Stand Strong or Be Washed Away

CHAMPION OF LOUISIANA

Simone Maloz

Executive Director, Restore or Retreat, Inc.

With 90% of all coastal wetland loss in the continental United States occurring in Louisiana, our November Champion, Simone Theriot Maloz, executive director of Restore or Retreat, works overtime to protect Louisiana’s rapidly disappearing coast. In addition to helping identify and expedite the implementation of aggressive, large-scale coastal restoration projects, she advocates for Louisiana taking a leading role on the world stage in environmental restoration and addressing climate change.

"There is hope - we have great science, we have a great plan, and we are doing as much as we can with the limited resources of time, money, and earth. But we have to know how much we are at risk here, every day that passes or every storm we weather."

Simone Maloz

Executive Director, Restore or Retreat, Inc.

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THE IMPACT

Working to Restore the Ground Beneath Our Feet

Louisiana needs protection immediately from storms and extreme weather events in the form of ‘gray’ levees and floodgates, but we also need long-term ‘green’ restoration measures like marsh creation and shoreline restoration to help protect these systems. We need projects that can be built quickly to restore and protect as much land as possible.

IMPACT IN NUMBERS

Our Impact Starts Now

If Louisiana can lead on the world stage when it comes to environmental restoration and addressing climate change, not only do we help ourselves, but we can help others around the world while benefiting from the strong economy a water management industry can create.

40%

of the nation's wetlands are in Louisiana, which is responsible for the production of 21% of all commercial fisheries' landings by weight in the lower 48 states

2.5M

people live in the "working coast," an area that supports critical infrastructure such as highways, ports, pipelines, and navigational waterways of national economic significance

90%

of all coastal wetland loss in the continental United States occurs right here, in Louisiana

2,000

total square miles of wetlands lost to encroaching salty waters of the Gulf of Mexico - and the loss continues every minute of every day

Finding the Balance of Protection and Restoration

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Created to address the state’s coastal loss crisis, Thibodaux-based Restore or Retreat seeks to identify and expedite the implementation of aggressive, large-scale restoration projects to protect what it calls “the irreplaceable bayou region of southeast Louisiana.”

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Get to know

Simone Maloz

What is your favorite Louisiana song?

There is so much to love about Randy Newman's "Louisiana 1927" but I am certainly a sucker for "Callin' Baton Rouge" on a fall Saturday night.

What’s your vision for Louisiana?

My vision for Louisiana is that it remains a wonderful, vibrant place where my kids can raise their kids.

Who have your mentors been in your work? Who have you learned from?

One mentor is Dr. Denise Reed of the University of New Orleans- Dr. Reed helped me to better understand the science behind the plans to restore our coast. Dr. Reed also helped me to understand all of the unique challenges to restoring coastal Louisiana, and most importantly, how to communicate that science heavy work to the community.