Atchafalaya Basin Program
Atchafalaya Basin Program partnership with Evangeline Area Council of Boy Scouts of America a success
The Louisiana Department of Natural Resources’ Atchafalaya Basin Program and the Acadiana-based Evangeline Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America cooperated in a special weekend event of camping, education and tree-planting in the Atchafalaya Basin.
The Basin Program is assisting the Scouts as they begin a year-long celebration of the 100-year anniversary of the Boy Scouts.
It started on the weekend of Feb. 19 -21 with the restoration and planting of a “Centennial Forest” of baldcypress south of the Atchafalaya Basin Welcome Center near Butte La Rose just off Interstate 10.
The event was an incredible success, as nature cooperated with a perfectly clear day, and scout by the hundreds, along with their families, participated in a day tree-planting, tours, music, education and fun.
The scouts planted 4,457 trees and cleaned up litter on an area of state land just south of the Basin Welcome Center near Butte La Rose, just off I-10.
Other state agencies and groups that pitched in to help make the Centennial Forest event a fun and educational weekend for the Scouts by offering training, use of facilities or other services included the state Departments of Agriculture and Forestry, Wildlife and Fisheries, Transportation and Development, Environmental Quality, Culture Recreation and Tourism; the State Land Office and U.S. Fish and Wildlife, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the St. Martin Parish Sheriff’s Office, St. Martin Parish government and Acadian Ambulance.
The tree-planting event is intended to be the first of several activities for the Evangeline Council Scouts in the Basin this year, with other proposed events, such as litter pickup, wildlife habitat improvement projects and creation of hiking trails and primitive campsites currently in the planning stages.
Please take the time to enjoy the pictures and news accounts of the event and share them with others who would benefit from a taste of what the Atchafalaya Basin has to offer.
Related Items:
- 02/12/2010, DNR News Release: Atchafalaya Basin Program works with Boy Scouts, Feb. 19- 21
- 02/21/2010, Lafayette Advertiser: Rebuilding Acadiana's Jewel
- 02/21/2010, Opelousas Daily World: Saving the Basin
Event Photos
Photos taken by Keith Simon - Boy Scouts
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Evangeline
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| Additional Photos by Annette Wiegleb - Atchafalaya Basin Program | |
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