Photo by Shamus Pons
“No news is good news” is how the old saying goes. Most of the news is bad: war, economic woes, crime, and natural disasters. The crisis of coastal wetlands loss in Louisiana is constantly in the news. But that doesn’t affect you, right? After all, you live on the northshore, not south of New Orleans where people need to worry about that sort of thing.
The bad news is that it does affect you, and likely in more ways than you know. For instance, did you know that on just one day in 2005 during Hurricane Katrina, almost one-third (2,500 acres) of the coastal marsh between Mandeville and Slidell became open water?
Okay, so here’s the good news: coastal restoration projects are being done on the northshore, and they’re working!
Here’s something else you may not know: Big Branch Marsh National Wildlife Refuge consists of approximately 18,000 acres of coastal marsh and pine forested wetlands between Mandeville and Slidell. The refuge has only existed since 1994 and just one of their objectives is to protect and restore wetlands habitat.
Goose Point/Point Platte Marsh Creation
One success story is the Goose Point/Point Platte project, completed last year within the Big Branch Refuge, which created new marsh near Lacombe. “It’s a model project and turned out so well that we want to do more,” said Daniel Breaux, Refuge Manager for the Atchafalaya, Big Branch Marsh, and Bogue Chitto National Wildlife Refuges.
The effort was a partnership project by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and the U.S. Department of Natural Resources. The project was funded by the Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection and Restoration Act (CWPPRA) which funds projects nationwide, with approximately $60 million designated annually for work in Louisiana.
The goal for this $21 million project was to create 436 acres of marsh near Lacombe where shoreline erosion had formed large ponds separated from Lake Pontchartrain only by thin strips of land. These strips of land were already breached in several places, threatening to turn the ponds into open water.
Sediment was dredged from Lake Pontchartrain and pumped into the pond areas behind the shoreline to create new marsh and into 149 degraded acres of marsh as nourishment. “This was the first project to be completed east of the Mississippi River since Hurricane Katrina,” said Breaux.
Begun and completed in 2008, the project came in $2 million under budget and succeeded beyond all expectations. “In addition to creating 436 acres of marsh from ponds, it created another 400 acres of new marsh not planned for,” said Breaux. In addition, it appears the project also nourished over 1,000 acres of marsh instead of the planned 149 acres.
Funding is Key
“Our objective for the future is to do something similar for every pond over 100 acres in size, of which there are at least four within the refuge,” said Breaux. But that’s easier said than done. Even with multiple funding sources and numerous agencies working together, only a handful of projects receive funding each year.
“There’s definitely a lot of competition out there for projects,” he said. Two other large northshore marsh restoration projects that still haven’t made it through the CWPPRA funding process are the Fritchie Marsh and Northshore Bonfouca projects, both near Slidell.
Agencies and Organizations Working Together
“We (St. Tammany Parish government) have a long relationship with Big Branch. When the Parish does restoration work, it almost has to be done in Big Branch. Sometimes we get involved simply by coming up with ideas,” said Brian Fortson, Environmental Specialist, St. Tammany Parish Department of Engineering.
This synergy among different agencies seems to be working well. The Parish submitted the initial proposal for the Goose Point/Point Platte project that was eventually completed by three different federal agencies. Big Branch often partners with St. Tammany Parish, the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation, Nature Conservancy, and other organizations in order to accomplish its goals.
Parish government is also working with Big Branch on the Christmas tree project, where discarded trees are used to fill structures that stabilize and help build marsh. The first structures were built at Goose Point in the 1980’s and have been refilled many times. “One area is now 100 percent marsh, one is 80 percent filled in, and a third is well on its way,” said Breaux. This project is part of the refuge’s objective to restore marsh in open pond areas over five acres in size.
Northshore Marsh Restoration Project
“Because of the critical issue in Northshore Bonfouca marsh area, we have decided to step in with funding we have from another grant and plug that into the northshore project until the larger CWPPRA project can take place,” said Fortson.
This smaller $1-2 million project is currently in the planning phase and is expected to be funded, begun, and completed in 2010. Fortson said the goal of this project is to directly create up to 35 acres of intermediate marsh and closure of more than one significant shoreline breach just east of where Bayou Liberty and Bayou Bonfouca empty into Lake Pontchartrain.
“The real goal is to maintain and protect the integrity and health of coastal wetlands for all the benefits they provide: water quality, wildlife habitat, and storm surge protection,” said Fortson.
The Mission of Big Branch Marsh Refuge
Protecting and restoring wetlands habitat is just one objective of the refuge. “Our management follows our mission of considering the needs of wildlife first,” said Breaux. Residents of the northshore just happen to also be beneficiaries of this management process.
The stated mission of the National Wildlife Refuge System is to administer a national network of lands and waters for the conservation, management, and where appropriate, restoration of the fish, wildlife, and plant resources and their habitats for the benefit of present and future generations of Americans.
That’s a pretty tall order, but Big Branch Marsh is doing much right here on the northshore to fulfill that mission.
Fish and Wildlife Population Management
The refuge attracts numerous birds, reptiles, and amphibians and plentiful fisheries exist on the refuge. The threatened or endangered red-cockaded woodpecker, bald eagle, eastern brown pelican, Gulf sturgeon, and occasionally, West Indian manatee, inhabit the refuge.
Right now the refuge has a program underway to promote the eventual recovery of the endangered red-cockaded woodpecker. They are clearing ground, thinning forests, installing artificial cavities for nesting, banding birds to study the population, and even bringing birds in from the Kisatchie National Forest in order to encourage genetic diversity.
Brood habitat and nesting sites for waterfowl are also provided within the refuge. “The population is looking good, the largest projections we’ve seen in the past 10 years,” said Breaux.
Habitat Management
In addition to marsh restoration projects being conducted by Big Branch, several other habitat management activities are ongoing within the refuge. Prescribed burns are one of the primary ways in which habitat is managed and maintained on the refuge.
“We burn 3,000 acres a year as part of our fire management plan,” said Breaux. These prescribed fires serve a twofold purpose, the first of which is to reduce fuels on the ground in the form of grasses, needles, and dead limbs so they don’t build up and create catastrophic fires within the refuge. The second purpose is to maintain the pine flatwoods and pine savannah ecosystem that historically existed.
Preserving this ecosystem is a big job. “Katrina destroyed 800 acres of pine habitat and allowed Chinese tallow trees to take their place. We are trying to restore these areas back to their natural state but it’s a constant battle,” said Breaux.
No bird or animal receives any benefit from the Chinese tallow tree and it takes the place of beneficial native species. The refuge has treated 17,000 acres over the past two years to eradicate the tallow tree and planted 200 acres of longleaf and slash pines. Another 80 acres of pines will be planted next year.
The Struggle Continues
The effort to preserve is ongoing. Big Branch is still trying to acquire additional land for the refuge in the fastest growing parish in Louisiana. Wetlands and forested lands are rapidly being converted to subdivisions, shopping malls and business parks.
The refuge hosts approximately 50,000 visitors annually for hunting, fishing, hiking, birding, wildlife observation, photography, canoeing, and environmental education.
They also sponsor and support several events throughout the year including the annual “Wild Things” celebration of National Wildlife Refuge Week which is held each year in October at the refuge headquarters on Highway 434 in Lacombe. This is one of the most popular nature/conservation events in the area and features exhibitors, speakers, live entertainment, activities, and tours of the refuge.
If you would like to experience what the northshore was like hundreds or even thousands of years ago, visit Big Branch Marsh National Wildlife Refuge. If you would like to preserve at least part of the northshore, support it. The full potential of Big Branch can only be realized with the continued commitment and support of the public. We all benefit tremendously in a variety of ways.
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