What would you do if, in one day, you lost everything?  I’m not just talking about your personal possessions; I’m talking about your entire community – your church, your grocery store, your school.  The folks you meet in the video below, Warrenetta Banks and John Taylor, have lived out this scenario every day since Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans in 2005 and have chosen to respond with passion and dedication to recovery – advocating for smart, green urban planning on one side of the levee and a healthy wetland ecosystem on the other side of the levee.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Warrenetta and John are both lifelong residents of the Lower Ninth Ward in New Orleans.  In the years since catastrophic flooding, they’ve helped their community recover to be one of the “greenest” in the nation – solar panels, community gardens, LEED certified homes are typical encounters as you walk down the street.  That’s on one side of the levee.

Residents like Warrenetta and John understand all too well that the wetland ecosystem on the other side of the levee is critical to their future and safety.  Healthy wetlands serve as a buffer to storm surges and winds and help the levees do their job to protect communities.  National Wildlife Federation is one organization working closely with the Lower Ninth Ward Center for Sustainable Engagement and Development  (where Warrenetta and John work) to plan and gain funding for restoration of the 400 acres cypress swamp bordering the community (featured in the video) as well as the entire 58,000 acres wetland ecosystem the swamp is connected to, which once buffered much of the Greater New Orleans area from storms and provided important wildlife habitat.

Without healthy wetlands, coastal communities like the Lower Ninth Ward remain very vulnerable to disasters.  Urgent funding is needed for restoration.  The RESTORE Act, legislation now making its way through the U.S. Congress, will use a portion of Clean Water Act penalties from the BP disaster to fund projects that will restore Gulf Coast ecosystems, including wetlands that protect communities and provide critical habitat for Gulf wildlife.  Right now, you can make a difference in the future of the Gulf Coast.  Learn more about the RESTORE Act and share your voice!

Send a message to your members of Congress, urging them to pass legislation to restore the Gulf today.

Budget Deal Reflects Process Tilted Towards Special Interests

December 16 – Congressional leaders announced a budget deal today and are reportedly considering on a two-month extension of a payroll tax break.

“There’s no doubt this bill has come a long way since we started 2011 with the truly appalling House Appropriations Committee budget, reflecting outrage across the country over its attacks on wildlife, air, water and public health, including deep cuts in conservation investments,” Adam Kolton, executive director of the National Wildlife Federation’s National Advocacy Center.

BP Moves From Cleanup to Restoration Phase

December 15 – One and a half years after the explosion of the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig, BP is officially ending its cleanup operations on the Gulf Coast. Unless officials can prove that newly discovered oil came from the company’s well, they will no longer be responsible for cleaning it up. The plan was approved by the Coast Guard and while cleanup operations are coming to an end, BP has $1 billion set aside for the commencing restoration phase. Biologists and wildlife advocates say the end of the cleanup is an important milestone but the recovery and disaster is far from over.

December 14 – Raccoons are among the most adaptable of all animal species, and the National Wildlife Federation’s  raccoon mascot, Ranger Rick, is showing his adaptability as he enters the digital world. For over 40 years, Ranger Rick magazine has entertained and educated generations of children about the wonders of nature. Now, NWF is introducing game apps for kids so they can continue to have fun while learning about wildlife and wildlife habitat in a new delivery platform.

“National Wildlife Federation knows kids are into their electronic devices,” said Mary Dalheim, Editorial Director of Children’s Publications for NWF.

Groups Praise Quick Release of Gulf Oil Spill Restoration Plan

December 14 – Groups working on Gulf Coast restoration praised the quick release of a Draft Phase I Early Restoration Plan and Environmental Assessment today by the Deepwater Horizon Natural Resource Damage Assessment Trustees.

“The trustees rightly recognize the urgent need for a comprehensive strategy that puts BP’s $1 billion down payment on the Natural Resource Damage Assessment to work quickly restoring Gulf ecosystems and communities that were impacted by the oil disaster,” said a joint statement by Environmental Defense Fund, National Audubon Society, National Wildlife Federation, The Nature Conservancy, Ocean Conservancy and Oxfam America.

Groups Appeal Decision Allowing Dangerous Mine to Move Forward

December 12 – A coalition of groups is appealing a court decision that has allowed a dangerous mine to proceed in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula—despite the threat the mine poses to water quality, the Great Lakes and one of the region’s last spawning grounds for the coaster brook trout.

The Huron Mountain Club, Keweenaw Bay Indian Community, National Wildlife Federation and Yellow Dog Watershed Preserve filed the motion with the Michigan Court of Appeals today. The groups are opposing the mine on the grounds that it poses unacceptable risks to water and air quality—and that it could collapse, endangering workers and the river it is underneath.

84% of Florida Voters Support Bill to Spend BP Fines on Gulf Restoration

December 12  – Eighty-four percent of Florida voters and 92 percent of Panhandle voters support a bill approved by a Senate committee that would ensure the BP oil spill fines are spent on Gulf restoration, according to a new poll released today at news conferences in Tallahassee and Pensacola. The poll also showed 75 percent of Florida voters and 82 percent of Panhandle voters are more likely to support candidates who back the legislation.

And here are highlights from NWF in the News:

• Associated Press: Colo., SD eyed for Yellowstone bison
• The Hill: Renewing America’s commitment to clean water (op-ed)
• The Hill: Lobbyists go to battle over Keystone pipeline
• Rolling Stone: Keystone XL: The Pipeline That Won’t Die
• The Hill: Top 10 lobbying victories of 2011
• Asian carp editorials:
  1. Erie Times-News: Our view: Pa. Senators: Remember the Asian carp
  2. Buffalo News: Asian carp must be blocked
  3. Cleveland Plain Dealer: Stop the carp, start the corps: editorial
  4. Battle Creek Enquirer: Army Corps of Engineers’ Asian carp study should be expedited

For more, visit www.nwf.org/News