JUNE: Oil Spill Impacts on Coastal Wetlands of the Mississippi River Delta

LSU professor and wetland ecologist, Dr. Irving Mendelssohn, answers questions about possible oil spill effects on wetlands, mechanisms of damage to plants, and pros and cons of clean-up procedures. Mendelssohn has studied the coastal habitats along the Louisiana coast for over 30 years and has published more than 100 scientific articles on wetlands, 25 on oil spill impacts.

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FEBRUARY: Extraordinary Redeye Gaper "Gulf of Mexico Deepwater"

Scientist discover a redeye gaper (Chaunax sp.) venting water at 240 meters (788 feet) depth at the Green Canyon dive site. This is the first cruise of a 4-year project to explore new deepwater coral communities in the Gulf of Mexico at both natural and man-made sites. The goal is to also characterize them in terms of coral habitat characteristics, biology, ecology, and genetic connectivity.

Little is known about the biology of many deep reef species, as they are difficult to sample by nets, trawls, or hook and line. Recent advances in deep SCUBA diving equipment, including mixed gas diving and closed-circuit rebreathers, has allowed for detailed surveys of deep reef communities and collections of many new species. These surveys have shown that deep reef areas are home to many new species that are completely unknown to science.

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NOVEMBER: Gulf of Mexico Alliance-Profile Series

Discovery Channel's "Profile Series" filmed a short video about the Gulf of Mexico Alliance. The video highlights the history of the state-led Alliance, including its' priority issues and the work that's being done to keep the Gulf of Mexico healthy and resilient!

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OCTOBER: Grass Roots: Hedging Our Bets

Produced by WKRG: http://wkrg.com/292060

We can build better and we can act as a community to improve our storm water management. Senator Richard C. Shelby discusses changes coming in flood insurance and State Senator Ben Brooks describes his legislation to improve homeowner’s insurance costs. The City of Orange Beach, Alabama, outlines their course of action that has reduced the cost of flood insurance by 15% for their citizens. Carl Schneider relates improvements that home owners can make to lower their insurance costs, and Danny Lipford demonstrates these changes.

SEPTEMBER: Grass Roots: Water Runs Down Hill

Produced by WKRG: http://wkrg.com/274937

Everyone lives in a watershed, though few of us realize it. A watershed is part of Nature’s cycle of rainfall – storing runoff water in the ground for future use and returning water to the air. We alter the patterns of runoff by bulldozing the land, clearing the trees and vegetation and paving over the ground. The water has nowhere to go except in huge torrents that tear up our creek beds, wash dirt and litter into our rivers, and create erosion, pollution and flooding.

We can do better. Alan Sealls and Dr. George Crozier explain the nature of our coastal watersheds. Dr. Kevin White discusses alternate storm water management practices. and Malcolm Steeves outlines the problems caused to our water system. Terry Plauche tells us about the value of trees. The City of Orange Beach shows us the dramatic changes they have made in order to lessen storm water damage, and Biloxi’s tree and park programs after Katrina are outlined.

AUGUST: Grass Roots: Wind and Water

Produced by WKRG: http://wkrg.com/220454

Alan Sealls explains the stormy nature of our weather and the reach of storm surge.

Dr. George Crozier, Dr. Scott Douglass and Dr. Bret Webb describe the nature of our beaches, barrier islands and wetlands and their natural protective role. Mayor Tony Kennon, Lanny Smith and Phillip West tell us how the City of Orange Beach, Alabama, has changed since Hurricane Ivan. Officials from Mississippi discuss rebuilding on the coast. The dramatic new flood maps and their effect on home owners insurance are presented. Danny Lipford outlines storm prevention for home owners.

A partnership of:
- National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
- Mississippi/Alabama Sea Grant Consortium
- WKRG-TV
- The City of Orange Beach
- The University of South Alabama Engineering Department,
- grassroots, inc.

The Gulf Coast is an area of storms, high winds and heavy rainfall. We can do a better job of building in this fragile environment by developing better building codes, preserving trees and open spaces. We need to be better educators on teaching our communities how to respect the protective nature of our beaches and wetlands.

We must become more aware that we can work with our environment instead of bulldozing, clearing and paving it. We can litter less. We can work with our communities to lessen our damage from storms and we can make our recovery more cost-effective for us and for our communities.

Today, we can begin to clear up our beautiful waters so our kids and generations beyond can enjoy them.