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Isle De Jean Charles Research Paper

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On a small peninsula, 70 miles southwest of New Orleans, there is a single stretch of road that leads into a fascinating place called Isle de Jean Charles. This is a place where living off the land is a way of life that is quickly becoming impossible to accomplish. The wetlands that used to provide nourishment for the plants and wildlife have now been replaced with the water from the Gulf and neither the freshwater marshes nor the vegetation were able to sustain this intrusion. Where there used to be a forest full of animals for trapping and hunting, there is salty water rippled only by poisoned carcasses of massive oak trees that still stand. The people living on the island are desperate and the Army Corps of Engineers has the power to help. The residents of Isle de Jean Charles deserve to see their children and grandchildren grow up on the land that they call home, but at what cost?
When the Biloxi-Chitimacha-Choctaw Indians in Terrebonne Parish describe their life before their land disappeared, they describe a way of life that is uncommon to a lot of people. In an article from The Weather Channel, Katy Reckdahl reports that, “Money was always tight – according to official standards, the income of most everyone on the island was far below the poverty line. But …show more content…

According to Amy Wold from The Advocate, Louisiana has been awarded $92 million by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and $52 million of that will go towards helping the Isle de Jean Charles residents move. This will be a great way to help this small Indian community find a new home. These funds will give this small community the assistance that it needs to work towards getting all of its members back together again. The hope is to see the Isle de Jean Charles Band of Biloxi-Chitimacha-Choctaw community happily living together on a much safer piece of

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