The WaterMarks Interview

Kerry St. P is director of the Barataria-Terrebonne National Estuary Program (BTNEP), a cooperative local/ federal program designed to assess problems and find solutions for the rapidly disappearing habitats of the Barataria-Terrebonne estuarine system. The Barataria and Terrebonne basins span over 4.1 million acres between the Mississippi River on the east and the Atchafalaya basin on the west. The system extends from the town of Morganza in the north to Grand Isle in the south. This area is eroding faster than any other coastal system in the world.

Q How is your position at BTNEP related to Louisiana’s barrier island issue?

A As director of the national estuary program, I represent a large number of constituents in Louisiana that include area residents, industries and agencies who are stakeholders in the Barataria and Terrebonne basins. Together this group has developed a comprehensive plan for maintaining and preserving the estuary. One significant aspect of that comprehensive plan is an action plan specifically dedicated to preserving and restoring barrier islands. To us, the barrier island issue is something of sufficient importance to be included as a separate action plan in our overall management picture.

Q In BTNEP’s estimate, how much is preservation and restoration going to cost?

A Well, for the barrier islands included in the estuary, it’s relatively expensive. We consider the estimates of private consulting groups and construction firms who make coastal preservation and restoration their business. To restore just the 85 miles of barrier islands in the estuary, they say it’s going to cost around $500 million.

Q How is a figure of that size received by coastal residents and industries?

A I’m not sure that actual costs have been presented to the majority of the public; however, I can say this: we’ve held several public meetings throughout the estuary, and the one resounding wish of the general public at these meetings is that barrier islands be restored. They’re telling us, "Yes, it’s costly, but it will be far more expensive not to restore them. "

Q What’s driving this consistent opinion throughout the estuary?

A Storm surge protection. Without question, it’s probably one of the biggest benefits of barrier islands and an issue of infinite importance to coastal communities. As wetlands continue to degrade, the importance of barrier islands in slowing the  leading surge from a hurricane becomes all the more important. It’s an indisputable fact that the public knows about it. They’ve seen it at work and have seen storm surges grow worse as the islands grow weaker.

Q But there’s more to barrier islands than just storm surge protection, right?

A Oh, absolutely. The islands are extremely vital habitat for neo-tropical migrants — brightly colored birds that  migrate from Central and South America. Louisiana’s barrier islands are the first land most of these birds encounter after their trans-Gulf migration. By the time they reach the islands they’re so tired and hungry that they literally drop right out of the sky. Barrier island habitat is essential for their survival while they rest and feed. Once they leave, many fly up towards the East Coast, where birding is a fairly popular activity. In fact, entire economies of small, Northeastern communities rely on birding as a major source of income. Losing barrier island habitat for these migrants could ultimately lead to economic losses in small communities more than a thousand miles away.

Q So, barrier island loss is really a national problem?

A Absolutely. The neo-tropical migrant issue is only one of the concerns linking Louisiana’s barrier islands to the rest of the U.S. The islands also play a significant role in our nationally important shrimp fisheries. In the shrimp life cycle, the eggs are laid offshore and flow inland through the inlets created by barrier islands. After the shrimp hatch, they spend quite a bit of time in internal marshlands. When they leave these wetlands, they head back into the bays between the island restoration is a national problem.

Q  With these facts in mind, is anyone opposed to restoration?

A  No, I don’t think there’s anybody actually opposed to barrier island restoration. I know of no one who’s specifically against the idea. But there are some real tough decisions that need to be made when there are limited financial resources for restoration. It’s a matter of deciding where the money is best spent. South Louisiana has yet to get the degree of attention that other watershed systems have received. There’s a real need to continue educating the nation about our plight. As I said earlier, we’re already seeing problems from barrier island loss. This is a national crisis, and we need to get that truth out. It’s going to take some substantial resources to correct our problems.