Tag Archives: Biloxi

Bayou Auguste Neighborhood Wetland Park Receives AIA Citation Award

Posted on by
1

On July 7, 2012 the Bayou Auguste Neighborhood Wetland Park received a Citation Award from the Mississippi Chapter of the American Institute of Architects. David Perkes, Britton Jones, and Sarah Jones of the Gulf Coast Community Design Studio (GCCDS), an outreach program of Mississippi State University’s College of Architecture, Art + Design, accepted the award on behalf of the partnership responsible for the restoration work on Bayou Auguste. The project is a collaborative effort between the GCCDS, Biloxi Housing Authority, City of Biloxi, Biloxi Public Schools, Cypress Environmental Science and Management, and the Land Trust for the Mississippi Coastal Plain.

With grant funding, as well as in-kind donations and volunteer labor, the partnership restored one acre of wetland habitat along Bayou Auguste in East Biloxi’s Hope VI neighborhood. Like many other wetland habitats along the coast, Bayou Auguste has been seriously impacted over time. Wetlands along the bayou were filled in and its natural meandering course was straightened, forming a steeply cut channel that degraded the bayou’s function and aesthetic appeal.  To reveal the site’s social and ecological potential, the project reshaped the stream banks to create tidal marsh habitat and open views into the constructed wetland.  The newly formed Bayou Auguste Wetland Park provides a unique opportunity for the community to enjoy wildlife in their own neighborhood.

Each year the AIA chooses architecture professionals from another state to review project submissions and assign award winners. This year the jury was lead by Arkansas Architect Marlon Blackwell. The jury commented that the “design work and implementation brought back the complexity of the bayou,” and “…the richness of the environment,” as well as demonstrating, “…an alternative model to how we develop the land.” Since the landscape is newly planted and still reaching maturity it was pointed out that the “Bayou needs to evolve and grow and needs to be evaluated again in a few years.”

“It is an honor to be recognized by the Mississippi AIA for the value and importance this type of project brings to the communities and environments of the Gulf Coast,” said Britton Jones, Landscape Architect with GCCDS. “We are very grateful for all of the hard work and support we had from our project partners and volunteers. None of this would have been possible without their help.”

The partnership has been awarded grant funding to restore another section of Bayou Auguste this Fall and continues to search for funding opportunities to expand restoration efforts into the future as well as develop a series of nature trails, piers, and overlooks for the Bayou Auguste Neighborhood Wetland Park.

Additional information about the project can be found at

http://www.gccds.org/projects/biloxi/bayouauguste/index.php

http://caad.msstate.edu/wpmu/sarcnews/2012/07/12/12-design-awards/

http://www.aiams.org/displaycommon.cfm?an=1&subarticlenbr=16

EPA Chief Administrator, Lisa Jackson, visits Bayou Auguste

Posted on by
Reply

Lisa Jackson gets a tour of the bayou from project partners and students from Gorenflo Elementary

Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson made a visit to Bayou Auguste on Tuesday, August 30 to see a local example of restoration work underway in the state of Mississippi.  Jackson was in Biloxi to lead a meeting of the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Task Force, a group created by President Obama to develop strategies for long term recovery of the Gulf of Mexico following the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill. Jackson is a Louisiana native and understands the importance of the coastal environment to the people and culture of this region. As the leader of the task force Jackson has set a goal to help conserve and restore resilient and healthy ecosystems which in turn support the surrounding regions’ economies, communities and cultures.

Perkes gives an introduction on the restoration project

After the scheduled meeting and listening session at the Mississippi Coast Coliseum, EPA staff organized a tour of local coastal restoration projects underway, including Bayou Auguste. Jackson, along with other Task Force members, was met at the bayou by media and many supporters of the Bayou Auguste project. David Perkes, the director of the Gulf Coast Community Design Studio, gave Jackson a brief tour and introduction of the work being done to restore the bayou.

Jackson meets the crew from the City responisble for the construction work on the bayou

Perkes also introduced the partners responsible for coordinating and completing the restoration, including members of the Biloxi Housing Authority, Biloxi Public Schools, City of Biloxi, Cypress Environmental Science and Management, and the Land Trust for the Mississippi Coastal Plain. Perkes expressed his excitement in having Jackson see the work happening on Bayou Auguste and helping to get the word out about what can be accomplished when a community works together. Jackson was pleased to see the results of the Bayou Auguste Restoration Project and emphasized the importance of private and public partnerships to find opportunities to get more of this work done.

Jackson addresses the media, project partners, and task force members

 

Construction Begins on the Bayou Auguste Greenway Project

Posted on by
Reply

The Master Plan for the Bayou Auguste Greenway Restoration Project

On June 2, 2011 the City of Biloxi began excavation along the banks of Bayou Auguste near the intersection of Braun St. and Bradford St. in East Biloxi. This work is part of the Bayou Auguste Greenway Restoration,  a multi-phased project to restore tidal marsh habitat and to create an urban nature park with walking trails and piers. The project is a community-based effort with several partners working together to coordinate and execute the master plan. The partners are the Biloxi Housing Authority, the Biloxi Public Schools, the City of Biloxi, the Land Trust for the Mississippi Coastal Plain, Cypress Environmental Science and Management, and the Gulf Coast Community Design Studio. Together the partnership has secured over $300,000 in grant funds to perform restoration work on 3 sites along Bayou Auguste. The work activities included in these grants are planning and permitting, debris and garbage removal, invasive species removal, streambank reshaping, native species planting, and site monitoring.

The City of Biloxi begins streambank excavation along Bayou Auguste

Excavating and reshaping the banks of Bayou Auguste will make a significant visual and ecological impact on this tidal marsh ecosystem. Prior to excavation the streambanks of the bayou ran in parallel, straight lines and many people referred to it as a drainage ditch.

 

A section drawing showing the altered streambank profile of Bayou Auguste

Reshaping the streambanks changes the course of the waterway so it runs in a slightly curved and meandering course. The original U-shaped channel is widened and shallow shelves are created adjacent to the waterway. The altered profile of the streambanks provides ample area to plant native marsh grasses and creates ideal conditions to foster a variety of marine life and water fowl. By altering the course, width, and profile of the waterway we hope to increase the visual appeal of this natural feature while also increasing the amount of wildlife and plant life that inhabit the bayou.

A group of volunteers from Butler Snow help prepare the site for construction

During the first week of construction we had a group of volunteers from Butler Snow help us prepare the site for upcoming work. Erosion control materials were delivered to the site, water quality tests were performed for the month, the extent of grading for marsh creation was flagged and a new project sign was installed. The project sign introduces the project and informs the public of our website which provides additional information on the history and scope of the bayou restoration project. If you would like to know more about this project keep checking this blog for updates and please visit our website here.

Volunteers perform water quality testing as construction begins