| | Participants learned about the inhabitants of the marshes that surrounded them during their stay. For many, this was their first close encounter with an alligator. Pictured left to right: Chantel J. Williams, 4-H Agent, Mark Shirley, LSU AgCenter Coastal Specialist, and 4-H members Daniel Melancon, Blake Brockhoeft, and Jonathan Balint. |
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| | Throughout the week, there were many opportunities for students to fish and learn about crabbing. Although not every student always had a great catch, they all had fun trying. Daniel Melancon (left) and Chantel Williams (right) are catching crabs for the seafood boil which was held later that night. |
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| | Scales, bones, fin rays and otoliths have all been used to determine the age of fish, since these and other bony parts of fish often form yearly rings (annuli) like those of a tree. However, otoliths generally provide the most accurate ages, particularly in old fish. 4-H members Blake Brockhoeft (left) and Daniel melancon (right) sliced open a fish to determine it's age. |
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Three Jefferson Parish 4-H members joined other 4-H members from across the state for a week long teen camp called Marsh Maneuvers. Participants had the unforgettable experience of walking in marsh mud, taking airboat rides, coming face to face with alligators, swatting mosquitoes and watching the sunrise over the marsh. This sometimes grueling but rewarding experience also etched in their minds the wonder, complexity, value and productivity of Louisiana’s coastal environment also known as America’s Wetlands.
Marsh Maneuvers is an educational program of the LSU AgCenter in cooperation with the Louisiana Sea Grant College Program and the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. While the program was held in the Barataria watershed (1993-2003), the Barataria-Terrebonne National Estuary Program was a major contributor to this award winning program. Beginning in 2004, Marsh Maneuvers moved to Rockefeller Wildlife Refuge in Grand Chenier, Louisiana. Starting in 2006, America’s Wetlands Campaign became a sponsor for the camps.
With the move to Rockefeller Refuge comes a newly updated curriculum that focuses on the marshes of the Chenier Plain ecosystem and Teche-Vermilion, Mermentau and Calcasieu watersheds. Students experienced the biological diversity and complexity of this environment by examining the life cycles and habitat requirements of wetland flora and fauna. 4-H’ers participated in evaluating environmental quality through water testing and examining the hydrology of the watershed basins and the coast. Exercises in natural resource management helped the students appreciate the difficulty in balancing social needs and environmental consequences. Some of the activities used to illustrate these concepts include: fishing, crabbing, cast netting, water chemistry testing, wildlife observation, seafood processing, boating, policy debates and more.