Volunteers Plant 1,000 Tree Seedlings at the Bayou Sauvage Refuge

January 9. 2024

We'd like to thank the 16 student volunteers from Drew University in New Jersey for doing the hard labor January 9th - 11th in a tree planting event organized by the Louisiana Iris Conservation Initiative (LICI) and their partners in the project, Common Ground Relief at the Bayou Sauvage National Urban Wildlife Refuge Wildlife Refuge in New Orleans East.

The group planted the 1,000 tree seedlings that they set as a goal for the three days. They planted native hardwood tree species that were growing the ridge forest Hurricane Katrina destroyed in the refuge.

Gary Salathe, with LICI, said that a second group will be coming in February. They will plant the final 400 tree seedlings needed to complete the partnership's three-year project of replacing all of the invasive Chinese tallow trees in the boardwalk's Ridge Forest with native trees.

Salathe said he will also be continuing LICI's every Monday morning volunteer work event at the refuge. The refuge has issued a permit to LICI to do this work during the last three years. The volunteers cut back brush and vines that are threatening the young trees planted in previous years. Volunteering for the work mornings is open to the public. Salathe said that many of the volunteers have come from the Louisiana Master Naturalists of Greater New Orleans. Their volunteers earn volunteer service hours by participating. If you would like to volunteer for a Monday morning workday, email LICI directly to get on their list for texts or emails to be notified as dates are scheduled: licisaveirses@gmail.com

Refuge Puts Out a Call for Visitor Center Volunteers

January 7, 2024

Volunteers are needed!!

The refuge staff is looking for more enthusiastic volunteers to join their Visitor Center & Museum Volunteer Team at the US Fish & Wildlife Service's Bayou Lacombe Visitor Center.

Do you like talking to people and sharing the wonders of South Louisiana and its plants and wildlife? Volunteer are needed like this to join the Visitor Center team to help hold it open! The Bayou Lacombe Visitor Center of the Southeast Louisiana Refuges Complex Headquarters is located on a beautiful, historic property at 61389 LA-434, Lacombe, LA.

YOUR help is needed. Join the team to help greet visitors and share information about the nine National Wildlife Refuges in Southeast Louisiana. The refuge staff will give you all of the training and information you need to do the job.

The Visitor Center & Museum is open Thursday, Friday, and Saturday from 9 AM until 4 PM. Each of these days has two shifts staffed by different volunteers, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. Volunteer shifts are from 9 a.m. to 12:30 PM and 12:30 PM to 4 PM You can sign up for as many shifts, or as few, as you have time to volunteer during each month.

If you would like to personally make a difference in being sure our Southeast Louisiana national wildlife refuges accomplish all of their varied purposes and everyone in our community is engaged, please consider becoming one of the ambassadors. You can help inform the public about the wonders of wildlife and habitats that are found on the refuges. With just 3 1/2 hours spent you can have a significant impact by becoming a host/docent at the Visitors Center.

To learn more please contact Visitor Center Volunteer Coordinator, Refuge Ranger Becky Larkins at 985-882-2021 or email her at rebecca_larkins@fws.gov

More information on the Bayou Lacombe Visitor Center can be found here: https://www.flwr.org/bayou-lacombe-visitor-center