海角社区

Pointe-au-Chien, southeast of Houma, Louisiana, and close to Lafitte, juts out into the Gulf of Mexico on the edge of Terrebonne Bay鈥攁 gorgeous but delicate piece of land. The Pointe-au-Chien Indian Tribe, or PACIT, established their fishing, hunting, and farming community in Pointe-au-Chien before the arrival of the first Europeans, making it one of Louisiana鈥檚 oldest settlements. The area is also one of the world鈥檚 most threatened, as it struggles with environmental challenges, including storm surge, that make .

Since 2022, 海角社区 has been working with PACIT to protect the tribe鈥檚 ancestral lands using nature-based solutions. Matthew Bethel, associate executive director of research at Louisiana Sea Grant, has been leading the project, converting the success of an initial $100,000 planning grant into a full-fledged $780,000 design project funded by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine鈥檚 Gulf Research Program.

鈥淲e lead this work by learning from the Tribe鈥檚 perspective and factoring in traditional ecological knowledge and priorities from the Tribe,鈥� Bethel said. 鈥淎t a larger scale, our collaborative can be adopted, adapted, and applied by researchers working with almost any community on local issues.鈥�

Nature-based solutions can take many forms, such as freshwater introductions, marsh creation, native vegetation plantings, and rain gardens. But the most popular solution that emerged during the initial planning phase was to create a network of 鈥渓iving shorelines鈥� from grasses and other organic materials, including man-made oyster reefs, to strengthen vulnerable marshes and reduce storm surge.

鈥淭he tribe tried and really liked the 鈥檚 oyster shell recycling project,鈥� Bethel said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 where they place oyster shells in areas needing protection. These not only serve as shoreline protection systems, but also help baby oysters grow, and fish and crab colonies thrive.鈥�

The Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana, or CRCL, is a partner on Louisiana Sea Grant鈥檚 expanded project.

鈥淚n 2019, CRCL and its partners had put in an oyster shell living shoreline along an earthen mound of cultural significance that had eroded because of a nearby canal cut into the marsh,鈥� Bethel said. 鈥淭hen Hurricane Ida passed right over the mound. But when they went out to check it later, that oyster reef had held up. So, the Tribe liked what they saw鈥攖hat it was protected from a Category 4 hurricane鈥攁nd now they want to do more of that kind of project.鈥�

The planning process involved focus group meetings with older and younger Tribe members and meetings with subject matter experts, parish officials, levee district officials, leadership from a neighboring tribe, the , and regional groups like the and the Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana.

鈥淣ature-based solutions are a critical piece of the community resilience puzzle, creating multiple benefits and additional value for communities,鈥� said Daniel Burger, senior program manager of the Gulf Research Program鈥檚 Gulf Health and Resilience Board. 鈥淸Louisiana Sea Grant鈥檚 project with PACIT] will demonstrate the value added by the inclusion of community members in the planning and design of projects that reduce exposure to weather and climate hazards.鈥�

Tribe member and Cultural Heritage & Resiliency Coordinator Cherie Matherne appreciates how the first phase of the project combined the use of new technology with tribal observations and experiences.

鈥淲e had a meeting where the researchers brought a software along where they could locate which areas most need protection,鈥� Matherne said. 鈥淭his software, which they鈥檝e also used along the Florida coast, can identify which places are most vulnerable, and combining that with the experience of the Tribe and what we know about certain parts of our coasts and where the currents are hitting harder, is very valuable. The model also makes recommendations about what materials to use, whether a certain area needs us to plant vegetation, or things like oyster shells or rocks.鈥�

Matherne is a fourth-generation Tribe member who鈥檚 seen land and livelihoods change and heard from elders about radically different lives and landscapes.

鈥淭he older generation remembers the land with trees, they remember raising cattle on the land,鈥� Matherne said. 鈥淭he land has since eroded so much there are no longer any trees, and no real land to raise cattle. Behind my office is where the Morganza levee system passes on the Island Road. That area between the levee and the island used to be all land, and now it鈥檚 all open water. Trapping also used to be a big source of income, but no one traps anymore because there isn鈥檛 enough land.鈥�

That leaves fishing, crabbing, shrimping, and oysters as the main sources of income in Pointe-au-Chien, but those activities are endangered, too.

鈥淲ith our land disappearing, it has a big effect on our fisheries because the shrimp and crabs don鈥檛 have anywhere to reproduce,鈥� Matherne said. 鈥淭he places they would normally go are gone. So, the erosion not only affects us not being able to live here in this bayou community, but many of the resident fishermen rely on that income to raise their families.鈥�

Other than Matthew Bethel, there are several Louisiana Sea Grant researchers on the project, including Niki Pace, Melissa Daigle, Earl Melancon, Julie Falgout, DeWitt Braud, and Haley Gambill; Georgie Ferguson with the Pointe-au-Chien Indian Tribe; Darrah Bach with the Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana; as well as researchers from other universities.

The National Academies鈥� Gulf Research Program, founded in 2013 as part of legal settlements with the companies involved in the 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster, has $500 million for use over 30 years to help struggling communities that rely on the Gulf of Mexico.

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