INTERCOSTAL CITY, KATC - With a disappearing coast, the fight to restore Louisiana’s marshland is more than ever.
As storms continue to hit Vermilion Parish, restoring the southern coast is no small feat. That’s where the next generation comes into play.
Thirty-two high school students from across the area came together at Intracostal City to do their part in the battle against coastal erosion.
“We need to try and do everything we can to protect the marsh because we want to keep that water out of our communities. The canals are getting wider, bays are getting shallow, and wide. So we are trying to do what we can to try and protect what we have because once you lose it, it’s hard to get it back,” Erath Agriscience Teacher Wayne Mouton said.
Students planned 7,000 California bullwhip plugs - a saltwater adaptive plant with a tight root system to help prevent erosion. As waves come against them, it breaks the impact. These plugs grow as a natural protection barrier.
In hopes of saving what’s left, Eunice High School Student Gavin Manuel gets knee deep in the water to make sure the plants are positioned properly.
This is the third time Gavin has participated in this activity. “The bullwhip has gotten expeditiously taller. They definitely push out more now,” he said.
Overtime, new vegetation will grow, a new marsh will form, and students build new friendships in the process.
