31 posts categorized "CSED News"

  • 04/03/2013
  • Posted by Vincent Fedeli

Thoughts from A Special Place

Johny Angel




















"There is always a way to find beauty in something you really care about." - John Taylor

John Taylor works for the CSED as Wetlands Specialist.  "Thoughts from A Special Place" will be made of his quotes and photographs about the Bayou. 

John has spent most of his life enjoying Bayou Bienvenue hunting, fishing, admiring, interacting, (teaching people) and taking photos of the bayou and the wildlife in and around the triangle

Please stay tuned to this blog to see some of his beautiful work!

IMG_8984

  • 03/12/2013
  • Posted by Kathy Muse

Marquette Mardi Gras Madness

Marquette Mardi GrasMarquette Mardi Gras

Making A Real Difference In Gulf Region Areas Surrounding

Students from Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin are in town performing Mardi Gras Madness with all their volunteer work!  Today, in only 2 hours, they created a border of recycled slate roof tiles for our Community Garden at 4819 Dauphine Street!  Throw them something Mister!  ;)

  • 02/28/2013
  • Posted by Kathy Muse

Rochester Mission Group Rocks!

Rochester Mission Group 1
We would like to extend great gratitude to the Rochester Mission Group from Rochester, New York which included hard-working volunteers from Webster, Greece & Ogden Baptist Churches. Just look at what they helped us to accomplish  at our 4819 Dauphine Street Community Orchard in just TWO DAYS!! French Drain & Pathway Collage

Donated ginger was planted along the perimeter French drain which they dug & filled with broken brick pieces unearthed from the soil.  The French drain will redirect runoff into the soon-to-be-built rain garden.  Along with general debris & trash removal, the first entrance pathway was created using broken brick, cement, & recycled roofing slate. Recycled Roofing Slate Pathway Collage 

Holes were dug & measured & nine fruit trees were planted, watered, & mulched.  Neighbors will be able to enjoy the harvest from 2 Satsumas, 2 Ruby Red Grapefruit, 2 Blood Orange, 2 Meyers Lemon, & 1 Persian Lime!  Dreams do come true. Orchard Planted  

The efforts of many continue to bear fruit as countless volunteers generously keep coming to help us rebuild & grow our community. Bearing Fruit

  • 02/20/2013
  • Posted by Kathy Muse

Double Entry to Plants Galore

Thanks to a generous donation of a truckload of plants by Mr. Harold Applewhite of Harold's Indoor & Outdoor Plants (at Press & St Claude) http://www.bestofneworleans.com/gambit/harolds-indoor-outdoor-plants/Content?oid=1672363, our blight beautification project at 4819 Dauphine Street has received a major enhancement! We've planted camelias at the entrance, red tipped photinias along the future pathway and we've outlined the space for a rain garden.  A nod to the historical streetface has been given by the creation of a dual entry to the garden reminiscent of the original 4817-19 Dauphine Street double shotgun that existed on this lot. Donated Plants Dual Entry  Additional beds for the fruits trees have been staked and double dug http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FPeAvYrfKkU in an effort to improve the aeration of the soil and to facilitate root penetration.  Our dream for a community orchard continues to unfold :) Beds Double Dug                                                       

  • 02/06/2013
  • Posted by Kathy Muse

Our Dream Is Becoming A Reality

Our Dreams of an Orchard Project at 4819 Dauphine Street is coming true.  Acquisition, design, implementation, & resource foraging continues to be driven & accomplished with great enthusiasm by CSED staff Kathy Muse, Vincent Fedeli, Charles Reddick, & John Taylor aided by significant input & assistance from surrounding neighbors.  This blight beautification effort was made possible through Louis Lauricella's donation of this vacant lot to the CSED. We are grateful to Mr. Lauricella & to Stephanie Bruno who acted as liason.

Check out our recent progress.  Before the bobcat work began, trees cleared from the overgrown lot were chipped to provide mulch. Excellent bobcat services were provided by Troy Moore who lives right around the corner! He was assisted by CSED staff members Vincent & Kathy.  The never-ending debris was unearthed, a neighbor's damaged fence was removed along with a very tough & extensive poison ivy vine (ouch!), and a neighbor's clothesline pole was righted for future use:4819 Dauphine 1

Community members stopped by to help out:

4819 Dauphine 2

Wood chips were relocated, grass was removed, soil was graded with a slight downward slope to the left for drainage into a future french drain.  Troy surveys his work thus far:

4819 Dauphine 3

River sand was delivered, dumped & graded to cap the lead soil where the planter boxes will be built.  Two trailer loads of debris were hauled away. Kudos to neighbor & friend Troy Moore for a job well done!

4819 Dauphine 4

 

  • 12/04/2012
  • Posted by Kathy Muse

CSED Hosts Green Corps Students for Training in Radiant Barrier Installation

CSED Hosts Green Corps StudentsThe CSED hosted Green Corps students last week for training in radiant barrier installation at Mr. Sidney Butler's house. Mr. Butler became the 142nd Lower 9th Ward property owner to save energy & increase his comfort by having radiant barrier installed in his attic by the CSED. http://www.sustainthenine.org/programs/built-environment/radiant-barriers-weatherization    LA Green Corps is a youth & adult training program working to preserve both our environment & architectural integrity in the Greater New Orleans area.  Over 400 students have graduated from their programs.  http://www.lagreencorps.org/
  • 10/23/2012
  • Posted by Kathy Muse

Food Security for All! Hundreds Come Shop at Grocery Store For-A-Day.

A little snapshot of the good times we had on Saturday. Thanks to all who came out, and we hope to continue to have your support as we move forward. The vision of the Lower Ninth Ward Food Access Coalition is availability of fresh, quality food that is convenient and affordable to everyone in the Lower Ninth Ward.

GroceryStoreForADay-collage-1

- -Number of people who attended = approximately 300
- Number of community organizations participating = 20
- Number of volunteers = 50+
- Amount of food distributed = A LOT
- Funds raised = over $2700
- Pulling off the first grocery store in the Lower 9th Ward in DECADES (and the first pop-up grocery store EVER), inspiring hope and motivation in our community, and getting the media and our elected officials on board = PRICELESS

Submitted by Jenga Mwendo, CSED Food Security Coordinator
  • 10/17/2012
  • Posted by Kathy Muse

LSU AgCenter Master Gardener Program Certificate

Master Gardener Certificate 2012

Congratulations to Kathy Muse, CSED Program Coordinator, who recently received a certificate from LSU AgCenter for successfully completing the required hours of classroom and field instruction in their Master Gardener Program! Topics in this course of instruction included palms & cyads, botany & plant propagation, basic entomology & plant pathology, weed science, soils, pesticides & the environment, vegetable, herb & organic gardening, home fruit & nut production, lawn care, ornamental horticulture, diagnostic keys to urban plant problems, and pest detection. The Master Gardener Handbook which is a research-based resource for this class is available at the CSED office for use by the community.

To learn more about the LSU AgCenter Master Gardener Program visit www.lsuagcenter.com

  • 10/16/2012
  • Posted by Vincent Fedeli

4819 Dauphine - A Sustainable Design Approach

Dauphine Lot Aerial

LSU Landscape Architecture students Brad Odom, Luke Love and Andrew Doyle have been helping me design 4819.  Above is a model they created with the ideas we collaborated on.  The design is a first draft.  There are several details that are not in the design that we will update later.

The back of the lot (labeled Production Gardens), after further soil testing, will accommodate a small fruit orchard, while the middle of the lot, that most likely contains higher concentrations of lead, will be capped with soil and landscaping tarp.  Recycled brick beds (labeled Community/Education Gardens) will be built in this area.  The front of the lot (labeled Community Connections) will have seating and a rain garden.  The rain garden is not pictured in the design.

The goal of this project is to use as much recycled material from the neighborhood as possible.  For example:

  • Raised beds can be built out of recycled red brick that can be found on abandoned lots 
  • Benches can be made out of drift wood from the river
  • Paths can be made using crushed concrete
  • Rain catchment system can be made of recycled lumber in the neighborhood and 50gal daiquiri containers that ship in from the port, are used, and thrown away

Finally, any work that is done will be done by the CSED staff, LSU students, folks in the neighborhood and CSED volunteers.  Contracted work will be done by people hired from within the neighborhood.

  • 10/01/2012
  • Posted by Vincent Fedeli

4819 Dauphine: A New Mini-Orchard for the Neighborhood?

4819 Dauphine has been donated to CSED by FRANK LAURICELLA and the donation was facilitated by Stephanie Bruno!  THANK YOU BOTH FOR YOUR HELP!  The lot is 2850 square feet, south facing and sits not too far from the levee in Historic Holy Cross.  With the help of some of our amazing volunteers, CSED cleared the blighted lot and hopes to turn it into a mini-fruit orchard / rest and relaxation spot for everyone in the neighborhood.  Stay tuned for more information on the project!

BEFORE CIMG2181

AFTER CIMG2315