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Trail Improvements at Barataria Preserve
Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve » Trail Improvements at Barataria Preserve » Document List
An Environmental Assessment (EA) has been prepared and is available for public review.
The National Park Service (NPS) proposes to repair hurricane-related damage to the trail network within the Barataria Preserve of Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve. The project will rebuild a subset of the boardwalk trails damaged by Hurricane Ida, which made landfall on August 29, 2021, so they are resilient to future storm impacts, flooding, subsidence, and sea level rise. The NPS proposes to sustainably rehabilitate the Barataria Preserve trail network by replacing a percentage of the boardwalks, over time, with trails located on natural surfaces and on higher ground. Materials and methods for construction were evaluated for resiliency and environmental impacts. Construction would be implemented in separate phases and as funding allows.
Under all action alternatives, the NPS would rebuild some boardwalks at a higher elevation, demolish extremely damaged boardwalk turnouts, and abandon some minimally developed trails that are continually flooded. Areas where boardwalk segments are removed would be allowed to return to a natural state. The proposed alternatives vary on how to manage the remaining boardwalks and whether to use them as-is or demolish and restore. Appropriate trail elevation was modeled using 50-year sea level rise and land subsidence projections and is designed to be roughly 1.5 feet above the existing boardwalk levels.
More information and maps are available in the draft EA. To see the EA, please click on the Document List on the left. To comment, please click on Open for Comment on the left, and enter your comments. Comments will be accepted for 30 days.
Current trail conditions and map is available on the park's webpage at: https://www.nps.gov/jela/planyourvisit/conditions.htm
Please note that your entire comment, including your personal information, may be made publicly available at any time. Although you can request your personal identifying information be withheld from public view, we cannot guarantee requests can be accommodated.
Attn: Barataria Trails EA
419 Decatur Street
New Orleans, LA 70130
The National Park Service (NPS) proposes to repair hurricane-related damage to the trail network within the Barataria Preserve of Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve. The project will rebuild a subset of the boardwalk trails damaged by Hurricane Ida, which made landfall on August 29, 2021, so they are resilient to future storm impacts, flooding, subsidence, and sea level rise. The NPS proposes to sustainably rehabilitate the Barataria Preserve trail network by replacing a percentage of the boardwalks, over time, with trails located on natural surfaces and on higher ground. Materials and methods for construction were evaluated for resiliency and environmental impacts. Construction would be implemented in separate phases and as funding allows.
Under all action alternatives, the NPS would rebuild some boardwalks at a higher elevation, demolish extremely damaged boardwalk turnouts, and abandon some minimally developed trails that are continually flooded. Areas where boardwalk segments are removed would be allowed to return to a natural state. The proposed alternatives vary on how to manage the remaining boardwalks and whether to use them as-is or demolish and restore. Appropriate trail elevation was modeled using 50-year sea level rise and land subsidence projections and is designed to be roughly 1.5 feet above the existing boardwalk levels.
More information and maps are available in the draft EA. To see the EA, please click on the Document List on the left. To comment, please click on Open for Comment on the left, and enter your comments. Comments will be accepted for 30 days.
Current trail conditions and map is available on the park's webpage at: https://www.nps.gov/jela/planyourvisit/conditions.htm
Please note that your entire comment, including your personal information, may be made publicly available at any time. Although you can request your personal identifying information be withheld from public view, we cannot guarantee requests can be accommodated.
Contact Information
SuperintendentAttn: Barataria Trails EA
419 Decatur Street
New Orleans, LA 70130