Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Volunteer Restoration West Grand Terre topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Restore or Retreat volunteers plant mangroves and cordgrass on West Grand Terre; Port Fourchon terraces receive 12,000 mangroves
Summary
Restore Retreat reported two volunteer-led coastal restoration efforts: October 2024 plantings on West Grand Terre (about 8,200 plants) supported by CPRA Partnership Trust Fund and other donors; and a Port Fourchon terrace and living-shoreline planting that placed roughly 12,000 mangroves over three days funded in part by Woodside Energy.
Representatives Joseph Ojouron and Polly Glover of Restore Retreat updated the CPRA board on Feb. 19 about two volunteer-led restoration efforts in the Lower Barataria Basin: plantings on West Grand Terre (Grand Terre Island area) and a mangrove-planting effort at Port Fourchon terraces.
Restore Retreat described an initial, 2022 planting of about 10 acres that used black mangrove and vermilion smooth cordgrass. The more recent October 2024 activity was a second-phase planting in which 37 volunteers planted approximately 8,200 plants across a test array that included sand oaks (test plots on dunes), vermilion smooth cordgrass and black mangroves. Restore Retreat said funding for that October planting came from three sources: a CPRA Partnership Trust Fund grant, a Restore America's Estuaries/Citgo grant, and a private vegetation donation from an entity identified in the transcript as “5 S.”
Polly Glover described a post-winter field check after an unusual winter event and said roughly 80% of the vermilion smooth cordgrass appeared to have survived while about 50–60% of black mangroves showed signs of stress at that time; staff and volunteers planned a follow-up visit in April. Restore Retreat noted that West Grand Terre has historical and ecological significance, including past use as a site for a marine lab and Fort Livingston; the group said volunteer planting and marsh fill behind rock revetments are intended to stabilize the island and improve habitat for shorebirds and fisheries.
Restore Retreat also described the Port Fourchon terraces and living-shoreline work: 22 earthen terraces totaling approximately 87,000 linear feet of terracing. In early December volunteers, working with Ducks Unlimited and private partners, planted roughly 12,000 mangroves over three days. Woodside Energy provided a $100,000 grant to purchase mangroves for the Port Fourchon activity; other collaborators included Ducks Unlimited, a company named MANG (a private mangrove-planting company), Wisner Trust and Quality Printing (volunteer shirts). Restore Retreat said construction delays postponed a planned second-phase planting and that the organization is tentatively planning those additional plantings for the first week of April, weather permitting.
During board discussion several members praised Restore Retreat’s volunteer model and asked about volunteer sign-up; Restore Retreat said the organization posts event information at restoreretreat.org and on social media.
