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Multi-Use Management in the Atchafalaya River Basin: Research at the Confluence of Public Policy and Ecosystem Science

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Multi-Use Management in the Atchafalaya River Basin: Research at the Confluence of Public Policy and Ecosystem Science Southern Illinois University Carbondale OpenSIUC Reports IGERT 2013 Multi-Use Management in the Atchafalaya River Basin: Research at the Confluence of Public Policy and Ecosystem Science Micah Bennett Southern Illinois University Carbondale Kelley Fritz Southern Illinois University Carbondale Anne Hayden-Lesmeister Southern Illinois University Carbondale Justin Kozak Southern Illinois University Carbondale Aaron Nickolotsky Southern Illinois University Carbondale Follow this and additional works at: http://opensiuc.lib.siu.edu/igert_reports A report in fulfillment of the NSF IGERT Program requirements. This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 0903510. Recommended Citation Bennett, Micah; Fritz, Kelley; Hayden-Lesmeister, Anne; Kozak, Justin; and Nickolotsky, Aaron, "Multi-Use Management in the Atchafalaya River Basin: Research at the Confluence of Public Policy and Ecosystem Science" (2013). Reports. Paper 2. http://opensiuc.lib.siu.edu/igert_reports/2 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the IGERT at OpenSIUC. It has been accepted for inclusion in Reports by an authorized administrator of OpenSIUC. For more information, please contact [email protected]. MULTI-USE MANAGEMENT IN THE ATCHAFALAYA RIVER BASIN: RESEARCH AT THE CONFLUENCE OF PUBLIC POLICY AND ECOSYSTEM SCIENCE BY MICAH BENNETT, KELLEY FRITZ, ANNE HAYDEN-LESMEISTER, JUSTIN KOZAK, AND AARON NICKOLOTSKY SOUTHERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY CARBONDALE NSF IGERT PROGRAM IN WATERSHED SCIENCE AND POLICY A report in fulfillment of the NSF IGERT Program requirements MULTI-USE MANAGEMENT IN THE ATCHAFALAYA RIVER BASIN: RESEARCH AT THE CONFLUENCE OF PUBLIC POLICY AND ECOSYSTEM SCIENCE BY MICAH BENNETT1,a, KELLEY FRITZ2,a, ANNE HAYDEN-LESMEISTER3,b, JUSTIN KOZAK4,b, AND AARON NICKOLOTSKY5,b SOUTHERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY CARBONDALE NSF IGERT PROGRAM IN WATERSHED SCIENCE AND POLICY 2013 1 [email protected] 2 [email protected] 3 [email protected] 4 [email protected] a Department of Zoology & Center for Ecology 5 [email protected] b Environmental Resources & Policy Program i Acknowledgments We thank the IGERT PIs (Drs. S. Baer, L. Chevalier, C. Lant, N. Pinter, and M. Whiles) for funding and support, particularly Dr. Chris Lant and Dr. Lizette Chevalier for their direct supervision. Dr. Lant provided helpful critiques of this report at all stages of its development. Dr. Baer and Dr. Whiles gave helpful comments and discussions on the ecosystem services portion of the report (Chapter 5) that were much appreciated. We thank our internship mentors (Dr. Paul Kemp formerly at Audubon Society, Louisiana; Dr. Beth Middleton at USGS, Lafayette, LA; Dr. Bryan Piazza, Dr. Jim Bergan and David Harlan at The Nature Conservancy, Baton Rouge, LA) for their support; particularly to Dr. Middleton and Dr. Piazza for reviewing the full report. Our work would not have been possible without the guidance that these many individuals provided. Finally, we appreciate the assistance of many agencies and organizations working in the ARB for their responses to our questions and requests for information, especially the Atchafalaya Basin Program. This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 0903510. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation. ii TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Acronyms ..................................................................................................................vii Chapter 1. Introduction.......................................................................................................1 Chapter 2. A History of the Atchafalaya River Basin .....................................................9 2.1. Early Settlement and Development ....................................................................13 2.1.1. Old River Control Structure .................................................................15 2.2. Physical Features ................................................................................................26 2.2.1. Physiographic Region, Land Use and Topography .............................26 2.2.2. Geology ................................................................................................31 2.2.3. Soils......................................................................................................36 2.2.4. Hydrology and Sediment .....................................................................38 2.2.4.1. Hydrology .............................................................................38 2.2.4.2. Sediment ...............................................................................42 2.3. Water Quality and Nutrients ...............................................................................50 2.3.1. Pollution Sources .................................................................................50 2.3.2. Hypoxia ................................................................................................51 2.3.3. Transformation and Export of Nutrients and Pollution .......................52 2.3.3.1. Nitrogen ................................................................................52 2.3.3.2. Phosphorus ............................................................................59 2.3.3.3. Carbon ...................................................................................61 2.4. Biota ....................................................................................................................64 2.4.1. Vegetation and Forests .........................................................................64 2.4.2. Macroinvertebrates ..............................................................................70 2.4.3. Fishes ...................................................................................................79 iii 2.4.4. Amphibians and Reptiles .....................................................................85 2.4.5. Birds .....................................................................................................89 2.4.6. Mammals..............................................................................................93 2.4.7. Invasive Species ...................................................................................96 2.4.7.1. Invasive plants ......................................................................96 2.4.7.2. Invasive invertebrates ...........................................................99 2.4.7.3. Invasive fishes .......................................................................100 2.4.7.4. Invasive mammals ................................................................102 2.5. Summary .............................................................................................................104 Chapter 3: Socioeconomics and Governance of the Atchafalaya River Basin ...............127 3.1. Demographics .....................................................................................................127 3.2. Socioeconomics ..................................................................................................131 3.2.1. Flood Control .......................................................................................132 3.2.2. Navigation ............................................................................................135 3.2.3. Oil and Gas ..........................................................................................136 3.2.4. Agriculture ...........................................................................................137 3.2.5. Timber ..................................................................................................138 3.2.6. Fisheries ...............................................................................................139 3.2.7. Oysters .................................................................................................140 3.2.8. Recreation and Tourism .......................................................................142 3.3. Stakeholders ........................................................................................................145 3.4. Governance .........................................................................................................147 3.4.1. USACE ABFS Master Plan .................................................................153 3.4.2. Louisiana ABFS Master Plan...............................................................157 iv Chapter 4: The Evolving Management of the Atchafalaya River Basin: Sources of Conflict and Suggestions for Resolution ...........................................................................................176 4.1. Introduction .........................................................................................................176 4.2. Study Area and Management Framework ..........................................................178 4.3. Conflict and its Sources ......................................................................................182 4.3.1. Cocodrie Swamp ..................................................................................183 4.3.2. Discussion ............................................................................................188 4.4. A Technical Approach to Improved Stakeholder Collaboration in the ARB .....192 4.4.1. TNC GIS Suitability Analysis for Landowner Outreach .....................193
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