The Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve (JLNP) in Louisiana is home to the Barataria Preserve (BP). The BP is 23, 000 acres of protected wetlands, marshes and swamps that connects directly to the Gulf of Mexico.
“Why would one want to celebrate swamps, marshes, and bayous for National Park Week?”, some might wonder.
Well, understanding the bayous in Louisiana is truly appreciating the history and influence of these slow-running streams, on culture in the area.
The term bayou is often associated with Creole culture. Acadians, descendants of French Canadians, were among the first groups to settle in southern Louisiana near Bayou Teche.
In fact, the term “bayou” is thought to be a derivative of the Choctaw Indian term”bayuk”, which means small stream.
Life by the marshes and wetlands in Louisiana certainly impacted the merging of different ethnic groups, language, and tradition.
This Saturday, the JLNP is opening its doors for Junior Ranger Walks for children, nature walks, kayaking and much more.
Perhaps the best aspect to enjoy the JNLP is that these wetlands were not directly impacted by the Gulf Oil Spill of 2010.
Devastation from the 2010 Oil Spill continues to negatively affect the lives of coast residents. Yet, the JLNP wetlands are still open to the public.
Will you be celebrating National Park Week this year?
Would you consider going to the JNLP?
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]]>President Clinton wasn’t the only notable attendee at the Annual Fisherman Ball. The Clinton Climate Initiative has worked to combat the adverse effects of global climate change with policy for sustainable solutions and economic development.
Honoree guests included Sting and Trudie Styler. Both Sting and Trudie Styler worked on spearheading the Rainforest Foundation in 1989. The Rainforest Foundation protects water and land of indigenous groups living in the rainforest.
Honorary guests at the Riverkeeper’s Annual Fisherman Ball were given the “Big Fish” award for their work on clean water advocacy across the world.
New Yorkers are proud of drinking water quality available straight from the tap. The work of the Riverkeeper Organization and distinguished individuals including President Bill Clinton will preserve the pristine water sources that keep New Yorkers refreshed.
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]]>For Ishmael, the main character in Moby Dick, whaling was a indeed a noble and necessary profession. And the great leviathan, or the whale, was pursued closely and hunted carefully.
Now, the tides have turned sharply in cultural attitudes about whaling. International and marine laws that make whale hunting illegal would probably make Melville turn in his Woodlawn Cemetery grave in the Bronx, NY.
In Melville’s classic novel Moby Dick, whales were hunted for the oil that their bodies produced. Oil could be bought and sold in local marketplaces, making whaling captains, harpooners, and shipmates, a bit richer.
Now, organizations are actively working to prohibit illegal hunting of maritime animals. Even as Melville alludes to in the greatest work of American fiction, humanity’s vain contention with nature and her grandest creatures will never truly be successful.
“Roll on, thou deep and dark blue ocean, roll! Ten thousand blubber-hunters sweep over thee in vain,” writes Melville.
Alas, centuries later, whale hunters are still fighting a perpetually never winning battle. As Melville’s novel unfolds, the reader becomes chiefly aware of the man’s vulnerabilities as he meddles with nature’s affairs.
Whale hunters didn’t win in the day’s of Ishmael who road along the Pequod ship, directed by the “not sick, but not quite well,” Captain Ahab.
The grand leviathan and the pervasive vindictiveness that the whale instilled in Captain Ahab, was vaster than the depths of the Earth’s deepest waters.
Yet still, whale captains and hunters take up the battle of Captain Ahab, and seek to take arms against a still more powerful leviathan.
As whales are a tough animal to contend with, some whale hunters are a tough crew to send a clear message to.
Whaling hunting is threatening endangered species and the future of whales on planet Earth. They must be stopped.
But who could stop a crazed captain with an eye on overdue vengeance for a single whale in the Pacific? Who will truly stop whale hunters now?
What would Melville say if he encountered the action of leading organizations that are organized to stop whale hunting?
Would he support the profession that drove Ishmael to the seven seas?
Or, would he take a stand against the institution of whale hunting for once and for all?
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]]>Social media is a tool to keep in touch with loved ones, establish connections with like-minded individuals, and a network to disseminate information.
WaterWideWeb uses social media outlets such as Facebook, Flickr, Twitter, and YouTube to present readers with information about domestic and international water management.
Facebook remains one of the most popular source of new and existing readers. Expanding our Facebook following is imperative to providing web users with accurate and timely information about the world’s water issues.
So, we’ve taken on a goal of reaching 450 more followers by May 1st. The goal is ambitious but with support from individuals who already log on to our Facebook page, it is totally feasible.
Find WaterWideWeb on Faceook here
Do you follow us on Facebook yet? If not, how did you first hear about WaterWideWeb?
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]]>According to the CIA World Factbook, bacterial diarrhea is a very high risk of death to citizens of Togo. Lack of clean drinking water, hygiene regimens, and adequate sanitation systems are all linked to the spread of diarrhea in Togo.
Giving the gift of clean water is equivalent to giving a child, a mother, even a family, a chance at life in rural villages of West Africa.
BCB is at work building solar powered water pumps in Koussougba and surrounding villages in Togo. Part of BCB’s work includes educating women on proper hygiene methods that women can share with families and other villagers.
Bringing clean drinking water to a rural village in West Africa or elsewhere is not the answer to reducing mortality rates from water-borne diseases in developing countries.
Clean water projects must be supplemented by a comprehensive hygienic and sanitation framework that addresses underlying causes of infection.
Without a water source, farmers cannot grow food. Mothers cannot cook balanced meals for their families. And perhaps the worst casualty that results from a lack of clean drinking water is the lose of time.
Walking to the next village or to the local water well takes hours away from women who could otherwise invest their time in entrepreneurial ventures that generate income for the family.
Instead, women in rural villages that do not have a clean water source are forced to walk miles for water. Of course, treks for water outside of her local village are very dangerous for women.
Women are exposed to innumerable dangers, simply for the sake of retrieving water for their families. Sadly, the water that she fetches may still be infected with microorganisms that cause diarrhea and other water-borne diseases.
Investing in clean water for rural villages in Africa and beyond is an investment in public health, gender equality, economic development, and environmental sustainability.
Access to safe water touches upon every level of human existence. Training women on effective methods to prevent the spread of communicable and life-threatening diseases is also a fundamental element to ending poverty in Togo and other parts of West Africa.
For every $50 that BCB raises for clean water projects in Togo, the Segal Foundation will match that gift up to $10,000.
There are still seven days, 189 hours, 11, 340 minutes, 680, 400 seconds to help BCB raise as much money as possible to improve the lives of women, children, and families in Togo.
The positive outcomes from investments in water and women in Togo are immeasurable. It takes a village to raise a child. But it also takes a healthy mother, a clean water source, and a sustainable solution to raise a healthy child.
Will you help BCB raise $5,000 by Friday, April 15, 2011?
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]]>According to a press release by the EPA, “ENLACE has established and implemented a land use and comprehensive development plan that works to improve social, economic, and environmental conditions for 8 communities in the Cano Martin Pen Special Planning District.”
Poverty has been a threat to environmental sustainability in San Juan since the early twentieth century. Mass migrations of individuals and families to San Juan resulted in settlements being erected in the mangroves along the canal.
The Cano Martin Pena is a 3.5 mile long canal located in the San Juan Bay (SJB). The San Juan Bay is part of the National Estuary Program of the EPA. The Cano Martin Pena is so important because it connects the San Juan Bay and the San Jose Lagoon.
Toxins, pollution, and sedimentation in the Cano Martin Pena would have grave implications for the SJB and the San Jose Lagoon. Instituting policies and effective plans to mitigate the adverse affects of urbanization and lack of infrastructural development in the canal is key to controlling for damages in the region.
ENLACE is working toward water quality improvement in the Cano Martin Pena in several ways. Firstly, ENLACE partnered with the SJB National Estuary to test water quality in the canal. They are also working with the Ponce School of Medicine to study epidemiological data on the effects of residents’ repeated exposure to water polluted by sewage.
In terms of the Cano Martin Pena, private and public entities must cooperate on an immediate action plan for change in the canal. Protecting human health and ensuring economic development by conserving the environment is integral to seeing a more sustainable Puerto Rico in the twenty-first century.
Environmental justice is unique. It is difficult to enforce and almost impossible to incriminate. Yet, environmental injustice arguably puts more people at health, social, and economic risks than other crimes with more temporary affects.
Until effective systems are in place to punish those who obstruct environmental justice, rewards for those who uphold it are crucial to protecting natural resources.
With the work of ENLACE, lives of local residents and inhabitants affected by poor quality water in the Cano Martin Pena will be changed for the better. And isn’t it by saving lives that we save the world?
The photo above is a picture of La Fortaleza in San Juan Bay
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]]>Our readers are important to us and we want to hear from you. What are your thoughts on the progress of WaterWideWeb? Are there particular topics that you would like us to cover in greater depth?
First, take a look at our website and get familiar with the layout. We organize published content in a way that makes interesting topics easy to find for readers.
On our website, you can read thoroughly researched articles on breakthroughs in water science, private sector efforts to reduce water consumption, and you can learn about socio-economic and political issues that revolve around shared water management.
Recently, we’ve published new content on water and design, home decor, and celebrities doing good in Hollywood for water charities.
Now, you’ve heard enough about us. It’s time that we’ve heard form you. Please take time to answer a few brief questions below so that we can publish the best content for our readers.
1.) How did you hear about WaterWideWeb?
2.) Do you have an article that peaked your interest more than others?
3.) Would you recommend WaterWideWeb to other friends and family?
4.) What topics do you want to read most on?
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]]>Aboard the vessel were frozen fish and fish products. After a full investigation by the U.S. Coast Guard and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Koo’s was found in violation of oil discharge practices using appropriate safety equipment, and a failure to keep accurate records of any and all oil discharge into the harbor.
After being found guilty, Koo’s is now on a 3-year probationary period and must pay a fine of $1 Million for violation of U.S. and International Laws Protecting Oceans.
“Koo’s is paying a just price for knowingly discharging oily waste into the ecologically sensitive harbor of Pago Pago. This penalty will help restore and protect the environment of American Samoa,” said Assistant Attorney General Moreno, head of the Environment and Natural Resources Division of the Department of Justice.
However, only $250,000 of the $1 Million fine will be allocated toward restoration of coral reefs and the pollution clean up in Pago Pago Harbor, with the National Marine Sanctuary and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services each receiving $125,000 for restoring the ecological integrity of Pago Pago Harbor.
Only one quarter of the mandated fine that Koo’s has to pay is delegated toward actually righting their environmental wrong. Firstly, environmentalists have to ask, “Is $250,000 enough to fully restore Pago Pago Harbor of sustained damage?” Secondly, they need to ask “Where is the criminal fine of $750,000( triple the amount of money paid to actually bring justice to Pago Pago Harbor) going?”
The case was prosecuted by Fredrick W. Yvette of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the District of Columbia, and by Ken Nelson of the Environmental Crimes Section of the Environment and Natural Resources Division of the Department of Justice.
Sadly, part of the grave inequity is a result of irreverence for international law on the part of Koo’s. The fundamental injustice is also due to the lack of preparedness of the American justice system for responding to environmental crimes.
The area of underwater crimes, investigation, and prosecution is a new area of justice that Federal entities are swiftly trying to get a hold on. Modifying existing procedures and ensuring that adequate penalties suit crimes committed could take years.
In the meantime, environmentalists and seafood consumers can safely take Lady Justice by the hand and even up her scales a bit.
The high demand for imported commercial fisheries and fish products did not exist, then the supply and slipshod transport of products, would decrease respectively.
A $1 Million fine may not impose a profound financial impact on a commercial fishing company such as Koo’s, whose sales exceed many millions of dollars in exports. Hence, seeing justice prevail cannot be left in the hands of prosecutors, nor in the Environmental and Natural Resource Division of the Department of Justice.
Rather, consumers need to rethink their purchases of imported fish and fish products. Money talks. When commercial fish exporters notice that sales for their products sharply decrease , and that environmentalists are behind it, then there is a greater likelihood of adherence to international law to protect our oceans.
The world’s oceans and all their resources are at the mercy of buyers and sellers that are putting a price tag on precious resources. Be a responsible consumer and check the label of fish and fish products that you are purchasing.
Supporting domestic fishermen as opposed to fish imports can have a positive impact on local economic development and the environment. Lower the risk of oil spills, both those reported and those under reported, by shopping locally.
It takes an entire nation to see justice prevail. Save our oceans and consume seafood and fish products that don’t harm the very ecosystems that support them.
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Using Flickr to Save the World
]]>Within the first minute of Superwoman, Keys is adorned in traditional garb walking across the Saharan desert to fetch water at a well. On her head rests a basin to collect enough water for either herself or her family.
Trailing behind Keys is a row of other women who are on the same journey to fetch clean water for themselves and loved ones. On their hips they carry infants or toddlers. And on their heads, they too balance an empty basin for water.
In this evocative scene, Keys bends over a water hole and pours water from her basin into the basin of another woman directly behind her at the well.
Without words, Keys captivates viewers and conveys a compelling message. Water must be shared by those who have it, with those who need it most.
Key’s connects the significance of water for superwomen around the world. Empowering women in developing nations is next to impossible without providing them with clean drinking water.
Artistically, the water shared by Keys in the Saharan desert morphs into water poured into a glass by a female executive in corporate America.
In a split second, one witnesses how water connects women from around the globe. Despite social class, education level, or national identity, all superwomen are refreshed by a glass of clean drinking water.
According to looktothestars.org, Keys is also involved with a water charity called Raising Malawi (RW). RW boasts of providing 57,000 villagers in Malawi with piped clean drinking water.
In nations such as Malawi, access to clean drinking water can reduce mortality rates from water-borne diseases. It can provide women with more time to devote to entrepreneurship, thereby decreasing rates of poverty. Clean water provision can have a ripple effect for the development sphere in Malawi and beyond.
Directly and indirectly, Keys continues to open doors for clean water initiatives. She uses her talent, influence, and resources, to make a world of difference in the lives of the world’s superwomen.
Is there a celebrity that you would like to nominate for WaterWideWeb’s Water Celebrity of the Week?
Email us at [email protected]
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The War of the Pacific between Bolivia and Peru in the late 19th century led to major geopolitical, diplomatic, and economic restructuring that still negatively affects the region today.
In the early 1880s, Chile annexed the Peruvian province of Tarapacá and the Bolivian province of Litoral, both substantially mineral-rich territories. Bolivia was stripped of coastal access to the Pacific Ocean and became a landlocked country.
Since the 1884 Treaty of Peace and Friendship with Chile, Bolivian politicians including President Evo Morales, have consistently sought to reclaim access to the Pacific coastline in order to promote economic development and increase Bolivia’s international trade.
Recently, recovering maritime rights in Bolivia has made some headway. Last October, Peru granted La Paz, the capital city of Bolivia, access to a three-mile long strip of land, south of Peru’s Port of Ilo and 100 miles north of Tacna, a Peruvian city close to the northern Chilean border.
The agreement, called the Boliviamar secures a 99-year lease of the Port of Ilo and for a free-trade zone, which includes exemptions in the areas of customs duties, taxes, and labor law for Bolivia.
Bolivian President Evo Morales insisted this pact was an opportunity to open the intercontinental door to Bolivians. “The sea is for world trade, the sea is so that the products of our peoples can circulate and have access to these ports.”
The Boliviamar also requires construction of 245 miles of highway to connect Bolivia with the port facilities in southern Peru. According to Viviana Caro, the Bolivian Minister for Planning and Development, this will reduce goods transport from Bolivia into important Asian markets by some 40 per cent.
The Bolivian government also intends to invest $400 million in the development of the Port of Ilo to facilitate the import and export of goods, and to promote tourism.
Bolivia’s free access to its own international port is more than a mere diplomatic break-through. It represents a unique opportunity to boost Bolivia’s economy in several ways. Increased exports in Bolivian goods will generate more revenue for the country and strengthen its competitiveness on the global market.
Sustaining Bolivia’s economic development at a local and international level requires the cultivation of the country’s natural resources, including oil, gas, and other minerals. Trading these goods with neighboring countries and other entities will revolutionize marine trade in the region.
Providing marine access to Bolivia and developing its marine trade will promote economic growth and decrease rates of poverty by providing new employment opportunities for local residents. Marine trade will ultimately generate income for local artisans, farmers, and other small business owners who depend on mercantile trade for survival.
President Evo Morales stated, “Ninety-nine years, that gives us confidence to make significant investments in the Port of Ilo,” as the country seeks to encourage private companies to financially support that effort.”
By reducing duty payments to Chile, increasing exports, developing the tourism industry, and creating new jobs for Bolivians, coastal access will dramatically improve the lives of Bolivians and the economy of Bolivia.
Submitted by Guest Writer: Alice Jobard
The photo above is a picture of the Port of Ilo in Peru, taken by Bruno Moretti
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