Hundreds of Louisiana irises were just planted in Grand Isle and they ll bloom in few weeks
Halle Parker
More than 500 giant blue Louisiana irises rescued from a plot slated for development have found a new home in the wetlands along the Nature Conservancy s Lafitte Woods Preserve nature trail in Grand Isle.
Once abundant across coastal Louisiana, the state wildflower s numbers have declined over the years due to a range of factors, including the use of herbicide to keep drainage ditches clear of weeds and the intrusion of saltwater into once-freshwater wetlands.
While not endangered, the species is much less visible across much of southeast Louisiana. In an effort to raise public awareness, the Louisiana Iris Conservation Initiative has relocated nearly 30,000 irises to refuges.
The Kill Pen Economy: Why Is The Slaughter Pipeline So Hard To Shut Off? Sponsored by:
Those who pay attention to such things may have noticed a familiar bay mare with a distinctive star whose picture appeared on social media in December with a post imploring readers to rescue her from a grim fate. The mare was identified as Apt To Smile, a Louisiana-bred daughter of Parading who had completed an undistinguished racing career in May 2017, and she was offered for sale by a well-known kill pen in Bastrop, La. The terms for her rescue were the same as they are for many other horses that pass through the lot and others like it each week: Pay us our price, or she s making a long, painful trip to a Mexican slaughterhouse.
Massive, unexplained bivalve die-off sends many Louisiana oystermen back to square one
Halle Parker
Mitch Jurisich, a third-generation oysterman, dropped a long pair of oyster tongs into the Gulf of Mexico and lightly raked the water bottom.
When he brought up his catch several oysters that he laid along the side of his boat all but one were dead. The more resilient hooked mussels, typically found clustered along the area s oyster reefs, had suffered the same fate.
The stench of rotting bivalves filled the air. That s the smell of death, Jurisich said.
Early this month, millions of pounds of oysters in leases that line Plaquemines Parish s west bank creatures that had been healthy and alive the week before were found dead, their mouths open. It s unclear why.
2 oil company contractors indicted for leaks from platforms off Louisiana coast
Halle Parker
Two supervisors with a Houston-based oil company are facing multiple federal charges after prosecutors in U.S. Attorney Peter Strasser s office say they knowingly allowed oil to leak from their platforms off Louisiana s shores, bypassing safety and environmental protocols meant to prevent such leaks.
Patrick Huse and Brandon Wall both served in leadership positions for Fieldwood Energy, working on different rigs located on the continental shelf. The two were charged in connection with separate incidents in 2015 and 2018, after which an oily sheen could be observed on the Gulf of Mexico s surface, according to the grand jury indictment handed up Friday.
Gar could be a Rosetta Stone for gene research and Louisiana can supply them
Halle Parker
The dart-shaped, toothy gar, commonly found throughout the slow-moving bayous of Louisiana s coast, has often been overlooked, disrespected and understudied.
Despite their edibility, recreational fishers have long considered them trash fish. And they have erroneously viewed some species like alligator gar which can grow up to 10 feet long and weigh 300 pounds as a threat to other popular sportfish, leading to them to be killed intentionally.
But researchers at Nicholls State University have been in love with the prehistoric fish for years, studying different types of gar to learn more about the value each one adds to the ecosystem as an apex predator.