Louisiana WRP Success Story

Bossier WRP Special Project: A Commitment to the Future

A special Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP) project has been installed in Bossier Parish (County) in northwest Louisiana that will pay long-range dividends for wildlife and the environment.

Through a cooperative effort, personnel with the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), in cooperation with the Bodcau Soil and Water Conservation District, worked with five landowners assisting them to enroll four contiguous tracts of land, approximately 2,500 acres, in the Wetlands Reserve Program. The land, located about 15 miles from Shreveport, had been in cropland, pasture and woodland, but was not truly productive from an agriculture standpoint.

"Production of crops on the land was limited because of flooding problems," explained local NRCS district conservationist Rick Adams. "The Wetlands Reserve Program gave these landowners an opportunity to take marginal agricultural land out of production and restore it back to a bottom land hardwood environment. The landowners' commitment to WRP will help ensure long-term prosperity for wildlife as well as helping the natural scheme of things."

To enhance the large area of land from a wildlife standpoint, fifteen shallow water areas will be constructed on the site to provide about 300 acres of water. Many of the shallow water areas have already been completed providing much needed areas for wildlife, waterfowl, and shorebirds.

"These newly created wetland areas will provide a year-round residence that will greatly enhance both our migratory and resident game populations," said Larry Lott, Jr., one of the landowners involved in the project. "The Wetlands Reserve Program is one of the very best programs NRCS has made available to landowners. It has allowed me to take unproductive farm land and convert it to prime shallow water habitat for wildlife which is a definite plus for everyone."

In addition to the shallow water areas for wildlife, another significant aspect of this project is the volunteer work that has occurred. Earth Team volunteers, volunteers of the Natural Resources Conservation Service, have played a significant role in environmental enhancement.

Working with Shreveport Green, an environmentally-based AmeriCorps National Service team, NRCS and the Bodcau Soil and Water Conservation District have formed partnerships with local high schools, community organizations, Barksdale Air Force Base, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife to select, plan, and plant a five-acre section of this special WRP project. Beginning in 1997 with seed collection and plant propagation in area high school green houses, volunteers are working to develop, from the ground up, a model WRP site.

"The five-acre area adopted by Shreveport Green will be used as a learning site for local schools," said Adams. "The landowners have agreed to allow the establishment of an outdoor classroom at the site. Students, many of whom never get to go to the field, will be able to see, touch and learn about wildlife and the environment. The volunteers will even install wood duck boxes to provide nesting sites for the ducks. The area will become a tremendous asset to the educational system of northwest Louisiana and I'm very proud to be a part of it."

The Bossier Parish WRP project is indeed a very special project that extends beyond the limits of normal wetland enhancement and restoration. It's a commitment to the future, for our wildlife, our environment, and our children.

Photographs courtesy of Paul Wallis, NRCS Visual Information Specialist

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