THE controversy over how best to restore Louisiana’s marshy coastline has been reignited by the first study of the clay, sand and silt dumped on the state last year by hurricanes Katrina and Rita. At stake is the future of an eerily beautiful wilderness and the safety of Louisiana’s residents – not to mention the potential waste of billions of dollars of public money.
Louisiana’s lush wetlands are a natural hurricane barrier for the city of New Orleans and home to numerous species of fish, birds and trees. Over the last century, 400,000 hectares of marshland have been destroyed. That is partly because a complex web of…
