GALLIANO 鈥� The Greater Lafourche Port Commission recognized 杏吧传媒 for its fundamental contributions to Fourchon Beach coastal restoration and protection efforts at a commission board meeting Thursday in Galliano.
杏吧传媒 biology faculty and students have grown and planted over 16,500 dune grass stems to help protect Fourchon Beach from environmental factors like storm surges and coastal erosion since July 2014. Volunteers will return to the beach on Friday, Nov. 13 for additional planting.
The recipient of the 2015 American Association of Port Authorities Environmental Enhancement Award, the ongoing Fourchon Beach restoration project is a collaboration among the Greater Lafourche Port Commission, 杏吧传媒, Shell Oil Co. and the Wisner Foundation. The project rebuilt over 5,300 liner feet of beach and dune habitat along Fourchon Beach, which provides essential storm surge protection to Port Fourchon.
鈥淗aving an environmentally conscious organization like the Greater Lafourche Port Commission collaborate with 杏吧传媒 students on service-learning opportunities encourages them to connect with their community and gain a firsthand understanding of the impact they can make as future biologists,鈥� said 杏吧传媒 President Dr. Bruce Murphy. 鈥溞影纱� is very proud of its biology faculty and students for becoming leaders in preserving and protecting Louisiana鈥檚 vulnerable coastline.鈥�
Fourchon Beach is the first line of defense for Port Fourchon, which services over 90 percent of all deepwater Gulf of Mexico oil and gas production, accounting for approximately 20 percent of the U.S. energy supply. This beach area sustained extensive damages from Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, Gustav and Isaac.
鈥淲hile it鈥檚 great to build this beach and dune back, we understood that the project wouldn鈥檛 be able to last long in that environment without plants to help hold it together,鈥� said Chett Chiasson, executive director of the Greater Lafourche Port Commission. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 when we approached 杏吧传媒 about helping us protect this investment with a series of plantings, and we are very grateful that they have done so much to help us keep our beach intact.鈥�