Louisiana’s delta is a veritable bounty of rich estuarine life, supporting a robust commercial fishing industry, fertile oil fields, millions of migrating waterfowl, and at the heart of it all the mighty Mississippi — a navigation channel that allows the passage of goods worldwide. It is not an overstatement to say that it is the cradle of our economy and it is for that reason that the erosion of Louisiana’s wetlands is one of the greatest environmental threats the US faces today. Every hour a chunk the size of a football field is lost. Each year 25 square miles of land is gone forever, and without a mitigation strategy the marine economy, oil and gas, and even the citizens of New Orleans will be seeking refuge elsewhere in 50 years or so.