NATIONAL
ESTUARY
PROGRAM
HABITAT RESTORATION
The Barataria-Terrebonne National Estuary in Louisiana—the 4.2-million-acre region between the Atchafalaya and Mississippi rivers—is the fastest disap-
pearing landmass on Earth. As estuaries and wetlands in the region rapidly turn to open water, destroying interior vegetative marsh and ridge habitats,
coastal communities are increasingly vulnerable to storm surge, deprived of potable drinking water, and face the inevitable exhaustion of resources that
supply the nation with shrimp, oysters, fish, oil, and gas, as well as recreational opportunities.
THE NATIONAL ESTUARY PROGRAM IN ACTION
Barataria-Terrebonne National Estuary Program
To recover this prized coastal
habitat, the Barataria-Terre-
bonne National Estuary Program
(BTNEP) and the Greater La-
fourche Port Commission are
working cooperatively with other
partners on a three-phase effort
designed to restore a natural
ridge that will provide needed
protection to fish, wildlife, and
plants.
The main component of the Mar-
itime Forest Ridge and Marsh
Restoration Project at Port
Fourchon is the harvesting of
sediment, directing it through
pipelines to build new land, and
planting new vegetation—spe-
cially selected grass plugs,
seeds, and woody plants that
will offer critical protection to
habitat in the region.
"The Ridge Project" is supported
by grants and generous dona-
tions of time, expertise, and
money from birding clubs, oil
companies, the USDA Natural
Resources Conservation Service,
and other interest groups. When
the project is completed, the re-
gion will see 2.25 miles of re-
stored ridge and marsh habi-
tat—more than 120 acres of
maritime forest ridge, marsh,
and tidal creeks.
Although the effects of recent
hurricanes have slowed prog-
ress, the 60-plus acres of new
surface area created during the
first phase of the project-
before the hurricanes hit-
prevented damage to the Port
and surrounding land that would
have otherwise occurred without
the ridge, according to the
Greater Lafourche Port Commis-
sion—an outcome that verifies
the effectiveness of BTNEP's
Comprehensive Conservation
Management Plan and the value
it brings to the country.
The next 40 acres of the project
will be shaped with tidal chan-
EFFECTIVE
EFFICIENT
ADAPTIVE
COLLABORATIVE
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nels constructed every 1,000
feet along the project site to pro-
vide for water exchange between
the mitigated marshes to the
south and the shallow open wa-
ter areas to the north. Long-term
plans include construction of
new footpaths and boardwalks,
and observation platforms and
bridges along the ridge and out
onto the marsh. Kiosks, interpre-
tive signage, and a nature center
will complete the effort.
Their experience will be applied
to future restoration projects in
Louisiana and across the coun-
try. The BTNEP is quickly be-
coming a major resource for
habitat restoration information
as they field daily inquiries from
NEPs across the country, other
watershed management groups,
and environmentalists world-
wide.
more about this and other
BTNEP efforts.
EPA's National Estuary Program
(NEP) is a unique and successful
coastal watershed-based program
established in 1987 under the
Clean Water Act Amendments.
The NEP involves the public and
collaborates with partners to pro-
tect, restore, and maintain the wa-
ter quality and ecological integrity
of 28 estuaries of national signifi-
cance located in 18 coastal states
and Puerto Rico.
For more information about the
NEP go to www.epa.gov/owow/
estuaries.
Visit www.btnep.org to learn
The NEP: Implementing the Clean Water Act in ways that are Effective, Efficient, Adaptive, and Collaborative.
EPA-842F09001
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