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The Port of South Louisiana donated $18,000 to the Nicholls Farm for the sixth year in a row. The funds will be used for restoration projects, research, and maintenance of the farm.
The 277-acre farm is three miles south of Nicholls’ campus and serves as an environmental research and education center for Nicholls and other partners. Labs, classrooms, greenhouses, shade houses, storage barns, and a 7.5-acre pond for wetland plant production are all housed at the farm.
Nicholls biology students and faculty have expanded coastal restoration efforts through the farm by growing and harvesting more than 35,000 plants at the farm and replanting them along the coast.
Nicholls Distinguished Service Professor and Jerry Ledet Endowed Professor of Environmental Biology Dr. Allyse Ferrara said, “Funds from the Port will be used to manage and maintain the farm to support new and ongoing research and educational opportunities at the farm. Funding from the Port of South Louisiana is critical for the upkeep and functioning of the farm, and we are deeply appreciative of the continued support.”
The Farm is an integral part of the university’s plans to become the center for coastal restoration research in Louisiana. In May 2022, the farm celebrated the rebuilding of its bridge giving Nicholls Biology faculty access to the land on the other side of Bayou Folse, which will be utilized for growing species of coastal plants and trees to be transferred to the coast.
Additional endeavors include expanding research and educational capabilities at the Farm and partnering the site with the planned Nicholls Coastal Center. A Nicholls Farm master plan lays out plans for additional land, classroom space, and areas to test coastal restoration projects.
As America’s largest tonnage Port district, the Port of South Louisiana is the premier sea gateway for U.S. export and import traffic. Headquartered in LaPlace, the Port of South Louisiana stretches 54 miles along the Mississippi River and is the largest tonnage port district in the western hemisphere. The stretch of the river contains 67 industries and supports 30,000 jobs.
For more information on the Department of Biological Sciences, visit www.nicholls.edu/biology. Follow the Nicholls Farm Facebook page for updates by visiting https://www.facebook.com/Nicholls-Farm-105911074161751/.
