Elise Plunk

6 days 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.

1 week 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.

1 week 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.

1 week ago | yahoo.com | Wesley Muller |Elise Plunk

On right, the City of Hammond's assimilation wetland on the northern coast of Pass Manchac. The wastewater effluent flows to the right of the pipeline, labeled for clarity in the image. (Photo: Wes Muller/Louisiana Illuminator)Opposing views among environmental groups and coastal scientists in Louisiana have spurred intense debates over the use of treated sewage to restore Louisiana’s wetlands. The conflicts could jeopardize some decades-long efforts to restore the state’s disappearing coast.

1 month ago | yahoo.com | Elise Plunk |Halle Parker

Workers install solar panels on the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s (NIST) Net-Zero Energy Residential Test Facility in Gaithersburg, Md. (Photo courtesy of NIST)The future of millions of dollars in funding to help low-income Louisiana residents access solar energy has grown increasingly uncertain as the Trump administration attempts to slash grant programs awarded under its predecessor.