The Bayou Culture Collaborative has several working or networking groups identifying what is needed to include the human dimension and culture in Louisiana’s plans to address our statewide environmental changes. We are working towards recommending policy changes to state agencies and providing networking opportunities.

The groups set their own schedule and meet via zoom. Some are meeting every two to three weeks. Everyone is welcome to participate. See below for information about the working groups, how to join, and links to their jamboards and notes, and upcoming meetings. See a summary of all working groups efforts here.

If you would like to join a working group, click the link to get email announcements about that group’s meetings. For other questions or more information, contact bayouculturecollaborative@gmail.com

The initiative is supported by funding from the Louisiana Division of the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Culture and Coastal Planning. From a broad perspective and in a wide range of contexts, this working group is developing recommendations to include culture in coastal planning in addition to formulating metrics that might be developed to facilitate incorporating cultural concerns into coastal restoration modeling. This working group also explores the connections between ecology and culture and the importance of connections to the land, especially in the face of land loss and other negative environmental impacts. Issues include the importance of sense of place, the links between local ecosystems and culture, the history of local connections to the land as well as changes in these connections and the projected cultural impacts of continued land loss. This group merged with the Ecology and Culture Working Group. The convener is Amy Lesen.

This group meets every other Monday at 2 pm. To join, go to Culture and Coastal Planning Working Group. See their jamboard and notes. See Ecology and Culture’s jamboard.

Artists and Tradition Bearers. This working group seeks to support writers, craftspeople, and visual and performing artists who are affected by the environmental changes around them. We also welcome any who are interested in creating or who have already created work that responds to these changes in some way, such as to express how it feels to experience environmental disruption or to educate others as to what’s happening. We provide a forum to exchange ideas and share each other’s work, and there is also potential for organizing participatory events with current or former coastal residents. This networking group merged with the Coastal Culture Writers Working Group and includes all who write about or in the Louisiana coast.

This group meets on third Wednesdays at 7 pm. Lauren Hémard and Mark DeWitt are co-conveners. Join this group by contacting the conveners at bccartistgroup@gmail.com. See their notes.

French Language Preservation. This working group is examining ways to support the preservation of the French language in Louisiana (and the heritage associated with it), particularly as this can be accomplished through the introduction of French language curriculum into local schools.  The Languages of Louisiana working group merged with this group to also examine all languages including indigenous and other heritage languages. They explore Louisiana’s cultural heritage through the languages of its Indigenous and immigrant populations.

This group meets monthly on the second Tuesday at 2 pm. Join by contacting the convener Ivy Mathieu at frenchworkinggroupbcc@gmail.com. See their recommendations and their notes.

Preparing Receiving Communities. This working group is concerned with issues surrounding the current and future migration of people away from the coast. They are examining 1) the means in which the transition of coastal residents (and their culture) to other communities can be facilitated or encouraged, and 2) ways in which potential receiving communities can be prepared for these migrants.  Traci Birch and Haley Blakeman are co-conveners.

This group meets monthly on third Tuesday at 2 pm. Join the Preparing Receiving Communities Working Group. See their notes.

Protecting Collections. This working group provides a way for anyone concerned about the archival collections (including all universities, local and regional museums, libraries, oral history collections, cemetery, and church records) endangered by environmental changes to share concerns and learn about resources and strategies to address their needs. The convener is John “Pudd” Sharp.

This group meets monthly on third Thursdays at 2 pm. Join the Protecting Collections Working Group. See their notes.