"I Remember... ..." CWPPRA Personal Reflections:
Environmental Portraits and Oral Histories of Louisiana’s Coastal Wetlands Stakeholders

• Project Goal:

  The goal of CWPPRA’s Personal Reflections Project is to capture the lives and stories of Louisiana residents who have been stewards of the wetlands and story tellers that open the door to the world of habitat protection and preservation. Each person has a unique tale but the Louisiana wetlands have been a part of all of their lives. We invite you to learn more about these coastal caretakers. We have tried to capture our Louisiana guardians in two ways; the first with an environmental portrait and second with an oral history.
  
  Special thanks go to nature photographer, Mr. Lane Lefort of Lane Lefort Photography and Ms. Jennifer Abraham Cramer of the T. Harry Williams Center for Oral History at the Louisiana State University.
  
• Click on a person's picture to hear about their experience in coastal Louisiana:
  Name: Marietta Smith-Greene
  City: New Orleans
  Born: 1935
  
  Hear landowner Marietta Green explains how family and legislative acts such as CWPPRA are making a difference in coastal restoration.
  
  
  Name: Kerry St. Pe'
  City: New Orleans
  Born: 1950
  
  Executive Director of the Barataria-Terrebonne National Estuary Program, Kerry, examines the ongoing connection between man and nature and the delicate balances of conservationism.
  
  Name: Susan "Sue" Laudeman
  City: New Orleans
  Born: 1937
  
  Education Curator of the Historic New Orleans Collection, Sue, discusses life as a girl in New Orleans and her relationship with the wetlands that surround the urban area.
  
  
  Name: Sherrill Sagrera
  City: Abbeville, LA
  Born: 1941
  
  Farmer, landowner, and CWPPRA activist, Sherrill describes his ongoing crusade to educate people about the dangers of letting Louisiana’s vanishing wetlands slip away.
  Name: Buddy Daisy and Earl Melancon
  City: Buddy Daisy - Houma, LA; Earl Melancon - Thibodeaux, LA
  Born: Buddy Daisy - 1944, Earl Melancon - 1951
  
  Buddy and Earl teamed up to weave the tale of being an oysterman in Louisiana. Buddy is the business man and Earl is the college professor. This matchless interview gives the viewer an exclusive view of the oyster business.
  
  Name: Brenda Dardar Robichaux
  City: Raceland, LA
  Born: 1958
  
  Listen to Brenda Robichaux discuss wetland loss from the eyes of the United Houma Nation.
  
  Name: Yancy Welch
  City: Lake Charles, LA
  Born: 1965
  
  A crabber, alligator hunter, and family man of southwest Louisiana, Yancey describes his conflicts with gators and hurricanes as he shows great respect for distinctive ecosystem that surrounds him.
  
  Name: Davie Breaux
  City: Galiano
  Born: 1959
  
  Listen to operations manager Davie explain how Port Fourchon is tied to the need for coastal restoration and how a lifetime of wetland use goes far beyond a job.
  
  
  Name: Cindy Cutrera
  City: Morgan City
  Born: 1956
  
  Listen to Cindy, mother and port staff, discuss how she and her family use the wetlands of Lake End Park near Morgan City for recreational purposes.
  
  
  Name: Eddie Sapia, Jr.
  City: New Orleans
  Born: 1934
  
  As a retired shrimper from Lafitte, LA, Eddie gives a first-hand account of things have changed over his life.
  
  
• Project Objectives:

  The primary objective of this project is to create an exemplary still photo display that will illustrate the tie between the habitat and the people. The secondary objective of this project is to illustrate the distinctive chronicles and memoirs of the people who have used Louisiana wetlands as their home and work environment.
• More Information:

  An environmental portrait is a portrait executed in the subject's usual environment, such as in their home or workplace, and typically illuminates the subject's life and surroundings.
  
  An oral history is the systematic collection of living people’s testimony about their own experiences. Historians have recognized that the everyday memories of everyday people, not just the rich and famous, have historical importance. If we do not collect and preserve those memories, those stories, then one day the stories will disappear forever.
  
  We hope you enjoy this site which is designed to capture a few portraits and oral histories of Louisiana’s coastal wetland stakeholders. We encourage you to collect your own family oral histories and environmental portraits.