Browsing by Subject "Louisiana"

Now showing 1 - 9 of 9
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    Cajun, Créole, et CODOFIL : La politique et la planification linguistique en Louisiane
    (2023-04-08) Costley, Audrey
    Today, linguists consider there to be two varieties of French in Louisiana: Louisiana French (Cajun) and Louisiana Creole. Both of these languages are classified as endangered, with a continually declining population of speakers. Language change occurs naturally, however, there are policies that impact the nature and rate of change. Through the lens of Critical Language Policy (CLP), the research examines how the decline of the French language in Louisiana has been impacted by policy decisions, while considering the structural and ideological factors that influenced these policies. Further, the project examines more recent policies, institutions, and grassroots movements aimed at revitalizing and maintaining the role of French in Louisiana. The project takes a critical lens in analyzing the successes and shortcomings of current language policy in Louisiana with a focus on education.
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    Enhancement of Louisiana Marine Mammal Stranding Response Through UAS
    (2024-04-25) Fallon, John
    The Louisiana Marine Mammal Stranding Network responds to live and dead marine mammal reports across the state. Response in Louisiana is unique when compared to other stranding networks in the Gulf, as the coastline is a mix of marsh, barrier islands, and beaches spread out over 7,721 miles, making monitoring difficult and resource intense. Stranding network participants are looking for new methods to enhance network performance, including incorporation of unoccupied aircraft systems (UAS). This project assesses the potential of UAS in the Louisiana Marine Mammal Stranding Network through the review of common stranding activities and how they may benefit from the technology. Assessment was informed by research on UAS regulations and policy, UAS equipment, and stranding network operations. Final analysis demonstrates that UAS can provide a benefit to certain aspects of stranding response, but regulations limit UAS from reaching its full potential in supporting network activities.
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    Feasibility Study: Blue Carbon Finance in Louisiana’s Deltaic Plain
    (2018-04-20) Harms, Adam
    The situation of Louisiana’s coastal wetlands, at the output of the U.S.’s largest watershed, threatens the welfare of the region’s people and industries, which are experiencing significant effects from climate change and rising sea levels. But the region’s geography also presents robust opportunities for solutions - in fact, there are few places as well-suited as the Gulf Coast of the Southeastern U.S., and especially the coastline of Louisiana, for incubating innovative resiliency models that can be replicated and improved upon elsewhere. One significant opportunity could be the implementation of an environmental crediting market that would incentivize preservation of soil carbon levels in the wetlands of the Mississippi River Deltaic Plain - a voluntary “blue carbon” market. Such a market could encourage scaled restorative management practices, maintain the region’s high levels of soil-sequestered carbon, and create $1.6 billion in direct value for stakeholders. This feasibility study explores the major hurdles and levers for implementation, and recommends potential paths forward for funding and implementing a voluntary blue carbon market.
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    Physical and Program Options for the Inland Migration of Louisiana's Coastal Wetlands in Response to Relative Sea Level Rise
    (2012-04-26) Kemm, Melissa; Beck, Heidi; Bihler, Alicia; Perron, Douglas; Pardo, Sam
    Louisiana contains over a third of the coastal wetlands in the contiguous US, but has seen a drastic reduction in total wetland area in the last century. This loss is especially troubling for coastal Louisiana where wetlands play a vital role in protecting and supporting the state’s economy and culture. Under natural conditions, coastal wetlands will move upland with rising sea level or sinking land. However, engineered structures and shore armoring, such as levees, seawalls, and bulkheads, impede this process. Advanced planning for wetland migration is needed to keep communities and infrastructure out of harm’s way from encroaching open water and to mitigate future wetland loss. This project investigates the potential for wetland migration in Louisiana through 1) the mapping and analysis of coastal wetland migration and 2) an examination of policy alternatives relevant to wetland migration. Wetland loss and migration was analyzed in Lafourche, St. Mary, and Vermilion parishes using the Sea Level Affecting Marshes Model (SLAMM). Moderate and less optimistic values of subsidence rates were modeled with constant global sea level rise projections to identify the impacts of dike and levee protection on wetland loss and the upland migration of coastal wetlands. The percent of wetland loss offset by wetland migration was calculated for each parish in an effort to aid in management decisions. It was found that wetland migration into dry land areas did not occur in any of the three parishes unless dike and levee protection of undeveloped dry lands was removed. The intensity of subsidence and the distribution of dry land greatly impact the overall benefits of allowing coastal wetlands to migrate into dry lands. This observation was exemplified in Lafourche Parish, which has a limited distribution of dry land and was modeled using higher subsidence rates than those found in both St. Mary and Vermilion parishes. Not only was the net loss of wetlands greater when dike and levee protection was removed in Lafourche Parish, but the total amount of wetland gain by means of wetland migration was incapable of offsetting a significant amount wetland loss. The policy analysis was developed with respect to the criteria and framework of Louisiana’s Comprehensive Master Plan for a Sustainable Coast and for use in an exploratory model. Considering the results of the geospatial analysis within this report, a model was developed to assist in management decisions regarding the migration of coastal wetlands across Louisiana’s geophysically and socio-economically variable coastline. The model was constructed using five main criteria to assess six different policy alternatives. Policy criteria included wetland migration, flood risk, equity, adaptability, and political feasibility, and the policy alternatives assessed were rolling easements, density restrictions, transferable development rights, conservation easements, defeasible estates and voluntary acquisition. Specific recommendations were made with the goal of developing an equitable and efficient wetland migration policy capable of complementing and improving current coastal management plans.
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    Physical and Program Options for the Inland Migration of Louisiana's Coastal Wetlands in Response to Relative Sea Level Rise
    (2012-04-26) Pardo, Sam; Beck, Heidi; Bihler, Alicia; Kemm, Melissa; Perron, Douglas
    Louisiana contains over a third of the coastal wetlands in the contiguous U.S., but has seen a drastic reduction in total wetland area in the last century. This loss is especially troubling for coastal Louisiana where wetlands play a vital role in protecting and supporting the state’s economy and culture. Under natural conditions, coastal wetlands will move upland with rising sea level or sinking land. However, engineered structures and shore armoring, such as levees, seawalls, and bulkheads, impede this process. Advanced planning for wetland migration is needed to keep communities and infrastructure out of harm’s way from encroaching open water and to mitigate future wetland loss. This project investigates the potential for wetland migration in Louisiana through 1) the mapping and analysis of coastal wetland migration and 2) an examination of policy alternatives relevant to wetland migration. Wetland loss and migration were analyzed in Lafourche, St. Mary, and Vermilion parishes using the Sea Level Affecting Marshes Model. Moderate and less optimistic values of subsidence rates were modeled with constant global sea level rise projections to identify the impacts of dike and levee protection on wetland loss and the upland migration of coastal wetlands. The percent of wetland loss offset by wetland migration was calculated for each parish in an effort to aid in management decisions. It was found that wetland migration into dry land areas did not occur in any of the three parishes unless dike and levee protection of undeveloped dry lands was removed. The intensity of subsidence and the distribution of dry land greatly impact the overall benefits of allowing coastal wetlands to migrate into dry lands. This observation was exemplified in Lafourche Parish, which has a limited distribution of dry land and was modeled using higher subsidence rates than those found in both St. Mary and Vermilion parishes. Not only was the net loss of wetlands greater when dike and levee protection was removed in Lafourche Parish, but the total amount of wetland gain by means of wetland migration was incapable of offsetting a significant amount wetland loss. The policy analysis was developed with consideration for the framework of Louisiana’s Comprehensive Master Plan for a Sustainable Coast. An exploratory model was created to assist coastal managers and stakeholders in policy decisions regarding the migration of wetlands along Louisiana’s coastline. The model was constructed using five main criteria and six different policy alternatives. Policy criteria included wetland migration, flood risk, equity, adaptability, and political feasibility, and the policy alternatives assessed were rolling easements, density restrictions, transferable development rights, conservation easements, defeasible estates and voluntary acquisition. Applying the policy model in scenarios where dike and levee protection is removed reveals that rolling easements would only be appropriate in Vermillion or St. Mary parishes where potential for wetland migration is high. In Lafourche parish, where potential for wetland migration is low, an emphasis on minimizing flood risk suggests that transferable development rights would be the best alternative to pursue. Applying the policy model in areas where dikes and levees are present also favors transferable development rights as the optimal policy alternative. Moreover, this final demonstration suggests that a wetland migration policy can serve to address the CPRA priority of minimizing “induced risk,” while also adapting to changes in flood protection planning.
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    Physical and Program Options for the Inland Migration of Louisiana's Coastal Wetlands in Response to Relative Sea Level Rise
    (2012-04-27) Perron, Douglas; Beck, Heidi; Bihler, Alicia; Kemm, Melissa; Pardo, Sam
    Louisiana contains over a third of the coastal wetlands in the contiguous US, but has seen a drastic reduction in total wetland area in the last century. This loss is especially troubling for coastal Louisiana where wetlands play a vital role in protecting and supporting the state’s economy and culture. Under natural conditions, coastal wetlands will move upland with rising sea level or sinking land. However, engineered structures and shore armoring, such as levees, seawalls, and bulkheads, impede this process. Advanced planning for wetland migration is needed to keep communities and infrastructure out of harm’s way from encroaching open water and to mitigate future wetland loss. This project investigates the potential for wetland migration in Louisiana through 1) the mapping and analysis of coastal wetland migration and 2) an examination of policy alternatives relevant to wetland migration. Wetland loss and migration was analyzed in Lafourche, St. Mary, and Vermilion parishes using the Sea Level Affecting Marshes Model (SLAMM). Moderate and less optimistic values of subsidence rates were modeled with constant global sea level rise projections to identify the impacts of dike and levee protection on wetland loss and the upland migration of coastal wetlands. The percent of wetland loss offset by wetland migration was calculated for each parish in an effort to aid in management decisions. It was found that wetland migration into dry land areas did not occur in any of the three parishes unless dike and levee protection of undeveloped dry lands was removed. The intensity of subsidence and the distribution of dry land greatly impact the overall benefits of allowing coastal wetlands to migrate into dry lands. This observation was exemplified in Lafourche Parish, which has a limited distribution of dry land and was modeled using higher subsidence rates than those found in both St. Mary and Vermilion parishes. Not only was the net loss of wetlands greater when dike and levee protection was removed in Lafourche Parish, but the total amount of wetland gain by means of wetland migration was incapable of offsetting a significant amount wetland loss. The policy analysis was developed with respect to the criteria and framework of Louisiana’s Comprehensive Master Plan for a Sustainable Coast and for use in an exploratory model. Considering the results of the geospatial analysis within this report, a model was developed to assist in management decisions regarding the migration of coastal wetlands across Louisiana’s geophysically and socio-economically variable coastline. The model was constructed using five main criteria to assess six different policy alternatives. Policy criteria included wetland migration, flood risk, equity, adaptability, and political feasibility, and the policy alternatives assessed were rolling easements, density restrictions, transferable development rights, conservation easements, defeasible estates and voluntary acquisition. Specific recommendations were made with the goal of developing an equitable and efficient wetland migration policy capable of complementing and improving current coastal management plans.
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    ItemOpen Access
    Physical and Program Options for the Inland Migration of Louisiana’s Coastal Wetlands in Response to Relative Sea Level Rise
    (2012-04-26) Beck, Heidi; Bihler, Alicia; Kemm, Melissa; Pardo, Sam; Perron, Douglas
    Louisiana contains over a third of the coastal wetlands in the contiguous US, but has seen a drastic reduction in total wetland area in the last century. This loss is especially troubling for coastal Louisiana where wetlands play a vital role in protecting and supporting the state’s economy and culture. Under natural conditions, coastal wetlands will move upland with rising sea level or sinking land. However, engineered structures and shore armoring, such as levees, seawalls, and bulkheads, impede this process. Advanced planning for wetland migration is needed to keep communities and infrastructure out of harm’s way from encroaching open water and to mitigate future wetland loss. This project investigates the potential for wetland migration in Louisiana through 1) the mapping and analysis of coastal wetland migration and 2) an examination of policy alternatives relevant to wetland migration. Wetland loss and migration was analyzed in Lafourche, St. Mary, and Vermilion parishes using the Sea Level Affecting Marshes Model (SLAMM). Moderate and less optimistic values of subsidence rates were modeled with constant global sea level rise projections to identify the impacts of dike and levee protection on wetland loss and the upland migration of coastal wetlands. The percent of wetland loss offset by wetland migration was calculated for each parish in an effort to aid in management decisions. It was found that wetland migration into dry land areas did not occur in any of the three parishes unless dike and levee protection of undeveloped dry lands was removed. The intensity of subsidence and the distribution of dry land greatly impact the overall benefits of allowing coastal wetlands to migrate into dry lands. This observation was exemplified in Lafourche Parish, which has a limited distribution of dry land and was modeled using higher subsidence rates than those found in both St. Mary and Vermilion parishes. Not only was the net loss of wetlands greater when dike and levee protection was removed in Lafourche Parish, but the total amount of wetland gain by means of wetland migration was incapable of offsetting a significant amount wetland loss. The policy analysis was developed with respect to the criteria and framework of Louisiana’s Comprehensive Master Plan for a Sustainable Coast and for use in an exploratory model. Considering the results of the geospatial analysis within this report, a model was developed to assist in management decisions regarding the migration of coastal wetlands across Louisiana’s geophysically and socio-economically variable coastline. The model was constructed using five main criteria to assess six different policy alternatives. Policy criteria included wetland migration, flood risk, equity, adaptability, and political feasibility, and the policy alternatives assessed were rolling easements, density restrictions, transferable development rights, conservation easements, defeasible estates and voluntary acquisition. Specific recommendations were made with the goal of developing an equitable and efficient wetland migration policy capable of complementing and improving current coastal management plans.
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    ItemOpen Access
    Physical and Program Options for the Inland Migration of Louisiana’s Coastal Wetlands in Response to Relative Sea Level Rise
    (2012-04-26) Bihler, Alicia; Beck, Heidi; Kemm, Melissa; Pardo, Sam; Perron, Douglas
    Louisiana contains over a third of the coastal wetlands in the contiguous US, but has seen a drastic reduction in total wetland area in the last century. This loss is especially troubling for coastal Louisiana where wetlands play a vital role in protecting and supporting the state’s economy and culture. Under natural conditions, coastal wetlands will move upland with rising sea level or sinking land. However, engineered structures and shore armoring, such as levees, seawalls, and bulkheads, impede this process. Advanced planning for wetland migration is needed to keep communities and infrastructure out of harm’s way from encroaching open water and to mitigate future wetland loss. This project investigates the potential for wetland migration in Louisiana through 1) the mapping and analysis of coastal wetland migration and 2) an examination of policy alternatives relevant to wetland migration. Wetland loss and migration was analyzed in Lafourche, St. Mary, and Vermilion parishes using the Sea Level Affecting Marshes Model (SLAMM). Moderate and less optimistic values of subsidence rates were modeled with constant global sea level rise projections to identify the impacts of dike and levee protection on wetland loss and the upland migration of coastal wetlands. The percent of wetland loss offset by wetland migration was calculated for each parish in an effort to aid in management decisions. It was found that wetland migration into dry land areas did not occur in any of the three parishes unless dike and levee protection of undeveloped dry lands was removed. The intensity of subsidence and the distribution of dry land greatly impact the overall benefits of allowing coastal wetlands to migrate into dry lands. This observation was exemplified in Lafourche Parish, which has a limited distribution of dry land and was modeled using higher subsidence rates than those found in both St. Mary and Vermilion parishes. Not only was the net loss of wetlands greater when dike and levee protection was removed in Lafourche Parish, but the total amount of wetland gain by means of wetland migration was incapable of offsetting a significant amount wetland loss. The policy analysis was developed with respect to the criteria and framework of Louisiana’s Comprehensive Master Plan for a Sustainable Coast and for use in an exploratory model. Considering the results of the geospatial analysis within this report, a model was developed to assist in management decisions regarding the migration of coastal wetlands across Louisiana’s geophysically and socio-economically variable coastline. The model was constructed using five main criteria to assess six different policy alternatives. Policy criteria included wetland migration, flood risk, equity, adaptability, and political feasibility, and the policy alternatives assessed were rolling easements, density restrictions, transferable development rights, conservation easements, defeasible estates and voluntary acquisition. Specific recommendations were made with the goal of developing an equitable and efficient wetland migration policy capable of complementing and improving current coastal management plans.
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    Quantifying and Prioritizing Opportunities for Canal Backfilling in Louisiana
    (2014-04-25) Pate, Haigler
    Canal backfilling-degrading and replacing the spoil adjacent to canals-has a wide range of potential benefits for the restoration of Louisiana coastal wetlands, but is not incorporated into current coastwide-scale restoration plans. This report seeks to characterize backfilling opportunities using GIS analysis of publicly available datasets to quantify and prioritize the area and distribution of spoil currently suitable for use as canal backfill. I used multiple filters to select backfillable spoil features based on the stability of the surrounding landscape, feature size, and proximity to Congressionally-authorized navigation channels or active oil and gas wells. Even this much-reduced extent of spoil indicated significant opportunities for backfilling distributed throughout the Louisiana coast. The Barataria, Mermentau, and Terrebonne hydrologic basins contained most of a total prioritized backfillable spoil area of approximately 10,775 hectares. The total is similar to the area of linear restoration projects included in Louisiana’s 2012 Comprehensive Master Plan for a Sustainable Coast. Coastwide canal backfilling could be accomplished for less than a third of the cost of those already-planned projects, and greater savings and performance could be achieved by combining backfilling with master plan projects whose footprints they intersect. Rough estimates of the value of wetlands that could be created through canal backfilling are $1.33 billion, or $0.14 billion per year. Estimates of the net present value of a crash program of coastwide backfilling ranged as high as $2.7 billion after 50 years.