The Atchafalaya Basin and Give All People the Opportunity to Enjoy The
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America’s Largest River Swamp FYFY 20132013 AnnualAnnual PlanPlan AtchafalayaAtchafalaya BasinBasin ProgramProgram Louisiana Department of Natural Resources Natural of Department Louisiana Louisiana Department of Natural Resources Atchafalaya Basin Program Stephen Chustz, Acting Director David Fruge, Coastal Resources Scientist/Project Specialist Dana Naquin, Administrative Specialist Atchafalaya Basin Program Research and Promotion Board Appointees Legislative Oversight Committee: Gerald Alexander / Chairman, Atchafalaya Levee Board Alex Appeaning/Vice-Chairman, Dept. of Environmental Quality Rep. Karen St. Germain, Chair Robert Benoit, Dept. of Natural Resources Rep. Simone Champagne, Vice-Chair Guy Cormier, St. Martin Parish (non-voting) David Guilbeau, Dept. of Health and Hospitals Sen. R.L. “Bret” Allain Stuart Johnson, Dept. of Culture, Recreation & Tourism Sen. Jody Amedee Chip Kline, Office of the Governor Sen. Troy Brown Sen. Elbert Guillory Paul Naquin, St. Mary Parish (non-voting) Sen. Eric LaFleur J. Mitchell Ourso, Jr., Iberville Parish (non-voting) Sen. Fred Mills Shawn Wilson, Dept. of Transportation & Development Sen. Jonathan Perry Brad Spicer, Dept. of Agriculture & Forestry Sen. Neil Riser John Lavin , State Land Office Sen. Rick Ward, III Mike Wood, Dept. of Wildlife & Fisheries Rep. Taylor Barras Marty Triche, Assumption Parish (non-voting) Rep. Mickey Guillory Rep. Joe Harrison Rep. Mike Huval Technical Advisory Group Rep. Robert Johnson Bobby Reed / Chair, Dept. of Wildlife & Fisheries Rep. Sam Jones Glenn Constant, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Rep. Bernard LeBas Lamar Hale, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Rep. Stephen Ortego Dr. Bill Kelso, LSU Rep. Edward Price Rep. Major Thibaut Keith Lovell, Dept. of Natural Resources Rep. Ledricka Thierry Chris Piehler, Dept. of Environmental Quality Mike Walker, Dept. of Wildlife & Fisheries Special thanks to these scientists who contributed to the TAG in an ex-officio capacity: Dr. Richard Keim, LSU Our mission is to Conserve, Dan Kroes, U.S. Geological Survey David Walther, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Restore, and Enhance the natural habitat of the Atchafalaya Basin and give all people the opportunity to enjoy the Atchafalaya Experience. 2 from DNR Secretary SCOTT ANGELLE Dear Members of the Louisiana Legislature, I am pleased to present to you the FY 2013 Atchafalaya Basin Annual Plan, developed in accordance with Act 606 of the 2008 Regular Session of the Louisiana Legislature, which requires the Atchafalaya Basin Program (ABP) to identify water management, access and recreation projects for state funding consideration and implementation. The plan is an important guidance document for the ABP as its staff and volunteers work to conserve, restore and enhance the resources of the Basin and provide oppor- tunities for residents and visitors to experience the Atchafalaya. The Atchafalaya Basin symbolizes the bountiful resources of Louisiana and the rich cultural history of our people. Home to 250 species of birds and over 100 species of fish and aquatic life, the Basin is the nation’s largest river swamp, containing almost one million acres of bottomland hardwoods, swamps, bayous and backwater lakes from Simmesport to the mouth of the Atchafalaya River. With attractions like these, the Basin serves as a recreation destination and natural food pantry for hundreds of thousands of Louisiana residents and tourists each year. In fact, the Atchafalaya Basin Visitor’s Center in Butte La Rose recorded over 715,000 visitors from 2004-2010. Clearly, ensuring that this natural treasure spanning eight parishes continues to be a fertile wildlife and fisheries habitat, flourishing ecosystem, and premier recreation destination is important to us and all generations that follow. Public participation and sound science are two critical components of the ABP Annual Plan Process. During a nine-month development process, the ABP Research and Promotion Board hosted public meetings within the Basin and invited fishermen, crawfishermen, campers, hunters, and all those who use the Basin to submit their project ideas. The Board also conducted public meetings to present the draft plan for public comment. All nominated water management projects were carefully reviewed and discussed by members of our Technical Advisory Group, representing leading state scientists whose work focuses on Basin resources, before the final proposed project list was compiled. Thanks go out to all those who made the FY 2013 Annual Plan possible: the staff of the Louisiana Department of Natural Resources Atchafalaya Basin Program, members of Research and Promotion Board, members of the Technical Advisory Group, and Basin stakeholders who took time to attend our public meetings and nominate projects. Since FY 2010, when this modern Annual Plan process began, the Louisiana Legislature has approved funding for Atchafalaya Basin water quality/water management, access and recreation projects, clearly sending a message that the Basin is vital to our State’s ecological, environmental and economic well-being. We thank you for your support of the Atchafalaya Basin Program. I also look forward to working with you to secure funding to implement the important Basin projects listed in this FY 2013 Annual Plan. Sincerely, Scott Angelle, Secretary Louisiana Department of Natural Resources 3 Table of Contents The Atchafalaya Basin? . page 5 The Flood of 2011 . page 8 Atchafalaya Basin Milestones . page 10 At Home in the Basin . page 12 Atchafalaya Basin Program . page 16 Current Challenges in the Basin . page 17 The FY 2013 Annual Plan Process . page 18 Project Funding & Prioritization . page 20 FY 2013 Project List . page 22 Project Descriptions. page 26 TAG Letter of Recommended Projects . page 46 Acknowledgements and Sources . page 54 PHOTO CREDITS Darlene Bouchet Greg Guirard Ben Pierce Antoinette DeBosier Charles Reulet Matthew Armand Eric Blanchard Twana Casey John Clark Sherbin Collette Josh Domingue Charles Hebert Bonnie Hedges Tim Matte Burton Mayeaux John Taylor Rhonda Thibodeaux Theodore Thibodeaux Jennifer Brooke Wallace James Wilson Andrew D. Lytle Collection, LSU Libraries LA Dept. of Natural Resources LA Geological Survey U.S. Army Corps of Engineers LA Dept. of Culture, Recreation & Tourism PUBLICATION PREpaRATION Design & Copywriting by Armand Communications, LLC Houma, LA 4 ArmandCreative.com TheThe AtchafalayaAtchafalaya BasinBasin The Atchafalaya Basin is the nation’s largest river swamp, IT BEGINS containing almost one million acres of America’s WITH THE most significant bottomland MISSISSIPPI hardwoods, swamps, bayous and backwater lakes. The story of the It is larger than the Atchafalaya Ba- Florida Everglades. sin begins with the mother of the Louisiana Delta - the Mississippi River. Seeking a shorter route and steeper gradient to the Gulf of Mexico, the Mis- sissippi changed course several times over thousands of years in geological history. As it did so, the river deposited rich sediment in its path that literally The Atchafalaya River originates at Old River, a seven- built coastal Louisiana, and flooding events created natu- mile channel that links the Red River to the Mississippi ral ridges along the banks of the river and its distribu- River. Fed by waters from the Red and the Mississippi, taries. Over time, these floodplain processes produced the Atchafalaya flows south for approximately 140 thriving environments for plant, animal and marine life miles, emptying into the Gulf of Mexico at Atchafalaya across coastal Louisiana and particularly in the area we Bay, approximately 15 miles south of Morgan City, now know as the Atchafalaya Basin. Louisiana. Today, 30 percent of the combined flow of the Mississippi and Red Rivers is diverted to the Atcha- THE ATCHAFALAYA RIVER falaya at Old River. New deltas are now being formed in the Atchafalaya Bay at the mouths of the Atchafalaya The largest distributary of the Mississippi River is the River and Wax Lake Outlet, two of the few locations Atchafalaya River, a significant industrial shipping chan- along the Louisiana coastline that are gaining significant nel and the flowing lifeline of the nation’s largest river ground. swamp – the Atchafalaya Basin. 5 AMERICA’S LARGEST RIVER SWAMP The Atchafalaya Basin historically encompassed over 2 million acres, and was bounded by natural ridges to the east and west that formed as the Mississippi River changed its course as much as 4,500 years ago. Flood protec- tion levees have substantially reduced the Atchafalaya River’s floodplain, however. Today, the floodway encom- passes approximately 837,000 acres as it stretches approximately 100 miles from Simmesport southward to near Morgan City, La. With nearly a million acres of bottomland hardwoods, cypress swamps, bayous and backwater lakes, the Atcha- falaya Basin floodway (shown in green on the map below) is still America’s largest river swamp. The historic basin still surrounds the floodway with cypress swamp, boasts the largest contiguous tracts of fresh marsh in Louisiana, and is unique among basins in the state because it has a growing delta system with nearly stable wet- lands. Major features in the lower basin outside of the floodway include the Lower Atchafalaya River, Wax Lake Outlet, Atchafalaya Bay, and the Atchafalaya River and Bayous Chene, Boeuf, and Black navigation channel. The Atchafalaya Basin is home to some of the country’s most productive habitats. Louisiana signature wildlife like alligators, roseate spoonbills, and crawfish; plant life like