Derrick Evans leads Gulfport tour for federal and state agencies

Last week I witnessed the sense of dread felt by Gulf Coast communities as the oil spill approached. I was in Gulfport, Miss., shooting footage for my Turkey Creek documentary. Derrick Evans, Rose Johnson and other environmental justice activists working in the Turkey Creek watershed were meeting with officials at the state and federal level on an entirely different subject.

In the last couple months I’ve shot a number of interviews for The Bridge Project with people working to address the impact of the oil industry on coastal communities. Here is a brief clip from Aaron Viles of the Gulf Restoration Network, who spoke about the impact of the thousands of miles of dredging by oil companies in the southern Louisiana wetlands.

Through The Bridge Project, New Orleans Video Voices will be working with the Houma Nation, one of the groups struggling to maintain their connection to the coastal Louisiana ecosystem that has sustained them. Youth leaders will work with media mentors to create a “Watershed Story” video project (additional projects will be underway in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama). Here is a clip from a February interview with Kirk Cheramie about the challenges the Houma Nation faces in securing a sustainable future.