March 27, 2011 – Grand Bayou, Self-Sufficient and Shrinking, Prepares for a Fisheries Collapse

Members of the Atakapa-Ishak tribe have found a creative use for a high-tech fencing material that has protected soldiers in Iraq and strengthened levees outside New Orleans: They're building gardens that will keep them fed in the event of a seafood shortage sparked by the BP oil spill. Produced by Barry Yeoman and Richard Ziglar. Narrated by Barry Yeoman.

March 09, 2011 – Cherri Foytlin is an environmental activist in Rayne, Louisiana. Her husband, Forest Foytlin, worked on a deepwater rig before the BP oil spill. This weekend she leaves on a 1,200-mile walk to Washington, D.C. Her message to President Obama is a complex one. Produced by Barry Yeoman and Richard Ziglar. Narrated by Barry Yeoman.

March 01, 2011 – Most of us shudder to imagine the impact of another large oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. And for good reason: A spill in future decades could have even more devastating consequences than the 2010 BP spill. Produced by Richard Ziglar and Barry Yeoman. Narrated by Richard Ziglar.

February 15, 2011 – One of the first communities to take a direct hit from the BP oil spill was the 700-member Pointe-au-Chien Indian tribe near Houma, Louisiana. For them, the disaster is ongoing and part of a larger threat to their ancestral home. From KRVS in Lafayette, Louisiana. Produced by Richard Ziglar and Barry Yeoman. Narrated by Richard Ziglar.

February 14, 2011 – Kenneth Feinberg, the Boston attorney in charge of reviewing claims for the BP oil spill, says he expects to start paying interim and final claims later this month. But as Louisiana's Vietnamese-American fishing community has learned, some losses are harder to quantify than others especially when what's at stake is a way of life. Produced by Barry Yeoman and Richard Ziglar. Narrated by Barry Yeoman. Translation and voiceover by An Nguyen.

February 24, 2011 – The BP oil spill triggered an outpouring of volunteer energy. Concerned Americans lay boom, picked up tar balls, and performed mundane tasks like answering telephones. A few helped transport or clean oiled birds. Regardless of what they did, many volunteers now find themselves transformed. Produced by Richard Ziglar and Barry Yeoman. Narrated by Richard Ziglar.

This segment, from Jan. 18, 2008, is part of our Vintage Cafe series, in which we revisit some of our best studio performances. Here, we remember an Americana legend and drummer for the '60s rock group The Band, Levon Helm, who died in 2012.

Levon Helm first picked up a guitar at age 8, but soon switched to drums. Though best known as the famous drummer for the rock group The Band, Helm continued to influence music with his collaborations and solo works.

Marian McPartland recalls meeting singer Melissa Walker for the first time in the "powder room" at Birdland. McPartland was immediately taken with the young singer's glowing personality — and she probably heard hints of Walker's warm and rich vocals in the few words they exchanged that night.

"She's got such a wonderful voice," recalls McPartland. "The tunes she did aren't heard too often, they were very well done though. I enjoyed that session."