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June 2023 Newsletter 

 
Symposium 
 
BVPA hosted our 8th Annual Symposium on March 31, 2023. Our theme was Enhancing Our Watershed Through Environmental Education, a fitting topic in our post-pandemic community. We were extremely fortunate to have Dr. Brandon Balengée as our honorary Symposium Chairman. His unique career at the nexus of art and science education took our Symposium to new and interesting places. Our speakers were artists, scientists, and teachers, and their stories of bringing earth science and biology to young minds excited and inspired many in our audience. For the first time, artist-speakers were able to demonstrate some of their teaching techniques both during the Symposium and the next day at the Acadiana Nature Station. Kyle Patton, Curator of the Acadiana Nature Station, worked with us to create an opportunity for bio-artist and activist Henry G. Sanchez of Houston to present Bio-Art on the Bayou Vermilion on Saturday April 1, 2023. This family-friendly event gave everyone the opportunity to take a very close look at interesting biota at the Nature Station.
A message from our guest artist-speaker
"It’s a rare opportunity to talk before esteemed conservationists, preservationists and environmentalists about my art project, the BioArt Bayou-torium at the 8th annual BVPA Symposium. It was even more extraordinary when I was able to demonstrate my microscope workshop before them, amongst local children and their parents. Normally when I give presentations of my work it is before an art-world audience. My experience in Lafayette however provided my social, bio-art practice much needed validation outside the art-world.
I cannot thank the BVPA (their leadership, staff and volunteers) and the Acadian Nature Station (Kyle Patton) enough for allowing me to present and to show how the intersection of art and natural science can be socially engaging. A special heartfelt thanks goes to Brandon Ballengée who recommended me to the BVPA."
-Henry G. Sanchez
https://www.bioartbayoutorium.org/
A message from our honorary Symposium Chairman
"At this moment in history protecting natural resources, ecosystems and biodiversity is the most important endeavor humanity faces. Combining art with science and other creative strategies in environmental education are a means to inspire conservation and real world positive ecological actions. Our 2023 BVPA Symposium speakers presented about the way they creatively and effectively teach youth and their communities about watersheds and other environments. Hearing about these unique approaches was informative, inspiring and echoed the important mission of the BVPA." 
-Brandon Ballengée, Ph.D.

https://www.atelierdelanature.org/
Awards 
BioArt at the Nature Station
Recent Events
Earth Day 
The BVPA attended not one, but two earth day events this year. At the two earth day events we were able to celebrate the planet and talk to community members about the importance of our favorite waterway and how water helps sustain life on earth. At both Earth Day events we were able to table to talk to community members and use the watershed model to demonstrate stormwater runoff and its impact on waterways. The two Earth Day events that we attended were:
  • The Bayou Vermilion District hosted an Earth Day celebration on Saturday, April 22,  from 10 AM – 4 PM at Vermilionville. There was a variety of activities, crafts, recycling, seed exchange with the seed library, music, food, and more! 
  • The Office of Sustainability's annual Fete de la Terre Expo was held Monday, April 24, from 10-1:30PM at the corner of St. Mary and Hebrard Blvd on the UL Lafayette campus. The Expo hosted 30 organizations, businesses, and non-profits from across the state who are committed to a more sustainable Acadiana and Louisiana and served free jambalaya served in compostable products.
Fête de la Terre
BVD Earth Day
Beaver Park Trash Bash
Have you been to boat the launch at Beaver Park lately? BVPA has, along with our volunteers and partners in preservation, RES and LCG Public Works, to celebrate Earth Day during Embrace This Space’s Trash Bash Event. Our volunteer group planted native plants, spread compost, and picked up litter throughout the park. If you stop by the park, check out the median across from the boat launch. This median has been a tough plot to revive with native plants, but with the generous volunteer efforts and plant donations from RES, the newly planted Dwarf Palmettos should thrive there for many years to come! Volunteers planted around the fishing dock as well. Check out the bald cypress trees, rushes, and native irises when you stop by. Beaver Park Boat Launch is located at 400 Plantation Road, Lafayette, LA 70508 or follow this link - https://goo.gl/maps/mKcEzV2B5tvQd9Zv6.

Do you want to volunteer with us at our next Beaver Park clean-up event? Follow us on the United Way of Acadian Volunteer Center here - Bayou Vermilion Preservation Association | United Way of Acadiana (galaxydigital.com).
 
We hope to see y’all then and there!
Vermilion River Alliance Meeting May 2023
The Vermilion River Alliance meeting was held Thursday, May 18th from 8:45-1:30 PM at the Blackham Coliseum. 
Our Presentations were:
      -No Till Equipment Demo from Lafayette Soil and Water Conservation District where we learned about no-till farming which is an agricultural technique for growing crops or pasture without disturbing the soil through tillage. We had the pleasure of viewing and learning about a no-till farming equipment option as well as a no spray weed killing application device. No-till farming saves time, money, and soil. 
      -LDEQ Water Quality Update from Shane Miller who talked about the 2022 water quality integrated report and impairments in the upper and lower Vermilion.
      -Water Quality Sampling on Vermilion by Donald Sagrera who discussed the Teche-Vermilion Fresh Water District's sampling program and what was being tested in the Vermilion and Teche.
      -Louisiana Watershed Initiative, Region V Progress by Kelia Bingham who talked about the Louisiana Watershed Initiative, available funds for regional projects, integrative maps, and nature-based solution tools on the website.
      - Louisiana Watershed Initiative, Region V Modeling by Dr. Garland Pennison who presented on the modeling work HDR has been doing for Louisiana Watershed Initiative's Region 5 and regional solutions that could come from modeling. 
Breakfast from Reve and Eddies was provided by the BVPA. A delicious lunch was provided Lafayette Soil and Water District. Thank you to everyone who was in attendance.
Malcolm Vidrine
Dr. Malcolm F. Vidrine presented his vision for Rewilding Acadiana to an audience of
approximately 75 persons at the South Regional Library in Lafayette on May 17. His
presentation was hosted by the Bayou Vermilion Preservation Association (BVPA) and its partners in conservation (Abbeville Garden Club, Acadiana Park Nature System, Acadiana Master Naturalists, Acadiana Native Plant Project, Lafayette Garden Club, Louisiana Master Naturalists Association).
Dr. Vidrine is a Professor Emertis at LSU – Eunice and has had a long, distinguished
career in education and research. He is considered a world expert on the ecology of
freshwater mites, but also has published papers on a wide range of other topics
including the freshwater mussels of Louisiana, the flora and fauna of prairie
communities, the population dynamics and biological control of rice-field mosquitoes,
and Hansen’s disease in armadillos.
Among the many awards he has received over his career, Dr. Vidrine was named
Conservationist of the Year by Louisiana Life Magazine in 2021. This year he received two more prestigious awards. Together with Dr. Charles Allen, he is the 2023 recipient of the James William Rivers Prize for his contributions to the public understanding of Southwest Louisiana’s natural history. He also received the 2023 Caroline Dorman Outstanding Louisiana Naturalist award from the Louisiana Master Naturalist Association.
Dr. Vidrine began his presentation by describing the ecologically degraded
condition of the Acadiana region. The Cajun Prairie, which Dr. Vidrine has studied
extensively, is the most endangered habitat in Louisiana. Most of the original 2.5
million acres of this prairie has been converted to agriculture, mainly rice and
sugar cane today. The bayous of Acadiana, which were once clear-water systems
with diverse freshwater mussel populations are currently muddy, silty-bottom
drainages. The region has little in the way of natural areas, and suburban and
rural homesites are mostly lawns, which provide little support for wildlife.
Dr. Vidrine proposes to begin restoring Acadiana’s natural heritage by creating
prairie in marginal farmland, focusing on unproductive farmland adjacent to
waterways. Individuals with homes can do their part by converting some portion
of their lawns to prairie or pollinator gardens that support native bees, butterflies,
and other wildlife. BVPA’s recent Reviving Resilient Landscape project, which
encouraged the planting of native plants on public and private properties, uses
similar rewilding concepts in urban areas and along the banks of the river and its 
tributaries (RRL project). The long-term goal of Rewilding, as Dr. Vidrine sees it, is
to reconnect the water and carbon cycles among the terrestrial systems,
waterways, and the coastal zone of Acadiana. Dr. Vidrine’s entire presentation
can be downloaded from his blog (Rewilding Acadiana's Prairie Ecosystem).
Water Quality Monitoring in the Vermilion: Dissolved Oxygen
The amount of oxygen in a waterbody (known as Dissolved Oxygen or D.O.) can give us an overview of water quality and whether or not aquatic species are able to survive and reproduce. Dissolved Oxygen fluctuates naturally throughout the year based on weather patterns (temperature, rainfall, wind, etc.) and can also be affected by pollutants and oxygen-demanding substances entering the waterbody through contaminated stormwater run-off.

Our sampling teams use special sensors to measure the amount of D.O. present in the Vermilion during monthly river monitoring events. The results are then compared to the 5 mg/l threshold minimum set by the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (LDEQ). Dissolved Oxygen readings below 5 mg/l indicate that fish and other animals may not have enough oxygen to survive and produce offspring at optimum levels. Dead fish have been observed when D.O. readings were below 1 mg/l.

The monthly averages shown on this graph illustrate the seasonal changes that occur throughout the year. From November through April, D.O. readings for most sites were at or above the 5 mg/l threshold.  This data is consistent with what we know about the chemistry of water and the effect that temperature has on dissolved oxygen (cold water can hold more D.O. than warm water). The lower D.O. readings in May through October can be attributed to warmer air temperatures, stormwater run-off heated by paved areas, and tropical or severe weather events that contribute to heavy rains and backwater flooding. Micro-organisms are also more active when it’s warm. As they breakdown grass clippings, leaves, and other organic matter, the dissolved oxygen is lowered, only to further diminish it as they die off from lack of oxygen and food. 

By monitoring water quality in our waterways, we are able to measure and see the health of the watershed and see the connection between our activities on land and the water quality in the Vermilion.

Did you know?
Did you know that you can access water quality data online at USGS.gov? They provide water data for the nation by operating sensors that measure temperature, flow, gage height, and dissolved oxygen. Visit their site to check out the latest, real time data for the Vermilion! 

https://waterdata.usgs.gov/monitoring-location/07386880/#parameterCode=00300&period=P30D
Upcoming Events
State of the River

Fall 2023

Details will be provided when available!

AND MORE...

We also promote Water Recreation, Conservation, and Natural Resource Preservation with multiple area non-profit partners and municipalities, in addition to the Annual State of the River Meeting.
Check out more at our website: http://www.bayouvermilionpreservation.org/ 


Please let us know if you have any questions about membership renewal by emailing: BVPAConnect@gmail.com



Thanks!
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