Lockport’s Elevated Wetlands Boardwalk open to visitors

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One doesn’t have to hang around Lafourche Parish long to learn of the culture derived from the swamps and wetlands.


But in today’s hustling and bustling society, not many stop to admire the outdoors many ancestors lived off of for so many generations.

Well, Lafourche Parish Government aims to change that now that its Elevated Wetlands Boardwalk is open in Lockport.

Open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily, the projects consists of 440 feet of elevated decking that runs through the middle of a wetlands property. It is located just steps off La. Highway 308 near the construction of the Lafourche Parish School Board’s Career Magnet Center.


“When you walk on it, as close as it is to the highway, it’s almost like you’re taken into an area where you wouldn’t have a highway within miles of you because you can’t really hear the vehicles,” said Lafourche Parish Deputy Community Services Director Reggie Bagala.

With wildlife including birds and fish and trees and bushy overgrowth, Bagala called the experience a great snapshot of southeast Louisiana.

“We all have these pictures in our head. We know what south Louisiana is. Not only is this going to be an attraction that we want tourists and people from out of the area to enjoy, but we really also want our local residents to enjoy this,” he said. “We all know what a swamp is, but how many people actually have been to one, and that’s a great purpose of this. It really gives a snapshot of our identity of our geography, where we live.”


The boardwalk cost about $123,000 and was fully funded through a Louisiana Recreational Trails Program grant. Hugh Caffery donated the land to the parish.

“This boardwalk belongs to the residents of Lafourche Parish,” Lafourche Parish President Charlotte Randolph said in a release. “We want people to make the time to visit this boardwalk because it gives people the opportunity to get up close and personal with natural Lafourche. The scenic setting is beautiful and is something worth seeing.”

Photographers are allowed to snap pictures on the boardwalk, and admission is free.


The now open Elevated Wetlands Boardwalk off La. Highway 308 in Lockport is open daily from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

 

COURTESY PHOTO