the history of coastal Louisiana wetland loss, Mississippi River diversions and provided the context for the 2012 Master Plan.

Read more

Coastal Louisiana has experienced considerable land loss over the past century due to relative sea level rise. This land loss has led to increased vulnerability to storm surges, as dramatically illustrated when storm surges from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita wrecked havoc on Louisiana in 2005. Immediately following the devastating 2005 hurricanes, the Integration and Application Network was asked to help contextualize the issues and provide graphical communication products.

Read more