Spotlight on History
Coastal Land Loss
As another hurricane season starts, the LDMA is highlighting stories on Louisiana’s coastal land loss crisis and the ongoing efforts to restore the state’s coastline. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, Louisiana loses an average of a football field every 100 minutes. For decades, LPB has covered this critical issue. Here a few of the best stories on Louisiana’s disappearing wetlands:
Shell Dredging & Coastal Erosion (1983)
In this Louisiana: The State We’re In story, see the almost total disappearance of the Pointe Au Fer shell reef chain in the Atchafalaya Bay.
Louisiana’s Vanishing Coast (1984)
Take a tour of the disappearing coastline at Fort Livingston in Jefferson Parish and Fort Proctor in St. Bernard Parish in this story from Louisiana: The State We’re In.
Louisiana: Goodbye & Hello (1988)
Learn more about the myriad of issues contributing to coastal erosion in this episode of Master Minds: LSU Shaping Tomorrow.
Washing Away: Losing Louisiana (2006)
Watch this LPB documentary chronicling the lives of six Louisianans as they struggle to rebuild their lives in the year following Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita.
Washing Away: After the Storms (2010)
In this follow-up to Washing Away: Losing Louisiana, see how everyone is doing five years after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
Turning the Tide (2011)
View this LPB documentary which examines the causes of coastal erosion in Louisiana, the proposed strategies for coastal restoration, and the competing interests in the region that rely on the coastal zone for survival.
Can HESCO Baskets Save the Coast? (2012)
See this Louisiana: The State We’re Story on the effectiveness of HESCO baskets in fighting coastal erosion.
Louisiana Coastal Concerns: BP & Beyond (2013)
In this episode of Louisiana Public Square, learn more about the impact of the 2010 BP Oil Spill on the state’s coastal restoration efforts.
Louisiana’s Moon Shot: Restoring the Coast (2017)
Tour a successful coastal restoration project along the levee in Galliano in this story from Louisiana: The State We’re In.
Coastal Restoration: The Next Wave (2017)
Watch this award-winning episode of Louisiana Public Square on the state’s 2017 coastal master plan.