The Gulf of Mexico has been the site of disasters of such magnitude they are easily identifiable. Katrina and the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill are just a couple that have happened in the last decade. But the Gulf is also the site of much quieter disasters, like runoff pollution from farms upriver and flooding, that affect its inhabitants every day. These quiet disasters affect the lives, livelihoods and cultural identities of Gulf residents. Many of these complications can be avoided with forethought, patience and fortitude.
Louisiana Public Broadcasting’s brand new documentary on restoring the Mississippi River Delta is being broadcast statewide at dates and times below and streaming online at www.lpb.org/live.
For more information and resources on how to help the Gulf today, be sure to check out www.MississippiRiverDelta.org.
Turning the Tide, a new 90-minute documentary from Louisiana Public Broadcasting, presents an in-depth examination of proposed solutions, proven strategies and bold engineering that can “turn the tide” on the national crisis unfolding at the mouth of America’s largest and most productive river delta. The world’s foremost authorities demystify the complex challenges facing Louisiana’s Coast, revealing new discoveries that challenge conventional thinking and may change the course of the coast’s future.
Turning the Tide will present the first truly comprehensive and objective look at the strategies being considered, allowing for true scientific debate with an examination of what is already working, what has not worked and what the best science suggests could work. The program also provides a sobering reality check on what the state of Louisiana could look like if scientific and public consensus isn’t soon reached. If we don’t do anything, 10,000 to 13,000 square kilometers of land will be lost by the year 2100.
Turning the Tide examines multiple viable strategies for addressing coastal erosion including river diversions and sediment piping on large and small scales and land management techniques demonstrating that even private land owners can make a difference. Learn about the plans, the controversies and new discoveries that are turning much of the way we understand the problem on its head. Explore the more systemic issues like comprehensive river and sediment management and water quality throughout the entire Mississippi River watershed, and how they impact you. Discover bold and innovative strategies being employed in other parts of the world that could be adapted to significantly benefit this region.
Can we begin Turning the Tide? Watch this powerful documentary and walk away with invaluable insight from the people who know the lay of the land, those who live off it, and those working tirelessly to save it. It is a race against time.
“Turning the Tide,” will air statewide on LPB’s network of stations on at 10:30pm, on December 27, at 7:00pm and on Friday, December 30 at 9:00pm (WLPB – Baton Rouge, LPB – Lafayette, KLTM-DT – Monroe, KLTS-DT – Shreveport, KLPA-DT – Alexandria, KLTL-DT – Lake Charles).
New Orleans’ PBS stations will broadcast the program in January with WLAE airing the program on New Year’s Day night, January 1st at 8:30pm. WYES will broadcast the program on January 8 at 7pm and again on January 9th at 10pm.
The program will also simulcast live on the web at lpb.org/live.