The Corps of Engineers working to restore the natural, delta-building characteristics of the Mississippi River. Southern Louisiana is one of the most man-made environments around because for hundreds of years, we’ve been diverting and containing the lower river. It’s an expensive, ambitious project with the goal of righting past wrongs. It’s also not without risks and uncertainty. Get the full story from the Star Tribune linked below.
The project is notable for many reasons, but the reason it matters in North Dakota is this: it seems we have a contingent of our population who has made anti-environmentalism a tenant of their principles. It’s understandable; strict top-down environmental policies disproportionately impact an energy-rich state like North Dakota. But we’ve passed the point of pragmatism. It’s time to accept that we — as a species — are more than capable of changing our environment on a large scale and begin adding our voices to the solutions, not just opposing them.
