Growing Louisiana...

Got a chance to visit a site inspired by our work (but paid for by federal funds...)
 We went out to the site (southwest LA) about a year ago and there was not much growth, and we are so interested in the biology side of coastal bioengineering...

But I have some great things to report:  First, things are growing, oysters 2-3 " in height, and lots of them, plus barnacles, algae, seaweed, and lots of crabs, birds, etc.

Second, the land is growing too: first, a salient grows in the lee (landward side) of the breakwater (oysterbreakTM) where the wave energy has lowered enough for sand, silt and biological material to settle.  Later (if all goes well), the land "grows" out to the breakwater and forms a tombolo.  Yesterday we confirmed one salient and the first tombolo in this project.  And plants growing on the new land.  In a place where we are losing a football field of land every half hour, gaining land and growing reefs and land (animals, plants...) is very exciting!

 First, put some good substrate where oysters want to set... then wait for them to grow...

 Wait a bit longer for some sand to settle behind the rings.  Be careful, there's still a bit of water there!  But the sand is pretty solid!

 Now add some biological material (seaweed in this case, sorry for the trash, but nature uses what nature finds...)

Then wait for some plants to grow in the new soil, thus holding it in place for some time to come...
(Ideally repeat several times to expand the state and protect inland wetlands, communities and infrastructure...)