Bayou Manchac-Oakley Wetland Mitigation Bank

The goal of this Bank was to re-establish, rehabilitate and enhance sustainable bottomland hardwood wetland ecosystems that exhibit natural species composition and to support wildlife habitat typical of healthy bottomland hardwood forests of the lower Mississippi River for compensatory mitigation purposes. The restoration, enhancement, and preservation of forested wetland ecosystems were accomplished through (1) the conversion of pasturelands underlain by hydric soils, and (2) the conversion of areas dominated by existing bottomland hardwood forests that were of relatively low-quality habitat resulting from altered surface hydrology and/or invasive species composition. Through these improvements, the Bank sustains wetland functions, values, and services in accordance with an approved plan. The functional benefit to the Lake Pontchartrain Basin includes an increase in the quantity and quality of forested wetland habitat for resident and migratory wildlife and the conversion of the Bank to a more natural ecosystem. The Bank also benefits the Bayou Manchac watershed through the retention of surface water runoff, streamflow maintenance, nutrient cycling, aquatic productivity, improved plant and wildlife habitat, and the reduction of non-point source pollution (nutrients and suspended solids) originating from agricultural and industrial areas in St. Gabriel, Louisiana.