Penny Rhodes Terracing Project
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Volunteers from communities located throughout Plaquemines Parish convened in December of 2004 at Cypress Cove Marina in Venice, Louisiana to help plant marsh grasses on Penny Rhodes Island in an effort to restore eroded wetlands ravaged by hurricanes and tropical storms.
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| Over 15 volunteers representing the Louisiana Fruit Company and the Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana planted 3300 marsh plants in the Penny Rhodes area, all in an effort to halt coastal land loss as part of the Community-based Restoration Program funded in part by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and Restore America's Estuaries (RAE).
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Over 15 volunteers representing the Louisiana Fruit Company and the Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana planted 3300 marsh plants in the Penny Rhodes area, all in an effort to halt coastal land loss as part of the Community-based Restoration Program funded in part by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and Restore America's Estuaries (RAE).
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The goal of the restoration project was to re-establish marsh by planting native grasses on constructed earthen terraces. These terraces, once vegetated, are designed to provide critical habitat for wildlife and fisheries and also help protect local communities from storms and flooding.
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The project is located in what is called the Penny Rhodes area, which is an island between Tiger and Passes in the Mississippi Delta just southeast of Cypress Cove Marina in Venice, Louisiana. Once solid marsh, this area has deteriorated like much of coastal Louisiana, and is no longer acting as a storm buffer to the marina and community of Venice. Also lost is critical habitat for fish and wildlife, which should thrive in what is known to be one of the most productive estuaries in the world.
Community-based projects such as this could not be possible without local landowners and groups investing in the protection of their marine resources. Our local partner, the Louisiana Fruit Company matched each federal dollar with their own private funding to fulfill the requirements of a joint grant from NOAA and RAE and administered by the Coalition.
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| Their combined commitment to this area and the ability to generate community involvement are key factors to the project’s long-term success. "Our motivation for participating in this project came from our belief that we have a responsibility to protect and restore the resources of our coastal communities," said Nat Philips III, vice-president of the Louisiana Fruit Company. "Not only will these efforts restore vital habitat and fisheries but they will also help protect the economic interests of our community by enhancing our protection from storms and flooding."
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