Assisted Resettlement and Community Viability on Louisiana's Gulf Coast Proceedings of a Workshop (2023) / Chapter Skim
Currently Skimming:
3 Equity in Community Viability and Environmental Change
3 Equity in Community Viability and Environmental Change
Pages 21-32
The Chapter Skim interface presents what we've algorithmically identified as the most significant single chunk of text within every page in the chapter.
Select key terms on the right to highlight them within pages of the chapter.
From page 21... ...
Young Chief Devon Parfait also joined the panel. OPENING COMMENTS: REFLECTIONS ON THE ROUNDTABLE SESSION Alessandra Jerolleman, the panel moderator, started the discussion by asking panelists to reflect upon the previous session's conversations.
|
From page 22... ...
Additionally, when talking about coastal resilience, he went on to say it is important to talk about, and prioritize protection for, coastal communities experiencing negative impacts from flooding, erosion, and subsidence. He shared his story about growing up and living off the land near a bayou until Hurricane Rita's storm surge caused his family to lose almost everything.
|
From page 23... ...
For example, the levee was supposed to stop at the Golden Meadow corporate limits, which would have left many people outside the levee system. However, the investment of a Tabby Cats Food plant south of Golden Meadow put the costbenefit ratio high enough that the Corps could extend the levee another two miles.
|
From page 24... ...
GENTRIFICATION ALONG COASTAL LOUISIANA Jerolleman mentioned that as gentrification is occurring along the coast, areas left behind after resettlement and retreat can be returned to nature or used for other purposes. She probed the panelists about what can be done from a policy perspective to protect access to traditional lands, ensuring that the resettlement of a community does not open the possibility of a different population coming in and subsequently receiving protection?
|
From page 25... ...
Elder Philippe concluded by saying that having meaningful conversations and collaborations is vital; otherwise, it is a "disservice not only to who you are and the entity that you represent but to the people who you're supposed to be advocating for." LaFleur suggested that when considering alternatives to migration, community members should be able to determine independently, for themselves, if they want to stay where they are. He suggested changing the costbenefit analysis criteria so that culture and communities would be weighed as heavily as, for example, the economic value of a strategic oil reserve.
|
From page 26... ...
Parfait suggested examining existing disparities and inequities in communities to consider how to offer support and resources to people who could benefit from an acquisition program. Regarding what types of programs work best, Curole suggested that looking at previous efforts to gain information about who moved and who could not move could help determine what type of programs work best.
|
From page 27... ...
She mentioned marsh creation, ridge restoration, closing canals, pipeline sediment delivery, and diversions. Elder Philippe stressed that there is no time to wait -- restoration and protection approaches must be aggressive since the communities on the frontlines are losing land every day.
|
From page 28... ...
He said that when projects are undertaken in response to what is perceived to be a convincing economics-centered argument, communities are systematically left out of that conversation and left out of those projects. BUILDING COMMUNITY CAPACITY AND COMMUNITY RECOGNITION Gavin Smith, a committee member, asked what can be done to empower communities to obtain and play a role in developing resources that better address local needs and conditions.
|
From page 29... ...
Elder Philippe expressed that work must be done to build community capacity, the lack of capacity being due primarily to the negative impacts of previous eminent domain claims for coastal communities. Parfait concluded the discussion by saying that even though coastal Louisiana has dealt with many injustices in the past, "there is an opportunity for change." KEY TAKEAWAYS Panelists shared their key takeaways from the roundtable conversation: • Jerolleman wondered how community capacity could be a ccepted -- as opposed to community efforts being shut down or excluded -- and how to ensure agencies and partners do not overlook the work that communities are already undertaking.
|
From page 30... ...
• There is a history of dispossession by outsiders coming in and making decisions for local people -- and, at the same time, profit ing from the land without returning anything. This experience has led to emotional turmoil and may have consequences for future generations.
|
From page 31... ...
The recurring theme discussed by all panelists, Ristroph noted, was the need for improved communication, accountability, and community involvement from start to finish. "It's only through true collaboration that we get to have these types of meaningful discourse, where communities that are seemingly isolated in these coastal regions .
|
Key Terms
This material may be derived from roughly machine-read images, and so is provided only to facilitate research.
More
information on Chapter Skim is available.