Louisiana Wetland Education Coalition

Current Events:

We are happy to announce the creation of a new listserve to meet the needs of educators interested in the Louisiana wetlands. An informal group called the Louisiana Wetland Education Coalition (LaWEC) has initiated this tool to help distribute materials and workshop information that are focused on wetlands information and are appropriate for the K-12 education forum (both informal and formal education).

If you would like to join the Louisiana Wetland Education Coalition listserve, sign up.

Photo of the Month:

Barataria - Terrebonne National Estuary
Landsat satellite mosaic from 1992 and 1993.
Louisiana State University and Louisiana Geological Society

Barataria-Terrebonne National Estuary is 1 of 28 National Estuary Programs in the United States, like Chesapeake Bay Estuary.

Cool Resources:

National Estuary Day
"The last Saturday in September is National Estuaries Day -- an interagency celebration of magical places where the rivers meet the sea. It began in 1988 as part of Coast Weeks to educate the public on the importance of estuaries and the need to protect them. The annual event has matured into a national campaign with festivities across the country. This year, National Estuaries Day is September 30."

EPA's Estuary Live
Since 2001, the featured event for National Estuaries Day has been EstuaryLive, an interactive field trip of over the Internet. Classrooms from across the country log on to explore estuaries from Maine to Alaska. The program has allowed multiple National Estuarine Research Reserves and National Estuary Programs to participate in the same educational event and provides an opportunity for students that live far from the coast to experience the wonderful world of estuaries.

How teachers use EstuaryLive

Estuaries.gov

Quote of the Month:

"Many estuaries produce more harvestable human food per acre than the best midwestern farmland." Stanely A. Cain, speech, 1966, testimony, U.S. House of Representatives, Merchant Marine and Fisheries subcommittee, March 1967.

Louisiana Tourism Commission

Organization of the Month:

Barataria - Terrebonne National Estuary Program (BTNEP)

Goals of the Barataria-Terrebonne National Estuary Program are to:

Preserve and restore wetlands and barrier islands
Realistically support diverse, natural biological communities
Develop and meet water quality standards that adequately protect estuarine resources and human health
Promote environmentally responsible economic activities that sustain estuarine resources
Generate national recognition and support
Implement comprehensive education and awareness on and awareness programs that enhance public involvement and maintain cultural heritage
Create an accessible, comprehensive database with interpreted information for the public
Create clear, fair, practical, and enforceable regulations
Develop and maintain multi-level, long-term, comprehensive watershed planning
Be compatible with natural processes
Forge common-ground solutions to estuarine problems
Formulate indicators of estuarine ecosystem health and balance estuary use

BTNEP has a new educational curriculum called Educator's Guild to the Barataria- Terrebonne Estuary.
To download educational information and activities for students K-12 grade, visit
BTNEP Educational Curricula, Activities, and CDs

An EstuaryLIVE! video is available from BTNEP.
See the listing at the bottom of the BTNEP Educational Video Index.

Estuary Live Activities are also available on the BTNEP Web site.

If you would like to submit nominations for “Quote of the Month,” “Photo of the Month,” “Cool Resource,” or “Organization of the Month,” please email heidi_hitter@usgs.gov with the information and any necessary reference material.

[The Current Contact is Dave Marks at lacoast@condor.nwrc.gov or (337) 266-8623. -Webmaster]