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Our Story
The Louisiana Environmental Action Network has been working on environmental issues in Louisiana for over 24 years. We have a small effective staff with a wealth of experience in hands on, community driven action. In response to the oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico, LEAN responded by championing workers rights and safety through legal, and technical assistance as well as purchasing over $10,000 worth of personal protective gear and distributing it, for free, to inadequately protected clean up workers and coastal residents. As the disaster continued it became clear that the unpresidented amounts of contaminates entering the coastal ecosystems would pose a massive threat to the fisheries on which so many industries and local cultures depend. In the quest for accurate information it became clear that there is no adequate, publicly available research being done on the state of the seafood coming from the Gulf. The lower Mississippi Riverkeeper, the water-quality focused program of LEAN, began collecting tissue samples in an effort to answer these questions. Initial results have been surprisingly alarming despite the contrary info. being touted by other organizations and agencies.
LEAN along with LMRK(Lower Mississippi Riverkeeper) is a non-profit organization working to improve the state of the environment in Louisiana. All of our work is driven by community interests for a safer and healthier place to live. In the aftermath of this disaster Louisiana is in danger of losing nothing less than its identity. The culture of Louisiana began and continues to grow from its communities relationship with water and the sea. The lack of adequate data depicting the nature of the fisheries, post oil spill, leaves our commercial fisherman, recreational fisherman and tourism industries at risk of being hung out to dry. With out fully understanding the impacts it is impossible to safeguard public health, to appropriately respond, or adequately restore the environment for the sake of our communities, and fisheries.
This information is needed, yesterday! We can not wait, we can not compromise. Life as we know it in coastal Louisiana depends on it.
What We Need
Thus far, LEAN and LMRK have collected approximately 40 samples including fish, shrimp, crabs, and oysters; the results of which are all publicly available online. The process is arduous and expensive but all results point to the need for more data collection. All money contributed to this project is applied directly to the collection of samples and the lab costs associated with having them appropriately analyzed. The protocols for this sampling study have been outlined and are being supervised by MacArthur award winning chemist, Wilma Subra of New Iberia, LA. Adequate analysis of each sample by an independent, EPA certified lab costs approximately $600.00. Our team typically collects 5-10 samples per collection day with trained personnel and equipment(boat, etc.) costs averaging $500-$600 per collection day.
$50,000.00 would allow us to collect a complete series of data across the impacted areas of Louisiana, as well as analyze and distribute the results.
This information is necessary to safeguard our future.
You Can Help
Knowledge is power. The data necessary to adequately assess the state of the seafood from the Gulf of Mexico can seem difficult and costly to aquire but is vital to assuring the health and sustainability of our fisheries, our communities and ultimately our state.
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