Ask A Scientist: How Do You Know That A Wetland Restoration Is Successful?

Although there is no one "silver bullet" method, much can be done to see if a restoration is on track. Following the restoration plan and keeping track of the inputs (quantity of seed planted, number of species planted as plugs) is one way to make sure that restoration targets are met. However, strictly following these steps does not guarantee success, as many unexpected obstacles might occur (a dry or a wet year, a new invasive species, inability to conduct a burn). That is why most restoration and conservation managers, including TWI ecologists, follow a strategy called adaptive management.

A Lesson Learned For Community Resettlement: Isle De Jean Charles Band Of Biloxi-Chitimacha- Choctow Tribe

The resettlement plan is expected to be implemented by 2022 with the inclusion of many facilities in the new location to revitalize the tribal community, including a tribal center and a healthcare facility. The Tribe's experience highlights how success can be achieved when at-risk communities are engaged in the resettlement planning process from the beginning to ensure long-term successful relocation and maintain community integrity. It also highlights an opportunity for institutions to evolve in more flexible ways to accommodate the growing number of communities that may need to relocate.

A Global Crisis For Seagrass Ecosystems

Seagrasses, marine flowering plants, have a long evolutionary history but are now challenged with rapid environmental changes as a result of coastal human population pressures. Seagrasses provide key ecological services, including organic carbon production and export, nutrient cycling, sediment stabilization, enhanced biodiversity, and trophic transfers to adjacent habitats in tropical and temperate regions.

Sea-Level Rise, El Nino, And Storm Effects On Coastal Tidal Marshes

Through a combination of long-term monitoring and computer simulations, this research explores the sensitivity of tidal marsh habitat to both short-term climate variation and long-term change and provide land managers the information needed to guide resource management and restoration practices. In this webinar, Southwest CASC supported researcher Kevin Buffington discusses how climate change may affect El Nino events and extreme storms on coastal wetlands.

Plastic Soup Foundation

Stop the plastic soup tsunami as soon as possible! If we do not achieve this, we are leaving future generations with a terrible plastic plague. We are a 'single issue' environmental organization that is concerned with one thing: stopping plastic pollution at its source.

Mississippi River Bottle Tracking

The Mississippi River Plastic Pollution Initiative enlists the help of 'citizen scientists' in America's heartland to collect data on the state of plastic pollution along the river. To date, over 100,000 plastic litter items have been catalogued through the project. The data gathered is helping to create the first-ever plastic pollution 'map' along the river, which can be used by cities and towns to take action.

Biogeography Of Submerged Aquatic Vegetation (Sav) In The Pontchartrain Basin

A biogeographic study of submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) in the Pontchartrain Basin of southeastern Louisiana was conducted. These plants provide numerous essential ecosystem services. Eighteen species occurred in different salinity zones ranging from freshwater to the saline waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Lake Pontchartrain SAV coverage was reduced by 70 percent from 1953 to 1990 due to increased turbidity from urbanization and shell dredging.

When Is Water Safe To Drink?

Water is refreshing, hydrating, and invaluable to your survival. But clean water remains a precious and often scarce commodity - there are nearly 800 million people who still don't have regular access to it. Why is that? And how can you tell whether the water you have access to - whether from a tap or otherwise - is drinkable?