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NEWS RELEASE

JEFFERSON PARISH, LOUISIANA

February 8, 2021
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

VOLUNTEERS ASSISTED WITH THE 31st ANNUAL COASTAL TREECYCLING PROJECT

JEFFERSON, LA – On Saturday, Feb. 6, volunteers from throughout Jefferson Parish and the region joined forces for the 31st Annual Jefferson Parish Coastal TreeCycling event. While wearing masks and following social distancing guidelines, volunteers placed approximately 5,000 donated Christmas trees into boats, transported the trees into an area surrounded by wetlands, and then placed the trees into pre-constructed wave dampening fences to reduce coastal erosion and increase public awareness of wetland losses.

According to Parish President Cynthia Lee Sheng, “We’re here in Lafitte on this Saturday morning, it’s a good day, we are restoring the marsh area. Your Christmas tree, if you put it out, is here. This year, we collected 5,000 trees to put out to really help our ecosystem and help slow the erosion of these marshlands in this beautiful area of Lafitte.”

This annual project continues to benefit the wetlands of Lafitte, LA, which is located in the Barataria Basin, in the following ways:

  1. Absorbing and attenuating wave energy, thus reducing erosion
  2. Providing habitat and food for wildlife such as crustaceans, mollusks, birds, fish and reptiles
  3. Creating public awareness about wetland losses, solid waste issues and conservation of natural resources

Since 1991, more than 800,000 Christmas trees have been recycled, which if lined up, would stretch from New Orleans to Washington D.C.

“This project hasn’t actually built new land over the years, but it has protected what is behind it,” said Councilman At-Large Ricky Templet (Division A). He added, “the Christmas tree and the cribbing after it is placed has wave action that the water goes through and captures the sediment and keeps it in place to protect the marsh.”

The boats for this event were provided by unincorporated and municipal fire and police departments, Jefferson Parish’s Ecosystem and Coastal Management Department, Plaquemines Parish’s Coastal Program, and individuals with a boat and a passion for protecting wetlands. This project would not have been a success without all the incredible volunteers who donated their valuable time and energy to this cause.

CLICK HERE to see a video of this year’s event.

For more information about this project, visit www.jeffparish.net/coastal or call (504) 736-6719. For more information about Jefferson Parish, visit www.JeffParish.net. Residents can also receive regular updates by following the Parish on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram (@JeffParishGov).

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Jefferson Parish Public Information Office

1221 Elmwood Park Boulevard, Suite 1002

Jefferson, LA 70123

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Gretchen Hirt Gendron, PIO