On Dec. 6, students from Grand Coteau planted trees at Avery Island, to participate in a coastal restoration planting with the LSU Coastal Roots Program.

Having grown southern bald cypress in their school’s can yard under the guidance of LSU College of Education faculty, the students will transplant the seedlings to the new site to provide food and habitat for the site’s animals, as well as to provide a way to stabilize the soil there. Plants grown by the students in their school-based nurseries are chosen by the restoration site manager based on particular location’s needs.

The LSU Coastal Roots Program provides an active learning situation in which students can explore strategies for sustaining coastal ecosystems and develop an attitude of stewardship toward natural resources. The program does this through conducting an on-going school-based nursery program growing native plants and involving students in a hands-on habitat restoration planting. In addition, the program provides teachers and students with information on issues such as ecological stewardship, wetlands functions and values, wetland loss, habitat restoration and conservation and basic geoscience and horticultural skills.

The LSU Coastal Roots Program is an initiative of the LSU College of Education Department of Educational Theory, Policy and Practice. Schools across 18 parishes participate in the LSU Coastal Roots Program. LSU Coastal Roots has successfully planted more than 50,000 trees and includes more than 5,000 student participants.

Zachary Elementary School participated in the Coastal Roots program last year.

For more information on LSU Coastal Roots, visit coastalroots.lsu.edu. For more information about the LSU College of Education visit www.lsu.edu/coe.