The award is one of 18 National Journalism Awards presented by the foundation. Dunne won in the under 100,000 circulation category. Losing coastal wetlands is more than losing mud and marsh grass. The swamps help make Louisiana the most productive fishery in the Lower 48 States and act as a hurricane barrier for vulnerable low-lying cities. The system designed to stop the loss is too small.
Man is partly to blame for the loss.
Projects such as levees, navigational canals and oil and gas production have altered the flow of water and sediment. But the money has not always gone where the most land is lost. After eight years of spending, the restoration program now has a game plan but critics say it must be prioritized and needs to deal with how to meet the needs of different groups, which often conflict. One diversion project would reconnect the river with the cypress swamps on the south shore of Lake Maurepas. But diversion for land building will have to be balanced with other factors, such as seafood harvesting.