Previous Programs
This page contains a listing of all New Orleans Group Monthly Programs from October 2003 until December 2008. Enjoy reliving past programs that you may have attended or pine away for any that you may have missed.
To see more from some of the programs below as well as other events, go to our Events page.
via Aaron Viles
updated: Barry Kohl, July 2008
updated: Jason Faulk, October 2015
Listing in ascending order:
2015
To Be Updated2014
Sunday, January 12, 2014 - SIERRA CLUB PROGRAMDaniel Samuels, Architect and president of Friends of Lafitte Corridor is speaking about the ongoing work to transform the Lafitte Greenway, a 3-mile former shipping canal and railway corridor, into a public green space that connects the historic French Quarter to Bayou St. John.
2013
Sunday, September 8, 2013 - SIERRA CLUB PROGRAMConnie Uddo, Executive Director of the organization "Hike for Katreena", will speak. Her topics will be the current plans for Hike for Katreena including tree planting in New Orleans, the Lafitte Greenway project, and the importance of trees to water management.
Sunday, May 19, 2013 - SIERRA CLUB PROGRAM
"Lake Ponchartrain Basin Foundation: Where we have been, where we are going". Dr. John Lopez, Executive Director of the Lake Ponchartrain Basin Foundation will present a 24 year recap of the activities and accomplishments of the LPBF. Long term environmental goals for the Lake Ponchartrain Basin will be discussed.
"The New Atlantis? Climate Disruption and New Orleans"
Thursday, April 18, 20137:00pm to 8:30pm
Tulane Law Clinic Building, Rm. 110
New data about climate change and subsidence in Southeast Louisiana doesn't bode well for the future of our city. Can New Orleans survive rising seas, sinking soils, and more intense storms over the course of this century? Join NOAA scientist Tim Osborn, Tulane ecologist Bruce Fleury, and Jordan Macha and Devin Martin from the Sierra Club as we discuss the state of the science and what can be done to prevent New Orleans from becoming the New Atlantis.
Presented by the Tulane Green Club and the New Orleans Group of the Sierra Club
Sunday, March 10, 2013 - SIERRA CLUB PROGRAM
John Lopez, Executive Director of the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation will speak about "Its successes and goals for the future".
The Lake Pontchartrain Basin is a 10,000 square mile watershed encompassing 16 Louisiana parishes. The Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation was established in response to environmental concerns voiced throughout the Basin.
As the public's independent voice, Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation is dedicated to restoring and preserving the water quality, coast, and habitats of the entire Pontchartrain Basin. Through coordination of restoration activities, education, advocacy, monitoring of the regulatory process, applied scientific research, and citizen action, LPBF works in partnership with all segments of the community to reclaim the Basin for this and future generations.
Sunday, February 17, 2013 - SIERRA CLUB PROGRAM
Katie Brasted, Executive Director for Woodlands Conservancy will present a program about the Woodlands Conservancy area near English Turn on the West bank.Woodlands Conservancy is a 501-C-3, nonprofit organization created with the mission to preserve and develop an ecosystem dedicated to creating daily public opportunities for recreation, ecotourism and education in a natural and historic setting. The vision of Woodlands Conservancy is to be the regional model for the conservation of hardwood forests, and a leader in the advocacy and preservation of Louisiana's coastal forest ecosystems.
Woodlands Conservancy announced the purchase of 190 acres of important bottomland hardwood wetlands in Orleans Parish. The acquisition of the 190 acres will expand the habitat for over 100 species of migratory birds and provide additional hiking, wildlife viewing, and outdoor education opportunities to local citizens.
Due to the continued loss of our coastline and increased rate of relative sea level rise, USFWS estimates that this Woodlands area (now just 6 miles from open waters connected to the Gulf of Mexico) will be one of the largest forested land masses between open water and the city of New Orleans within the next 50 to 100 years.
Sunday, January 13, 2013 - SIERRA CLUB PROGRAM, Sewerage and Water Board Programs
Madeline Fong Goddard, Deputy General Superintendent, Sewage and Water Board of New Orleans will present a program about the Environmental issues and projects that SWBNO is involved with. The program will include the wetlands assimilation project in Bayou Bienvenue and the Eastbank Wastewater Treatment Plant, Corps funded drainage projects, and more.2012
Sunday, November 11, 2012 - SIERRA CLUB PROGRAM, Southeast Louisiana National Wildlife RefugesSoutheast Louisiana National Wildlife Refuges: What are the current challenges, projects, and issues? The management staff of the Southeast Louisiana National Wildlife refuges will present a program about the current status of the refuges, public lands of vital concern for wildlife conservation.
Sunday, October 14, 2012 - SIERRA CLUB PROGRAM, "Existing Opportunities Local Government has to Make New Orleans Safer from Flooding and Coastal Loss."
"Existing Opportunities Local Government has to Make New Orleans Safer from Flooding and Coastal Loss." Jeff Thomas from Thomas Strategies will speak. Measures will be presented that can be implemented now to improve storm flood protection, save taxpayer costs ,reduce our carbon footprint, improve recreational and market value of our land, and reduce the annual sinking rate of New Orleans, A Dutch-like solution can happen now, one project at a time.Sunday, September 9, 2012 - SIERRA CLUB PROGRAM, "Mercury and lead in paints of New Orleans homes"
"Mercury
and lead in paints of New Orleans homes" Dr. Howard Mielke, Dept. Of
Pharmacology, Tulane School of Medicine will speak about the status of
these toxic elements in New Orleans homes.
Sunday, June 10, 2012 - SIERRA CLUB PROGRAM,
How the North American continent was explored by canoe. Byron Almquist
will present a program showing how explorers used canoes to explore
North America during its early history. Lewis & Clark are famous
examples but there are many more.
Sunday, June 10, 2012 - SIERRA CLUB PROGRAM,
How the North American continent was explored by canoe.
For about two hundred years numerous Frenchmen and a few British and Americans explored the North American continent by the most economical means possible - a canoe. Intrepid individuals such as Joliet, LaSalle, McKenzie and Lewis and Clark all used canoes to travel hundreds and even thousands of miles to explore this newly discovered continent. Who were the explorers, where did they go and what did they find? How did their individual discoveries fit into the big picture of what North America was like? The talk will be illustrated with maps and photos.
Sunday, May 20, 2012 - SIERRA CLUB PROGRAM, New Zealand - everything you ever wanted to know!
John Sevenair will show a presentation on his trip to New Zealand at the May 20 monthly meeting of the New Orleans Group of the Sierra Club.Byron Almquist will be the speaker for the June 10 meeting. His program, "Canoe Exploration" will discuss the history of canoeing in the U.S.
The program is free and open to everyone, especially YOU!
Sunday, April 15, 2012 - SIERRA CLUB PROGRAM
Sunday, March 11, 2012 - SIERRA CLUB PROGRAM
City of New Orleans Office of Coastal and Environmental Affairs:Charles Allen will speak about the programming activities of the New Orleans Mayor's Office of Coastal and Environmental Affairs, including the restoration of Bayou Bienvenue in the Lower 9th Ward, and the "greening" of Mardi Gras!
Put Charles and the City on the "HOT SEAT"!! Invite all of your friends!
Sunday, February 12, 2012 - SIERRA CLUB PROGRAM, Verdi Gras: Lessons We Are Learning As A Part of Greening Mardi Gras
Holly Groh (co-creator of Verdi Gras, along with her husband Kirk) will speak at the Audubon Zoo, Dominion Auditorium. Verdi Gras is an inclusive carnival krewe dedicated to inspiring others and ourselves in creating and supporting a greener, cleaner Mardi Gras for all - with a spirit of creativity and fun, and reducing our dependence on foreign throws and throws in general.On Saturday Feb 11, Verdi Gras will have recycling bins along St Charles Ave between Amelia and Toledano Streets, collecting beads, aluminum, and cardboard during the Pontchartrain Parade!. Verdi Gras is looking for volunteers to man the recycling stations. Email Holly at: kandhgroh@yahoo.com if you would like to be a part of this exciting program. Then come to the Sierra Club program on Sunday Feb 12th to hear all about it, and start planning for next year!!
PS: bring some beads to recycle!!
Sunday January 15th, 2012 - SIERRA CLUB PROGRAM
The Mississippi River Delta: Is There Hope?
With
the release of the 2012 Draft Master Plan for Coastal Restoration and
Hurricane Risk Reduction, it is time to assess our prospects for
restoring a functional delta and insuring the very future existence of
our communities. Nothing less is at stake.
David Muth is a New Orleans native who has spent a lifetime in the Mississippi River delta and on the Louisiana coast, studying its geology, ecology, plants, wildlife, history and culture. He took his degree in history at University of New Orleans and became professionally interested in the connection between culture and environment in the context of the delta. He worked for 30 years with the National Park Service at Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve in south Louisiana, eventually managing its natural and cultural resource programs. At the beginning of 2011, he joined the Mississippi River Delta Restoration Campaign as the Louisiana State Director of the National Wildlife Federation (NWF).
The
campaign is a joint effort among NWF, Environmental Defense Fund and
the National Audubon Society, along with local partners like the
Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana, the Lake Pontchartrain Basin
Foundation, and the Nature Conservancy of Louisiana, to bring about
comprehensive, systemic restoration of the Mississippi River delta. They
are working to find and seek consensus and national support for an
ecologically sound and sustainable program to restore the flow of the
Mississippi River to its dying delta, and to do so in a way that
preserves the communities and culture of coastal Louisiana to the
maximum extent possible.
2011
Sunday, November 13, 2011 - SIERRA CLUB PROGRAM"Birding Argentina from Buenos Aires to Iguazu Falls". Joelle Finley, well known birder and traveler, will speak about birds and nature in Argentina. Audubon Zoo, Dominion Auditorium. Enter gate to far right of main gate and behind statue of Audubon. Parking plentiful and safe. Call (504) 307-0187 with any questions.
Sunday, July 17, 2011 - SIERRA CLUB PICNIC
Sunday
July 17, 2011
5pm-8pm
The Sierra Club's (New Orleans Group) annual picnic in Audubon Park will
be held at the Audubon Zoo Education Center near the Dominion Auditorium, inside the Zoo perimeter, where
we have our monthly meetings. Park
in the Audubon Zoo Parking lot and enter through gate upriver (to left
of main entrance). There will be a Sierra Club banner near the gate.
Sierra Club will provide the grill, hamburgers, vegi-burgers and hotdogs plus some non-alcoholic drinks. If you require other beverages, please bring your own.
We
are asking everyone to bring a covered dish with a favorite side or
snacks. Also, bring your plates, cups and utensils to help the
environment. Bring chairs etc.
If you have frisbees or other entertainment join in the fun. This will
be an opportunity to socialize, and talk about the greening of New
Orleans.
Guests are welcome.
Sunday, June 12, 2011 - SIERRA CLUB PROGRAM
"Your Environmental Rights" Mike Murphy, Community Outreach Director for the Tulane Environmental Law Clinic will present background on the Clinic, how it operates, and some of its recent activities.Sunday, April 10, 2011 - SIERRA CLUB PROGRAM
"1 year After the BP Drilling Disaster - what lessons have we learned?"Aaron Viles of the Gulf Restoration Network will speak about The Oil Spill Commission, Congress and the Obama Administration.
Natural History and Geology of Costa Rica by Barry Kohl
Sierra Club Program, Sunday March 13, 2011
On a recent Sierra Club international outing to southern Costa Rica, Gail and Barry Kohl photographed abundant wildlife including birds, monkeys and the endangered American crocodile. Costa Rica, with both Caribbean and Pacific coasts, contains a rich diversity of ecosystems including active volcanoes and mountains up to 12,500 ft. Twenty-seven national parks have been formed to protect habitats and encourage ecotourism, which has become a major industry. Barry will present a slide show on this fascinating and beautiful country.
Sunday, February 13, 2011 - SIERRA CLUB PROGRAM
"Oiled sea turtle and dolphin care during the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill response"
Dr. Cara Field, Veterinarian at the Audubon Zoo, will speak.
Dr. Cara Field, Veterinarian at the Audubon Zoo, will speak.
Dr.
Field will be discussing some of the health and animal care issues
that were encountered during oiled sea turtle and dolphin rescue as
well as the obstacles to overcome to care for them long term, including
diet, housing and transport. Some general background information
about sea turtles and dolphins in the Gulf of Mexico
(species, biology, significance), their ecological importance, and why
long-term monitoring is important for these populations.
2010
New Orleans Group Holiday Potluck Dinner
You are invited to our Annual Holiday pot-luck dinner on Sunday December 5, 2010
Bring yourself, a friend, a covered dish, and good cheer. Sierra will provide a ham and soft drinks. If you desire other beverages, BYOB. Please bring your own plates, cups and utensils etc.
When: Sunday night, the 5th of December, 2010
Time: 6:00 pm-8 pm
Where: EcoCafe, 3903 Canal St, New Orleans (corner of North Scott and Canal St., two blocks from Carrollton Ave.). Zip 70119
For more info call Colleen Morgan, 504-701-1880; or Vance Levesque, 504-529-2089.
Group Program Sunday, November 14, 2010
SIERRA CLUB PROGRAM, Sunday Nov. 14 Audubon Zoo, Dominion Auditorium. Charles E. Allen III of the City of New Orleans Dept. of Coastal and Environmental Affairs. Enter education gate behind the statue of Audubon to far right of main public gate. Parking plentiful and safe. (504) 780-8889 for more info. The program is free and open to everyone. Refreshments/socializing at 6:30pm Program 7 to 8pm.
CHARLES E. ALLEN, III, MSPH is director of the New Orleans Office of Coastal and Environmental Affairs and he serves as advisor to our city's Mayor on such affairs. He is also Vice-Chair of the Holy Cross Neighborhood Association and until recently was serving as acting director of the Lower 9th Center for Sustainable Engagement and Development. He also serves as a board member of a partnership and project known as REACH-NOLA, which works to improve access to quality health care for New Orleans residents. He also serves as a board member and secretary of the New Orleans Hospital Services District A Board. This board is working to rebuild a hospital for the Eastern New Orleans community. Finally, he serves on Louisiana Governor's Advisory Committee on Coastal Restoration and Protection.
Mr. Allen is a proud graduate of Xavier University of Louisiana where he received his Bachelor's of Science degree in Biology in spring 1995. He is also a graduate of the Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine where he received his Master's of Science in Public Health in fall 1998 and is a life-long resident of New Orleans.
Group Program Sunday, October 10, 2010
The October 10 monthly meeting of the New Orleans Group of the Sierra Club will have a presentation by Charles Fryling, the Chairman of the Atchafalaya Basin Committee of Sierra Club’s Delta Chapter.
Fryling leads tours and teaches the public about the Atchafalaya River Basin, a 15-mile-wide floodplain located 100 miles west of New Orleans that carries 30 percent of the Mississippi River’s flow. The program will focus on the environmental issues that plague the Atchafalaya Basin and will be promoting the upcoming Atchafalaya Basin Festival on Saturday, Nov. 13 in Henderson, LA.
Group Program Sunday, Sept. 12, 2010
Joe Evans from Futureproof will present a program about habitat restoration and sustainable development.
Sierra Club Picnic - July 11, 2010
Audubon Zoo Education Center
Sunday July 11, 2010
5pm-8pm
The Sierra Club's (New Orleans Group) annual picnic in Audubon Park will
be held near the Dominion Auditorium, inside the Zoo perimeter, where we have
our monthly meetings.
Park in the Audubon Zoo Parking lot and enter through gate upriver (to left
of main entrance). There will be a Sierra Club banner near the gate.
Sierra will provide the grill, hamburgers, vegi-burgers and hot-dogs plus
some non-alcoholic drinks. If you require other beverages, please bring your
own.
We
are asking everyone to bring a covered dish with a favorite side or
snacks. Also, bring your plates, cups and utensils to help the
environment.
Bring chairs etc.
If you have frisbees or other entertainment, join in the fun. This will be
an opportunity to socialize, and talk about the greening of New Orleans.
2009
To Be Updated2008
December 2008: Holiday PotluckNovember 2008:
October 2008:
September 2008: Insectarium talk
August 2008: Summer Break
July 2008: BBQ in Audubon Park
June 2008: "Smart Growth and the "Right
to Return" in post-Katrina New Orleans--
Finding Common Ground"; Harvey Stern, Mark Davis etc
May 2008: "Progress in Mercury Reduction and
Cleanup in Louisiana"; Barry Kohl
April 2008: Outings program: Byron Almquist
March 2008: City Park Master Plan: Bob Becker
Feb. 2008: "The Barataria Preserve pre and post
Katrina" Lafitte Nat'l Park Superintendent, Dave Luchsinger
Jan 2008: Wild Utah: America's Redrock Wilderness;
Bob Brister, Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance
2007
Dec. 2007: Holiday PotluckNov. 2007: The Dead Zone in the Gulf of Mexico: causes,
impacts on our fisheries, and efforts to solve the problem : Stephanie Powell, GRN
Oct. 2007: "Wetlands Restoration as Disaster
Mitigation and National Security:
How the loss of Louisiana's coastal wetlands threatens the U.S. economy"
Collen Morgan
Sept 2007: Fisheries issues - Aaron Viles, GRN
August 2007: Summer Break
July 2007: BBQ at Audubon Park
June 2007:
May 2007: Southeast Louisiana Wildlife Refuges - Environmental
Challenges post-Katrina, NWR Staff
April 2007: La Vita Verde: Italian language students
help inform New Orleans recycling options
March 2007: Out of Balance: ExxonMobil's Impact on
Climate - film showing and discussion with director Tom Jackson
February 2007: Go Take a Hike - Byron Almquist shares
his favorite local haunts
January 2007: Mulching our Defenses - Cypress mulch
and our coast with Dr. Gary Shaffer and Dr. Barry Kohl
2006
December 2006: Holiday Potluck w/ Climate Jeopardybrought to you by Micah and Aaron
November 2006: Hike for KaTREEna - local woman Monique
Pilie starts group, hikes Appalachian Trail to re tree NOLA
October 2006: Parks, Refuges and Restoration - David
Muth of the Park Service spoke about Jean Lafitte national park
September 2006: Path of Destruction - Pulitzer winning
Times-Picayune reporter Mark Schliefstein discusses his new book on
Katrina and Global Warming
August 2006: Summer break
July 2006: BBQ at Audubon Park
June 2006: The School of Big Storms - Sierra Club/GRN
report presentation: Leslie, Aaron and Briana on the high costs of compromising
our natural defenses and the benefits of protecting them
May 2006: Geology of the Katrina Disaster - Dr. Steve
Nelson, Tulane Geology Chair and how NOLA's sediments undermined our
levees.
April 2006: MRGO has Gotta Go - Carlton Dufrechou
of the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation and Louisiana state Senator
Walter Boasso on closing the coastal cancer
March 2006: Green Dots: A Smaller, Safer Urban Footprint
vs the Right to Return - Darryl Malek Wiley, Pam Dashiel
February 2006: Hurricanes and Our Wetlands: Losses
and Opportunities --- Mark Ford, Ph.D. Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana
January 2006: Health and Sustainability in an Inundated
City - Jeff Thomas and Doug Meffert from the Bring New Orleans Back
Commission's Sustainability Subcommittee
2005
December 2005: Holiday Potluck w/Who Wants to Be anEnvironmentalist? Brought to you by Casey and Steve
November 2005: New Orleans and Katrina: Looking Back,
Around and Forward - Karen Gautreaux, DEQ, Casey Roberts, Darryl Malek-Wiley.
September - October 2005: no programs
August 2005: "Here Comes Katrina"
July 2005: BBQ at Audubon
June 2005: Global Warming: Dangers and Opportunities
for New Orleans - Micah Walker Parkin w/Alliance for Affordable Energy,
Yarrow Etheredge w/Mayor's Office of Environmental Affairs, Prof. Franco
Marcantonio of Tulane
May 2005: Wet and Wild: Atchafalya - Charlie Fryling and Dean Wilson
April 2005: Outings and Adventures: Byron Almquist,
Uptown Angler, Charterboat captains association, Bayou Haystackers,
Louisiana Hiking Club
March 2005: The Last Great Wilderness: Protecting
the Arctic - Lenny Kohm and Faith Gemmill
February 2005: From Cornwall to Cumbria: Walks in
Wales and England - Barry Kohl and Darryl Malek-Wiley
January 2005: Renewable Energy Solutions: At Home
and Abroad - Craig Morris on Alternative Energy in Germany, and Harold
Schoeffler on Gulf wind
2004
December 2004: Holiday BBQ and Who Wants to Be anEnvironmentalist brought to you by Steve and Casey
November 2004: Jobs and the Environment - Tatum Neil,
Neil Corporation, Paul Breslow, Renewable Energy Council of Louisiana,
Charles Reith
October 2004: Election Day is Earth Day - Jeff Thomas
and Aaron Viles
September 2004: Our Urban Environment: New Orleans's Transportation Future
-- Paul Cramer, Principal City Planner, City Planning Commission; Pat
Judge, Director of Public Affairs, Regional Transit Authority; Liz Davey,
Executive Committee, Metro Bicycle Coalition
August 2004: Summer break
July 2004: BBQ at Audubon Park
June 2004: Our Gulf and its Fisheries - Cyn Sarthou, GRN
May 2004: Dispatches from Cancer Alley - Margie Richard,
Concerned Citizens of Norco
April 2004: Stood up by Elizabeth Souheaver of Southeast
Louisiana Wildlife Refuges
March 2004: Toxin-Free and Nearly Free: Habitat and
Greenpeace build a toxin free home in NOLA - Rick Hind, Greenpeace
February 2004: Trade and the Environment - Eric Dannenmeier,
Tulane Law School and Dr. John Clark, Loyola
January 2004: Third World Landscapes: Brazil, India
& Louisiana - Environmental artist Jacqueline Bishop
2003
December 2003: Holiday PotluckNovember 2003: The Attack on the Clean Air Act - Adam
Babich, Tulane Environmental Law Clinic
October 2003: The Pearl River Basin - Dr. Paul Wagner,
Honey Island Swamp Tours; Prof. David White, Loyola; Debbie Bird, TNC
