Isle de Jean Charles and the Effects of Land Loss on the Biloxi-Chitimacha-Choctaw
Southeast Louisiana is losing land at an alarming rate. Land loss along with oil spills and intensified storm surges have significantly hindered the well-being of the gulf coast ecosystem and the people living in coastal communities.
Isle de Jean Charles is a three mile island located in Terrebonne Parish, in southeast Louisiana. It is the most solitary and remote continuously occupied community of coastal Louisiana. While being the epicenter of land loss, the island is home to the Isle de Jean Charles band of Biloxi-Chitimacha-Choctaw Indians.
The map above shows the location of Isle de Jean Charles.
With the island vanishing, the way of life of the Biloxi-Chitimacha-Choctaw is threatened. Their home and ancestral land is quickly disappearing and is projected to no longer exist in the next two years.
This map identifies land lost and projected land loss of southeast Louisiana.
While there were once over 300 people living on the island, there are now only 24 families. Over half of the homes on the island are abandoned and with each storm, more residents make the hard decision to leave.
With hurricanes in 2002 and 2005, the government has funded the rebuilding of homes and infrastructure. In 2008, there was no help in rebuilding, however relocation assistance was offered. The Army Corps of Engineers is working on the Morganza to Gulf of Mexico Hurricane Protection Project which is a 72 mile levee protecting 120,000 people. Isle de Jean Charles is left out of this protection plan as it would cost $100 million to include the island.
While many residents are apprehensive to leave, the current chief is seeking an alternative reservation for the Biloxi-Chitimacha-Choctaw on safer ground.
It may be too late to save Isle de Jean Charles, the home and ancestral land of the Biloxi-Chitimacha-Choctaw, however land loss of the Gulf Coast must be met with urgency. It is necessary for long term efforts to address land loss and the environmental problems facing the Gulf Coast to be initiated. Along with efforts to combat land loss and restore coastal ecosystems, it is necessary to share and preserve the story and legacy of Isle de Jean Charles so environmental injustice related to land loss does not repeat itself.
Organizations like The Global Oneness Project are working to spread awareness about Isle de Jean Charles. There are also documentaries such as Can’t Stop the Water being made.
Sources:
http://www.cantstopthewater.com/the-island/
http://www.globalonenessproject.org/library/field/skeleton-isle-de-jean-charles
http://www.isledejeancharles.com/
http://www.mvn.usace.army.mil/Portals/56/docs/PD/Projects/MTG/117.pdf
Shadows on the Gulf by Rowan Jacobsen
Washed Away?: The Invisible Peoples of Louisiana’s Wetlands by Donald W. Davis
Land Loss
- Every 45 minutes, the Gulf Coast loses an area of land the size of a football field.
- Every year, an area of land the size of Manhattan is lost.
- Causes of land loss include reduced sedimentation, salt water infiltration, increased storm surges, and rising sea levels.
- Reduced sedimentation is caused by the construction of levees and dams throughout the Mississippi.
- Salt water infiltration is mainly a result of the construction of canals throughout the Gulf Coast.
- Canals have been, in large part, constructed by the oil industry.
- The Army Corps of Engineers is responsible for most levees and dams.
- Recent hurricanes include Lili, Katrina, Rita, Gustav, and Ike.
