The Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana is partnering with Phillips 66 to plant 10,000 plugs of marsh grasses in Cameron Parish in early June.
The nonprofit organization will recruit as many as 60 volunteers to plant the spartina alterniflora in an area of degraded marsh east of Calcasieu Lake. Phillips 66 employees will be among the volunteers, a release states.
The freshwater marsh sustained significant damage in Hurricanes Delta and Laura in 2020.
“This project will help protect communities and industry alike in southwest Louisiana, and it’s an easy, fun opportunity for people to get involved in protecting our coast,” said Gardner Goodall, Native Plants Program manager at CRCL. “We are grateful for the support of Phillips 66 and their employees.”
The grasses will be planted in an area impacted by the Cameron-Creole Freshwater Introduction project. That freshwater diversion, completed in 2022, has reduced salinity levels in the watershed and improved the overall health of the marsh.
“Phillips 66 is committed to environmental stewardship and sustainability. By partnering with the Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana, we are not only helping to restore vital marshlands but also supporting the resilience of our local communities against future natural disasters. This project exemplifies our dedication to protecting and enhancing the natural environment in southwest Louisiana,” said Scot Tyler, General Manager of the Phillips 66 Lake Charles Manufacturing Complex.
Volunteers can register for the volunteer events June 6 and 7 on CRCL’s website.
Plant materials for the project are being provided by Stream Wetlands Services of Lake Charles. A group of local hunters will provide lodging for CRCL staff and boat captain services.
Southwest Louisiana was hit by two hurricanes six weeks apart in 2020, causing billions of dollars of damage. Coastal wetlands are a natural component of hurricane protection in the state, helping to weaken storms and absorbing storm surge. But the state has had about 2,000 square miles of wetlands disappear into open water in less than a century.
According to the release, CRCL was Louisiana’s first statewide nonprofit dedicated to confronting coastal land loss, forming in 1988. The organization has planted more than 1 million plants and grasses and returned more than 15 million pounds of shell to the water to create living shorelines. The organization also trains college students through its Future Coastal Leaders program and educates professionals through the Coastal Leadership Institute. The organization recently hosted the eighth iteration of the State of the Coast conference. CRCL has completed numerous restoration projects in southwest Louisiana.
