Upcoming Appearances

Sep 12-17
Assoc. of Great Lakes Outdoor Writers
Ashland, WI

Recorded Interviews

• Dan Small Outdoors Radio
• OutdoorsFIRST
• Kelly Outdoors Radio Show
• Xplortheoutdoors radio interview

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Travels with Andy: Great Week for Coastal Louisiana

(July 31, 2010) It has been a long week for the crew of Vanishing Paradise but we are darn proud of what we accomplished. We started off the first half of our week by giving outdoor media tours of Coastal Louisiana to see the oil spill damage and the areas of opportunity to restore the wetlands. There should be some downright amazing articles over the next few months in a variety of outdoor magazines so let us know if you spot them.

We also held a sportsmen’s rally at the Venice Marina to demonstrate that sportsmen support restoration of Coastal Louisiana. The food was tasty and the people were amazing. I’m grateful to everyone who showed up to show that sportsmen are true conservationists.

By the end of the week we were all working our tails off to make sure the Melancon Amendment to the CLEAR Act would pass in the House. Our Vanishing Paradise supporters proved to themselves to be great friends as they quickly leaped to sign-on the Melancon letter and personally call their Representatives.

With your help, the U.S. House of Representatives took historic action and passed an oil response bill that provide $1 billion in Gulf Coast restoration. This money is a good start in establishing dedicated funding for restoration projects in Coastal Louisiana.

Though the week is done and I’m worn out, I am proud of all that has been done by our crew with the assistance of the sportsmen and women like you who care about the largest wetland complex in the lower 48 states. Now on to the Senate…

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Travels with Andy: Heavy Oil Arrives & the Long Road Ahead

Well my friends, the worst has happened. After a month of spewing oil into the Gulf of Mexico, heavy oil concentrations are moving into the Louisiana wetlands. I shudder to think of the consequences, and of the impacts this will have on the wintering grounds for our waterfowl. Many species of wildlife are already being impacted. Now is the time, we must unite to protect this, our, national treasure. North America’s largest wetlands complex and the wintering grounds for over ten million of our ducks and geese is in jeopardy.

Vanishing Paradise folks will be here to help with the clean up and to keep you informed. Help us spread the word, and sign up on vanishing paradise to stay on top of this issue.

State offshore waters near Empire shut down, ‘heavy, brown oil’ hits Fourchon beach
Louisiana Sportsman, 5/20/2010

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Travels with Andy: Motivating the Masses & Volunteer Efforts

(May 4, 2010) Recent events have put Louisiana’s coast in the nation’s spotlight. As we prepare for the worst, large-scale coastal restoration just became much more important.The Gulf Coast—which sustains one of the world’s largest fisheries and is home to more than 600 species of birds, fish and wildlife—is bracing for what could be the worst oil spill in America’s history. It is difficult to fathom the environmental damage that is being caused by this spill, not to mention the socioeconomic repercussions this will have on people and communities who rely on the Gulf Coast for their livelihoods.

The National Wildlife Federation and the Louisiana Wildlife Federation will be on the ground in impacted areas, assessing the impact on wildlife and habitat and helping determine what volunteers can do to help. NWF is coordinating volunteer efforts with local and national partners, BP, and local, state, and federal officials. To sign up to help in the recovery effort, please visit www.gulfresponse.org.

As you know, NWF was already entrenched in the restoration of coastal Louisiana before this spill happened. Now we are using our in-depth knowledge of the ecosystem, wildlife and habitats, and local and state governments to stand at the forefront of volunteer recovery with National Audubon Society, the Barataria-Terrebonne National Estuary Program, and the Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana.

NWF is also on the ground in Louisiana in a big way. President and CEO Larry Schweiger has been touring the area to assess the damage and potential impacts, as well as how NWF can best use our resources to help in the recovery of the coast.

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Travels with Andy: Pulitizer Winning Editor Speaks to Sportsmen’s Organizations

Milwaukee, WI—Bob Marshall, Pulitzer prize-winning outdoor editor of The Times-Picayune, addressed attendees of the North American Wildlife Conference at a luncheon hosted by the National Wildlife Federation on Thursday. Marshall spoke to a packed house that included organizations like Orion The Hunters’ Institute, Delta Waterfowl, the Wild Sheep Foundation, Ducks Unlimited, the Boone and Crockett club and the National Rifle Association. From start to finish, his presentation placed a spotlight on the national importance of Coastal Louisiana restoration.

“This is not your typical habitat story. It’s not about a forest being cut or wetlands being drained or a lake being polluted. All of those are bad, and worth addressing. But in most cases, the habitat being impacted can be repaired,” Marshall said. “What’s happening in south Louisiana is much, much worse,” he continued.

“One of the greatest expanses of fish and wildlife habitat left in North America is being erased from the map permanently. It’s being converted to open saltwater, into part of the Gulf of Mexico. Two thousand square miles in the last 70 years have been lost. A delta that took nature 6,000 years to build is being erased in a single human lifetime.”

Saving the Mississippi River Delta is a daunting task that will require multi-level coordination throughout our local, state, and federal governments. It can be done, but it will require sportsmen and women from across the country to unite to save this national treasure.

Bob Marshall is a veteran reporter and columnist at The Times-Picayune and conservation editor of Field and Stream whose work on wetlands related issues has earned two Pulitzer Prizes and numerous other awards.

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Travels with Andy: Conservation for our Generation

“There can be no greater issue than that of conservation in this country.”
Theodore Roosevelt, Chicago, August 6, 1912

As I read those words I realize that they remain true nearly one hundred years later. Our fathers and grandfathers taught us to hunt and fish and, in doing so, instilled in us a great love and respect for the wildlife we hunt and the places in which our wildlife depend.

Our grandfathers understood the need for a conservation ethic as they saw waterfowl brought to the brink of extinction by market hunters in the late 19th and early 20th century. It is for this reason and others that the conservation movement began.It is our turn to pick up the torch, for our children and grandchildren.Since the 1930s, more than 1,900 square miles of Louisiana’s vital marshlands have disappeared. Every 30 minutes, another area of coastal wetlands the size of a football field disappears. At stake is Louisiana’s coastal marshes hosting up to 20% of the nation’s wintering waterfowl. Incredibly, more than 10 million ducks and geese from the Mississippi and Central flyways winter on Louisiana’s coast.

Hunters and anglers have been at the forefront of the conservation movement for over one hundred years, it is time for us to again stand shoulder to shoulder to address this issue. A conservation plan for the Louisiana coast must be two-fold. First, we must ensure that sound policies and partnerships are in place to support wetland habitats in the region, second, we must continue to conserve and restore coastal marshes. This issue is important and if we work together it can be accomplished. It is for this reason; I will be traveling the states in the Mississippi and Central flyway regions.

Duck and Goose Hunting remain the largest funding source for wetlands protection in the nation. If the quality of duck hunting continues to decline, hunters will be forced to leave the sport. What will happen to the millions of dollars they contribute to wetlands restoration and protection? Things will get much worse for the wetlands our waterfowl depend on without the support of our fellow hunters, and the dollars we bring to conservation. Please join me on my travels and lend your help and support for this all important issue.