As Executive Director of Restore or Retreat, a non-profit coastal advocacy group working to identify and expedite the implementation of aggressive, large-scale restoration projects, Terrebonne Parish native Simone Theriot Maloz works with Restore the Mississippi River Delta on the local, state and federal levels to advocate for the needs of the disappearing Louisiana coast, specifically the Barataria and Terrebonne Basins. Since the devastating hurricanes of 2005 and the 2010 oil spill, she has also been tracking the process of the different planning efforts underway, including the Natural Resources Damage Assessment Act (NRDA), Clean Water Act Penalties, the 2012 and 2017 State Master Plan Update and the Louisiana Coastal Area Study projects, all to ensure the needs of the Barataria and Terrebonne Basins are being adequately met with the necessary sense of urgency in the face of what is at stake. She was appointed to serve on the Governor’s Advisory Commission on Coastal Protection, Restoration and Conservation in the summer of 2014, and is a member and co-chair of the Commission’s Diversion Subcommittee. Simone plans on having the Louisiana coast continue to serve as her home and the home of her children and grandchildren.
Simone Maloz has hosted 166 Episodes.
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Barrier Islands with BOEM and Rougarou Fest
October 11th, 2019 | 41 mins 16 secs
Welcome to Delta Dispatches, with your host Jacques Hebert. Today’s guests are Jessica Mallindine, Marine biologist at the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), along with John Filostrat, Regional Supervisor for the Office of Public Affairs. In the second half of the show, Jacques is joined by Jonathan Foret, Executive Director of South Louisiana Wetlands Discovery Center to discuss the upcoming Rougarou Fest, October 26-27 in Houma, Louisiana.
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Talking Coastal Science with Don Boesch
October 4th, 2019 | 42 mins 53 secs
Thanks for listening to the latest episode of Delta Dispatches, with your hosts Jacques Hebert and Simone Maloz. Today talks with one of the most celebrated coastal scientists in the country, Don Boesch, Professor and President Emeritus at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science. They talk about his distinguished career including his time as the first director of LUMCON, and his experience on the National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling in 2010. Jacques is also joined by Victoria Sagrera, Restore or Retreat Special Projects Coordinator to talk about Restore or Retreat’s busy summer.
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Coastal Management in Jefferson Parish
September 27th, 2019 | 45 mins 49 secs
On today’s episode of Delta Dispatches, we talk with Lauren Averill, Jefferson Parish Coastal Zone Director, and ASPBA Central Gulf Coast Board member. Lauren discusses the history and importance of coastal management in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana’s most populous coastal parish, and highlights a number of restoration projects underway in the parish.
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Celebrating #NationalEstuariesWeek
September 23rd, 2019 | 42 mins 40 secs
On this week’s episode of Delta Dispatches, we’re celebrating #NationalEstuariesWeek! Our friend Kristi Trail, executive director of Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation, drops by to talk about one of our favorite estuaries, the Lake Pontchartrain Basin! Learn more about this vital ecosystem and work LPBF is doing to protect it 30 years after the organization's founding. Later in the show, Simone and Jacques are joined by Angela Chalk, executive director of Healthy Community Services to talk about the importance of water management in cities like New Orleans and what YOU can do in your own background or block to help!
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Fishing Louisiana's Coast with Chris Macaluso & Todd Masson
September 6th, 2019 | 42 mins 51 secs
On this week's episode of Delta Dispatches, we're talking fish! Today’s first guest is Chris Macaluso, Director of the Center for Marine Fisheries for the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership. He reflects on the state of Louisiana's fisheries after a historic year of Mississippi River flooding. Simone and Jacques also talk with another prolific fisherman, Todd Masson, host of the Marsh Man Masson YouTube channel. In the last segment, Greg Lambousy, Director of the New Orleans Jazz Museum, joins the show to discuss this weekend's Downriver Festival in New Orleans.
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Covering Louisiana's Wild Weather with Steve Caparotta
August 30th, 2019 | 41 mins 43 secs
On this week’s episode of Delta Dispatches, we talk with Steve Caparotta, meteorologist for WAFB in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Jacques and Simone are excited to talk to another of Louisiana’s most respected meteorologists. Steve talks about how Louisiana floods, the increase in extreme weather, and how the map of our state has changed. In the final act of the show, we’re joined by David Muth, director of gulf restoration for the National Wildlife Federation. David talks about the Davis Pond Freshwater Diversion and how, despite not being designed or operated to build land, the input of sediment over time has resulted in land gain and increased wildlife habitat.
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New Louisiana Poll: 98% Want to Maintain as Much of Louisiana’s Coast as Possible
August 16th, 2019 | 43 mins 14 secs
On today’s episode of Delta Dispatches, hosts Jacques and Simone are joined by Mark Sickle, Corporate and Government Relations for Weeks Marine and Bernie Pinsonat, formerly a partner at Southern Media & Opinion Research, Inc. and now commissions polls for Bernie Pinsonat Inc. Mark kicks off the show to talk about Weeks Marine’s new dredge, which will be used for the upcoming Terrebonne Basin Barrier Island project, which includes West Bell Headlands, Timbalier Island and Trinity East Island. On the second half the show, Bernie joins the show to talk about the results of the recently completed poll of Louisiana voters. This poll found that voters are deeply concerned about the state’s coastal land loss crisis and support coastal restoration efforts to address it. You can read the results of the poll at http://mississippiriverdelta.org/coastal-poll-2019/.
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Episode 100 with Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards
July 26th, 2019 | 37 mins 32 secs
Thanks for listening to the 100th episode of Delta Dispatches! Jacques and Simone mark this special occasion by sitting down with Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards to get his thoughts on Hurricane Barry, the state's coastal restoration and protection efforts, and much more!
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The River's Revenge with Tristan Baurick
June 28th, 2019 | 42 mins 9 secs
Thanks for listening to the latest episode of Delta Dispatches! In today’s episode, hosts Jacques Hebert and Simone Maloz dive deep into the Mississippi River with Tristan Baurick to discuss his 5 part investigative series about the Upper Mississippi River. From the Headwaters in Minnesota to Davenport, Iowa, Tristan focused on stories of different ways we’ve tried to control the Mississippi River. At the end of the show, Melissa Mylchreest, associate director at the Institute for Journalism & Natural Resources to talk about the importance of environmental journalism and how IJNR provides immersion training programs for environment and natural resource journalists.
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Philanthropic Support for Louisiana's Coast
June 21st, 2019 | 40 mins 49 secs
Thanks for tuning into the latest episode of Delta Dispatches! In this episode, Jacques and Simone catch up on the latest coastal news, followed by two more interviews from the EVERLAB conference. Simone sat down with Kristin Tracz of the Walton Family Foundation to talk about their environmental efforts in Louisiana and across the country. Later in the show Simone is joined by Liz Williams Russell from Foundation for Louisiana talks about the LA Safe program, LEAD the Coast, and other programs being done across the coast.
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Talking Port Fourchon, Louisiana’s Coast and Terrebonne’s Coastal Day
June 14th, 2019 | 40 mins 32 secs
Thanks for listening to the latest episode of Delta Dispatches. In this episode, we hear more interviews from the EVERLAB conference. In the first segment of the show, you’ll hear Simone’s interview with Chett Chiasson, Executive Director at Port Fourchon to talk about the importance of industry on Louisiana’s coast and the ways Port Fourchon partners with the state of Louisiana and other exciting things happening with the port. Following that interview, Simone sits down with #1 avid listener, Chip Kline, who talks about the passing of the 2019 Annual Plan, barrier islands and more. They also talk about Terrebonne Parish’s Coastal Day, happening on June 19th.
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EVERLAB 2019
June 7th, 2019 | 36 mins 53 secs
Thanks for listening to this week's episode of Delta Dispatches! In this special episode of the show, host Simone Maloz sat down with a series of guests from the EVERLAB conference. EVERLAB, which took place in New Orleans earlier this month, was a place for conversation around environmental finance, investment, risk management, and economic growth. Simone spoke with several attendees at the conference and in this episode you'll hear interviews with Michael Hecht, president & CEO of Greater New Orleans,. Inc., Chip Kline, chairman of the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA) board, and Steve Cochran, associate vice president of coastal resilience with the Environmental Defense Fund.
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Flying over Louisiana's Coast with SouthWings
May 24th, 2019 | 43 mins
Thanks for listening to the latest episode of Delta Dispatches. On today’s show, our hosts Simone Maloz and Jacques Hebert have a conversation with David Moore, the Aviation Director of SouthWings. SouthWings is a non-profit conservation organization that provides a network of volunteer pilots to advocate for the restoration and protection of the ecosystems and biodiversity of the Southeast through flight. David talks about his journey to SouthWings and how you can join their network of pilots! Later in the show Kat Loomis, Outreach Assistant for Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana (CRCL), to talk about their upcoming events including this week’s Shell-A-Bration!
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Everlab 2019: Connecting the Environment and Economy
May 17th, 2019 | 46 mins 51 secs
Welcome to Delta Dispatches, with your hosts Simone Maloz & Jacques Hebert. Today’s first guest is Robin Barnes, Executive VP and COO of GNO, Inc. She preview’s GNO, Inc.’s upcoming Everlab conference (June 4th), at the NOPSI hotel. In the second half, Marissa Allweiss Wendte, Development and Membership Director at CRCL joins the show to discuss an upcoming event, the CRCL Shell-A-Bration.
Register to attend Everlab and use our special promo code GEAUX to get a 20% discount!
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Lighthouses, Docents and Volunteer Opportunities in Coastal Louisiana
May 3rd, 2019 | 41 mins 41 secs
Welcome to Delta Dispatches, with your host Simone Maloz! She’s joined by guest host Chris Cook, Lighthouse Director at Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation. Chris talks about his path to LPBF, his passion for history, and his work at Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation’s historic lighthouse. Chris and Simone also talk about LBPF’s upcoming Beach Sweep and other upcoming volunteer opportunities. Rebecca Triche, Executive Director at the Louisiana Wildlife Federation joins Simone to talk opportunities happening across the coast including the Conservation Leadership Corps.
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Nurturing Nature with Journalist Ken Wells
April 25th, 2019 | 47 mins 2 secs
Today on Delta Dispatches, Simone and Jacques speak with journalist and author Ken Wells. He talks about his history with both the Houma Courier and Wall Street Journal, how journalism has changed and tells some stories from his years as a journalist. Ken has also written nonfiction books including “Gumbo Life: Tales from the Roux Bayou." Earlier this month, Ken is now a freelance journalist and wrote an insightful article in U.S. News about Louisiana’s land loss crisis. Later in the show, they’re joined by John Price, regional director of operations with Providence Hotels and The Old No. 77 Hotel in New Orleans to talk about their current promotion with Restore the Mississippi River Delta.