CWPPRA Quick News
Bid Awarded for Cameron-Creole Watershed
Rimrock Enterprises of Justin, Texas, has been awarded the bid to begin construction on the Cameron-Creole Watershed (CCW) Hydrologic Restoration Project in southwestern Louisiana. Made up of more than 64,000 acres of brackish, freshwater and saltwater marshes, the CCW is a busy wildlife habitat for migratory waterfowl, furbearers, amphibians, reptiles and raptors.
Rimrock Enterprises will construct two sheet metal plugs in a borrow canal that runs along the east side of Calcasieu Lake. The plugs will be set at normal marsh level, allowing water to flow out of the marsh during high water or flood conditions. Each plug will include a six-to eight-foot boat bay/water control structure to allow boat access, as well as provide added flexibility in water control through the surrounding marshes. When completed in late 1996, the project will improve both water distribution and salinity levels throughout the entire CCW.
These photos reveal the staggering impact that marsh management has had at Cameron-Creole. The view in December of 1990 shows open water throughout the area. At right is the same area nearly three years later. Continued protection and restoration efforts at Cameron-Creole should improve marsh conditions throughout the 64,00-acre watershed.
Bayou LaBranche Will Take Roots
According to the Louisiana Department of Natural Resources, cypress trees and marsh plants will be planted in the Bayou LaBranche Wetland Creation project area by 1999. The project, which created over 250 acres of marsh habitat along the southwestern shore of Lake Pontchartrain, was completed by the Corps of Engineers in the spring of 1994 and seeded with Japanese millet in July 1994.
The LaBranche Wetlands shortly after the sediment transfer phase of construction. Since that time, the area has been seeded with Japanese millet. Further plantings will be completed in the project area by 1999.
Water Marks Helps Winner of Science Fair
Using information he found in the Spring 1995 issue of Water Marks, sixth-grader Chaize Roubique of Port Allen, Louisiana, constructed a prize-winning science fair project that has gained him entry into the regional science fair. Chaize is a student at Holy Family School.
The project shows the four basic techniques used to create, protect and restore Louisiana's coastal wetlands: vegetative, structural, sedimentary and hydrologic. Judges awarded Chaize first prize for his display.
CWPPRA Goes On-Line
The CWPPRA Public Outreach
Committee has contracted with the National Wetlands Research Center to develop
both a homepage for the Internet's World Wide Web and a CD-ROM about CWPPRA. The
address of the homepage will be provided in the next issue of Water Marks, after
the page comes online in August. Using any common web browser, net surfers will
be able to access state land-loss data, newsletters, a list of frequently asked
questions, video clips, aerial and ground photos of projects, satellite imagery
and information on various CWPPRA projects.
The CD-ROM project is also still in development, and CDs should be ready for release sometime during the fall. The CD will provide more detailed information, more highly enhanced imagery and longer video clips than the homepage.