Elise Plunk

1 month ago | lailluminator.com | Elise Plunk

Louisiana’s environment can be the best friend and the worst enemy to an oyster harvester.

1 month ago | yahoo.com | Elise Plunk |Shannon Heckt

Local control over carbon capture took a blow with the end of House Bill 4, which would have granted parish control over allowing CCS projects within parish boundaries. (Elise Plunk, Louisiana Illuminator)Debate over local control and state regulation of emissions took on David vs. Goliath tones Tuesday at the State Capitol, where a legislative committee considered a raft of bills dealing with carbon capture and sequestration (CCS).

2 months ago | yahoo.com | Elise Plunk |Eva Tesfaye

Ivan Vargas-Lopez and Sophia Lingo walk along wooden platforms in Wax Lake Delta to examine soil samples as part of their research into how Atchafalaya River sediment has added to its coastal delta. (Elise Plunk/Louisiana Illuminator)ST. MARY PARISH —  Amid the rapid erosion of Louisiana’s coast, something hopeful is happening where the Atchafalaya River meets the Gulf. A flow of sediment from a decades-old river diversion has accidentally given birth to new wetlands.

2 months ago | thelensnola.org | Elise Plunk |Eva Tesfaye

ST. MARY PARISH, La. —  Amid the rapid erosion of Louisiana’s coast, something hopeful is happening where the Atchafalaya River meets the Gulf. A flow of sediment from a decades-old river diversion has accidentally given birth to new wetlands. While that small delta is dwarfed by what’s washing away all around it, researchers have gained knowledge from Wax Lake Delta that could help save the rest of Louisiana’s coast and contribute to a better understanding of wetland science across the globe.

2 months ago | agwaterdesk.org | Cassandra Stephenson |Delaney Dryfoos |Elise Plunk

Wetlands are places where land and water meet. Throughout the Mississippi River watershed, wetlands store floodwater, improve drinking water quality and serve as homes for millions of birds and other animals. But this special ecosystem is facing growing threats from development, pollution, climate change, and recent court rulings that leave them vulnerable to destruction.