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Partners Break Ground on Project To Save Louisiana Marshes
Flooded croplands near Gueydan, Louisiana attract
thousands of geese in the winter |
Gathered beneath a tent on a small bridge, State leaders commented on the
missing marsh that used to lie not far from their feet, now replaced by lapping
water.
In an effort to save remaining marsh from the same fate, elected officials and
community leaders celebrated the groundbreaking of a $1.7 million project
intended to restore 4,700 acres of marsh within the Pointe-aux-Chenes Wildlife
Management Area.
The project is part of a nationwide push for
Ducks Unlimited coastal projects.
Ducks Unlimited secured a $1 million
North American Wetlands
Conservation Act grant to construct the project. The federal grant program
funds projects to protect and restore habitat for waterfowl and other wildlife.
Chad Manlove, conservation planning manager for Ducks Unlimited, said the
Pointe-aux-Chenes project is receiving the maximum amount the program allots for
a single project.
Money also came from a $100,736 Ducks Unlimited contribution and $600,000 from
the Louisiana Department of Natural
Resources. Other project sponsors include the North American Wetlands
Conservation Council, the
Louisiana Wildlife
and Fisheries Department, Terrebonne Parish
government, Apache Louisiana Minerals Inc., Burlington Resources, and the
Natural Resources Conservation Service.
Work began on the project in late January and should be complete by October or
November, said Stephen Smith of T. Baker Smith & Son, the Houma
civil-engineering firm awarded the contract for the project.
The goal is to restore marsh and underwater plant growth to benefit wildlife in
the area managed by the State Department of Wildlife and Fisheries.
To accomplish this, the project will imitate the area's original hydrology,
using a levee and three water-control structures. The structures will control
water and salt levels.
The management area once contained more freshwater wetlands. Now, the marsh is
considered brackish and has increasing amounts of open water.
Due to common land-loss culprits, such as canals and subsidence, salt water now
has easier access to the area, with high-energy tides rushing in and out at
quick speeds, Courville said. The tides assault the marsh with heavy doses of
salt water, damaging marsh grass that holds soil together. When the tide goes
out, it drags the loose soil with it.
"The project features try to mimic how things used to be," before saltwater
intrusion ravaged the area, he said.
"I think we can make a tremendous impact to the north of this area," said Randy
Hanchey, deputy secretary of the State Department of Natural Resources. "I hope
this project moves ahead quickly."
"I think it's great," said Lloyd Songe of Montegut, who served as the first
manager of the wildlife area for the State Department of Wildlife and Fisheries.
During a ceremony this month, the group celebrated the Pointe-aux-Chenes
Hydrologic Restoration Project, led by Ducks Unlimited, which is centered on
conserving and restoring habitats for wildlife, particularly waterfowl. The
project represents the organization's most significant so far in Terrebonne
Parish and the surrounding area and one of the largest Ducks Unlimited projects
in the State, according to Ducks Unlimited regional biologist Chad Courville.
Courville said the project could also improve fishing.
"If the habitat's there, the wildlife will come," he said.
Story by Laura McKnight, Tuscaloosa News.
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