Makayla Johns of Weston High School recently represented Jackson Parish 4-H at the annual “Marsh Maneuvers” held at the Rockefeller Wildlife Refuge in Grand Chenier, Louisiana. Not only did the ambitious 4-H’er get firsthand knowledge about the marshland in South Louisiana during the week-long camp, but Johns also got to enjoy true Cajun customary activities such as peeling shrimp, shucking oysters, throwing a cast net, processing the catch of the day, visiting the Coastal Areas, planting marsh grass, and taking part in a Cajun dance class.

“Marsh Maneuvers” is a Youth Wetlands Education & Outreach educational program of the LSU AgCenter, in cooperation with the Louisiana Sea Grant College and the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, that features a curriculum focused on the marshes of the Chenier Plain ecosystem and the Teche-Vermilion, Mermentau, and Calcasieu watersheds.

Students experienced the biodiversity and complexity of this environment by examining the life cycles and habitat requirements of wetland flora and fauna. They participated in evaluating environmental quality through water testing and examining the hydrology of the watershed basins and the coast. Exercises in natural resource management helped the students appreciate the difficulty in balancing social needs and environmental consequences.

The LSU AgCenter and Sea Grant provided two Fisheries/Watershed agents as instructors and two 4H agents as chaperones for each camp session. The Department of Wildlife and Fisheries provided an aquatic education specialist at each camp as well as provided the dormitory facility and boat transportation.