July Meeting - Causes of the Baton Rouge Capital Region Flooding

August 2016 brought record floods to the Baton Rouge Capital Region, equaling and surpassing the historic 1983 flood which many pointed to as a worst-case flooding scenario. After decades of continued land development of the watersheds in this region, fresh, often contentious discussion around the impacts have been flowing in the public discourse.  With the fork in the road these concerns present to evolving public policy and expectations upon private development patterns, we've invited Bob Jacobsen, engineering consultant on flood hydrology, flood risk, & floodplain management, to illuminate the factors that contribute to flooding in the region. 

Jacobsen will address the July 20th meeting of the Baton Rouge Group of the Sierra Club about how storm water runoff has been impacted by: 1) rapid and pervasive development; 2) man-made modifications to channels (dredging, straightening, lining, etc.) and to floodplains (road/railroad embankments); 3) subsidence; and 4) anthropogenic climate change (perhaps the greatest impact). He will also discuss the misconceptions of flood zones and will suggest steps that need to be taken to prevent or reduce flooding and its impact on lives and property. 

Poverty Point Adventure! - Delta Chapter Spring Retreat

Exciting news friends!  The Delta Chapter of the Sierra Club will be making the trek up to the Poverty Point World Heritage Site for the Spring 2017 Retreat. This weekend long retreat opens runs April 7-9. Hiking, biking, canoeing, camping, camaraderie, and shared learning opportunities abound. Follow this link ---> to the Delta Chapter website to get all the details. Register today to let our Chapter Conservation Coordinator know you'll be attending. Explore, Enjoy, and Protect!

TAKE NOTE! We are transitioning Outings and Events Reminders on the web to our parent Delta Chapter's Meetup group. Please visit and join it today to get all the upcoming Sierra Club activities of interest to you from throughout Louisiana. These events will be easily added and sync-able to your common iCal, gCal, and Outlook formats.

Update on La. Black Bear

It's been one year since the La. Black Bear was removed from the Endangered Species List.  Come hear Paul Davidson, executive director of the Black Bear Conservation Coalition, provide us with an update on the bear, what efforts are being done to protect the bear, and what you can do to help.

An Update on Superfund Sites around Baton Rouge

Local Superfund Sites Update

Devil's Swamp Superfund Site near Alsen, Louisiana in East Baton Rouge Parish, Photo by Willie Fontenot

Baton Rouge Sierra Club presents an update of local Superfund sites of concern, including Devil's Swamp near Alsen, by Dr. Margaret Reams, Co-Principal Investigator of the NIEHS-funded Superfund Research Program at Louisiana State University.

Who: Dr Margaret Reams, professor of Coastal Environmental Science

When: February 16, 2017

7-9 PM, refreshments and chatting 6:30 PM

Where: Greater King David Baptist Church

222 Blount Road, Baton Rouge, LA 

Our readers may wish to catch a portion of this interview of Dr. Reams at "An Index for Resilience" summit in the Netherlands in 2013. Reams speaks about the factors complicating emergency preparations in the event of flooding coupled together with the presence of hazardous industrial facilities. These factors raise additional variables that households will have to consider during their personal disaster preparations in our environs.

For more information contact Gwen Pine or call: (two-two-five) 573-1137

Defending Our Environmental Laws

Defending Our Environmental Laws

Joint program by the LSU Student Sierra Coalition and the Baton Rouge Group of the Sierra Club

Thursday, January 26, 2017

630pm

Room 142, LSU School of Natural Resources

For more information: brsierraclub@gmail.com

America’s environmental laws and protection, the result of decades of citizen advocacy, governmental action, and scientific research, are under attack by a hostile Congress and White House. Learn how ordinary citizens can stand up for clean air, clean water, and our public lands!

The LSU Student Sierra Coalition works to educate the campus on conservation and environmental issues through a combination of guest speakers, recreational outings, and service projects (https://lsu.collegiatelink.net/organization/sierrastudentcoalition/about).

The Baton Rouge Group of the Sierra Club is a member-based volunteer organization, and is part of the state wide Delta Chapter of the Sierra Club (http://brsierraclub.blogspot.com/).