In June of 2023, Glass Half Full collaborated with the Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana (CRCL) and Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries to build a 300 ft long berm along a broken shoreline caused by Hurricane Ida (2021). This “blowout” was allowing salt water from Lake Pontchartrain to enter the freshwater marsh, killing vegetation and allowing for rapid sediment loss. To combat the erosion, the berm was constructed out of old coffee roaster burlap sacks filled with 50 tons of recycled glass sand with the help of 100 volunteers over a period of two days. The goal of the berm was to slow wave action and allow the freshly planted plugs of bulrush directly behind it to take root and begin to rebuild the marsh. ReCoast set up a transect line through the project area to monitor soil accretion and vegetation growth, visiting the site on a monthly basis for a full year to photograph and take measurements. The results showed that in just 12 months, vegetation coverage increased by 60% and overall sediment gain was 1.25 in. ReCoast will continue to monitor the Big Branch berm over the next few years to bring you more results!
