Louisiana coastal wetlands

Education

Conservation

From the time of its founding, The Garden Club of America has been an active force in the promotion of environmental awareness and the preservation of natural resources, and our club is active in Louisiana.

Healthy Yard Pledge

The NOTG are encouraged to take the GCA Healthy Yard Pledge: “I pledge to take care of my yard without synthetic pesticides, weed killers and fertilizers except on rare occasions to resolve an infestation or to improve habitat for native plants and wildlife. I also pledge not to throw pharmaceuticals or chemicals down my drains or toilets.”

Coastal Scholarships

The NOTG awards up to $2,500 in scholarship funds for graduate students currently conducting research on vegetative aspects of coastal land loss and restoration. The scholarship encourages academic endeavors within the community that supports the study and preservation of Louisiana’s wetlands by aiding students with research costs.

  • 2004 and 2005: Ellery Mayence – Plans for creating and restoring Louisiana’s freshwater floating marsh by understanding growth patterns of maidencane (Pancium hemitomon)Thesis: Assessment of Growth Response and Patterns of Biomass Allocation by Panicum hemitomon Schultes: Implications for Thick-mat Floating Marsh Creation and Restoration
  • 2006: Theryn Henkel – Restoration ecology of the black mangrove ecosystem or effective techniques for mangrove dispersal and ideal habitat types, soil parameters and other environmental constraints for successful mangrove establishment and growth by determining the effectiveness of dispersing propagules (mangrove seeds) rather than planting seedlings as a marsh/barrier island restoration technique. Thesis: Post-Hurricane Tree Dynamics in a Southern Bottomland Hardwood Forest
  • 2007, 2008 and 2009: Prabhu Das – Remote sensing technologies to monitor health of Louisiana marshes
  • 2007, 2008 and 2009: Jennifer Roberts – Determine which environmental factors are crucial to early restoration success by investigating responses of cypress seedling from different seed sources to environment variables
  • 2007, 2008 and 2009: Kristin Butcher – Study how sulfates, naturally in sea water, impact wetland loss
  • 2011: John LaBold
  • 2012: Benjamin Kirkland – Research vegetative aspects of coastal land loss
  • 2012, 2013 and 2015: Eva Hillman – Thesis: Analysis of submerged aquatic vegetation across the northern Gulf of Mexico: Communities and Biomass
  • 2013: Elizabeth Rutledge Jarrell
  • 2014 and 2015: John Kramer, III – Barrier island response to unstable longshore sediment transport patterns along the West Belle Pass Barrier outside of Port Fourchon. Thesis: Barrier spit evolution and primary consolidation of backbarrier facies: West Belle Pass Barrier, LA
  • 2015: Kristin DeMarco – Landscape level evaluation of environmental change in the submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) in coastal areas that provide structure, habitat and food for valuable fish and wildlife species to categorize how that change translates to species-specific vulnerability. Thesis: Shifting ecological niche across coastal landscapes: spatial and temporal ecological patterns driving submerged aquatic vegetation habitat distribution across the northern Gulf of Mexico.
  • 2015: Rachelle Thomason – Thesis: Biloxi Marsh Platform Response due to Meteorlogical Forcing
  • 2016: Brittany Kime – Economic and geomorphic comparison of OCS sand vs. nearshore sand for coastal restoration projects. Finding an economically efficient sediment type for the proper restoration process and elongate the longevity of deltaic and barrier coastal systems. Thesis: The Effects of Sediment Properties on Barrier Island Morphology and Processes: A Numerical Modeling Experiment
  • 2017: Bradley T. Sartain – Developing alternative management strategies for the invasive floating fern giant salvinia (Salvinia molesta Mitchell). Thesis: Exploring Alternative Giant Salvinia (Salvinia molesta D.S. Mitchell) Management Strategies
  • 2018: Frances Crawford – Research on shell berms in the Biloxi marsh and how vegetation is affected by the shell presence on the marsh. Thesis: Geomorphology of shell ridges and their effect on the stabilization of the Biloxi Marsh, East Louisiana
  • 2019: George Washburn – Survival and growth of bald cypress under abiotic stressors from climate change and restoration practices. Focusing on mechanisms of abiotic stressors—salinity and nutrients—and warmers temperatures caused by global climate change. Specifically, multistressors and their effect on the the growth and development of baldcypress (Taxodium distichum) saplings.

Conservation in the Community