Quick News

A rock dike 23,350 feet long is the main feature of the Freshwater Bayou Bank Stabilization Project, completed in May of this year. Erosion along the canal's west bank had exposed fragile organic marsh soils to tidal scour and saltwater intrusion, leading eventually to the conversion of emergent marsh to shallow, open water areas.

Located in Vermilion Parish, the $1.6 million project was jointly sponsored through the Breaux Act by the NRCS and the Louisiana Department of Natural Resources, with the local share of construction costs being paid by Cypress Gas Pipeline Company.

Children Send SOS to President Clinton

Thousands of children asked President Clinton for help with wetland restoration recently through the Save Our Soil campaign. The letter-writing campaign, sponsored by the Houma-Terrebonne Chamber of Commerce, the Barataria-Terrebonne National Estuary Program and area schools, produced nearly 20,000 letters from children.

Sen. John Breaux, a major proponent of wetland restoration in Louisiana, volunteered to personally deliver the letters to President Clinton. Representatives of the SOS campaign presented the letters to Breaux during the CWPPRA dedication ceremony for the Atchafalaya River delta marsh creation program in early July.

Local sponsors hope that federal officials will be moved to action by the childrens' plea. The letters, many written in crayon, remind officials of the $200 million in wetland restoration funding that was lost when the federal budget was cut and ask for the replacement of those funds.

Cameron-Creole Project Phase II Completed

Providing necessary maintenance to the Cameron-Creole Watershed structure prompted work on the Cameron-Creole O & M Project completed this June. The first phase of the $700,000 project repaired cracks within the Grand Bayou structure. The second phase laid 25 to 100 feet of rock around the structures to prevent scouring. Additional phases will be added if more repairs are needed.

This combined effort of the Natural Resources Conservation Service and the Louisiana Department of Natural Resources is maintaining the integrity of the Cameron-Creole Watershed in Cameron Parish.

Cote Blanche Project Under Way

Work is about one-third complete on the Cote Blanche Hydrologic Restoration Project in St. Mary Parish, south of Franklin. Lead agency on the project is the NRCS. The Cote Branch marsh, identified as 93 percent brackish in 1949, has now become fresh and intermediate marsh.

Seven low-level weirs and approximately 4,670 linear feet of foreshore dike for shoreline protection are included in the project. These measures are intended to reduce water exchange between the marsh and East and West Cote Blanche bays, reduce the rate of shoreline erosion, improve the possibility for sediment and nutrient deposition, and encourage the re-establishment of vegetation in eroded areas. The project will protect nearly 31,637 acres of marsh.