Rockefeller Wildlife Refuge To Benefit From Restoration Program

For years we've been told that Louisiana's marshes and wetlands are slowly giving way to the Gulf of Mexico. The movement of wind and water has taken its toll on our coastline taking with it hundreds of square miles of an important feature that protects our state from hurricane storm surge and provides an interesting laboratory for those who study the wildlife that calls our state home.

That's why the news of the extension of the Rockefeller Refuge Shoreline Stabilization Project at the Rockefeller Wildlife Refuge has been so well received by nature lovers, sportsmen, and almost everyone who calls Louisiana home.

According to plans, the already four-mile-long breakwater will be extended another three miles to the west. The breakwater will be made up of large limestone rocks placed on pillars of crushed rock. The hope is the breakwater obstructions will deflect the movement of ocean waves and trap sediment behind the breakwater, allowing the marsh to grow instead of disappearing.

Funding for the $18 million project will come from the federal RESTORE Act which distributes funds from the Clean Water Act fines that were paid by BP as a result of the Deepwater Horizon Spill in 2010.

It is expected that the new extension to the Rockefeller Shoreline Stabilization Project will protect more than 250 acres of coastal marsh. Thus ensuring that the Rockefeller Wildlife Refuge will remain a vibrant sanctuary for nature and wildlife enthusiasts for years to come.