Letter to the Editor: Stop Long Bar Pointe Development

Here is an example of why New Orleans is so susceptible to the destruction from Hurricanes. Man has destroyed the wetlands and estuaries that protect the land. Here also is a reason to stop the development of "Long Bar Pointe". In the 1700's New Orleans use to be 165 miles from the Gulf of Mexico and the devastation that hurricanes create. Now, New Orleans is only 25 miles from the Gulf of Mexico. Don't allow this to happen to Sarasota Bay. If mangrove buffers are not protected land loss will be great in Sarasota Bay. The barrier that used to protect New Orleans from hurricanes is gone. The same is true for West Bradenton. Please read the following.

The Mississippi River levees significantly limit the input of fresh water, sediment, and nutrients into the Pontchartrain basin. This reduction in freshwater input plays a role in the critical problem of the Pontchartrain Basin increased salinity. The construction of the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet Canal (MRGO), which breaches the natural barrier of the Bayou La Loutre ridge and the Borgne land bridge, has allowed sea water to push farther into the basin. Relative sea level rise of up to 0.96 feet per century (0.3 m per year) also gives saltier waters greater access to surrounding wetlands. As a result, mean monthly salinities have increased since the construction of the MRGO and other canals. In recent years, salinities have stabilized. The heightened salinity has stressed wetlands, especially freshwater marshes and swamps.

A 1759 map based on the 1720 de la Tour survey shows Lake Borne separated from the Gulf of Mexico by "Low and Marshy Meadows" (wetlands).

Since 1932, approximately 24% of the Borgne Land Bridge has been lost to severe shoreline retreat and rapid tidal fluctuations, and the loss rate is increasing. During the same time, 17% of the Maurepas Land Bridge marshes disappeared due to subsidence and spikes in lake salinity. These land bridges prevent estuarine processes, such as increased salinities and tidal scour, from pushing further into the middle and upper basins. Additionally, from 1968 to 1988, 32% of the cypress swamp on the land bridge had either converted to marsh or became open water. If these buffers are not preserved, the land loss rates around Lakes Pontchartrain and Maurepas will increase dramatically.