Support for Louisiana.

The state we're in is provided by Entergy.

Louisiana is strengthening our power grid throughout the state.

We're reinforcing infrastructure to prepare for stronger storms, reduce outages, and respond quicker when you do need us.

Because together we power life.

Additional support provided by the Fred B and Ruth B Ziegler Foundation and the Ziegler Art Museum, located in Jennings City Hall.

The museum focuses on emerging Louisiana artists and is a historical and cultural center for Southwest Louisiana.

And the Foundation for Excellence in Louisiana public Broadcasting and viewers like you.

Thank you.

Louisiana fishermen say a recent oil spill is putting their business at risk.

Meanwhile, people living on Grand Isle are working to protect their small slice of Paradise while facing ongoing challenges.

And in the northern part of the state, scientists are trying to pinpoint the cause of recent earthquakes.

Plus, take a walk on the wild side at Magnolia Wild Animal Preserve.

Let's get started.

On.

Hi, everyone.

I'm Johnny Atkinson.

Christina is taking some time off, so we'll get to those top stories in a moment.

On this week's edition of Louisiana, the State we're in.

But first, the military is investigating a series of drone incursions over Barksdale Air Force Base near Shreveport.

The base was put on lockdown earlier this month when multiple waves of drones flew over sensitive areas.

Barksdale houses a significant portion of the nation's nuclear bombers and nuclear defense capability.

So far, officials have not speculated on whether the drones were controlled by a foreign nation.

Senators Bill Cassidy and John Kennedy are expected to be briefed on the situation over the next few days.

In other news, Louisiana fishermen seafood harvesters are considering legal action over an oil spill offshore near Grand Isle.

The spill forced the closure of oyster beds and many fishermen say that customers are concerned that their product may be contaminated.

We're staying to Jensen Travel to do like to see how coastal communities are being impacted.

Fishermen and seafood harvesters along Louisiana's coast are facing new uncertainty after a mechanical failure offshore released more than 30,000 gallons of crude oil into Gulf waters.

The spill originated at the Louisiana Offshore Oil Port, about 18 miles off Grand Isle, a key hub for transporting crude oil between offshore tankers and U.S.

refineries.

Officials say it happened during a transfer operation when a cargo hose failed sending oil into the water.

Roughly 27,500 gallons have been recovered, leaving nearly 4000 gallons unaccounted for.

Lupe says the response now includes 667 personnel, 114 vessels and nearly 30 miles of protective boom deployed to contain the spill.

Leading the response, a unified command made up of the U.S.

Coast Guard, the Louisiana Oil Spill Coordinator's Office, and loop state agencies are also monitoring impacts.

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries is tracking impacts to shrimp, crab and other marine life, while the Department of Health has closed oyster harvesting in basin 12 as a precaution.

Shrimp and crab areas remain open for now, raising questions across the industry.

I'm here on the Du Lac Dogs, where generations have made a living off these waters.

Now many are watching, concerned about what could be at risk.

For people like Terrebonne Parish Councilwoman Kimberly Chauvin, who also works as a shrimper.

Those concerns are deeply personal.

This is my passion.

I live and breathe this stuff.

So when it comes to our industry, whether it's going to be oysters, crab, bean, fish or shrimp, I want, I want questions answered.

But she says the biggest issue right now is a lack of clear answers.

Our question was, if you're sightseeing and you say oysters because there's oil, then why have you left crabs open?

Why are you doing shrimp?

Because we aren't getting any protocols from anybody.

Those questions still largely unanswered.

Ldw says it began collecting shrimp samples last week and is now testing crab and finfish.

With results sent to LDH for analysis.

But when it comes to closing waters, Ldw says it doesn't make that call alone.

In a statement, the agency says it can only act if there is an imminent threat to the resource, adding that oil spills rarely pose that kind of risk to fisheries.

However, it says the presence of oil may still be a threat to human health and that it relies on LDH and Lcdc to make that determination.

The agency adds it would close areas to harvesting if those agencies find that coming into contact with water or consuming seafood from the area is not safe.

Meanwhile, those working the waters say they're left without clear protocols, navigating a potential risk with little guidance.

Because it's concerning to me, because I go from boat all the way to distribution.

I had to call all of my customers on my own, but I let them know about the oysters so that they could prepare themselves not to go buy from those areas.

Have you noticed a decline in sales?

That's something that we're looking at right now in our sales.

I'm praying at, you know, because I don't want it to happen.

The oyster people definitely are, because they're close.

And the crab fishermen are experiencing a great deal of issues and problems.

So I'm sure that they are, because they're having to throw their crabs back over.

And she says the timing couldn't be worse.

This spill comes during a critical spawning period when shrimp, crab and fish are at their most vulnerable.

Whether it's fish, whether it's crabs, shrimp, larva is on top of the water.

That oil is doing damage to that part.

And this oil is Venezuelan crude.

This is a tar like substance which makes it harder to clean.

I could say, well, why don't you look at the 2022 oil spill?

This is a ten compared to that one.

It's in our estuaries.

BP oil did not hit our estuaries as bad.

So this is this is detrimental to the seafood industry.

As concerns grow, legal action is already taking shape.

Attorney Cy Broussard is building a potential class action lawsuit tied to this spill.

The fisheries are closed, or if they can't sell their catch, or if there is people just simply not buying their catch because they think it's contaminated.

They'll be property damage claims for fishermen that are out there.

And they're actually their vessels are getting oil on them, on their nets.

Broussard says affected oyster farmers can begin filing claims or reporting damages, either in person or through the claims hotline.

Loop has also set up a site in Dulac where crews are collecting damaged equipment from the spill.

We have clients right now who are now they're out of work, and they have no way to have an income to pay their bills.

We intend to hold the responsible parties accountable.

I'm back here in the Du Lock docks for this community is still on edge.

People here are preparing for what could come next.

Keeping their boats and equipment ready.

Because in a place where life depends on water, even uncertainty can threaten an entire way of life.

We reached out to the Louisiana Department of Health, and the agency says the wildlife and fisheries agents are patrolling the waters to ensure that no oysters are harvested during the closure.

Those oyster beds will remain closed until testing confirms the seafood is safe.

And just a few miles down the coast, the town of Grand Isle is facing a serious crisis.

The community is grappling with land loss from hurricanes and a shrinking population.

But residents are not giving up.

Here's a look at how they're fighting to preserve their way of life.

When Hurricane Ida slammed into Louisiana's coast, Grand Isle took the full force of the storm.

Three years later, the island is still rebuilding and working to hold on to its community.

Here in Grand Isle, the impact of Hurricane Ida is still visible.

Some homes, like the one behind me, remain damaged, left behind from the storm.

The population also took a hit.

But town leaders say they're focused on rebuilding stronger and bringing families back.

Life here has always come with risk.

But Ida pushed many families to a breaking point.

Homes were destroyed, roads and power lines torn apart.

The island spent months without power.

Patrick Landry has watched these changes unfold.

He's a lifelong resident and owner of the Landry House Bed and Breakfast.

1955 After World War two.

Everybody was in a good mood and everybody was doing well.

And yeah, there's a lot of people here and thank that 20 people at Grand Island who had nightclubs all over the main street.

Oh, yeah, we had a medical doctor.

We had, people who had furniture stores, doctors, clothing stores were two theaters.

One of them had a balcony with, that the orchestra would play for us.

But there's less people here.

Right now, it's so expensive here with insurance and the cost of doing everything.

We hardly have any people living on Grand Isle anymore.

Right now, about 1000 people call Grand Isle home, a number that dropped after Hurricane Ida.

For those who remain, daily life looks different.

Just two Full-Service grocery stores and no permanent medical clinic.

Life on a barrier island has never been easy.

Residents say what's changed isn't just the storms, but it's how quickly the land itself is disappearing.

Beyond hurricanes, coastal erosion continues to reshape Grand Isle.

I walked the beach with Mayor David Carmody, who showed me how breakwaters are helping hold the shoreline in place.

Talk to me about these breakwaters.

Yes, we put this in the early 90s, and you know, it's toward the state park side, towards and side of Grand Isle.

And we came in and started putting these rocks in and showing it to government.

And then we started putting our heads together what we needed to do.

And they finally realized, you know, that it looked like it's working.

This area, you don't have to touch it no more.

But on the other side, we got problems.

Just a few years ago, the water actually came up to where I'm standing now.

It's pulled back more than 100ft.

All this new sandy beach is thanks to those breakwaters that are out offshore.

Here on this part of the beach.

The water comes up closer than other areas.

You can see just how narrow this sandy stretches.

However, breakwaters are set to be installed before the hurricane season.

Construction on more than 30 additional breakwaters is expected to begin in June, with plans to protect the entire island.

For Mayor Carmen Del, the project has been decades in the making.

He's been fighting for funding since first taking office in 1997.

Then in April 2026, he finally got the call.

I'm breaking the news.

You're breaking the news.

So it's perfect timing for you to come and do this at all.

You've been fighting for this.

How does it feel?

I mean, the tears out of my eyes.

It was unbelievable.

You know, getting personal right now.

A lot of prayers.

It works.

So working with my council, I've worked with all of the senators and all that.

God's good and made it happen.

You were here through Ida and saw people lose their homes.

No wonder you're getting it.

It is an emotional thing.

Yeah, it is.

And I've never lost a life.

You know anything like working with the chief of police?

Working with the council.

You know, we had to handle.

And.

But, you know, this is Paradise.

You know, it's the end of the day.

Our benefit really, truly should be measured by people protected.

Homes that are not being flooded.

Communities that can withstand the natural forces that are out there.

With support from the governor and the state's Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority.

More than $60 million is now being invested to protect Grand Isle Shoreline.

We didn't think it was going to happen after Ida because it was devastated.

These rocks behind this helped save this portion of the island.

There was very little damage, but where there were no rocks, it was total devastation.

I have some neighbors that still hadn't found their home.

Those rocks help protect homes.

And for residents, protecting the community itself has become just as critical.

If the population drops too low.

Grand Isle could be reclassified as a village, losing its police and fire departments.

To prevent that, the mayor is pushing new housing for workers hoping to attract families back.

The island's school has already seen enrollment dropped sharply since the storm.

And some have questioned whether it can stay open.

I'm going to tell you right now in front of cameras right now, you know I'm not going to let that happen.

I'm not going to close that school, and I'm not going to send a kid 24, 30 miles away.

So between me and the police and working with the council and our residents, we need workforce housing here.

And by doing that, I can bring this island back together for.

The people here.

Grand Island is more than a place on a map.

It's home.

It's livelihood.

It's community.

I want people to know that Grand Isle is a great place to live, and we like to get the population back.

So we'd like for people to come and check out this place to retire.

Grand Isle has always lived at the edge where land meets the Gulf.

And for the people who call it home, leaving isn't an option.

The future of Grand Isle is a balancing act between the power of nature and the resilience of the people.

With ongoing restoration efforts and a community that refuses to give up.

Residents here hope this barrier island can weather what's ahead.

And after weeks of delays at airports across the country, relief may be in sight for the travelers.

Early Friday morning, the Senate approved a measure to resume paying TSA agents who've been working unpaid because of the partial government shutdown.

At least 500 agents have quit.

Thousands more took off multiple days, leading to hours of long lines at the airport security checkpoints.

House lawmakers still need to approve the Senate's plan to resume paying the TSA.

And in his opening speech at this year's legislative session, Governor Geoff Landry emphasized the need to build Louisiana's workforce to support growing industries.

Now, the state Board of Regents is rolling out new degree programs to help meet those needs.

LSU Alexandria will offer new bachelor's degrees in bioinformatics and information technology.

Each requiring just 90 credit hours instead of the usual 120.

Meanwhile, LSU Baton Rouge campus will offer a new degree in artificial intelligence.

These programs are designed to prepare students for careers in some of the state's fastest growing industries, and scientists are monitoring a series of earthquakes that have rattled northwest Louisiana in recent weeks.

Some residents are concerned that the wastewater injection from nearby industrial projects missed the blame.

I spoke with a geoscientist from Tulane University who's working to pinpoint the cause of those earthquakes.

Louisiana is experiencing an unusual increase in seismic activity with the magnitude 4.9 earthquake just a few weeks ago.

Joining me now is Tulane University geoscientist Cynthia Emminger, with an inside look at the why we're getting these earthquakes now.

Well, we are in a state with a lot of industrial activity and a lot of movement of groundwater.

It might be associated with that.

It could be just a natural cause.

But there are clues, and we're obtaining a lot of new data that hopefully will be able to give us a definitive answer about what the cause is and what the next step should be as well.

Yeah.

Now, you've been studying with the seismic monitoring equipment for a while.

And what does that showing?

Well, between 2019 and 2022 we put some seismic instruments so very sensitive they can detect things that even your cat and dog can't feel.

And so they were telling us about little earthquakes.

And that established a baseline in the state.

So we saw a couple of areas that had earthquakes.

One up near the Texas border, a Caddo Parish area and another down in the Kushida area.

So we were watching these areas, and the Caddo Lake area has stopped since about 2024.

Calzada keeps seeing more earthquakes and slightly bigger, slightly bigger building up to this magnitude 4.9.

Okay, well, I guess some people are worried about fracking being a possible cause for these earthquakes.

Is there a reason for that?

Well, there's a good reason for them to think about that.

First, because fracking itself is putting high pressure fluids in the subsurface and cracking open rocks.

But it's a really controlled experiment companies are doing, and they're creating fractures that are very small.

And they don't cause earthquakes.

They don't feel earthquakes, and they monitor the pressures, they monitor the directions, and they're there.

They're in a pretty controlled setting.

They generate a lot of wastewater, though, from this process.

So they get the gas out and then the waters return to the surface, and they have to do something with the wastewater that wastewater gets re injected into the subsurface.

And in Oklahoma and in Texas, it's proved that they're earthquakes are a consequence of many, many years of injecting this wastewater into the subsurface.

And that way too water can cause earthquakes.

So we don't know.

We're looking to see if that's, the cause of the earthquakes in through shadow.

So that's part of the work you're doing is studying things like that.

We are indeed.

Well, another thing we were talking about was the sand volcanoes.

And you had some pictures out.

It's pretty amazing to see how.

Why is that?

Well, we can we measured with the seismometers, the earthquake shaking and the 4.9 cause maybe 20s that people felt in the area.

20s of strong shaking.

I've seen some, camera footage of folks living in the area, and it was, pretty pronounced.

But that kind of profound, that prolonged shaking can cause water in the soil and in the sand underneath to just start to bubble up.

And it comes up in little spurts and brings sand along with it and leaves the sand behind.

But there would have been lots of water that bubbled up to the surface, and it just kind of destroys the structure and can cause landslides.

Yeah.

Another big issue is carbon capture that's being talked about right now.

Could that have any impact on Louisiana earthquakes?

Well, carbon capture is designed to avoid faults.

I live there, and work that's being done is to actually accurately map the subsurface, to be sure that the carbon that's put into the subsurface doesn't get anywhere near the fault.

Lots and lots of detailed analysis of that, but that carbon capture is happening in a state with other industrial activities.

So that's why, many of us are advocating for regional networks just so that everyone is very well informed.

If we start to see patches or areas where there's activity.

We all have an early warning and we can plan accordingly.

Well, a lot of the earthquakes have been in northwest Louisiana and East Texas.

Is there a reason for that specific area?

Two reasons.

Most likely in the deep crust beneath that area.

The faults are there are faults all over there beneath our feet.

But they're they're they're oriented in a direction where they could get nudged back open again.

And then these are areas where there's a lot of wastewater being injected that looks to be, a reason for the earthquakes in the area.

All throughout Texas, West Texas and southeastern Texas, there are earthquakes in areas where there's a lot of wastewater injection.

We suspect that's the same thing.

And and they're both happening in northeastern Texas and northwestern Louisiana.

What do you think we could do for possible protection from these earthquakes?

Are there things that we could possibly do and that government get involved in?

Yes.

It that's for policymakers to decide.

But what has happened in other areas that have experienced earthquakes in Canada and the U.S., where they've they've set up systems, red light, green light systems that if there's a larger than magnitude 3.2 or 3.5 earthquake, then operations that the the wastewater injection volumes decrease, the pressures decrease, or they change the way that the permitting is done for new wastewater injection wells as well.

So they they look reevaluate and and maybe modify the wastewater injection process.

Those might be next steps in the state.

We'll see when we get the detailed information on their earthquake sequence and can see what the most likely cause of these earthquakes has been.

Okay.

We'd like to thank Cynthia Edinger for coming here and giving us that information.

And now for some fun news.

Families can get up close and personal with everything from otters to kangaroos right here in Louisiana.

Magnolia wild in East Feliciana Parish offers a unique outdoor experience with exotic animals, education and conservation.

Let's go on a tour.

It's a 100 acre wildlife park in the small community of Athol, about 30 minutes north of Baton Rouge.

Welcome to Magnolia Wilds.

The exotic animal preserve lets visitors get up close to animals you don't normally see outside of a zoo.

For a one of a kind outdoor adventure and the animals are kept in a natural environment perfect for Louisiana.

What makes you guys different than a regular zoo?

Our big focus is conservation.

So we like to focus on, you know, what can we do to make these species survive better in the wild and putting forth efforts in that aspect, as well as getting to do those hands on experiences, like getting in the space with the Kathy Bora, for example, or like going into our serval exhibit and getting to play with Covid, stuff like that.

Rachel Hovis is a lead zookeeper at Magnolia Wild, who feeds the baby animals, gives them medicine, prepares their daily diet and cleans up after their droppings, and she makes sure the animals are happy overall.

Her work at Magnolia Wilds is different from the average zoo.

Magnolia wilds first opened in 2012.

Called Barnhill Preserve, it was first a mobile unit bringing exotic animals to local schools before the facility opened its gates to the public as a zoological park in 2015.

What brings you guys all the way out to Ethel, Louisiana?

The otters.

I'm just in for the experience.

Why the.

Otters?

They're my favorite animal.

I just love them.

I think they're so cute and so interesting.

And it's just a such a upclose experience that you can have with them.

I love the peacocks on the serval is what I'm most excited about.

But no, your wild, most popular exhibits focus on immersive, hands on interactions with the most exotic animals.

You have a chance to get in our pool for about 45 minutes.

You just one with two of our Asian small clawed otters.

Right now.

Their names are Severus and Kingsley.

You get in the pool, they will basically use you as human furniture.

You get a big interaction with them.

They will play till the cows come home.

They are just super fun.

The otter swim is the signature experience at Magnolia Wilds, offering a rare chance to interact with otters in a controlled educational setting.

Tourists can swim in a heated saltwater pool and interact the friendly and playful critters, and this popular experience goes on year round.

Now let's go check out the Australian Kangaroos and Louisiana.

The Kangaroo Walkabout is another popular interactive spot at the park because it removes the usual barriers found in zoos.

Instead of looking through a fence, you can actually step inside.

Their habitat is the only place where you can actually swim with the otters and interact directly with kangaroos.

Magnolia wild is one of only a few programs in the country that allows for direct, hands on interaction with animals of all kinds for kids of all ages.

So everyone is able to learn about these unique animal lifestyles.

I saw, a peacock or a capybara, turkey.

The owl, obviously.

Some of them just.

Look.

Really weird.

So, like, I kind of want to know why they look like that.

The house carries more than 50 species of animals that you may never have seen before.

One of our other experiences that we offer is going to be our owl encounter.

That's going to be with Henry.

He's our Eurasian eagle owl.

Visitors get to hold the owl up for as much video and pictures you want to take.

For the experience of a lifetime.

The guests get the opportunity to meet him, learn some information about him, and then the chance to hold him and take as many pictures with them as they please.

And for a change of pace, you can visit the Gem Mine, where you can sift through the water and dirt.

Finding hidden treasures.

This activity uses a classic water wheel and a classic mining trough to expose colorful gems and arrowheads, and guests can keep everything they find.

One of our experiences that we offer is going to be our sloth encounter.

At the end of your discovery tour, you get to come in this room and you get to hand feed two of our Hoffmans.

Two toads lots.

Also.

We have two fingers there.

Yeah, so that's where they get the nickname to toe Sloth from, because they have those two little fingers on their hands.

And their strength is incredible.

They have such a strong grip strength because interest of fashion, they're hanging upside down all the time.

So they have to be able to support their whole body weight just using those two little fingers.

Magnolia wild has been growing slowly and may be hard for the average person to find.

How do you hear about it?

We saw it on Facebook, and then it was my spring break from college and my cousin spring break from school, and we were like, let's just go.

And we just planned a trip and now we're here.

Yeah.

So if you're ever in the small town of Ethel, you might want to check out Magnolia Wild, a wildlife reserve of exotic animals.

Right?

In our own backyard.

And that's our show for this week.

Remember, you can catch anything LPB anytime, wherever you are with our LPB app, you can catch LPB news and public affairs shows, as well as other Louisiana programs that you've come to enjoy over the years.

And please like us on Facebook and Instagram for everyone at Louisiana Public Broadcasting, I'm Johnny Atkinson.

Until next time.

That's the state we're in.

And.

Support for Louisiana, the state we're in is provided by Entergy.

Louisiana is strengthening our power grid throughout the state.

We're reinforcing infrastructure to prepare for stronger storms, reduce outages, and respond quicker when you do need us.

Because together we power life.

Additional support provided by the Fred B and Ruth B Ziegler Foundation and the Ziegler Art Museum, located in Jennings City Hall.

The museum focuses on emerging Louisiana artists and is a historical and cultural center for Southwest Louisiana.

And by Visit Baton Rouge and the Foundation for Excellence in Louisiana Public Broadcasting.

And viewers like you.

Thank you.