March 26, 2023 Grand Isle, La.
The town of Grand Isle, La. organized a Louisiana iris and nature tour at one of The Nature Conservancy's properties on the island Saturday, March 25th. It was well attended, with about half of the attendees being from Grand Isle with the other half driving in from other areas.
Photo: LICI's Gary Salathe is seen in the center of the photo as the group begins the tour.
The guided tour was held at The Nature Conservancy's Lafitte Woods Nature Preserve. It was led by the site manager, Jean Landry. Jean's informative talk, which focused on the plants found on the property, also included historical facts about Grand Isle and her experiences, and the people she knew as she was growing up on the island.
Photo: Site manager, Jean Landry, is seen speaking to the group during the tour.
Gary Salathe, of the Louisiana Iris Conservation Initiative, was invited as a special guest to talk about the Louisiana irises growing along the boardwalk and some portions of the trail. The bog on the property is one of LICI's most important iris restoration projects. This is the fourth year of the project, which has survived two direct hits from hurricanes in two years. The irises have multiplied and filled in much of the available space in the bog and have now become something of a tourist destination while they are blooming.
Photo: Louisiana irises are shown blooming during the town of Grand Isle, La.'s Louisiana iris and nature tour at the Nature Conservancy property.
At the end of the tour during Jean's closing remarks to the group she thanked LICI for turning the bog at the boardwalk into a very special place that has become another destination for people visiting the island. Gary said afterward, "all of LICI's volunteers should be proud of the fact that the hard work that it took to rescue the irises, take care of them at our iris holding area, and then plant them at the Nature Conservancy property has turned into such a successful iris restoration project."