Breaux Act Newsflash - Help the AWCC and the St. Bernard Parish 4-H Program Plant Bald Cypress Trees

Help the AWCC and the St. Bernard Parish 4-H Program

Plant Bald Cypress Trees!

On March 21, 2009, the America's WETLAND Conservation Corps and the LSU
AgCenter is partnering with the St. Bernard Parish 4-H program to plant
approximately 2,000 Bald Cypress Saplings near Verret, Louisiana, on the
property of Verret resident, Tony Fernandez. Bald Cypress Trees are a great
asset to our wetlands because they can survive in a mix of fresh and salt
water. They are also great for holding the land in place to prevent coastal
erosion, and they act as a buffer from storm surge during hurricanes. With
the planting of these trees, the parish would lose less land to erosion and
would gain protection from storms. Furthermore, they would help shelter our
oil and natural gas pipelines.

The planting of the trees will start around 9:00 a.m. Transportation will be
provided at pick-up stations around the parish. Buses will pick up
volunteers at 8 a.m. at two locations:

St. Bernard Parish Government Complex

8201 West Judge Peres Dr.

Chalmette, LA 70043

St. Bernard Middle School

2601 Torres Dr.

St. Bernard, LA 70085

After the planting (around 1 p.m.), the buses will take the volunteers to
the Islenos Festival where you can purchase food and drinks. The Islenos
Festival is a cultural festival featuring authentic food, music and crafts
of the Canary Islands. Buses will leave at approximately 2:30 p.m. to
return to the pick-up locations at around 3:00 p.m.

If you would like to participate in the event but do not want to ride in the
bus, you can meet at the Parish Government Complex and caravan out to the
site.

Water will be supplied.

What to Bring: Old clothes that can get dirty, long pants, shovel, gloves,
sun protection, a snack, and rubber boots (if available).

To make this event a success, we would like as many volunteers as possible.

If you are interested in volunteering or if you have any questions, please
contact AWCC member Sian Gaines at:

E-mail: svgdoll2000@yahoo.com

Cell phone: (504) 450-5115.