These images were taken on September 24, 2021 at the site of CRCL’s fourth recycled oyster reef restoration project in Plaquemines Parish along the southeastern coast of Louisiana. Plaquemines Community Reef was built entirely by hand by volunteers during the summer of 2021. In partnership with the Grand Bayou Indian Tribe, the reef dually protects a culturally significant mound site and marsh area while performing ecosystem restoration.
Aerial imagery of the reef area and a reference site was collected before the reef was built in July 2021. After Hurricane Ida devastated southeastern Louisiana on August 29, 2021, the CRCL monitoring team visited the newly built reef to survey the damage. Compare the following images to understand the marsh protection provided by the reef, and what marsh erosion looks like at a nearby marsh area without a protective reef (the “control” area). According to analyses of our oldest reef project in Biloxi Marsh, our reef projects can provide a 50% reduction in the rate of shoreline erosion of the bordering marsh.
Learn more about the CRCL Oyster Shell Recycling Program here.