Venice Restoration Experiment (phase 1)

This spring the Louisiana Fruit Company/ Venice Port Complex funded an experiment at Venice that will help reclaim coastal wetlands, restore Louisiana’s eroded coastline and reduce future storm surges at the Venice Port Complex.

The Venice Restoration Experiment is a collaborative effort involving The Louisiana Fruit Company, Empire Environmental Solutions, Dr. Alex Kolker of Louisiana University Marine Consortium (LUMCON), and the Gulf Coast Restoration Project.

Richie shows how the trees are delivered, 200 per bag

The project involves planting 5,000 two-year-old, salt-tolerant bald cypress (Taxodium distichum) seedlings and then monitoring sedimentation rates (the rate at which the tree roots help anchor sediment to form land), tree growth, tree losses, and water salinity. The information gathered through this experiment will be applied to other coastal restoration projects in Plaquemines Parish.

The experiment area which is just across Tante Phine Pass was land 30 years ago. The project is establishing seedlings in an attempt to reclaim this land.

“Bald Cypress are native to fresh water and low salinity wetlands in South Louisiana,” says Dr. Kolker, a sediment expert with LUMCON, who advised the experiment. “Planting the, is an established coastal restoration method that has been used across the southern United States.”

The project has faced many difficulties due to invasive species.  “Nutria are the biggest problem because the eat the bark off the tree,” explains Richie Blink, with Empire Environmental, the local company that planted the trees. “Feral hogs, rabbits, and water hyacinth threaten the trees, too, so we take extra time to wrap the trees in wire mesh. Although we’re doing some intense nutria control in the experiment area, we can’t be there all the time. “

Fortunately the experiment is getting a helping hand from local alligators. “We’re finding that the more alligators in the area the lower the mortality rate of the trees,” Blink says, “you can really see how everything is connected.”

“The planting of trees in Plaquemines Parish is a key part of our coastal restoration efforts,” says Plaquemines Parish president Billy Nunguesser. “Our coastal plan involves pumping sediment to build large ridges with trees. A Ridge of trees lowers storm surge eight to one over a mound of marsh grass. These trees help create additional protection for our coastal marshes.”

Recently Empire Environmental Solutions has been getting lots of attention. Please allow me to clear things up.

I’m not an environmentalist. I’m a simple boat captain from extreme Southeast Louisiana who wants to make this place able to withstand hurricanes and man made disasters better. To do this EES uses natural methods that are effective and inexpensive.

To protect the coast we need to rebuild our barrier islands and restore natural ridges. We need to use advice from people who are in our wetlands everyday in conjunction with hard science but we cannot waste time. Without a concentrated effort the Mississippi River Delta has an uncertain future.

The Mississippi River Delta is essential for a functioning economy because nearly 20% of the oil and gas America consumes is transported or produced here. When the river gets shut down and shipping interests suffer the cost is nearly 300 million dollars a day which translates to higher prices or delayed shipment.

If you have any questions, comments, or concerns don’t hesitate to email or call me.

Richie Blink

225 287 2843

The Plaquemines Cypress Salvation Project was born from the facebook group: “for every ten people that join this group I’m going to plant a cypress tree.” The group quickly grew and I started to gather: trees, shovels, volunteers, marine transportation and advice from ranchers, fishermen, and an arborist. About 30 people, mostly 4H volunteers and their parents, are going to travel to Pilottown via pilotboat to plant 400 Bald Cypress, 400 Live Oak, 150 Mulberry, and 1200 Tupelo Gum trees to help preserve the historic island. The cypress trees are saltwater tolerant and were created by a $20,000 grant from the South Downs Conservation District out of South Dakota. The goal of the project is to retain and enhance 4.5 acres of Mississippi River shoreline near the Head of Passes (mile marker zero.)

Who:
Empire Environmental Solutions LLC

Earl Armstrong

Plaquemines Parish Government

Crescent River Port Pilots

Americorps

America’s Wetland Coastal Conservation Corps

Plaquemines 4H

South Down Conservation District

What:
A planting of 400 Bald Cypress (which are saltwater tolerant), 400 Live Oak, 150 Mulberry, and 1200 Tupelo Gum trees to preserve the historic island of Pilottown.

When:
Saturday March 20th 9:00 am

Where:
Pilottown, La. Nine miles south of Venice, La in Plaquemines Parish

Why:
To preserve the banks of the lower Mississippi river by using natural methods.

Contact:
Richie Blink, Empire Environmental Solutions LLC (225) 287 2843