NEW IBERIA, La. --- Louisiana has long been vulnerable to storms and natural disasters. However, the rising frequency and intensity of severe storms over the past 20 years have heightened the urgency to protect and restore our coastline from environmental threats and potential catastrophes. In collaboration with the Coastal Center at Nicholls State University, the Shadows-on-the-Teche is dedicated to presenting a series of programs focused on coastal preservation, addressing our Climate in Crisis.

In the first program, Dr. Shane Bernard, author of Teche: A History of Louisiana’s Most Famous Bayou will discuss the environmental history of the Bayou Teche, the vital waterway that connects New Iberia to the world. The lecture will take place on Thurs., Jan. 23, at 6 p.m. at the Shadows Visitor Center (320 E. Main St.)

The program will be followed by a light reception and book signing by the author. Copies of Teche: A History of Louisiana’s Most Famous Bayou will be available for purchase in the Shadows Gift Shop. This event is free to attend, but registration is recommended. Attendees can register online. 

Additional programs in this series:

• Feb. 20 at 5:30 p.m. – Louisiana’s Deadliest Storm: The Great Storm of 1893: Dr. John Doucet joins us to discuss how hurricanes have shaped settlement patterns across South Louisiana. The great 1893 hurricane at Cheniere Caminanda, which killed more than 2,000 people and caused mass devastation, remains the deadliest storm in Louisiana’s history. 
• April 3 at 5:30 p.m. – Documentary Screening: Resurgence: From Ida to Recovery: Screening of the documentary Resurgence: From Ida to Recovery, which explores the devastating impact of Hurricane Ida on Louisiana and the subsequent efforts to recover and rebuild. Produced by Nicholls State University with funding from the Bayou Community Foundation, it features firsthand accounts from residents, community leaders, meteorologists, and government officials.

About the Speaker:

Shane K. Bernard holds a Ph.D. in History from Texas A&M University and degrees in English and History from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. He is the author of Swamp Pop: Cajun and Creole Rhythm and Blues (1996), The Cajuns: Americanization of a People (2003), Cajuns and Their Acadian Ancestors: A Young Reader’s History (2008), and Teche: A History of Louisiana’s Most Famous Bayou (2016). 

Since 1993, Bernard has served as historian and curator to McIlhenny Company, maker of Tabasco brand products, and Avery Island, Inc. 

He has been interviewed about south Louisiana history and culture by numerous media outlets, including the BBC, CNN, NPR, The History Channel, the New York Times, and the National Geographic Society. 

In 2015 he was chosen as a Research Fellow at UL Lafayette's Center for Louisiana Studies. Bernard is married, has two children, and resides in New Iberia, Louisiana, a short distance from Bayou Teche. 

About Shadows-on-the-Teche:

The Shadows-on-the-Teche, National Trust for Historic Preservation site, opened to the public in 1961 with the mission to preserve the buildings, landscape, collections, and historical integrity of the site; to research and interpret through education programs a 19th century southern Louisiana plantation economy and community and their evolution; and to encourage an appreciation of and interest in historic preservation.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation, which owns and operates the Shadows-on-the-Teche, is a private, non-profit organization. The Shadows does not receive funding from federal, state, parish, or city government. The site supports itself through admissions, special programs and events, and donations to the Friends of the Shadows.

For additional information, contact Jayd Buteaux, Senior Manager of Operations & Marketing, at (337)-369-6446 or by email.