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January 9, 2002 — 2001 marked the tenth anniversary of NOAA Fisheries directing coastal wetland restoration activities in conjunction with other federal agencies and the state of Louisiana under the Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection and Restoration Act (CWPPRA or the Breaux Act). For their hard work during the past ten years, the NOAA Fisheries CWPPRA team received the Department of Commerce Silver Medal in November.

CWPPRA was enacted in 1990 to provide funds for protecting, restoring and conserving threatened coastal wetlands. A majority of CWPPRA funds are spent on wetlands projects in Louisiana because 40% of all wetlands in the contiguous United States are located in the state and 80% of the nation's wetland loss occurs there (approximately 30 square miles per year). These wetlands support a $1 billion annual fishery industry and protect a vast network of oil and natural gas infrastructure providing much of the nation's energy.

The Breaux Act established a multi-federal agency task force, including NOAA Fisheries and the Louisiana Governor's Office to annually select projects based on technical (scientific) merit, cost effectiveness, and predicted wetland quality and quantity. NOAA Fisheries is actively involved in preserving and restoring coastal habitats utilized by many living marine resources including recreationally and commercially-important fish species. As a result of CWPPRA, the agency has gained considerable expertise in planning and constructing wetland projects. It also has formed major alliances with federal and state agencies involved in the management and protection of wetlands. Each CWPPRA restoration project brings economic benefits to state and local economies during planning and construction and, in the long term, through the preservation of wetlands.

Over the past ten years, the NOAA Restoration Center and NOAA Fisheries field staff in Baton Rouge and Lafayette, La., have managed 22 coastal wetland restoration projects valued at $88 million. Projections indicate that all together these projects will restore 21,000 acres and benefit over 150,000 acres of wetlands.

To stem wetlands loss in Louisiana, NOAA Fisheries has employed every major restoration technique highlighted by several projects constructed in the last few years:

• Sediment Trapping — The Little Vermilion Bay Terraces project, constructed in 1999, created a chevron pattern of earthen terraces, which was followed by planting with marsh grass. The terraces support wetland vegetation, dissipate wave energy, and allow sediment to drop out of the water column. Sediment accretion will promote the development of additional wetland acreage and result in the establishment of hundreds of acres of marsh habitat in Little Vermilion Bay over time.
• Vegetative Planting — The Chandeleur Islands are a 22 mile-long barrier island chain located off the southeastern coast of Louisiana. In 1998, Hurricane Georges passed within five miles of the islands and created more than 100 washover channels through the barrier chain, dramatically increasing rates of shoreline retreat. By planting more than 80,000 plants in strategic locations, the project will stabilize the islands, trap sediments and accelerate marsh expansion. Information from a pilot project conducted in 2001 was used to improve the final project design and help ensure success in this dynamic environment.
• Hydrologic Modification — The Black Bayou project area, located in southwestern coastal Louisiana, is a 25,530 acre wetland. The project benefits the largest area of coastal wetlands constructed by the CWPPRA program to date. The $6.4 million project was designed to restore coastal marsh habitat and slow the conversion of wetlands to shallow open water within the project area. Construction included the restoration of 22,800 linear feet of the southern spoil bank of the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway, the installation of three rock weirs to reduce cross sectional area of man-made canals into the project area, and the installation of a state-of-the-art self-regulating tide gate. The SRT, built in California, has never been used as a restoration technique in Louisiana. NOAA Fisheries believes it will achieve dual objectives of protecting thousands of wetland acres while maintaining fisheries access to these very wetlands. If proven successful, the SRT could become a major restoration technique in coastal Louisiana.
• Marsh Creation — The Big Island and Atchafalaya Sediment Delivery projects are located in the Atchafalaya River Delta. Natural deltaic growth had been hampered by dredging efforts to maintain the Federal navigation channel. The projects restored freshwater and sediment delivery processes by creating a series of distributary channels, which will restore normal deltaic expansion. Sediment was placed in a pattern to mimic delta lobes at an elevation supporting wetland habitat. More than 1,200 acres of new wetland habitat were created in 1998 and another 3,000 acres are expected to grow naturally over the next 20 years.