O e
yea
afte
Louisia a
esto ed
1,170
ac es
of
wetla ds,
sh imp,
c abs
a d
ed
d um
a e
etu i g
to
the
habitat.
Louisia a’s
coastli e
is
showi g
ea ly
sig s
of
ecove y
afte
a
majo
wetla d
esto atio
p oject
c eated
1,170
ac es
of
ew
ma sh
habitat
i
the
Ba ata ia
Basi .
Just
o e
yea
afte
co st uctio ,
species
i cludi g
white
a d
b ow
sh imp,
blue
c ab
a d
ed
d um
have
begu
usi g
the
ewly
esto ed
ecosystem.Acco di g
to
NOAA
Fishe ies,
the
Uppe
Ba ata ia
Ma sh
C eatio
P oject
is
pa t
of
a
la ge
effo t
by
NOAA
a d
its
pa t e s
to
ebuild
Louisia a’s
coastal
habitats
followi g
decades
of
la d
loss
a d
the
damage
caused
by
the
2010
Deepwate
Ho izo
oil
spill.
Louisia a’s
wetla ds
have
faced
decades
of
la d
loss
Located
betwee
the
Mississippi
Rive
a d
Bayou
Lafou che,
the
Ba ata ia
Basi ’s
wetla ds
p ovide
impo ta t
be efits
to
Louisia a’s
coastal
commu ities.
They
suppo t
wildlife,
fishe ies
a d
ecosystems
that
a e
closely
co ected
to
the
egio ’s
eco omy.Howeve ,
the
basi
has
lost
ea ly
300,000
ac es
of
la d
si ce
the
1930s.
E osio ,
sto m
su ge
a d
a
lack
of
sedime t
flowi g
f om
the
Mississippi
Rive
have
co t ibuted
to
the
co ti ui g
loss.The
Deepwate
Ho izo
oil
spill
accele ated
the
p oblem
i
2010.
Seve e
oili g
alo g
Louisia a’s
coast
caused
a
decli e
i
pla t
cove
a d
ma i e
species
p oductio .
It
also
placed
additio al
p essu e
o
the
Ba ata ia
La db idge,
a
impo ta t
hyd ologic
ba ie
sepa ati g
the
f eshe
ma shes
of
the
uppe
basi
f om
the
saltie
wate s
fa the
south.
1,170
ac es
of
wetla ds
c eated
To
esto e
the
damaged
wetla ds,
the
Louisia a
T ustee
Impleme tatio
G oup
developed
the
Uppe
Ba ata ia
Ma sh
C eatio
P oject,
o e
of
the
la gest
habitat
esto atio
effo ts
i
the
Gulf
egio .Betwee
2022
a d
2023,
co t acto s
f om
Weeks
Ma i e
d edged
about
8
millio
cubic
ya ds
of
sedime t
f om
the
Mississippi
Rive .
The
amou t
of
mate ial
was
e ough
to
fill
the
Caesa s
Supe dome
twice.The
sedime t
was
used
to
c eate
1,170
ac es
of
eme ge t
wetla d
habitat.
The
p oject
also
c eated
89
ac es
of
wate
featu es,
i cludi g
a
tidal
po d
a d
18,815
li ea
feet
of
flow
pathways
desig ed
to
eplicate
atu al
tidal
c eeks.St ategic
gaps
we e
also
c eated
i
the
su ou di g
dikes,
allowi g
wate
a d
wildlife
to
move
betwee
the
ewly
c eated
ma sh
a d
the
la ge
Ba ata ia
Basi .The
p oject
ultimately
c eated
1,259
ac es
of
la d
a d
wate
featu es,
exceedi g
its
o igi al
ta get
by
76
ac es.
Sh imp,
c abs
a d
ed
d um
a e
usi g
the
ew
habitat
Scie tists
a e
ow
mo ito i g
the
esto ed
a ea
to
dete mi e
whethe
it
is
developi g
i to
a
healthy
a d
fu ctio i g
ecosystem.Resea ch
teams
f om
The
Wate
I stitute
have
spe t
lo g
days
i
the
ma sh
collecti g
a d
exami i g
sedime t
a d
wate
samples.
Thei
wo k
i cludes
cou ti g
a d
measu i g
fish,
sh imp
a d
c abs
fou d
i
the
ewly
c eated
habitat.The
esea ch
is
bei g
co ducted
i
pa t e ship
with
Nicholls
State
U ive sity,
givi g
stude ts
a
oppo tu ity
to
gai
fi st-ha d
expe ie ce
i
fishe ies
ecology.Resea che s
have
al eady
detected
all
the
ta get
species,
i cludi g
blue
c ab,
b ow
sh imp,
white
sh imp
a d
ed
d um,
usi g
the
ew
wate
featu es
a d
cha els.Thei
p ese ce
is
a
e cou agi g
sig
that
the
co st ucted
ma sh
is
co ected
to
the
su ou di g
basi .
This
co ectivity
allows
tides
to
ca y
ut ie ts
i to
the
esto ed
habitat
a d
p ovides
pathways
fo
fish
a d
sh imp
to
move
th ough
the
ecosystem.
‘It’s
a
big
wi ’
The
ea ly
esults
have
give
esea che s
easo
fo
optimism.“It’s
amazi g
to
al eady
see
ot
just
fish
i
he e,
but
the e
a e
to s
of
fishe me
o
the
wate ,”
said
E i
Kiskaddo ,
a
coastal
ecologist
at
The
Wate
I stitute.
“It’s
a
big
wi .”Mo ito i g
ca ied
out
i
pa t e ship
with
the
U.S.
Geological
Su vey
has
also
show
that
ative
pla t
species
a e
atu ally
taki g
oot
i
the
esto ed
ma sh.A
commu ity
effo t
also
led
to
the
pla ti g
of
500
cyp ess
sapli gs
i
o e
sectio
of
the
p oject.
Ext eme
weathe
has
affected
the
su vival
of
some
of
the
t ees,
but
the
effo t
is
helpi g
esto atio
expe ts
u de sta d
how
to
c eate
mo e
esilie t
coastal
fo ests
i
the
futu e.
Resto ed
wetla ds
could
be efit
Louisia a’s
eco omy
The
impo ta ce
of
the
p oject
exte ds
beyo d
wildlife.
Louisia a’s
wetla ds
a e
closely
li ked
to
the
state’s
fishi g
i dust y
a d
wide
eco omy.Healthy
ma shes
a e
amo g
the
most
p oductive
ecosystems
o
Ea th.
They
suppo t
a
majo
seafood
i dust y
that
ge e ates
app oximately
half
of
comme cially
ha vested
seafood
i
the
U ited
States.I
Louisia a,
the
2024
ha vest
of
blue
c ab
a d
white
sh imp
ge e ated
mo e
tha
$120
millio .“I
do ’t
thi k
the e’s
a ywhe e
i
the
wo ld
whe e
you’ll
fi d
the
health
of
a
ecosystem
so
i t i sically
tied
to
the
health
of
ou
eco omy,”
said
Jo atha
Hi d,
p oject
p i cipal
at
Moffatt
&
Nichol
a d
lead
e gi ee
o
the
p oject.
Resto atio
wo k
will
co ti ue
fo
decades
Although
co st uctio
of
the
Uppe
Ba ata ia
Ma sh
C eatio
P oject
has
bee
completed,
its
ecove y
is
expected
to
co ti ue
fo
yea s.Ove
the
ext
two
decades,
the
ewly
c eated
ma sh
will
settle
a d
stabilize.
As
this
happe s,
the
amou t
of
time
the
ma sh
is
flooded
by
tides
is
expected
to
i c ease,
helpi g
imp ove
ut ie t
cycli g
a d
wildlife
access.The
p oject
is
gove ed
by
a
20-yea
mo ito i g
a d
adaptive
ma ageme t
pla .
Scie tists
will
co ti ue
t acki g
the
co ditio
of
the
ma sh
a d
ca
ecomme d
co ective
measu es,
such
as
adjusti g
wate
flow
o
epla ti g
vegetatio ,
if
the
ecosystem
does
ot
develop
as
expected.The
esto atio
is
also
i te ded
to
p otect
Louisia a’s
lo g-sta di g
fishi g,
hu ti g
a d
bi dwatchi g
t aditio s
by
p ovidi g
healthie
wetla ds
fo
futu e
ge e atio s.“Whe
I
thi k
about
sitti g
i
a
duck
bli d
o
out
o
the
wate
a d
watchi g
the
su ise,
I
get
goosebumps.
So
ma y
people
have
the
same
exciteme t
about
this
place,”
said
Co o
Gilbe t,
spo tsma
out each
a d
policy
specialist
at
the
Natio al
Wildlife
Fede atio .
