Field Trips

The Land Trust Alliance is pleased to offer 7 field trips that will take place on Tuesday, September 17th. Local land conservation groups have planned these field trips specifically for Rally 2013 registrants to highlight New Orleans and the surrounding area. 

Please note the following:

Field trips fill up quickly, so register early

• All field trip participants must be 16 years or older
• All full-day trips include transportation, lunch and equipment rental (such as bicycles) if applicable
• All trips will take place rain or shine, although they will be canceled or significantly altered if weather conditions pose a safety risk
• Field trips are non-refundable if canceled or altered due to weather conditions

Tuesday, September 17th

FT1: Biking and Birding: Abita Creek Flatwoods Preserve and Tammany Trace

Hosted by The Nature Conservancy and Land Trust for Southeast Louisiana
7:00am – 5:30pm | $125
The 950-acre Abita Creek Flatwoods Preserve and Mitigation Bank is a premiere spot to see pine-dominated wetlands, blooming wildflowers and over 122 species of birds. The day will begin with an interpretive walk through the Preserve with a botanist and birding guide, followed by lunch at a local café.  Learn about the joint conservation effort between the Land Trust for Southeast Louisiana, The Nature Conservancy and other partners that led to the protection of this preserve. After lunch, enjoy a three-mile bike ride on the Tammany Trace, a local rails-to-trails project.

FT2: Paddling Mississippi ‘s Wolf River

Hosted by Land Trust for the Mississippi Coastal Plain and Wolf River Conservation Society
7:15am – 3:15pm | $130
Just east of Poplarville, Mississippi, the Wolf River starts its 66 mile journey to the Gulf of Mexico in the Piney Woods, a sandy region populated mostly by pine trees. As the river meanders past long white sandbars, pine trees give way to tall cypress, tupelo, and gum trees in the mysterious swampland next to the river. Chosen as the first Scenic Stewardship Stream in the state of Mississippi, the Wolf River is a place of stunning natural beauty known for its white sandbars in the upper portion of the river. This 4.5- mile trip is geared towards intermediate paddlers.

FT3: Murrell Butler Painting and Birding Trip

Hosted by Land Trust for Southeast Louisiana
7:30am – 5:00pm | $100
Land owner Murrell Butler is an acclaimed artist and naturalist whose paintings capture the essence of the wildlife, wetlands, oaks, and cypress trees that adorn his property.  We will visit Butler’s property where you will try your hand at painting the beautiful surroundings and bring home a self-made memento of the day. Learn how the Land Trust for Southeast Louisiana worked with Mr. Butler on placing an easement on his property. You’ll also enjoy  birding with a local ornithologist as the property is a premiere location for migratory song birds, especially several types of hummingbirds.  A wine reception and lunch at a local café will round out the day.

FT4A&B: New Orleans’ Founding & Restoration: Lake, Light and Coast

Hosted by the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation
FT4A: 8:00am – 12:00pm | $60
FT4B:  1:00pm – 5:00pm | $60
Learn about the future of coastal restoration and the history of economic drivers along the vast tidal bay of Lake Pontchartrain.   Hosted by the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation (LPBF), LPBF is a leader in advocacy and research for coastal restoration, led the recovery of the lake’s water quality in the 1990s, and just re-built and operates the only working lighthouse/museum in Louisiana.  Stops on this half-day trip include the New Canal Lighthouse, Fort San Juan del Bayou,  the Milneburg settlement and Pontchartrain Beach. You will also learn about defending the coast from storms through the Multiple Lines of Defense Strategy. This half-day trip does not include lunch.

FT5: Mississippi River Delta Restoration Tour

Hosted by National Wildlife Federation and Audubon Louisiana
8:15am – 3:15pm | $80
Visit a cypress “ghost” swamp in the Lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans and learn about the causes and consequences of wetland destruction in the Mississippi River Delta.  Talk with community and restoration leaders about the vision for restoration of the swamp as well as real estate obstacles that impede action.  Then head to the Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve to tour a healthy cypress swamp and coastal marsh with an expert guide.  Learn about solutions to the wetland loss crisis in Louisiana.  We’ll end the day with a New Orleans lunch at a local favorite outside of the French Quarter.

FT6: Post-Katrina New Orleans: Restoration and Recovery Tour

Hosted by Sierra Club
8:30am – 4:30pm | $80
Eight years after Hurricane Katrina left 80% of the City of New Orleans underwater, the Lower Ninth Ward neighborhood has transformed itself into a place of inspiration and renewal. A community-driven vision of environmental sustainability is being realized through green building, energy efficiency, urban farming, and coastal resiliency. Support community recovery efforts through a hands-on service learning project, while exploring the opportunities being realized through green construction, restoring a nearly forgotten cypress swamp, and sowing the seeds of community activism.

FT7: Boat Ride through the Marsh

Hosted by Land Trust for Southeast Louisiana
8:30am – 4:30pm | $80
This trip will visit the Turtle Cove Environmental Research Station for a  pontoon boat tour of an ongoing wetland restoration project. Learn how this region serves a vitally important function for the entire Gulf Coast of Louisiana and how the Land Trust for Southeast Louisiana conserved a cypress/tupelo swamp property in collaboration with agency and nonprofit partners. This rich habitat not only serves as an important storm buffer to the heavily populated regions of Louisiana, but provides habitat for numerous threatened and endangered species. You will also have the opportunity to tour the facilities and walk the boardwalk through the Manchac marsh, followed by a Cajun lunch at the research station.