Volunteers Plant Cypress Trees to Restore and Protect Bayou Segnette Communities

(New Orleans, March 11, 2010) On Friday, March 12 and Saturday, March 13th, over 150 local and national volunteers will participate in a community-based restoration project along Bayou Segnette in Jefferson Parish and within the Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve. Over 3,000 cypress trees, ranging from 4 to 5 feet tall, will be planted along the banks of Bayou Segnette and along spoil banks within the Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve over the next two weekends.

The project will increase habitat quality and promote a healthy riparian area along the Bayou Segnette Waterway by re-establishing native vegetation, more specifically cypress trees, to provide critical habit for migratory birds and provide storm protection to adjacent marsh. Cypress forests provide critical habitat and much needed storm protection to communities in coastal Louisiana. Hurricanes Katrina and Rita demonstrated the ecological need that cypress forests serve both for wildlife and man.

The project is part of a restoration partnership between Jefferson Parish, Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana, Entergy Corporation and National Association of Counties (NACo) Five-Star Restoration Challenge Grant Program. Additional support is being provided through Restore America’s Estuaries, Edward Wisner Foundation, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, National Park Service, Shaw Coastal, Coca-Cola, Salvation Army, and Westwego Beautification Committee.

“Restoration partnerships, such as this one, are essential to tackle coastal restoration projects throughout Jefferson Parish to benefit the citizens and the wetlands of the parish,” said Marnie Winter, Director of Jefferson Parish Department of Environmental Affairs. “Jefferson Parish and the Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana have been able to leverage national funding from Five Star Restoration Challenge Grant Program with corporate funding from Entergy Corporation to restore cypress forests along the bayou and canals of this parish.”

Jefferson Parish received a grant from NACo for $23,800 to plant cypress to restore and protect 10,560 linear feet of riparian buffer along the banks of the Bayou Segnette Waterway as part of the 2008 Five Star Restoration Challenge Grant Program. Jefferson Parish has partnered with the Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana to double the size of the project. The restoration effort will provide the owners of nearby camps with educational guides regarding landscaping with native species, controlling exotic and invasive species, and showing the value of riparian wetland habitat to the ecosystem.

Entergy Corporation contributed $75,000 to the project through the third year of a restoration partnership. “Entergy believes that partnering with the Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana and Restore America’s Estuaries presents a win-win scenario for Louisiana and its residents. Wetlands preservation increases the aquatic and waterfowl population, which translates into a great economic, ecotourism opportunity for the state,” stated Brent Dorsey, Director of Entergy’s Corporate Environmental Programs. “For Louisiana residents, the wetlands provide critical protection from the physical risks of future storm surges. This project is one small step in the right direction. On a project of this size in the southern corridor of Louisiana’s most populous parish, its location allows people to see tangible results taking place which may spur additional action. This is what Entergy is hoping for: to be part of something that will make a genuine impact.”

The Bayou Segnette Cypress Planting will be sustained by the influence area of the Davis Pond Freshwater Diversion. The cypress trees will benefit from the influx of freshwater, sediments and nutrients from the Mississippi River. Additionally, due to its location within the national park and its close proximity to New Orleans, the project will be highly visible and will serve to attract additional funding for cypress restoration in this area and other areas influenced by freshwater diversions.

Louisiana’s restoration needs far outweigh the amount of funding that is available. Natalie Snider, Science Director for the Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana, understands all to well the challenges ahead for Louisiana’s coast. “Every commitment we receive to produce on-the-ground restoration projects, no matter the size, adds benefits to the coast. We may not have millions of dollars to complete projects, but we utilize every dollar we have as efficiently as possible. Our incredible volunteers help to achieve these goals,” Snider said.

Additional volunteers are needed to continue planting cypress trees on Saturday, March 20th. For more information or to sign up as a volunteer, please visit www.crcl.org or call (888) LA-COAST.

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