6. Park Des Ponts Breaux Bridge

A LOCAL WATERSHED RESTORATION INITIATIVE

Even the smallest patches of native landscaping can make a big difference to wildlife, air and water quality, and the communities within the Teche-Vermilion Watershed. As a member of our watershed community, YOU can make a difference. Reviving Resilient Landscapes fosters community-led efforts by combining the resources, people power, and knowledge of conservation groups across the region.

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This culturally significant site is the preferred location for annual community events, including the Shake Your Trail Feather festival, and is home to a kayak launch along the Bayou Teche Paddle Trail. The landscape for this site was designed with beauty, water quality and bank line erosion in mind, including native plant species that naturally occur along the banks of Bayou Teche, such as swamp sunflower (Helianthus augustifolia), buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis), and river oats (Chasmanthium latifolium). On October 24, 2020, volunteers from the BVPA, TECHE Project, Acadiana Native Plant Project, and the Soil and Water Conservation District participated in a watershed resiliency workshop and planted fifteen species of native trees and plants along the bankline. By using numerous native plant species and placing them where they are likely to thrive, this planting will reduce erosion, establish valuable habitat, and contribute to a healthy watershed for years to come.

RIPARIAN BUFFER ZONES AND CORRIDORS
A HEALTHY CONNECTION BETWEEN LAND AND WATER

When the edges of waterways, called riparian zones, are replaced with man-made structures like concrete, timber, and rock, we lose the numerous benefits nature can provide. Protecting and re-planting riparian zones with native plants reduces bankline erosion and downstream flooding, regulates stream temperature, filters surface runoff, and provides critical habitat for fish and wildlife. Beyond providing food, shelter and cover for fish and wildlife, riparian zones also serve as corridors, or travel lanes, that highly mobile species use to move from one habitat to another.