Good Fences Make Good Dunes

The first phase of the Timbalier Island Stabilization Project (TE-18), installation of approximately 7,400 linear feet of sand fencing, has been completed and is showing positive results, according to specialists with the Natural Resources Conservation Service.

"TE-18 is designed to reduce the rate of land loss by trapping and stabilizing sand sediment in vegetated dunes," explained Don Gohmert, state conservationist with the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service. "Several inches to several feet of sand and sediment have already accreted along the fence in many areas."

A demonstration project approved for inclusion on the CWPPRA first-year priority project list, TE-18 consists of two major components, installed in two phases. With the first phase of the project now completed, project managers are ready to implement phase two: transplanting marshhay cordgrass (Spartina patens) and Atlantic panicgrass (Panicum amarum var. amarulum) a- total of 18,900 plants -to stabilize the accreted sand.

Fighting Erosion

The fencing component of phase one is designed to trap wind-blown sand on bare beaches and washover areas. As sand dunes begin to form, the land elevation adjacent to the fencing increases. The vegetative plantings in phase two will anchor these developing dunes while continuing to trap sand particles. Use of the two plant species, marshhay cordgrass and Atlantic panicgrass, will provide the opportunity to compare performance between species.

Timbalier Island is a remainder of the Lafourche delta landform which was abandoned by the Mississippi River approximately 1,000 years ago when the river switched to its present course. A valuable landform in the Gulf of Mexico, the island offers extra protection to Louisiana's delicate marsh shoreline from storms and hurricanes.

"Establishing and maintaining a healthy, continuous dune complex on Timbalier Island can effectively help protect against breaching of the island and its subsequent accelerated deterioration," explained Gohmert. "This project will help us evaluate the effectiveness of vegetation coupled with sand fencing in sand dune creation."

Don Gohmert (right), state conservationist with the NRCS, explains sand fencing on Timbalier Island to Martin Cancienne (far left), district director for U.S. Representative Billy Tauzin, and Mike Jefferson, staff assistant from the office of U.S. Senator John Breaux.