Delta Dispatches 2.7 Pt 1 Brad Miller === [00:00:00] Simone Maloz: Hello, you're listening to Delta Dispatches. We are discussing Louisiana's coast, its people, wildlife and jobs. And why restoring it matters. I'm Simone Maloz and I'm the campaign director of Restore the Mississippi River Delta. This is almost our last episode in our limited run series of Delta dispatches 2.0, so be sure to like and subscribe the podcast wherever you get 'em in case we come back. In today's episode, we're gonna be talking to both Brad Miller of the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority, and Kristi Trail, the Executive Director of Pontchartrain Conservancy. Today we're gonna be talking about reconnecting to the river. Parishes revitalizing Louisiana's largest swamp and focusing on the people of the river parishes. Brad Miller's gonna talk [00:01:00] about that wonderful river reconnection to the Maurepas Swamp and the importance of the river when it comes to revitalizing coastal areas. And then Kristi's gonna talk about the people in some of the exciting programs that they have going on in the river parishes. So without further ado, we welcome to the show, Brad Miller. Brad is the project manager for the Mississippi River reintroduction to the Maurepas Swamp, and has been involved with this project for nearly 20 years. this says that you're an expert in all things Maurepas and is passionate about restoring this area, one of the largest forested wetlands areas in the us. Welcome to Delta Dispatches, Brad. Brad Miller: thank you, Simone. I'm really happy to be here. Simone Maloz: So I think you've been on in our previous days. Yes, Brad Miller: is correct. Simone Maloz: is correct. So you are a frequent flyer. Let's start from the beginning. Why don't you introduce [00:02:00] yourself to our listeners that may not have listened to the first 200 episodes. Brad Miller: Okay. Well, um, as you mentioned, I'm a project manager here at the Coastal Protection Restoration Authority, and you know, I've been involved in dozens of projects over my career, but this one is just really, really unique. As most folks know, you know, at CPRA we do a lot of, you know, marsh creation and Bear Islands, and those are kind of our bread and butter. We've built hundreds of those, but this project, in particularly reconnecting river to a coastal forest that's been in decline for over a century. Really, really unique. It's one of a kind. It's never been done by us. It's really been on this scale, never been done in the world. So it's just an awesome project I've been working on for almost my whole career here over 20 years. And I'm excited to share some great things about it with you guys. Simone Maloz: Some good news for sure. So Brad's kind of the closer project manager. When you get Brad as your project manager, you know, you're very close or, or you're being very successful. I can [00:03:00] remember beach projects and a few things like that. But let's, let's talk about this Maurepas Swamp area. Let's. Let's talk about why, Brad. Why the idea of reconnecting the Maurepas Swamp to the Mississippi River. This area has seen some decline over the decades. Brad Miller: You know, the why just goes back to the name. It's called the reintroduction Maurepas Swamp. And it goes back to the origins of the project. The project's over 30 years old. It's been every plan. that CPRA and DNR Coastal Group before us ever had, you know, back to the 1993 Coastal Restoration Plan. It was in the 20, uh, the 1998 2050 report. you every annual plan, master plan we've had this project's been in, but it, it really got born by the EPA a CWPPRA project in, in 2000. And, you know, I want to give EPAA lot of accolades, 'cause folks over there worked [00:04:00] for, you know, 10, 15 years on this project in CWPPRA. As, the project evolved, we, we realized that it was too big to be built by CWPPRA. also realized we had to build it. So it kind of got to a point where in 2014, we had the CWPPRA or 95% report, it got handed off to the state. And then it got funded by BP Oil, deep Water horizon Oil, spill money, and that finished design and brought the project into construction. So it's kind of a 30 year history. But we've known for years that the swamps been in decline, and these coastal forests have to be connected. They need a source of fresh water and nutrient input. This swamp has not had that for over a century. So the science is there. We've known for forever that we have to get that fresh water nutrients into the swamp to make those trees healthier. So the concept is not new. It's just taking a long while to get, to get to where we are now. Simone Maloz: So Brad, this, this [00:05:00] project really, like you said, it's a couple of decades old that makes it seem like it's been around for a while. 'cause it has, because it's a pretty simple idea. You restore the hydrology, you kind of, you. a little straw into the river, you're pulling the fresh water, off the top of it. You're, you're going back to restoring those natural processes, which is really important to get that fresh water and nutrients flow into that swamp. This is like a well loved area and recreational area. Right, and not just for the folks of the river parishes. Brad Miller: Yeah, correct. There's the Maurepas swamps pretty unique as far as recreation goes. There's been, you know, obviously when you think of Louisiana, there's hunting and fishing, but also a ton of birdwatching and just boating. There's a lot of camps out there where people just go to enjoy the wetlands on the, on the weekends and, everyone I talk to when I'm in public meetings, they all say, we want the swamp to be what it was like 30, 40 years ago. And it's, the swamps been just slowly dying. The trees [00:06:00] are not as healthy. It's been really well documented. They're not growing like they should be. There's not as many leaves on 'em as there should be. So it's really needs that fresh water, the flowing water, and more, most importantly the nutrients and to get that swamp healthier. Simone Maloz: So you really just trying to get it back to its thriving state. So red, tell us like a few details about the project, like some specifics about. what that will even look like, you know, as it comes off the river. And then I, I wanna really talk about the idea about how it's connected to the West Shore Lake Pontchartrain project. But, but first, let's talk about some project details. You are under construction, you have had a groundbreaking, and work is underway. Brad Miller: So, to get the water from the river to the swamp, it's about five and a half miles. And let's start with actually the last part of that 'cause that's under construction. There's a canal called Hope Canal, which starts the airline highway and actually goes to the swamp. So it's about three miles long. So [00:07:00] three miles of this conveyance channel was kind of already built for us. just widening it. And that's what's under construction now. We're widening Hope Canal from basically airline highway to, to I 10. And that's where the, that's where the kind of diversion starts going into the swamp. going south from there between airline and the river is about two miles, and that's the really complex part of this project. Starting from the river, there's gonna be a gated intake structure. If you're familiar with Davis Pond and Caernarvon, similar to those. We have to cross River Road. We have to cross one railroad, then a second railroad, a bunch of pipeline corridor a big pipeline corridor, and then airline highway. Now all those features are in kind of final design and we're gonna be constructing those features over the next four years. So we've started construction the easy part, hope Canal. the, all those other infrastructure crossings and those other features starting next year will be advertising for [00:08:00] construction and the schedule is to be in construction for about four years to finish up everything by the end of 2029 and turn it on in 2030. Simone Maloz: Golly, what a throwback to hear you call it Hope Canal. 'cause I think that was the original, Louisiana Coastal area study name. Right. Um, I Brad Miller: Yes, it, Simone Maloz: very Brad Miller: was, this was a, um, LCA project as well called Hope Canal. Simone Maloz: I love to hear you when you talk about these projects because you're really kind of in a really simple way, breaking down how complex these projects can be. A simple river reconnection of what, 25, maybe 2,500 CFS is. It involves under a road, under a railroad bridge. Not, I mean, and you, you're right, very similar to something that folks might pass over every day on Highway 90 and not even realize with the Davis Pond connection, but that these, these projects can be really complex. Even the quote, simple ones are easy ones. [00:09:00] Um, that it's all complicated because of the, the coastal communities and the areas that we're trying to build these in sometimes. Brad Miller: Um, you know, you look on the fact sheet and, there's a, a yellow line. We say that's five miles from here to there, but those five miles, there's a lot of. Simone Maloz: a lot happening. Brad Miller: Yeah, on this project there's a lot of infrastructure to cross, so, but we're, we're making really good progress and it is gonna be an exciting next four or five years. Simone Maloz: So Brad, we, we'll, um, get close to wrapping up this interview, but I, I wanna take it just a little off script question to ask you about all your years of work at, at CPRA. You've seen some really good projects go into the ground, get crossed over the line. Is this really your favorite project? Brad Miller: This is, this is, um, it really is the uniqueness of it. And I actually recreate in the Maurepas swamp. And if you know me, you've probably seen pictures of me harvesting alligators outta the Maurepas swamp. And, uh, it's, it's, it's a really special area. I've, I've grown to love it. And [00:10:00] it's it's very unique from a lot of different aspects. Simone Maloz: Yeah, I, I was trying to get you there, Brad. You, you didn't fall for it. You just, yes. This is my favorite one so far, playing favorites and I love it. Well we appreciate always your leadership as you project manage some of the most important projects here on Louisiana's coast, especially this one. It has such a good news story for the river parishes and for the folks in that Maurepas Basin swamp area to, to reconnect to the river there and, but to also have it connected to a really important risk reduction project that they're building in the same area as well. So we definitely appreciate you breaking down that project for us a little bit. Maybe we'll bring Delta dispatches back when, when we're ready for that ribbon cutting. We'll have you back on. Brad Miller: Sounds great. I'd love to come back. Simone Maloz: So Brad, if you know you've been on the show before, you know, we have to ask a fun question. I of course have one on [00:11:00] here. But I've al always liked to customize it a little bit to our guests. We have gotten previous guests dumped by some of the questions. We've gotten them. So whether one is to have them back on the show and ask them the question again. We talked a little bit offline about you just recently had a milestone birthday, and you did a really fun trip. What would be your next totally out of the box fun trip that, that you would take since you got that one checked off your bucket List us. Brad Miller: So, yes, Simone's referring to a a, a gang. My friend Simone Maloz: I wasn't gonna spill beans, but Go Brad Miller: went to, went to Kentucky and, enjoyed some of the beverages that they produce in that state. golly, my next big trip, you know, really my, of big trips, I just, my next thing I want to do is just be able to spend as much time as possible at my camp in [00:12:00] Delacroix. Um, I. Simone Maloz: Love it. Brad Miller: I work in, I work in wetlands, and, I recreate in wetlands and I just, I love the Louisiana marsh and swamp. So I just like relaxing. I know this shows up the past train basin. I'm gonna give a shout out to, uh, Breton and sound. And, if you need to find me on the weekends, just drive down St. Bernard Highway and I might be sitting in a boat somewhere in the, in the, the swamps or the marshes around Delacroix. Simone Maloz: too fast down St. Bernard Highway, though. But yes, if you, Brad Miller: it. Simone Maloz: love that, Brad, that is a very on brand for you to live, work, and play in Louisiana's coast. Again, we thank you for your leadership on this project and for your years of service for the Louisiana Coastal Area Program. Thank you, Brad, and happy belated birthday. So we're excited to bring back Kristi Trail, the executive Director of Pontchartrain Conservancy, a partner organization to restore the Mississippi River Delta, and a [00:13:00] research and advocacy leader here in the Pontchartrain basin. Welcome back, Kristi, to the show. Again and again, and kind of for real this time. , Kristi, so why don't you remind our listeners about the good work of Pontchartrain Conservancy and then tell us a little bit about yourself again. Kristi Trail (Pontchartrain Conservancy): Absolutely. Hello and thank you for having me on again. I'm so excited delta Dispatches is back. It was a brief hiatus, but we all missed having you share all these wonderful stories. So thank you again for having me. I'm the Executive Director of Pontchartrain Conservancy. If you're not familiar with our organization, you may remember us by our former name, Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation, which a lot of people used to just shorthand say, save Our Lake. We are the same organization, been around since 1989. We changed our name about five years ago, now known as Conservancy. we do a lot of work on water quality testing, not only in Lake Pontchartrain, but a lot of the rivers and Bayou that surround the lake. [00:14:00] We do a lot of work in the coastal restoration space, looking at changes in habitat where the water is coming in and leaving and all those changes we see all around the basin. And we have a lot of work as well in STEM education. We also operate a museum in New Orleans on the lakefront. It's a former lighthouse that we've restored into a museum, the New Canal Lighthouse Museum, and would love to have you and any of the listeners out to see us anytime. Simone Maloz: I love that. I love that. Yeah, that's one thing. While we focus on, you know, coastal restoration, you know, we wanted to make sure that PC is a leader just in southwest Louisiana in water equality, education, advocacy, these things that they may not know if you just. Only got your news from Delta Dispatches. Today, Kristi, we're focusing a little bit on the river parishes, although obviously your reach extends a little bit beyond that. We did have Brad Miller from CPRA on before this, of course, he's a project manager for Maurepas. So let's start [00:15:00] there and then, then I'd like to talk a little bit more about some specific programs that you have going on in the Greater New Orleans region. But tell us a little bit about the importance of. The Maurepas Swamp. Kristi Trail (Pontchartrain Conservancy): Sure. So for us, the area that we mostly work in is what we refer to as the Pontchartrain Basin, that is 16 parishes and it's basically all the watershed of all the water that drains into Lake Pontchartrain and out of Lake Pontchartrain. And the way I sometimes shorthand refer to that is basically the entire East Bank of the state of Louisiana sounds large. it's all the parishes from East Louisiana down to the tip of Plaquemine. So that includes the areas around Lake Maurepas, um, and the Maurepas Swamp. So most of that area is owned by the state. There are some private portions of land around there. But it's been deprived of fresh water for quite some time. And so while there is a beautiful swamp out there, again, if you haven't been out there, I encourage all of you all to go take a peek sometime [00:16:00] it is beautiful, just beautiful oak trees. It's just, and the rivers that all meander through there but it is slowly dying off. What we don't see today is those cypress trees regenerating on their own, and that's just because there hasn't really been an influx of fresh water due to the levying of the Mississippi River. It's a story we could probably go on and on about with our coastal crisis. The Maurepas Swamp, again, it's further inland, right? It's a little bit higher ground, and now the state is progressing, as you heard from Brad, on reconnecting a portion of the river into that swamp. It's a quote unquote small amount of water coming in, but it's gonna mean huge volumes for that area just to reinvigorate it. And what we hope to see and expect to see are those trees to regenerate on their own and just keep that swamp there for generations to come. Simone Maloz: Yeah. Kristi, even in, in hearing you describe your work around the Pontchartrain basin, you really described how it, it kind of is. A little [00:17:00] set apart from the rest of coastal Louisiana. And that the approach to restoration there needs to be a little bit different. 'cause you do have these complicating factors on some riverine influences other than just the Mississippi River, et cetera. But, but I guess it just goes to underscore. You know, there is no silver bullet for all of coastal Louisiana. There's no one size fits all, and that the Pontchartrain Basin is no different than that. It, it needs a combination of different restoration techniques and conservation techniques for that area. Kristi Trail (Pontchartrain Conservancy): Absolutely. You got it exactly right. So we're really excited to see this project move forward. Very thankful the state was able to get this project going. I was fortunate enough to be at the groundbreaking ceremony, which was, gosh, was that about a year ago? So excited to see it move forward. Simone Maloz: Okay. Let's talk a little bit more about the additional work that PC is doing. Y'all have some really cool, very specific programs [00:18:00] that y'all have that I'd like to highlight, including CORE and maybe Flow and some of the other ones. So tell us a little bit about highlight a few programs that PC's working on that you're proud to tell our listeners about. Kristi Trail (Pontchartrain Conservancy): So excited to talk about these. So, you know, we're talking about the Maurepas Swamp, obviously in the river parishes area. We do a lot of other. Work in that area as well. So, got some really creative brains here that have come up with some great acronyms for our program. So I can start with one of those that we call flow facilitating learning in our watershed. And this is a program where we work with schools and we have been targeting certain regions. And we did a lot of work in St. John Parish with the middle school teachers there, helping them to write a very hyper-local science curriculum. So in middle school, most middle schoolers, when they're learning about earth sciences. As part of their state standard curriculum, if they're looking at a textbook just right off the shelf that they may have [00:19:00] bought from, you know, whoever, and they flip to the page on wetlands, guess what? It talks about the Everglades. Or it might even talk about a coral reef out in the Caribbean. Well, those are all great, but we don't necessarily have those right here in our backyard in St. John Parish. They have the maurepas swamp in their backyard. So we've been working with the teachers to just gauge interest. You know, what would you think about writing a curriculum that focused on your backyard, the things you see in your area? Let's talk about salt water, fresh water, brackish water, cypress swamps, what animals live there. So we worked with the teachers in St. John to basically rewrite an entire new science curriculum that the teachers were very involved in as part of our funding for this program from NOAA, we were able to get them kits and supplies that really allow for some hands on, you know, so the teachers can really. Get out there themselves and test the water quality so that, that when they're teaching it in the classroom, they have a better [00:20:00] feel for what it all entails. And Simone Maloz: And so. Kristi Trail (Pontchartrain Conservancy): We spent a year just building the program, kind of like in the background, working with teachers on the weekends and, you know, on their off days. And then the second year implemented that program in the school and we would sit in, in the classroom, just kind of see how it's going. And now in this third year, they're doing it on their own. They've had this new curriculum, very hyper-focused, and we're just now rolling that out to some other parishes in the area. Simone Maloz: I love that so, so much. I think that's such a great idea to kind of see it evolve over time and then to see it grow. I love being able to, to highlight teacher's passion about it, to think that they spend their Saturdays. Cetera. You know, wanting to do something different that's gonna make a difference is really important. Why don't you tell us a little bit about the core program? Kristi Trail (Pontchartrain Conservancy): So Core, again, another acronym that we created over here. CORE stands for collaborating on resilience. And so this is a project we were funded by nw, the [00:21:00] National Fish and Wildlife Federation to work with St. James Parish there in the river parishes to have the parish develop their own resilience plan. So. What does that mean? Right? That's from our perspective, it was very community focused. We're about to wrap it up. Hope to wrap this thing up by the end of this year, but spent the past year and a half working very closely with parish officials, with community leaders, with residents getting them engaged to understand. What does resilience mean in your parish? When a hurricane comes, what happens? Do you lose power? Do you flood? Maybe both. Right? So what are the issues that you're facing? it could be something other than just a hurricane, right? We see heavy rains in the spring. Crazily, we got a bunch of snow earlier this year. So what are those things that you need in your community to help you be sustainable? So is it some more rain gardens to help with flooding? Is it different types of pavement? Is it more trees because you have a heat island effect? [00:22:00] What are the things we're hearing from community members? And again, the parish leaders are at the table. So building that plan when we're gonna be wrapping it up again at the end of this year, super excited about that. But all throughout the process, there were a lot of, engagement meetings. I'm gonna pull out an old term here, but we hosted charettes Simone Maloz: Oh, Kristi Trail (Pontchartrain Conservancy): throughout the parish Simone Maloz: ooh. Kristi Trail (Pontchartrain Conservancy): to really get everybody thinking and interactive. Right. We also set up coastal hubs and so these were placed at libraries all throughout the parish and other public spaces. One of 'em is in a school, at the parish office as well, where we have a computer station set up. That is fully loaded with lots of materials, right? The state's coastal master plan specific plans on the mor paw diversion that you heard Brad talk about. All these just resources right there in one place at a free place where folks can go pull up that information and then where to go ask questions and input your ideas. So it's been really fun working with that [00:23:00] community, building this plan, and getting all this input from just everybody all over the parish. Simone Maloz: What, what an important component to engagement is meeting folks where they're at. Right. And you know, the library and all those things. And you know, not saying, Hey river parishes, y'all come to us. Y'all come to us here, but really meeting them where they're at and, and talking about things that are unique to them and, and their individual parishes. What a great idea. You mentioned the Coastal Master Plan. I know that you've been engaged along the way. It's, it's hard to believe we had a previous episode on the fact that they are already working on the 2029 Coastal Master Plan. PC hosted a community conversation that where we extended the state's reach a little bit and talking about the coastal master plan and the projects they'd like to see. We held that last night on the North Shore. Your team did an incredible job. Just wanted to ask you if you had anything more you wanted to say. And then we'll plug [00:24:00] the, the next meeting coming up. Kristi Trail (Pontchartrain Conservancy): Okay, great. Yes, we were really excited to, again, engage community members. Addition to the river parishes. We also do a lot of work in the Florida parishes on the North Shore. So hosted a meeting last night in Lacombe at the North Shore Technical Community College. Simone Maloz: What a great facility, by the way. Yeah, great facility is very nice. They're always so willing to host us, but it really is such a, such a nice resource to have on the North Shore. Kristi Trail (Pontchartrain Conservancy): Yeah, so very appreciative of the folks there. Dr. Carlson, thank you for letting us host our meeting there and we had a great turnout. You know, people are just really interested. It's wild to think we're talking about 2029, 'cause like what year are we in? I feel like we're in, you know, like the 2000 early two thousands, but here we are in 2025, planning for the 2029 Coastal Master Plan. And now is Simone Maloz: is the time. Kristi Trail (Pontchartrain Conservancy): right to Simone Maloz: Now is the time. Kristi Trail (Pontchartrain Conservancy): to build that plan. It really takes that long to get it all together. So it was a great meeting. So appreciative, everybody showed up for that. Thank you for the shout out. I agree that my [00:25:00] team members did a great job hosting that meeting last night. Of course having dinner at a meeting always helps, so Simone Maloz: Yeah. Yeah, it was good too. Kristi Trail (Pontchartrain Conservancy): to Simone Maloz: It was very good. Yeah. Shout out to whoever picked out dinner. Yes. Well we have one more discussion that we're gonna have a community conversation on the 2029 Coastal Master Plan. This one, we're focusing on the area in New Orleans. East And so that is Thursday, September 18th from five 30 to 7:30 PM It's actually gonna be at the New Orleans East Hospital on Reed Boulevard. We're excited to to have a meeting in New Orleans East and, and to talk about their specific needs out there. But you can, you can bring any ideas. It doesn't just have to be about the East. And so, one more conversation there. And then we'll do some follow up. And then those project first round of project ideas are due in the middle of October. And we'll have some reminders on our social media about that too. So well thank you for your time today, Kristi. It was so [00:26:00] great talking to you again. Do you wanna tell folks where they can find out more information about Pontchartrain Conservancy? Kristi Trail (Pontchartrain Conservancy): Yes, please visit our website, science for our coast.org. You can find us on all the social media channels. We're even on threads, so we're out there. Look for us, Pontchartrain Simone Maloz: Are, are you on the TikTok? Kristi Trail (Pontchartrain Conservancy): Of course, of course. I'll just say that our organization has a presence there. Me personally, haven't quite mastered all of the channels, but I know that we're out there. Simone Maloz: All right. All right. Next time, move on. I expect some kind of TikTok dance from you. A again, before we go, anything fun y'all got coming up at PC this fall? Any anything fun happening at the lighthouse? I, I heard a rumor about Plant Bingo. Lakeside Malls hosting something fun for you guys that benefits Pontchartrain Conservancy. Tell us about the fun stuff you got coming up too. Kristi Trail (Pontchartrain Conservancy): Lots of fun stuff. So you are right on Thursday, September 18th. Lots going on. You know, you mentioned a meeting out at New Orleans East. Talk about the coastal master plan [00:27:00] if you've already been and engaged in the coastal master plan, which, you know, that's priority number one. There are some other fun activities that night. So we've got a coastal bingo happening at Meal Brewery in the Irish channel. We also have a partnership with New Orleans Magazine and Lakeside Shopping Center. It's a sip and shop, and so if you attend, they've got a really great raffle where you can win some great prizes. And then we also have coming up, which hopefully by October our weather's just a little bit cooler. We are gonna be doing a screening of JAWS out at the lighthouse. So I hope that everybody comes out to see Simone Maloz: Somebody tell Ms. Duhe mm, I love it. I love it. Kristi Trail (Pontchartrain Conservancy): 50th anniversary of jaws, so Simone Maloz: I am well aware. I am well aware. I had not seen jaws in its entirety that that was a, I mean, I'm not a spring chicken, but that was still a little bit before me, and so due to an Uber fan. We have in our circle. I was encouraged to, [00:28:00] to watch it again. And, and I love the setting of, of the lighthouse. I think that's pretty amazing to have it on the lake. So well that's great. I hope for you and for us, we also have cooler weather. That would be really nice to have. One more time, Kristi. Share folks your website and information so that they can go find out more about those events. It's Kristi Trail (Pontchartrain Conservancy): Come out and see US Science for our coast.org. Simone Maloz: Thank you Kristi. And thank you to Brad Miller for helping us highlight the wonderful work happening with both the Mar PW project and some programs and the river parishes. You can find all of Delta dispatches past episodes@deltadispatches.org and be sure to subscribe wherever you get your podcast. Thank you again for listening. We got one more, one more show coming back. So we'll be back next week with another cool episode talking to some of the young leaders in the coastal space and so we'll meet you there next week. Until [00:29:00] then, see you later. Alligator.