Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve

Organization Description

Louisiana’s Mississippi River Delta conjures images of a spirited culture and places of haunting beauty. It is a world shaped by a dynamic, centuries-old relationship between humans and a still-evolving land. Here a succession of peoples has both altered and adapted to the environment as they interacted with other cultures-changing and being changed. Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve tells the story of this land and its culture that together show one of the most interesting faces of the American experience. The Mississippi River delta is some of the youngest land in North America. The deltaic sediments that underlie the New Orleans region are less than 4,000 years old. Natural processes-deposition of new sediment, erosion, subsidence (settling of sediment) - maintained a healthy equilibrium between land and water at delta’s edge. But canals, levees, jetties and floodways built by humans upset the balance, blocking sedimentation and increasing erosion and loss of coastal wetlands. The problem seems overwhelming - but we can save our wetlands if we work together and make smart choices. Any restoration program must be a commitment to the health of the entire system- including its human residents.