Featured Partnership Success - CWPPRA

Featured Success: Raccoon Island
Program: Conservation Technical Assistance (CTA),
Coastal Wetlands Planning Protection and Restoration Act (CWPPRA)
Partners: NRCS, Environmental Protection Agency,
National Marine Fisheries Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, LA Dept. of Wildlife and Fisheries,
LA Dept. of Natural Resources
Date: February 2008

Saving Our Nation's Coastal Wetlands

The Isles Dernieres Barrier Islands Refuge, which is owned and managed by the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF), consists of four barrier islands in the Isles Dernieres Chain, Wine, Whiskey, Trinity/East and Raccoon Islands. Raccoon Island is the western-most island of the chain. The barrier islands are important to Louisiana, not only for their unique ecosystem, but also for the storm surge reduction they provide. Providing and protecting habitat for nesting water birds is the primary management goal of the refuge.

Raccoon Island is experiencing shoreline retreat both gulfward and bayward, threatening one of the most productive wading bird nesting areas and shorebird habitats along the gulf coast. It is also home to the state’s largest nesting colony of brown pelicans, the state bird. The importance of this island to water birds is not only due to the diverse habitats it provides but is largely supported by the fact that the island is relatively isolated from human disturbance, it is a significant distance from the mainland and it has few if any predators. These types of habitats are limited in supply and are becoming diminished across the coast due to a variety of land loss factors. Therefore, protection and creation of these habitats are critical to the future of many of these species.

Public Law 101-646, the Coastal Wetlands Planning Protection, and Restoration Act (CWPPRA OR “Breaux Act”) was signed into law in 1990. Five federal agencies in coordination with the State of Louisiana sponsor coastal restoration projects under the program. As one of the Task Force agencies, NRCS utilizes the unique partnership with local soil and water conservation districts to identify and plan coastal restoration projects in conjunction with landowners and partner agencies, through the “Conservation Technical Assistance Program (CTA)”. Many of these projects are constructed though the CWPPRA program.

LDWF solicited and was approved federal and state funds from the Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection, and Restoration Act (CWPPRA) Task Force to build the initial breakwaters as the TE-29 Raccoon Island Demonstration Project with the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) as the lead federal agency. The TE-29 Demo Project was constructed in 1997 and immediately began showing evidence of a successful project. In 2001, LDWF, NRCS, and the Louisiana Department of Natural Resources were successful in obtaining CWPPRA funds to construct 8 additional offshore segmented breakwaters and restore approximately 60 acres of back bay marsh which became the TE-48 Raccoon Island Shoreline Protection and Marsh Creation Project.

The TE-48 Project was later separated into two construction phases. Phase A consists of constructing the segmented breakwaters and Phase B will include the marsh creation components. Construction of Phase A began in 2006 and was completed in July 2007. Construction of Phase B is targeted for construction funding request in early 2008.

In just a few short months, sand has begun depositing behind the new breakwaters, thus creating valuable avian habitat. A CWPPRA Dedication Ceremony was held on Friday, October 26, 2007 at the Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium (LUMCON) in Cocodrie, Louisiana. Progress was celebrated on five projects including, TE-48 Raccoon Island Shoreline Protection and Marsh Creation.

40 % of the nation’s coastal marches are in Louisiana, and 80% of the loss is occurring in Louisiana. CWPPRA helps the NRCS and our cooperative partnerships to sustain, protect, restore and enhance coastal wetlands. “Every 30 minutes a parcel of wetlands the size of a football field disappears,” said Britt Paul, Louisiana NRCS assistant state conservationist. “Our coastal wetlands are immensely significant to our nation – we are restoring and protecting one of the most ecological diverse habitats in our country.”

The success of this project can be best summed up by the following statement by Mike Carloss, Coastal Operations Program Manager of LDWF, “The construction of this CWPPRA project, past CWPPRA projects, and future restoration projects ensures that the longevity of these important ecosystems continues to thrive in spite of the continuous destructive forces negatively impacting them. It guarantees additional time for nesting water birds and other wildlife species that depend on them, as well as the recreation and storm protection that such areas provide. LDWF looks forward to the continued assistance and cooperation from the local parish governments as well as the CWPPRA agencies in working on restoring our coastal habitats.”