The Nature Conservancy bought 3,700 acres in the Atchafalaya basinin from the Dow Chemical Co. This huge expansion increases the Nature Conservancy’s holdings in the largest U.S. River Swamp by 70 percent. The land was valued at $6.8 million. However, The Dow Chemical Co. purchased it for $1 million.
They support us as a partner and are interested in sponsoring conservation. Karen Gautreaux, Louisiana director for The Nature Conservancy, said:
DowThe land was owned by the company for 75 years. It now operates five plants in Louisiana and contracts with more than 6,000 workers.
The Nature ConservancyThe Atchafalaya Basin is home to more than 300 species and more than 100 species fish and shellfish. It is also home to a global environmental non-profit that focuses on land and water. It purchased 5,300 acres of land in 2015 and now has 9,000.
The Louisiana Nature Conservancy recently purchased 3,500 acres from Dow in the Atchafalaya Basin, bringing its total to 9,000 acres. It is a conservationist non profit group that is also building an Atchafalaya Conservation Center, which will house their conservation fellows. They hope to excavate chunks of the basin to improve water flow, reduce dead zones, and allow wildlife to thrive. Photographed Wednesday, March 9, 2022 in the Atchafalaya basin. (Photo by David Grunfeld The Times-Picayune NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate)
Gautreaux stated, “We want to actively participate in and demonstrate how other landowners could implement projects around the restoration of the basin ecosystem. We also want to develop some science and engage the community.
The nonprofit acquired the basin in its original acquisition and set up a conservation centre with overnight accommodation to allow scientists and students to study the basin. They have noticed a rise in hypoxia (or dead zones) in the water since then.
A dead zone is an area in which the water appears darker than its surroundings due to a lack oxygen. Dead zones can be stationary or move across water, killing shellfish and fish.
Joseph Baustian is a wetlands ecologist for The Nature Conservancy. He said that water quality is the key to restoration. Everything else falls into place when you have the water flowing freely and the oxygen conditions in order.
Joseph Baustian, The Louisiana Nature Conservancy in The Photographed In the Atchafalaya Basin Wednesday March 9, 2022. The conservancy recently purchased 3,500 acres from Dow in the Atchafalaya Basin, bringing it to 9,000. It is a conservationist non profit group that is also building an Atchafalaya Conservation Center, which will house their conservation fellows. They plan to dig out large portions of the basin in order to improve water flow, reduce dead zones, and allow more wildlife to thrive. (Photo by David Grunfeld The Times-Picayune NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate)
The better water quality has led to fishermen in the basin venturing further downstream in search of crawfish. So the Nature Conservancy hosted students from astacology (the study of crawfish), starting in 2004. Nicholls State UniversityYou can also research water quality and crawfish numbers.
Baustian stated that they can quantitatively show that crawfish populations are lower when there is poor water quality. They are smaller, less common, and actually more unhealthy.
The poor water quality and lack of water flow can also affect plant life in this basin. Some of the basin’s bayous, channels, and bayous have dried up, resulting in dry ground for cypress trees. Insufficient nutrients lead to weak roots that can be damaged by storms.
The Louisiana Nature Conservancy recently purchased 3,500 acres from Dow in the Atchafalaya Basin, bringing its total to 9,000 acres. It’s a conservationist, non-profit organization that is also building an Atchafalaya Conservation Center using floating barges. This would house their conservation colleagues. They hope to dig out large areas of the basin to improve water flow, reduce dead zones, and allow more wildlife to thrive. Photographed Wednesday, March 9, 2022 in the Atchafalaya basin. (Photo by David Grunfeld The Times-Picayune NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate)
These problems are partly due to river dredging. Port Allen is now accessible via the Atchafalaya River. However, the water flows faster and doesn’t deposit as much sediment.
TheOld River Control StructuresThis also makes it more difficult for water to flow into the floodplains of the basin. The structures divert 30% Mississippi river’s flow into Atchafalaya. This has led to sediment rapidly accumulating further upstream than normal. This makes it more difficult for water flow to the floodplains downstream.
The Nature Conservancy has teamed up with the state government to address this water quality issue. They will dredge basin waterways that have become dry over time.
Gautreaux stated that drains are generally installed so water can flow in the places it used to, and not pond, to restore north-south hydrology.
The Nature Conservancy spent five years studying and understanding the science surrounding the basin, but has not yet completed its restoration plan.
Gautreaux stated that they were building the science. “We are going to monitor and hopefully demonstrate an alternative to improve the system’s health.