Louisiana
The Vanishing Coast of Louisiana
Explore
Along the bayous of Louisiana, south of New Orleans, five Native American settlements are clinging to disappearing earth. Their homes outline the narrow strips of land deposited by the Mississippi Delta like the fingers of a skeletal hand disappearing into the Gulf of Mexico.
Southeast Louisiana is losing this land at an alarming rate—approximately a football field of land every 100 minutes—mostly due to human impacts of oil and gas extraction, subsidence, sea level rise, and increasingly damaging hurricanes brought by climate change. The people who make their homes here are continually seeking and finding creative solutions. A role they’ve taken on for centuries.
Many can trace their roots in the area to the 18th and 19th centuries, when a small number of Choctaw, Chitimacha, and other Native Americans—including some of my maternal ancestors—survived the vagaries of colonial settlement, wars, and waves of Indian removal policies in the remote coastal marshes of southeast Louisiana.
Over generations, they formed unique communities descended from a handful of shared Native American ancestors who intermingled with French and other European settlers. Here they farmed, raised animals, trapped, fished, and grew into large families for generations—until massive coastal erosion began eating away at the land.
ADVERTISEMENT
Log in
or
Join now
.
I have been photographing two of these communities, Isle de Jean Charles and Pointe-aux-Chenes, since 2005. In 2024, I returned to the project after a 12-year hiatus. In many cases, I ended up photographing the same location with more than a decade between each image.
Most of the residents of Isle de Jean Charles—which was featured in the 2012 film Beasts of the Southern Wild—have recently relocated together to a new community called New Isle, 33 miles farther inland. As a result, the community is far less inhabited now than it was when I last visited—I see plants and animals filling in the spaces that humans have vacated.
In this selection of photographs, I attempt to crystalize changes happening at both a geological and a human time scale so that they are more observable. The cycles of storm damage and recovery, erosion and displacement, are becoming more visible by the year. Developing relationships with people and landscape, I have come to see the fluid and powerful dynamics of loss and adaptability, the fragility and the strength of humans and a rapidly shifting ecosystem.
ADVERTISEMENT
Log in
or
Join now
.
Left: January 2009
Sign at the entrance to Isle de Jean Charles.
Right: August 2024
Sign in front of a house on Island Road, Isle de Jean Charles.
Left: August 2010
Susie Danos in her garden on Isle de Jean Charles where she grew melons, cucumbers, beans, and okra. After years of storm flooding, some residents fear that the soil is contaminated by residue from offshore oil drilling. Frequent salt water intrusion kills plants and trees like the dead oak tree visible in the background.
ADVERTISEMENT
Log in
or
Join now
.
Right: September 2024
The site of Susie Danos’ gardens in 2024, marked by alligator tracks in the mud left by Hurricane Florence in 2018. Susie has left the island to live with her daughter’s family farther inland.
Left: September 2008
The single road that connects Point-aux-Chenes to Isle de Jean Charles. The road often floods and is in need of frequent repair due to coastal erosion.
Right: September 2024
The single road that connects Point-aux-Chenes to Isle de Jean Charles after Hurricane Francine, looking east. The road has been reinforced with riprap. Drainage pipes have been installed to allow water to recede after flooding.
ADVERTISEMENT
Log in
or
Join now
.
Left: November 2009
Edison Dardar, Sr. on his porch in Isle de Jean Charles pictured after flooding receded from the island. Dardar cast for shrimp with a net nearly every day, just a few hundred meters from his house. He was vocal about not wanting to live anywhere other than his home on Isle de Jean Charles.
Right: September 2024
The house of Edison Dardar, Sr. on Isle de Jean Charles pictured after Hurricane Francine hit this year. Dardar died in December 2023 at age 74. He never left his island home.
ADVERTISEMENT
Log in
or
Join now
.
Left: January 2010
A dead oak tree, known as a “skeleton tree” en route to Isle de Jean Charles and Pointe-aux-Chenes. Dead oak trees are a common sight along the eroding coastline of Louisiana. As salt water encroaches, trees and other fresh water flora are dying.
Right: August 2024
The same tree.
Lead photo by Kael Alford / Panos Pictures
ADVERTISEMENT
Log in
or
Join now
.
Published in partnership with:
Get the Nautilus newsletter
Cutting-edge science, unraveled by the very brightest living thinkers.
Alexandria High (La.) four-star running back JT Lindsey revealed a commitment to the LSU Tigers on April 13 with Brian Kelly and Co. locking down his services.
Lindsey, the No. 2 rated running back in Louisiana and a Top 10 back in America, received an offer from the Tigers and wasted no time in pledging to the program.
ADVERTISING
It was clear the intentions of position coach Frank Wilson. LSU had already had a commitment from the No. 1 running back in America, Harlem Berry, but taking two backs was the goal the entire time.
Now, after a dominant senior campaign, Lindsey has the entire country after blossoming into a Top 10 running back in the 2025 Recruiting Class and skyrocketing to the No. 2 back in Louisiana.
Lindsey bypassed Texas commit James Simon after becoming the No. 2 ranked running back in the Bayou State.
Now, LSU is loaded for the future at the position with both Berry and Lindsey on board.
After the news of five-star quarterback Bryce Underwood backing off of his LSU commitment last week, it left the program in a “vulnerable” spot with programs pursuing LSU’s other pledges.
That included Lindsey who quickly received phone calls from other top schools.
Lindsey confirmed last week to LSU Tigers On SI that he will not be taking any visits elsewhere and will be signing with LSU on Dec. 4 during the Early Signing Period.
Now, it’s official. He’s put pen to paper with the LSU Tigers on Wednesday.
#LSU has officially signed the No. 1 + No. 2 running backs in Louisiana.
Harlem Berry: No. 1 The one-two punch of the future has put pen to paper and will make their way to Baton Rouge.
Frank Wilson locks down the Bayou State stars on Signing Day. pic.twitter.com/9iy6bb0hc6 — Zack Nagy (@znagy20) December 4, 2024
JT Lindsey: No. 2
It’s a massive get for the program with Lindsey barely scratching the surface. A player many believe plays above his ranking, he’s dominated the prep scene in Louisiana.
Lindsey has accumulated 1,950 yards this season with 27 total touchdowns. Now, he’s cruising through the Louisiana playoffs with a state championship on his mind.
Lindsey joins Harlem Berry as the pair of coveted running backs to sign with the Tigers on Wednesday.
The paperwork is in. LSU has officially signed the No. 1 running back in America with Metairie (La.) St. Martin’s Episcopal five-star putting pen to paper on Wednesday morning.
Berry, the No. 1 player in Louisiana, will make his way to Baton Rouge as the highest ranked running back since Leonard Fournette 10 years ago.
It’s a monumental day for Brian Kelly and Co. with the program winning out for the Bayou State star.
The paperwork is in. #LSU has officially signed the No. 1 RB in America: Harlem Berry.
The Louisiana native has put pen to paper with the Tigers during the Early Signing Period.
Frank Wilson gets his guy with Berry set to make his way to Baton Rouge.
A monumental signing. pic.twitter.com/Lq2vo57w6L — Zack Nagy (@znagy20) December 4, 2024
The 5-foot-10, 180-pounder took Louisiana by storm during his prep career and will now look to carry the momentum over to Baton Rouge.
“We’re real excited,” Berry’s father told On3 Sports. “We can’t wait to make this thing official. The LSU staff has made this whole experience unforgettable for our family. Harlem is ready to show up and show out.”
Berry verbally committed to position coach Frank Wilson and Co. on Jan. 3 with the Louisiana native remaining locked in with the Tigers ever since.
He’s stayed loyal to his pledge, visited Baton Rouge routinely and how now made things official after putting pen to paper.
On3 Sports’ Take: “Harlem Berry is the most electric running back in the 2025 cycle, with the ability to be a game-changer in the passing game. He possesses elite burst and effortless movement skills. He transfers his outstanding top end speed onto the field in a functional way and is a threat to take it to the house on any touch. For a young back, he displays outstanding vision, reads blocks and bursts through the line to the second level. The game moves slow for him at the prep level. He has the ability to run through contact and shows balance that belies his size. During the summer prior to his senior season, he showcased advanced pass catching skills and could legitimately line up at receiver. — Cody Bellaire, On3 National Scout
Paul Finebaum: LSU, Brian Kelly in a “Really Bad Spot” Moving Forward
LSU Dishes Out Offer to No. 1 Quarterback in America
Nick Saban Calls LSU Quarterback Garrett Nussmeier a “Sleeper” Ahead of 2024 Season
Follow Zack Nagy on Twitter: @znagy20 and LSU Tigers On SI: @LSUTigersSI for all coverage surrounding the LSU program.
A rare bird species that once vanished from Louisiana is making a steady comeback as four more whooping cranes were released into the wild last month.
The release of the young birds, which were raised at a facility on the Westbank, is part of a years-long effort to bring the endangered species back to Louisiana.
The whooping crane is one of the rarest bird species in the world, according to the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. They are large-bodied birds that can grow up to five feet tall with wingspans of up to eight feet, and can live up to 30 years in the wild.
Over the past seven years, the Audubon Nature Institute and the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries has released over 50 cranes into the White Lake Westland Conservation Area in Vermillion Parish. Many of the birds, including the four released last month, were hatched and raised at Audubon’s facility.
“We’re making great strides,” said Richard Dunn, the facility’s assistant curator, “and we’re starting to see the results of what we’re doing.”
Every year, staffers name the baby cranes according to a theme, Dunn added. This year’s theme was pasta shapes, so the four released cranes were named Gigli, Vermicelli, Fiori and Gemelli.
Lafayette-based professional photographer Kelly Morvant spotted a family of whooping cranes in a field in rural Acadia Parish — note the juvenile crane visible in the grass.
Whooping cranes, which are white with distinctive red heads and black facial markings, once roamed the state as both non-migratory and migratory species. But their numbers began to dwindle as humans converted their habitat into farmland and hunted the birds, whose feathers became popular clothing accessories.
By 1950, the last living whooping crane in Louisiana was transported to a wildlife refuge on the Texas coast.
But in 2011, the state started an effort to reintroduce the birds into the wild. That first year, ten young cranes entered the conservation area in Vermillion Parish.
Since 2017, when Audubon joined the effort, the environmental organization has released 55 cranes, 31 of which were hatched at the Freeport-McMoRan Audubon Species Survival Center. With the addition of the four new birds, there are now 77 whooping cranes across the state and over 700 nationwide, Dunn said.
Skylar McMillan with the Audubon Nature Institute boards a boat with the four juvenile Whooping Cranes after they were tagged Tuesday, Nov. 7, at White Lake Wetlands Conservation Area. The birds were taken to a holding pen pending their release into the wild.
“The addition of these young cranes is another important step in restoring a once-thriving species to the Louisiana landscape,” Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Secretary Madison Sheahan said in a statement.
Staff from the Audubon Institute and the state wildlife department raised the baby birds at the Westbank facility. This year, most of the young cranes, called “colts,” were hatched from eggs that came from a migratory flock in Wisconsin, but one chick came from an egg laid by Louisiana cranes. Two unreleased birds were kept at the facility for future breeding.
The goal of the program is to create a self-sustaining population of non-migratory whooping cranes in the state, part of a national push to move the birds from endangered to threatened. In Louisiana, a self-sustaining population of whooping cranes would require about 120 birds with 30 reproducing pairs to survive in the wild for a decade.
“This is the point of what we do,” Dunn said, “see the birds increase in the wild.”
MONROE, La. (KNOE) – The Food Bank of Northeast Louisiana partnered with Atmos Energy on Tuesday, Dec. 3 for GivingTuesday.
People from Northeast Louisiana volunteered to pack food boxes at the Food Bank of Northeast Louisiana to help those in need.
In honor of GivingTuesday, Atmos Energy matched donations up to $10,000.
The Food Bank of Northeast Louisiana Director of Development Sarah Hoffman says in 2023, the food bank exceeded their donation goal and fed up to 80,000 people in Northeast Louisiana. She says this year they hope to meet the same goal.
Hoffman said, “In Northeast Louisiana one in five people face food insecurity and actually one in three children live in a house that’s food insecure. So we want to make sure that everyone in our community has access to nutritious food and we need the community’s support to do that.”
For more information on how you can help the food bank, visit their website.
WATCH: KNOE Latest Video
Copyright 2024 KNOE. All rights reserved.
How to get Pittsburgh Steelers tickets for revenge game vs. Browns in Week 14: Prices, options
China stacked the deck against Augusta-made golf carts. Here’s what America did about it.
Rock Entertainment Sports Network Expands Statewide Coverage to Columbus
Washington Commanders stadium talks may come down to Maryland-DC deal
H-E-B opens reimagined store at historic South Congress location in Austin
Colorado Rockies game no. 116 thread: Zac Gallen vs José Ureña
See it: Tesla crashes into Columbus convention center at 70 mph
Why Marjorie Taylor Greene was ‘kicked out’ of the Freedom Caucus according to Rep. Buck
Fox News Politics: Georgia the whole day through
Death of missing Oregon girl found in stream ruled homicide
House GOP leaders endorse Trump-backed candidate Jimmy Patronis for Matt Gaetz's old seat
Brussels denies knowledge of Reynders's alleged money laundering
Would you put Pete Hegseth in the nuclear chain-of-command?
Video: How Pardoning Hunter Complicates Biden’s Legacy
Democratic challenger Adam Gray flips California's 13th Congressional District in nation's final House race
-
Science1 week agoDespite warnings from bird flu experts, it's business as usual in California dairy country
-
Health1 week agoCheekyMD Offers Needle-Free GLP-1s | Woman's World
-
Technology1 week agoLost access? Here’s how to reclaim your Facebook account
-
Entertainment7 days agoReview: A tense household becomes a metaphor for Iran's divisions in 'The Seed of the Sacred Fig'
-
Technology6 days agoUS agriculture industry tests artificial intelligence: 'A lot of potential'
-
Sports4 days agoOne Black Friday 2024 free-agent deal for every MLB team
-
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23906797/VRG_Illo_STK022_K_Radtke_Musk_Scales.jpg "Elon Musk targets OpenAI’s for-profit transition in a new filing")
Technology4 days agoElon Musk targets OpenAI’s for-profit transition in a new filing
-
News2 days agoRassemblement National’s Jordan Bardella threatens to bring down French government