Spreading the word at Jazz Fest ‘09
June 1, 2009
For the Bayou teamed up with south Louisiana based Voice of the Wetlands to spread the word about Louisiana’s coastal wetlands crisis at the 2009 New Orleans Jazz Fest. From the fairgrounds to the French Quarter, we managed to strike up conversation with fest-goers and tourists alike.
Tourists from across the country and around the world were shocked at the rapid rate of vanishing wetlands and coast: “Losing wetlands and coast at this rate is astonishing. What is it going to take to get assistance from our government and the rest of the country? This is one of our country’s biggest environmental disasters of our times and no one seems to know about it”, said tourist and wetlands enthusiast, Kaija Langley.
“Louisiana’s wetlands are vanishing at this rate because of mistakes that we, as citizens, government and businesses made years back: the construction design of the Mississippi River levees, canals dug through the wetlands for shipping transportation and oil and gas exploration and non-native species introduction. This is not a natural disaster; it is a tragic mistake of mankind. We can and should restore these wetlands that are so important to our ecosystem and to the lives of Louisiana’s coastal citizens,” said Elizabeth Welborn, Founder, For the Bayou.
Posted by Suzanne Hozlman
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