Thibodaux Rotary Club
John M. Barry |
January 21, 2014
By: Brian Rodrigue
John M. Barry is a prize-winning and New York Times best-selling author whose books have won multiple awards. Barry is best known as the author of the bestselling book, Rising Tide: The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 and How it Changed America.
John Barry is a consultant for storm protection for all major storms anywhere in the world and is also the leader of the lawsuit against oil and gas companies filed in August by the local Flood Protection Authority.
Since leaving the levee board last year, a website was established by John Barry called Restorelouisiananow.org . The levee board saw themselves as a group tasked not to oversee levees, but as a group responsible for protecting people’s lives.
When considering what is happening to the Louisiana coast, this task is becoming more and more difficult. Louisiana has already lost nearly 2,000 square miles of coast. That land lost is not stopping and the lost rate is actually increasing even though it has leveled off recently.
The storm surge is increasing due to multiple causes. The levees are a cause in coastal loses even though without the levees there would be no Baton Rouge, no New Orleans and no industry between those two cities. The levees cannot be taken down; however, diversions could be built. Another reason is due to the oil and gas industry.
Many people agree that the land loss is caused by oil and gas operations. Some areas have zero loss and other areas are as high as 90 percent land loss. The oil and gas companies were allowed to exploit the Louisiana resources and in return they agreed to restore what they destroyed.
Using Delecroix area as an example, one can see the minimal losses over time before the oil and gas industry arrived. Thus, the coast can sustain itself if the oil and gas industry does not dig canals in the coastal areas. The law reads that when an area is damaged, the vegetation must be restored and the land be put back in its original condition.
Coastal restoration is absolutely necessary for maintaining storm surge protection. The govenor’s office was asked to have industry to pay for the restoration and the answer was no. The governor’s office opposes the lawsuit while every parish has supported the lawsuit.
Mr. Barry’s latest book is related to the lawsuit because the first 100 pages are about constitutional law which is summarized in that everyone is equal before the law, even the oil and gas companies.
The Thibodaux Chamber of Commerce |
February 11, 2014
By: Shay Holloway
Presenter: Patrice Oncale
The Mission of the Thibodaux Chamber of Commerce is to promote economic prosperity by connecting business with the community. There vision is to bridge business to business, and business to community. The Thibodaux Chamber of Commerce was established June 22, 1966. At the end of the first year of the establishment of the chamber membership had grown to 211. Currently Membership averages 600. Thibodaux was first accredited in 2008. Out of 7,077 Chambers in the United States – 222 are Accredited.
17 are accredited – 8%
40 are accredited with 3 stars – 18%
80 are accredited with 4 stars – 37%
79 are accredited with 5 stars – 37%
The Chamber serves as a catalyst and a resource center for business, residents and visitors. It publishes and distributes various publications. The Chamber sponsors workshops, seminars and professional development programs.
The Chamber is a co-sponsor of Leadership Lafourche, with the Chamber of Lafourche. It has a business reference library that is available to members. The Chamber works very closely with local educational institutions, hosting Job Shadow Day and Career Days with local high schools. Involved in higher education, the Chamber is represented on the Advisory Council of the Louisiana Technical College, as well as N.S.U.’s Free Enterprise Week Advisory Board.
2014 Plans
Revitalize the Ambassador Program
Technology Upgrades
More Thibodeauxville Improvements
Senatorial Forum
Legislative Issues Forum – February 27
Legislative Issues Update
Continue to Monitor Affordable Health Care Act’s Impacts
Continue to be Involved with the I-49 South Coalition
Continue to be Involved with the Coalition for Sustainable Flood Insurance
Month Business after hours
Quarterly Business at lunch
Quarterly Business at breakfast
And Much More!!
Katherine Toups with Fusion Wellness Solutions |
February 4, 2014
By: Vera Holloway
Katherine Toups is the owner of Fusion Wellness Solutions which is a wellness consultant company that specializes in helping people stay on track with their health and fitness goals. Katherine has a BS degree in Kinesiology from Louisiana State University. She has over 8 years of experience in corporate wellness and has previously worked for Blue Cross Blue Shield in their weight loss program. Katherine is a certified wellness consultant, certified personal trainer, and certified bootcamp instructor.
The types of services Fusion Wellness Solutions offers are initial wellness consulting which includes lifestyle assessment and guidance to eating healthy, exercising, stress management, and goal setting. Fusion also offers services like regular follow up appointments, ongoing coaching, in home workout plans, pantry makeover and grocery planning, and bootcamp classes. Katherine feels that it is necessary to create individual wellness plans for each client and she provides the motivation, support, and accountability that is necessary to achieve those individual goals.
Katherine has recently joined Advance Physical Therapy in Thibodaux and is looking to expand her services. She is currently working on location space so she can begin to offer yoga classes and more bootcamp classes. In March, she has plans to begin teaching various kid fitness programs.
Katherine informed us that Louisiana is now the most obese state in the United States. She stated that 34.7% (including children) are obese in Louisiana and that statistic has risen by 22% between 1990 to 2013. She stated that over 60% of adults don’t get the recommended diet and exercise and 70% of diseases and illnesses can be prevent if diet and exercise is done. Katherine gave some reminders of things to avoid:
- Overeating – Eat when your hungry not full!
- Eat Natural Foods – If it can’t rot it is probably not good for you!
- Take baby steps!
- Move more!
Scott Courtright -Trinity Tree Consultants
Thibodaux Rotary Club
January 14, 2014
Mr. Courtright has been in the “green industry” his entire professional career. He currently owns and operates Trinity Tree Consultants. He received his Bachelor of Science Degree in Forest Management from Louisiana State University in 1996 and has been a Louisiana Licensed Arborist for 15 years.
As a Forester/Arborist, Scott has provided Expert Witness Testimony, conducted tree evaluations, produced tree management plans, tree inventories, tree restoration plans, tree evaluations, and tree appraisals. He was chief consultant for New Orleans City Park after Hurricane Katrina, in the effort to restore the park’s many old oak trees.
Additionally, Mr. Courtright conducts seminars, talks, and forums addressing urban forestry/arboriculture, traditional forestry, Geographic Information Systems/Global Positioning Systems Technologies, and responses to environmental incidences.
Scott has also been a keynote speaker for several Master Gardener events throughout Louisiana. He currently serves on the Louisiana Urban Forestry Council and is currently serving as the Chairman for the Educational Committee as well as the Educational Chairman for the 2014 Burden Museum and Garden Arbor Day Celebration in Baton Rouge.
One of the great natural symbols of the coastal plain of the Southern United States has to be the live oak tree, of the genus Quercus Virginiana. No one who lives outside of our region can imagine how the graceful, stately tree defines our environment.
When we realize, too, that so many old survivors were here to witness the explorations of the Spanish and French in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, there is nothing less than a sense of mystery, and even awe, about such grand old things.
North Lafourche Levee District
Thibodaux Rotary
December 17, 2013 Meeting
North Lafourche Levee District
Dwayne Bourgeois is the Executive Director of the North Lafourche Levee District. This levee district was formed in 1992 to provide flood protection for Northern Lafourche, eventually including the entire Parish north of the Intracoastal Canal in Larose.
This district protects over two thirds of Lafourche Parish population which is greater than 65,000 people. Our District has greater than 250 miles of levees & drainage canals and 40 pump stations. The main focus is to prevent flooding from heavy rainfalls, river events, tropical storms and hurricanes such as Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, Gustav and Ike.
Coastal land loss puts North Lafourche at a higher risk for flooding and makes it more difficult to get the water out. The USGS estimates that Louisiana has lost 1,883 square miles. That is 25% of the State’s 1932 coastal footprint. The 2062 Projection has the Potential to lose up to 1,756 square miles of land over the next 50 years. Continue reading
You Could Be The WINNER!
You Could Win A Lifetime Membership!
The Thibodaux Rotary Club is auctioning off – 1 Exclusive Lifetime Membership to the new Bayou Country Children’s Museum. You could be the winner!
Click here to go to Thibodaux Rotary Club Facebook page and look for the Auction Post.
This Exclusive Lifetime Membership Provides…
- lifetime access to the museum for one person
- discounts in the gift shop
- and the ability to book the party rooms – right in the museum for events
But you’re not getting just a membership. All proceeds from the auction will be donated to BCCM.
The auction is now officially on… Click here to go to Thibodaux Rotary Club Facebook page and look for the Auction Post.
To place your bid in, just use the comment section below this post. Check back often to see how your bid is holding up. Feel free to bid as many times as you would like.
The Opening Bid, provided by Beau Brooks is $400.00!
What a great gift to give someone! But hurry…the auction ends 5PM, October 15th. The winner will be announced that evening.
Here’s your chance to contribute to the areas premiere children’s museum and win an exclusive Lifetime Membership. YOU COULD BE THE WINNER! Click here to go to Thibodaux Rotary Club Facebook page and look for the Auction Post.
Tom Acosta – Rotary District 6200 Governor
Tom Acosta – District Governor
Rotary District 6200 Governor, Tom Acosta, made his official visit to the Thibodaux Rotary Club on September 17, 2013.
As part of his term as Rotary District Governor, Acosta will visit the 49 Rotary Clubs throughout Southeast Louisiana from Grand Isle to Lake Charles.
Acosta noted that the roughly 2,400 members of District 6200 are part of 537 Rotary Districts across the globe with 1.2 million Rotarians worldwide. Rotary is an organization primarily devoted to service of others, and Acosta said that members are called upon to not only be Rotarians but to do something with their membership. Acosta thanked members of the Thibodaux Rotary Club for their commitment to Rotary. Thibodaux’s commitment is displayed with involvement in Earlyact, Youthact, Interact, Rotaract clubs, as well as the Thibodaux Thesaurus Project. The Thibodaux Rotary Club embraces the spirit of the 2013-2014 Rotary theme, “Engage Rotary, Change Lives”
Tom has been a member of the Port Allen Rotary Club since September, 1988. A multiple Paul Harris Fellow, Tom served as Club President, was Rotarian of the Year and Assistant District Governor.
Tom Acosta is a native of West Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana. Tom earned his BA in History at Rice University and was commissioned through Army ROTC. After earning his law degree from LSU, Tom served on active duty in Germany before returning home to practice law. He joined the Louisiana Army National Guard, and has been an attorney in Port Allen since 1986.
Cardinal Place | Thibodaux Rotary Club
July 16, 2013 Meeting
By: Kevin Gros
This past Tuesday the club was visited by Ann Thibodaux and Natalie Barbera of St. Joseph Manor to talk about Cardinal Place, a new residential community being developed adjacent to “The Manor” in Thibodaux.
Ann is the administrator of St. Joseph Manor; Thibodaux’s only assisted living community, since 1995. She has 37 years of experience in the senior living industry. Her prior work included her serving as Director of Nursing and Administration of a local nursing facility for nineteen years. She has been a lifelong resident of the Thibodaux area.
Natalie has been the Marketing and Social Director for St. Joseph Manor since 2011 and she has over ten years of experience in the healthcare industry working in medical records at Ochsner, Thibodaux Regional and a local nursing home.
Cardinal Place will be unique to our area and afford residents 55 years and older maintenance-free living. The development will consist of several three-story apartment buildings containing one and two bedroom living units of varying configurations and sizes.
The American Sugarcane League | Thibodaux Rotary Club
June 11, 2013
By: Luci Sposito
Herman Waguespack presented for the American Sugar Cane League (ASCL), which is a non-profit organization representing Louisiana sugar cane growers and processors.
Incorporated in 1922, the Louisiana sugar industry was threatened with extinction by cane diseases. Consequently, the league was formed with the mission to sustain success through effective research, positive legislation, public relations/promotion, and education. The ASCL’s office is located along the banks of Bayou Lafourche in Thibodaux.
In Louisiana, there are 22 parishes producing sugarcane which accounted for about 427,000 acres of cane. The state’s 475 farms and 11 raw sugar mills produced sugar valued at about one billion dollars. If an economic multiplier of 2.75 is used, it equates to approximately three billion in generated economic value.
Although acreage has remained relatively steady, three decades of mediocre prices caused many farm operators to sell. There were 35% less farms operating in 2012 compared to 2001. However, production has remained relatively steady due to existing mills getting larger and therefore more efficient.
Although production costs have risen over the years, the average farm size has increased which has created economies of scale and therefore efficiency.
To increase yields, sugarcane breeders have been able to develop varieties to grow in our sub-tropical environment and produce yields that rival production yields of tropical countries. Variety development is accomplished through cooperation of the ASCL, LSU, and USDA.
The improved varieties have helped the industry yield more tons of cane per acre. Researchers at LSU and USDA have world class facilities to conduct research and farming practices have been improved. Ultimately, continued research and improve practices help producers become more efficient.
What does this mean to our region? In Lafourche and Terrebonne, 37 farms (39,089 acres) plus 2 raw mills generate $80,982,400 in value to the area.
Bill Crawford – Kayak Fishing – Thibodaux Rotary Club
May 21, 2013
By: Kevin Gros
On May 15th the Club was visited by Bill Crawford to talk about one of his passions, kayak fishing.
Bill is a Louisiana native and grew up fishing the Pontchartrain basin. In recent years he has fished professionally placing in numerous kayak association fishing tournaments and was recently runner up for the association angler of the year contest. Additionally, Bill guides kayak fishing trips in our area. He is Pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Thibodaux and the President of the Board of Trustees of the Bayou Community Academy, and resides here with his wife and three children.
The purpose of Bill’s visit today is two-fold; the first, to introduce us to the sport of kayak fishing, which is one of the fastest growing sports in America and secondly talk about the spiritual adventure of being in nature with God.
A spiritual adventure is an activity that gets us out into nature to see what God 
is up to. It nurtures our inner fire and challenges our creativity and thirst for knowledge. Bill reminded us of how important it is to reserve time in our busy lives to recharge our batteries, and talked at length of the emotional, physical and spiritual health benefits of kayak fishing. As many people depend on us we need to be at our best. A hobby like fishing helps us get there.
Fishing is a huge sport in our country with an estimated 16% of our population participating. The number is surely much higher here. Increasing numbers of Americans are Kayak fishing. Here in Louisiana an association of anglers formed the Bayou Coast Kayak Fishing Club to foster the growth of the sport and increase the positive impacts of kayak fishing in our area.
The club’s signature event, Paddlepalooza, in Leeville attracted almost three hundred anglers from nine states, and has made an important economic contribution to our area. Presently the club sponsors eight events in Louisiana, with other associations beginning to sponsor similar events. The sport is an opportunity for our state to capitalize on a growing industry and with at least one event per month throughout the year the economic impact is significant.
Why should we consider kayak fishing? It’s fun. Fellowship. Inexpensive. Exercise. Emotional health. Spiritual health.
If anyone would like to contact Bill for more information or to arrange a guided trip, please email him at revredfish@gmail.com or his website www.revredfish.com.
More information about the sport may be found at the website of The Bayou Cost Kayak Fishing Club, www.bckfc.com.
Thanks Bill for an introduction to the sport of kayak fishing and for reminding us of the importance of having a spiritual adventure. Many of us will surely be giving it a try soon!
