Mark Schleifstein: Article Summary

Giving full credit to restricting the Mississippi River as the culprit for loss of wetlands is not accurate. The booming oil and gas exploration of the 1970’s and 1980’s merits a name on the marquee as well. The pipelines and canals used to transport the resources to the outside world placed a great deal of stress on the fragile wetlands. Erosion from the barges in and out of the marshes as well as the salt water allowed into the fresh water, providing a precarious habitat for fresh water species – flora and fauna alike. Plants provide root systems to hold soil in place. Fish and fowl provide an economy for the area. Enter

Numerous different aspects were altered due to the ruckus of Hurricane Katrina. The first major aspect was housing and location. Katrina nearly demolished 300,000 homes. The ascending sea level along the coast resulting from onshore winds is a storm surge. With a twenty-two foot storm surge in New Orleans and a twenty-seven foot storm surge in Mississippi, Hurricane Katrina averaged a shocking twelve foot storm surge. As a storm surge’s footage increases, the surge will continue to move inland farther and farther. Hurricane Katrina’s storm surge is documented as moving inland a total of twelve miles into the state of Mississippi (FAQS, 2013). Hurricane Katrina impacted a total of seven states. Five of these states were Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana. Kentucky and Ohio were two more states affected but in a different way. Because of the tremendous amount of water, Kentucky and Ohio were victims of the Mississippi River flooding. Some states experienced more extreme destruction than others. Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana experienced Hurricane Katrina’s wrath firsthand. These three southern states were affected the worst by the massive storm (FAQS, 2013). Mississippi’s forest industry experienced a great amount of destruction losing 1.3 million acres of valuable forest land. The main cause of destruction in New Orleans was blamed on the failure of the levee system to stand its ground

The characteristic warming climate of the Late Pleistocene and Early Holocene resulted in rising sea levels which contributed to the formation of the various deltas in the New Orleans area (Dunbar, Britsch, 2008). The natural formation of these deltas produced coastal wetlands that represent 30% of coastal wetlands currently in the United States (Cigler, 2007). In addition to these wetlands, the Mississippi River was surrounded by substantial forest growth (Pabis, 1998).

In Daniel L. Schafer’s book Anna Madgigine Jai Kingsley: African Princess, Florida Slave, Plantation Slaveowner, the life of a somewhat mysterious African born woman is broken down. There were many challenges to writing a biography on a woman who did not write any letters nor kept a diary on the events of her life. This and the fact that she was an African slave in the beginning of her life over in Florida made writing such a biography all the more challenging. I feel that Schafer has succeeded in providing an organized and descriptive piece on a historical figure whose background has very much been shrouded in mystery and uncertainty. The book stays true to the thesis and keeps Anna Madgigine Jai at the center of

Mike Tidwell wrote this novel with the purpose of informing the readers about the wonderful, often overlooked location that is the Bayou. He wants the public to know that this region is a treasure and holds many unique qualities that so many places in the United States are missing today. Through his journeys he came to love the land and the water. He learned a great deal about shrimping and crabbing, and the way of life on the Cajun coast. While he wrote this book to inform people about the region, he also wrote it to persuade readers to care. He wants people to realize that this territory is becoming extinct. There are many reasons why much of the marshlands are turning to open waters, and he wants to make sure that the readers become curious about them. He wants to pass on his love of the land to those who read about his experiences. He most likely hopes that people will read this book and consider what they can do to help out the cause.

To begin with, wildlife is brutally being affected by the draining and pollution. In the early 1900’s settlers from outside of Florida took over the Everglades and decided it was “useless swampland.” Their idea of draining the wetlands was not a smart decision. As it states in passage 1 lines 17-19, “The US Army Corps of engineers and government officials authorized the digging of the canals, the creating of water storage facilities, and

Louisiana should be concerned about the wetlands because of the wildlife and fisheries. Without it, Louisiana would not be able to supply seafood and wildlife. Another concern, is the land going under and people could lose their homes. According to Allured and Martin, “the destruction of the wetlands came from the coastal and offshore oil and gas development” (p.332). Also, there is some thought that humans play a role in the destruction. According to Allured and Martin, “swamps symbolize as dark and chaotic places of the earth” and “marsh as a type of wet area that harbored disease” (p. 333). The importance of ascertaining the cause of the vanishing wetlands is to help restore the wetlands and protect from a hurricane

The loss of Louisiana coastal land is one of the most major factors in our environment today. Louisiana has already loss 1,880 square miles of land in the past eight decades. This problem is effecting the state funding to help solve the problem before the state lose more coastal land. Human disturbance has had a massive impact on the balance of wetland growth and decline. (Wilson, 2013). In order to stop this situation the state needs to have a stronger structural protection for the coast line. (Wilson, 2013).

Louisiana is a state consisting of about 4,523,628 people. This number taken prior to Hurricane Katrina that occurred in 2005. As of 2015, the estimated population of Louisiana is 4,670, 724. The area of the state of Louisiana is about 43, 562 square miles. With its neighboring states of Texas, Arkansas, and Mississippi, Louisiana is located within the southeast part of the United States. The state’s first geologist was Francis V. Hopkins. Along with his assistant, Colonel Charles H. Lockett, Hopkins published the first topographical and geological maps of Louisiana. Louisiana has a variety of natural resources. Some examples of these natural resources are forests, salt, oil reserves, natural gas, and sulfur.

The Mississippi River influences the states of Louisiana in numerous ways. The river can be both beneficial and harmful to the state. It may help with industries, but at the same time it may be harming by taking away from Louisiana’s coastline. While erosion is widely considered to be a destructive occurrence, it does have some necessary features. For example, erosion provides many nutrients for animals living in the water, and it creates new deltas that many animals live in. Since the beginning of Louisiana, the Mississippi River has been a crucial factor in the creation and the development of Louisiana’s economy. It has helped with things like trade and the growth of crops. The Mississippi is also significant in the way Louisiana is shaped

Katrina hit New Orleans, Louisiana on August 29th, 2005, but the failure of the local government started before this day “by allowing building and growing in areas in low flood lands.” The local government did not regulate these land areas that have always

A wetland is an area of land that retains it water on it surface as in swamps, marshes, and bogs. Although we would prefer to keep the wetlands they are being destroyed very rapidly. Louisiana loses about 25- 35 square miles of wetlands each year. By 2050 it’s estimated that the annual loss of fishing income due to coastal wetland erosion will be around $550 million dollars of revenue.

Louisiana itself has been shaped and formed by many rivers, but mainly the Mississippi. It has done so by branching out into many channels and expanding in different directions across Louisiana. As the mouth of the Mississippi continues south, the gradient declines and the current slows down. Its sediment is built up so much that the river spills over to one side. The Mississippi River had advanced so far past New Orleans in the 1950’s that it was ready to make a major shift into the Atchafalaya. With this transition though, there would become major problems including the possible collapse of Baton Rouge and destruction of New Orleans. Not

A summary of Barry Schwartz’s claim is that though we love options and choices, the number of choices and variety has become detrimental to our wellbeing; in short, “sometimes more isn’t better, sometimes more is just more” (Sabrina). This is the claim of definition. The next claim that he proposes is the claim of cause stating that we, as Americans, have to make too many decisions in our day to day living, let alone future planning and goal setting decisions. He gives the example of going to the grocery store and picking out shampoo or a painkiller, which would in the past be a simple decision now becomes a huge ordeal deciding between 360 types of shampoo or 80 different options for painkillers (Schwartz). With so many small decisions

: Dr. Nancy Rabalias has spent a majority of her life mapping, studying and bringing attention to the “Dead Zone” which forms off the Louisiana cost, during the summer months. The “Dead Zone” is symptom of our own creation. This zone creates a condition called hypoxia or deficiency of oxygen. Agricultural interests continue the practice of applying chemical fertilizers in an effort to make the land more productive and conducive to farming. However, throughout our growth and expansion, the natural landscape of the Mississippi and the Gulf of Mexico watershed has been transformed. No longer do the natural wetland buffers or advantageous vegetation areas exist. These buffers served to absorb the excess nutrients and stow excessive chemical deposits,