BTE: An Estuary In Need

Loss of coastal wetlands, an alarming rate of erosion, and changes in habitat and living resources are just some of the concerns facing the estuary. Sediment loss, in conjunction with the natural shrinking of the marsh, is by far the most significant problem in the estuary. Sea-level rise and erosion also contribute to the problem, as can human activities such as canal dredging and construction of navigation and oil exploration channels as well as extraction of oil and gas.

	Where is BTE?
	Click either map above to view it in larger scale.

Each year, about 22 square miles of wetlands are lost. A half-acre of coastal wetlands turns to open water every 15 minutes, a disappearing act unmatched anywhere in the world. Land loss is not evenly distributed across Barataria-Terrebonne (See related "Focus Topic Fact Sheet" for more information | PDF) . Hot spots of land loss can be seen at the southernmost tip of the basins near the mouth of the Mississippi River in the Barataria basin, moving northward in a narrow band following the river and extending westward to Bayou Perot and Rigolettes. A second hot spot occurs along western Barataria Bay to the Gulf. In Terrebonne, the area of greatest marsh loss occurs in the marshes north of Terrebonne Bay, extending south along the western edge of the bay. Overall, wetland losses along the Louisiana coast are so pronounced that some Barataria-Terrebonne towns will require an alternative freshwater source by the year 2013. Also, many residents and entire towns will be forced to relocate.

And then there are beach erosion rates, which scientists predict could reach 120 feet in a matter of years thanks in part to hurricanes. If nothing is done to curb the current rate of erosion, the Gulf of Mexico will have moved closer to New Orleans and several towns will be underwater by 2040. One only has to look at the numbers to get a sense of the severity of this issue - Most of the region's land area formed over the last 10,000 years, while most of the land loss has occurred in the last 100.

In addition to being a "human melting pot," this estuary is where over 735 species of birds, finfish, shellfish, reptiles, amphibians, and mammals, including several that are threatened or endangered, spend all or part of their life cycle. The area boasts some 100 active nests belonging to American bald eagles, which are still considered a national threatened species.

Fast Facts What are the estuary's key species and how are they faring? Are fish and wildlife habitats being protected and restored? | PDF Are fish and wildlife populations stable? | PDF Abundant species White and brown shrimp, Blue crab, Bay anchovy, Atlantic croaker, Red drum, Spotted seatrout, Largmouth bass, Freshwater catfish, American alligator*, Mottled duck | PDF * stable to increasing in southeast Louisiana Threatened/Endangered species Bald eagle, Brown pelican | PDF How is the estuary valued? Three of America's Top 10 highest volume ports are located here - the ports of Baton Rouge, South Louisiana and New Orleans The area's commercial fishing industry is an asset - Over 600 million pounds of fish and shellfish a year is harvested, having an estimated value of more than $220 million in 1998 and yielding over 10,000 jobs. In fiscal year 1998-99, the state sold 353,749 freshwater and saltwater recreational fishing licenses worth more than $324 million. Estuary area residents leased out over 850,000 acres for hunting purposes in 1998, garnering $2.9 million in the process.

Along with the bald eagle, though, populations of the brown pelican, American alligator, and snapping turtle have been affected through the years by habitat loss and changes, the introduction of toxins, and over-harvesting by fishermen, hunters, and trappers. In the mid-1900s, alligators were listed as endangered species due to over-harvesting. But, with proper wildlife management, they have rebounded and are now a recreational sport species. The bald eagle and brown pelican also show signs of recovery following near extinction in the area due to reproductive failure caused by pesticides. Migratory waterfowl that winter in the region also exhibit increasing trends similar to those in other parts of the nation.

The region's linchpin problem - the one that affects all other concerns in the basin - is alterations to the area's "natural plumbing." Some key culprits in this quandary: river levees along the Mississippi and Atchafalaya Rivers; extensive dredging of straight canals, many of which are deeper than natural water bodies; breaching of natural ridges; laying of pipelines; and impoundments created by levees, dikes, roadbeds, and embankments.

These activities - building levees, dredging canals, or cutting through natural ridges - change the natural flow of water. And their impacts can be threefold. First, the canal itself creates paths for waters of higher salinity to intrude, forcing animals to either adapt or die. Second, erosion can occur along the canal banks with the passing of each vessel, converting more land to open water. And, finally, the dredged material alters the natural flow of water across the estuary landscape, sometimes creating lakes, and in other cases, depriving large areas of water, nutrients, and sediments.

"The biggest issue we're faced with here is that the levees prevent sediment deposition," says Deborah Schultz, BTNEP's formal education coordinator. "This means there's a hold on the dynamic annual overflow of freshwater, nutrients, and sediment so vital maintaining healthy marshes in a natural delta."


BTNEP: Heeding the Estuary's Need

Since 1990, BTE's National Estuary Program has targeted numerous issues to effect change and understanding of this complex system. In addition to addressing changes in habitat and living resources, program administrators and educators continue dealing with issues related to water quality, cultural heritage and economic development. Numerous related resources for each of these issues are available on BTNEP's Web site, www.btnep.org/home.asp. These include CDs, maps, posters, presentations, videos and administrative and technical reports. Other publications to peruse include the program's Crablines newsletter, which was not produced for a time because of the NEP staff's need to respond to the region's great flood of 2001. Also online are summaries of currently and previously funded topical projects. Activities, materials and curricula for educators can also be found with a few mouse clicks.

"The Barataria-Terrebonne National Estuary Program's challenge is to continue moving forward as good stewards of the natural resources that remain within the estuary complex," says BTNEP director St. Pe'. Examples of keeping the wheels of progress in motion abound. BTNEP has partnered with the Gulf of Mexico Program to demonstrate shellfish restoration strategies (See related article for more information | Click Here). And its Comprehensive Conservation Management Plan addresses methods to reestablish the natural flow of water and improve water quality.

Between January 199 and June 1998, nearly 2,500 new individual sewage disposal systems for residents and camps were installed in Barataria-Terrebonne parishes, or counties. Also, Coast 2050 was initiated in 1997 as a collective effort among federal and Louisiana agencies to, as St. Pe' puts it, "develop a technically sound strategic plan to sustain coastal resources and provide an integrated multiple-use approach to ecosystem management." So, it is clear to see that BTNEP has a proactive approach in the present day while identifying concrete ideas for future conservation, preservation, and revitalization of the estuary.

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Now on BTNEP's Radar Screen
Several Topics are currently making waves in the program, including:

• Restoration projects for the area's island beaches, which could also provide black skimmers with valuable nesting sites. Nesting sites for these birds must be protected during the breeding season from human disturbance, though, if this bird's numbers are to rebound.
  
  
• A portion of Elmer's Island - a barrier beachfront and wetlands area directly across Caminada Pass from Louisiana's Grand Isle - is up for sale. BTNEP is among the supporters working with the Louisiana Wildlife Federation to have 1,700 acres preserved and open space for public use. In addition to being ideal for camping and bird watching, the area's coastal beaches and passes are frequented by numerous fish species at the top of anglers' lists - speckled and white trout, flounder, redfish, channel mullet, black drum, croaker and Spanish mackerel.
  
  
• New species have made their way into the estuary, many of which displace resident species by taking over habitat, food sources and nesting sites. One introduces species, the zebra mussel, is spreading rapidly, proving to be costly to industry by clogging pipes while also disturbing the balance of natural communities in the region's bayous, rivers and lakes. See related "Focus Topic Fact Sheet" for more information | PDF
  
  
• For the past six year, Migratory Bird Celebration Day has been held in early April on Grand Isle, Louisiana's only inhabited island. "We've used this event to educate people about the importance of the various habitats along Louisiana's barrier islands to migratory and resident birds," says Schultz. In addition to providing a venue for informal education, the celebration includes bird tours in oak-hackberry woods, on beaches and in marshes.
  
  
• BTNEP has made a commitment to educate today's youth on the importance of protecting and preserving the estuary. The program helps organize school vegetative planting sessions to better erosion control along shorelines. Wetlands and habitat change workshops are available for educators, a Student and Teachers as Educational Partners in Science (STEPS) Program remains active, and separate summer camp sessions on marshes, bayous and rivers are available. For more on educational resources, log on to www.btnep.org/home.asp.
  
  
• "Back to the Bayou" is an annual paddling trip held by BTNEP. The setting for this four-day, 58-mile event is Bayou La Lourche, a fork of the mighty mother Mississippi River that runs between the Barataria and Terrebonne basins. The event helps to reinvigorate citizens with this important waterway, educate them as to the threats facing the area, and brings national attention to the estuary system's land loss dilemma.
  
  
• What can you do to help BTNEP? See related "Focus Topic Fact Sheet" for more information | PDF

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Issue Spotlight
Brown Marsh and the Stability of Louisiana's Coastal Fisheries

Since the spring of 2000, large portions of Louisiana's coastal salt marsh have begun to die off at an alarmingly high rate. The phenomenon, referred to as "brown marsh", is attributed to a combination of negative climatic and environmental factors which threaten the loss of thousands of acres of coastal wetlands within a very compressed time frame. Though no immediate impacts to coastal fisheries have been documented to date, many anglers are asking, "what effect will brown marsh have on our fisheries down the road?" The answer depends on how far down the road you look - and where you look.

In the short run, some coastal fisheries could actually see a temporary increase in productivity as their supporting food chains are fertilized by a spike of organic matter supplied from rapidly deteriorating marsh. The higher salinities associated with brown marsh are also likely to accelerate the inland migration of estuarine fishes. In fact, speckled trout and red drum catches were reported for the first time ever in 1999 in the historically fresh marshes of Lake Maurepas and Lake Des Allemandes.

The long-term fisheries implications of brown marsh, and coastal erosion in general, are dire. As more of Louisiana's coastal wetlands succumb to erosion, the sustainability of our coastal fisheries is threatened. Coastal marsh is analogous to the capital or principal of a bank account, where fisheries production is the corresponding interest. Long before the brown marsh crisis, Louisiana was already losing this ecological capital to the various forces of coastal land loss. From a fisheries habitat perspective, brown marsh threatens to add insult to injury. How sustainable can our coastal fisheries be when the primary driver of productivity is shifting from alluviation to deterioration? To extending the banking analogy, the question becomes - are we living off our interest, or our principal?

To find out more about "brown marsh" visit the web site www.lacoast.gov.

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Want more information on
Barataria-Terrebonne National Estuary Program's successes?

Download BTNEP's publication: "Healthy Estuary, Healthy Economy, Healthy Communities - Environmental Indicators in the Barataria-Terrebonne Estuary System: 2002" (a 32-page color document)| PDF

Check out the program's Web site: www.btnep.org/home.asp

ALSO ... Visit these featured pages on the ANEP web site:

Citizen's Report to the Nation A compilation of all 28 National Estuary Programs and summaries of each program

Estuary Fact Cards A compilation of facts and accomplishments for each of the 28 National Estuary Programs