Hosted by the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, CENLA Hunting and Fishing Day took place in Woodworth, Louisiana on Saturday, September 22, 2018. National Hunting and Fishing Day “was created in 1972 by Congress to celebrate the conservation contributions of our nation’s hunters and anglers” [1]. This national celebration is the largest public event for the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries which hosts activities at four locations across the state reaching up to 10,000 citizens [1]. At the Woodworth location, there were about 30 activities and exhibits open to the public from 8:00AM to 1:30PM. CWPPRA Outreach staff were set up near the Rapides Wildlife Association, USDA-NRCS, and Boy Scouts of America Troop 49.
At the CWPPRA exhibit, visitors had the opportunity to test their knowledge of wetland plants, animals, and benefits with our Wetland Jeopardy game. This event was an opportunity for CWPPRA Outreach to connect with people outside of the coastal parishes. The people in Woodworth welcomed our group and took advantage of CWPPRA materials at the outreach table which included our new vintage-style project posters, Henri Heron’s Activity Book, and recent issues of WaterMarks. Additionally, we handed out a record number of invasive roseau cane scale informational pamphlets to interested outdoors-men. Examples of activities held at other exhibits included pinecone bird feeders, fresh and salt water fish ID, and primitive fire starting.
Citizens who had never heard of CWPRPA learned about our mission to construct projects that protect and restore wetlands and barrier islands in coastal Louisiana. CWPPRA projects may focus on coastal land, but the connections between the Gulf of Mexico, the Mississippi and other rivers in Louisiana also influence our wetlands. existence. Communities depend on wetlands for activities such as hunting, fishing, recreation, or as a source of income. CWPPRA takes a holistic approach to engage citizens of all backgrounds, with the goal of increasing their support for wetland restoration and environmental stewardship.
The state’s designated wildflower, the Louisiana iris can be found along the margins of freshwater bayous and sloughs. Having little tolerance for salt water, the Louisiana iris is one of many plant species at risk from saltwater intrusion. Channels dredged through wetlands alter the natural hydrology, resulting in increased salinity and the loss of fresh water vegetation and organisms. CWPPRA hydrologic restoration and freshwater diversion projects regulate salinity and restore the natural hydrology of wetlands, preserving the iris and many other iconic Louisiana plants and animals.
CWPPRA –The Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection, and Restoration Act– is federal legislation enacted to identify, engineer and design, and fund the construction of coastal wetlands restoration projects. These projects provide for the long-term conservation of wetlands and dependent fish and wildlife populations. Projects funded by CWPPRA are cost-effective ways of restoring, protecting, and enhancing coastal wetlands. CWPPRA has a proven track record of superior coastal restoration science and monitoring techniques in Louisiana.
Louisiana accounts for over half of all commercial harvest landings in the Gulf of Mexico. Wetlands, particularly coastal marshes, play an imperative role in the life cycle of about 90% of Gulf marine species, including the blue crab. Providing a protective nursery, wetlands house an immensely diverse quantity of species that rely upon this habitat. CWPPRA aims to continue the protection and restoration of these essential habitats for wildlife, aquaculture, and fisheries.
Mangroves, which are used for nesting by Louisiana’s Brown Pelican, are threatened by the loss of Louisiana’s barrier islands. These islands are vanishing at an alarming rate due to man-made changes to coastal Louisiana, including the leveeing of the Mississippi River. Recognizing the ecological importance of barrier islands and their critical role in reducing hurricane storm surge in Louisiana, CWPPRA has played a part in the restoration of nearly every barrier island and barrier headland in Louisiana’s Barataria Basin.
migration periods, lasting from late summer to early winter. During their migrant stay, mallards are found in agricultural fields, shallow marshes, oak-dominated forested wetlands, and coastal inlets with aquatic vegetation. Louisiana sits in the Mississippi Flyway, North America’s greatest and most heavily-used migration corridor. Louisiana’s coastal wetlands provide habitat for more than 5 million migratory waterfowl, approximately half of the wintering duck population of the Mississippi Flyway. Now, more than ever, restoration and protection of coastal wetlands is critical; if wetlands continue to diminish, Louisiana will no longer be known as “sportsman’s paradise”.
The Louisiana Sea Grant College Program hosted its annual educational, coastal-based event, Ocean Commotion, on October 27 at the LSU Pete Maravich Assembly Center in Baton Rouge, La. The primary purpose of Ocean Commotion is to give students the chance to learn about and touch the products of the sea and coast—the aquatic animals, plants, and minerals—upon which Louisiana’s citizens are so dependent. In attendance were 2,138 K-8 students, 121 teachers and 139 chaperons from East Baton Rouge, Iberville, Jefferson, East Feliciana, and Assumption parishes.
CWPPRA 