Louisiana Iris Conservation Initiative

Abbeville, La. May 18, 2026 The Louisiana Iris Conservation Initiative's president, Gary Salathe, included the two slides shown below in a presentation he gave to the Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana's (CRCL) Coastal Leadership Institute meeting at Palmetto Island State Park on Friday, May 15th. The slides show a zone that Salathe and his small band of volunteers have identified where irises could be planted now to help restore the extremely rare Abbeville Red iris w

April 20, 2026 — New Orleans, La. The Louisiana Iris Conservation Initiative (LICI) was originally founded with the broad mission of conserving Louisiana’s native iris species and restoring populations of the giant blue iris, Iris giganticaerulea, along Louisiana's Gulf coastal region. Over the last two years, however, the organization’s efforts have increasingly focused on one of Louisiana’s rarest and most threatened native plants — the Abbeville Red iris, Iris nelsonii, a

April 15, 2026 Abbeville, La. The 2026 “Stir the Pot” Seafood and Wild Game Cook-Off and the Abbeville Red Iris Bloom Event combined once again to create one of the most unique spring events in south-central Louisiana, bringing together Cajun culture, conservation, food, music, and the rare beauty of Louisiana’s native irises at Palmetto Island State Park. Held on April 11, 2026, the annual Stir the Pot festival featured seafood and wild game cooking teams, live music, raffl