January 2, 2021 Breaux Bridge, La.
The Louisiana Iris Conservation Initiative (LICI) would like to thank the three volunteers from LICI, the T.E.C.H.E. Project and the Chitimacha native-American tribe for working hard planting irises along Bayou Teche, in St. Martin and St. Mary parishes, La.
LICI's Gary Salathe and the T.E.C.H.E. Project's Patti Holland planted irises at the Bayou Teche Paddle Trail trailhead in Breaux Bridge, La. The two later joined up with Sherry Pinell, a member of the Chitimacha Tribe, at the trailhead within the Chitimacha Nation of Louisiana in Charenton, La. to plant irises there.
The iris plantings were done as part of the T.E.C.H.E. Project's Bank Line Management program to encourage landowners along the bayou to increase water quality and aesthetic beauty by planting native plants to stabilize their shoreline instead of using concrete rip/rap or bulkheads.
Photo Above: The Breaux Bridge Paddle Trailhead.
The irises came from the LICI iris holding area in New Orleans and were irises rescued this summer from sites that have plans to be developed.
Bayou Teche was added to the National Water Trail System in 2015 as the 17th water trail in the country and the first in Louisiana. The Bayou Teche Paddle Trail has 15 Kayka launch/dock sites, with eleven installed and the last four to be installed soon. Many of them offer an opportunity to showcase native plants, as does the shoreline of many properties along the entire length of the paddle trail.
Photo on right: Each Trailhead has a sign showing your location and all of the other trailheads along the Bayou Teche.
Photo on left: The irises shown were planted on both sides of the floating kayak dock.
The irises that were planted were the Louisiana iris species; I. giganticaerulea. It is native to the lower reaches of Bayou Teche.
Photo on right: Patti Holland and Sherry Pinell are seen at the at the kayak trailhead within the Chitimacha Nation of Louisiana in Charenton, La. after they have planted irises on either side of the floating kayak dock.
The tribe is about to start work on a public boat launch on this land next to the kayak launch/dock. Once construction is completed the plan is to extend the iris planting into this area.
The address of the kayak launch/dock is 3726 Chitimacha Trail, Jeanerette, LA 70544, although it is actually located in the town of Charenton, La., which is the location of the Chitimacha Indian Tribe reservation.