Environmental Assessment of the Mitigation Plan for the Enhancement of Cypress Swamp/Bottomland Hardwood Habitat at Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve
National Park Service. 1995. Environmental Assessment of the Mitigation Plan for the Enhancement of Cypress Swamp/Bottomland Hardwood Habitat at Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve
The enabling legislation for Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve, Public Law 95-625 of November 10, 1978, established the Barataria Preserve Unit on the west bank of the Mississippi River approximately 15 miles south of New Orleans. Consistent with the Statement for Management and the Draft Amendment to the General Management Plan the Barataria Preserve Unit is managed as a natural area. During the 1950s and 1960s there was considerable exploration for petroleum products in and around the Barataria Preserve Unit. A remnant of that activity is a drill site, consisting of a hardened concrete/shell pad, ring levee, and road bed, adjacent to the Wood Duck Trail in the Preserve (see attached site map). This infrastructure impacts approximately 5 acres of bottomland hardwood forest. A brine spill at the site resulted in the death of approximately 20 acres of mature cypress trees in the surrounding swamp. This site should be rehabilitated to restore the elevation, hydrology, and vegetation to its unimpacted, natural condition. The West Jefferson Levee District and Jefferson Parish have proposed restoration of this 25 acre tract as compensatory mitigation of wetland impact for two proposed projects in Jefferson Parish. This Environmental Assessment has been prepared to evaluate the impacts of the proposed Mitigation Plan for the Enhancement of Cypress Swamp/Bottomland Hardwood Habitat at Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve.
- Type
- Unpublished Report
- Authors
- National Park Service
- Date of Issue
- 1995-03
- Units
- JELA
- Keywords
- Barataria Preserve, bottomland hardwood habitat, cypress swamp, Environmental Assessment, Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve, JELA, mitigation plan