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Grand Opening Event – Nature Conservancy Boardwalk at the Abita Creek Flatwoods Preserve

St. Tammany (05/05/04), A grand opening event of the Pitcher Plant Trail Boardwalk at The Nature Conservancy’s Abita Creek Flatwoods Preserve will be held on May 5, 2004 at 10:30 a.m. The boardwalk is approximately 1200 feet long and provides daytime viewing of special wetland habitat types such as scenic longleaf pine savanna and bayhead swamp. Trail and boardwalk combined is 0.7 miles long. The habitat types present support numerous rare and uncommon species of animals and plants, such as the yellow pitcher plant, a carnivorous or bug-eating plant, for which the trail is named.

Many pitcher plants can be seen from the boardwalk as well as other carnivorous plants and dozens of types of wildflowers, grasses and sedges. Ten educational stations are present along the boardwalk with interpretive information about the flora, habitat types and their management, such as the important use of prescribed fire. A new educational brochure/poster will be handed out at the event also.

The Pitcher Plant Trail Boardwalk was designed and supervised by Larry Burch, with assistance from Bill Rivers, both with the Conservancy. It was built almost entirely by volunteers during hundreds of hours over a span of 3 years. The project could not have been completed without a dedicated group of retired men from Baton Rouge, lovingly called the "Chainsaw Gang". Lumber was provided through several grants, including those from Entergy, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, ChevronTexaco, and the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry.

The Pitcher Plant Boardwalk Trail is located about 5 miles northeast of Abita Springs on LA Highway 435, about one mile west of Money Hill. The entrance is across from Green Street. Everyone is welcome to the grand opening ceremony on May 5, 2004, at 10:30 a.m. Speakers will include among others Kevin Davis, Parish President; Mayor Lewis Fitzmorris, Abita Springs; the St. Tammany Parish Tourist Commission, and various sponsors and volunteers.

The Nature Conservancy is a leading international, nonprofit organization that preserves plants, animals and natural communities representing the diversity of life on Earth by protecting the lands and waters they need to survive. To date, the Conservancy and its more than one million members have helped preserve approximately 100 million acres worldwide, including nearly 30,000 in St. Tammany Parish! To find out more about our work in Louisiana visit us on the Web at nature.org.