Essay Collection

Scientists have long known that building the Mississippi River levees and flood control system would cause coastal wetland loss in Louisiana. The question, however, remained how long scientists have known this. A recently rediscovered National Geographic article demonstrates that the scientific community has known that the Mississippi River levee system would cause coastal wetland loss since at least 1897. Chandler Lockhart has now written an essay describing the significance of this knowledge and how it bears on responsibility for and the consequences of coastal wetland loss in Louisiana.