How the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation is Fighting to Save New Orleans’ Lakes

By Anna Levy

If you have ever been to New Orleans, Louisiana, you would know that the city is as animated and unique as the people who live there. With influences from Spanish, French, and African American culture, New Orleans is truly a cultural melting pot with new experiences at every corner. However, while many people are familiar with famous New Orleans trademarks like Mardi Gras and Bourbon Street, few people realize that the city is actually sinking at an alarming rate, and only half of the entirety of New Orleans lies above sea level. In fact, the gradual sinking of the city is a human-made issue that began over 300 years ago, when French colonizers removed the marshes and swamps for urbanization. Before colonization, native New Orleanians had adapted to the swampy topography by frequently moving to higher lands--however, once the French, Spanish, and later Americans, inhabited the land, New Orleanians were forced to drain the swamps to make way for new inhabitants, thereby weakening the soil and actually sinking parts of the city. In more recent years, storms like Hurricane Katrina wreaked havoc on the already fragile land, flooding the city and spreading pollutants into surrounding bodies of water.

This past spring, I had the opportunity to volunteer for the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation (LBPF), an organization that actively monitors and protects the Lake Pontchartrain Basin, an area that encompasses 16 Louisiana parishes, 10,000 square miles of land and water, and over 2 million residents. The mission statement of the organization is to “drive environmental sustainability and stewardship through scientific research, education, and advocacy,” which includes preventing the spread of catastrophic forces like overfishing, sewage leakage, and urban runoff into New Orleans’ bodies of water. The first thing I noticed about Lake Pontchartrain was its beauty-- the green-blue lake stretched far beyond the horizon and glistened with the ripples of passing boats, sending a cool breeze over my body amidst the New Orleans heat. The organization headquarters is stationed at the historic New Canal Lighthouse, which stretches 19 feet above the lake’s surface to prevent future storm surges. The original lighthouse, built in 1865, was actually torn down during Hurricane Katrina in 2007, and was rebuilt as a museum and education center in 2013 under the authority of the LPBF itself. One of the LPBF’s main goals is to educate groups of visitors through museum tours and activities at the education center that relate to water purity and the history of New Orleans’ lakes. As a volunteer, I was in charge of giving tours of the Lighthouse as well as its different facilities to groups of students and other visitors.

When I arrived at the New Canal Lighthouse on my first day of volunteering, I was sent on my own personal tour of the lighthouse and its museum to learn the ins-and-outs of the LPBF and how it operates to help protect Lake Pontchartrain. The first stop on the tour was the Educational Center, which consisted of science experiments simulating water purity tests and procedures. During American colonization, clams were used for streets and other infrastructure --little did these settlers realize that clams were the main filter-feeders maintaining the purity of the lakes. Without the clams, the water became polluted and murky, and many habitats were destroyed by the contaminated water. As such, many of the early projects of the LPBF related to clam restoration and research in order to save these underwater ecosystems and reduce water pollution in Lake Pontchartrain. Today, the LPBF continues to monitor water purity of the late, and hopes to educate future children and activists on the importance of the lake and its inhabitants as well as the damaging effects of water pollution. After exploring the education center, I was led to the museum itself, which was stationed on the top floor of the lighthouse. The museum was filled with interactive displays and diagrams explaining the various ecosystems living within the lake, and the numerous environmental and human factors that are putting these ecosystems at risk. The museum also included historical artifacts from the lighthouse’s origin, including the original bell from the bell tower and models of the original structure! Overall, the museum and educational center together created a series of educational, interactive, and inspiring activities that highlighted both the history and the importance of Lake Pontchartrain, and the efforts necessary to keep it safe.

Unfortunately, my time working with the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation was cut short due to the overwhelming spread of the coronavirus, which sent me back to my hometown in New Jersey. However, in the process of my training, I learned valuable information about Lake Conservation and the incredible work that people are putting in to try to save New Orleans. When we, as a society, move past the coronavirus, I hope to continue my work with the LPBF and contribute as much as I can to a city whose cultural and social atmosphere enriches the lives of so many individuals, including myself.

Sources:

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/new-orleans-is-sinking/

https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2018/02/how-humans-sank-new-orleans/552323/

https://www.nola.com/news/environment/article_9e74b44c-6aad-51b0-adcb-af07a317c966.html

https://scienceforourcoast.org/

https://www.nola.com/news/environment/article_9e74b44c-6aad-51b0-adcb-af07a317c966.html