Student Michel Elliot, at left, and Kyle Griffen, at right pat sand down around a bitter panicum plant as Elliot’s father, Frank Elliot, watches. (Photo by Bruce Schultz) (Click on photo to download larger image.)

Students from St. Margaret’s Catholic School in Lake Charles look across Little Florida Beach where more than 5,000 bitter panicum plants were planted. (Photo by Bruce Schultz)

Middle school student Julia Boullt digs a hole for a bitter panicum plant in a project conducted by the LSU AgCenter 4-H Youth Wetlands program. More than 100 students from Lake Charles planted 5,000 plants at Little Florida Beach in Cameron Parish. (Photo by Bruce Schultz)

News Release Distributed 09/22/10

LITTLE FLORIDA BEACH, La. – Students from two Lake Charles schools drew a line in the sand against coastal erosion.

The students hit the beach on Sept. 19-20 to place 5,000 plants of bitter panicum to act as a defense against the attacks of wave action and high tides at Little Florida Beach, about eight miles west of Holly Beach.

The corps was made up of more than 100 middle school honor society students from St. Margaret Catholic School and Immaculate Conception Catholic School.

Student Julia Boullt said the outing was a good alternative to sitting in a classroom. “I like jumping on the shovel,” she said, leaping onto the tool to create a hole for planting a sprig of bitter panicum.

Student Dustin Guidry had an overhand technique to jabbing at the sand, while Madelin Wilson carefully dug holes. She said the work wasn’t difficult. “It kinda depends on the sand.”

And she was clear on the purpose of the project. “I know it will stop erosion.”

Boullt and several of the students said they had never been to the coastline, only an hour from their school. But many of them had been to Florida beaches.

Parent Frank Elliot took a morning off from his job as an environmental lawyer to help his son Michel. Elliot said he hunted at nearby Johnson’s Bayou. “The marsh has changed so much in the past 35 years.”

His wife, Michelle Elliot, also served as a chaperone for the outing.

“I think this is a great program,” she said. “It’s putting into practice what we teach them. This makes it real.”

On the first day, students competed to put the most plants in the ground. The winning team’s total was 204, and they won New Orleans Saints water bottles.

Science teacher Tonya Knollmeyer of ICCS said the project fits with her lessons on environmental science. “It’s actually included in one of our grade level expectations.”

Hilary Collis, co-manager of the LSU AgCenter 4-H program, Youth Wetlands, said the planting project was funded by a state grant from the Office of Coastal Protection and Restoration.

“The whole point is to get as many kids as possible doing projects like this,” Collis said. “This is our kickoff event in southwest Louisiana.”

She said a series of similar events will be ongoing, including installation of wood duck boxes on the Bogue Chitto River, trash collection at the LSU Lakes, tending plants at a coastal plant nursery in New Orleans, and planting trees.

Collis said Youth Wetlands can also help teachers by providing lesson plans and materials by signing up at www.LSUAgCenter.com/yww. There is no charge.

Alton Puckett, LSU AgCenter regional coordinator for Youth Wetlands, said he works with 40 schools in southwest Louisiana, and he put the word out that vegetative projects needed students to do the work.

“What we want to do is make sure these kids get exposed to the fact that we have erosion and that we have a problem,” Puckett said.

Besides creating a beach protection, he said, the project has intangible benefits. “Our goal is to train future leaders.”

And he said he hopes the projects might inspire some students to consider an environmental career. A former student has gone on to become a biologist for the state Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, he said. Puckett said he also has identified one student who shows promise in the field.

Ashley Mullens, co-manager of the Youth Wetlands program, said 5,000 is the largest number of plants established on the beach by Youth Wetlands. “I would definitely say this is a success.”