Lafourche Parish Residents to Benefit from Wetlands Restoration

By Justin Stakes

Thibodaux, LA -(AmmoLand.com)- Lafourche Parish residents will soon have improved wildlife habitat and storm protection thanks to a $1 million North American Wetlands Conservation Act grant to Ducks Unlimited.

The Bayou Monnaie project will restore more than 7,300 acres of degraded coastal marsh and beach habitat along the Gulf Coast in southeast Louisiana.

“Approximately 75 percent of the marsh vegetation in the Bayou Monnaie area has died,” said Mike Carloss, DU manager of conservation programs. “That loss has turned this area into open, salty water of little value to migratory birds and of no value in storm surge protection for coastal communities. This project will restore the area’s protective wetlands and increase waterfowl and fisheries habitat.”

Specifically, the project will create beach habitat along 7.4 miles of the Gulf of Mexico, construct marsh terraces on 541 acres and restore the hydrologic integrity of 6,000 acres of coastal marsh across southern Louisiana. The project will restore areas on Elmer’s Island Refuge and private lands owned by funding partner ConocoPhillips.

“The public benefit from the restoration of wetland functions and values along the Gulf Coast is immeasurable, and with most of the coast in private ownership, it’s important that …Read the Rest

Source:: AmmoLand