Coastal Wetlands Park

The Coastal Wetlands Park Kayak Launch can be found at 161 Flotation Canal Road, Port Fourchon, LA 70357

The Coastal Wetlands Park is a new feature in Port Fourchon, designed to fulfill developmental, environmental, educational, and recreational needs in a revolutionary fashion.

The park area consists of over 100 acres of purpose-built wetlands that highlight the Greater Lafourche Port Commission’s balanced approach to resilient, responsible development that benefits the environment in which it resides.

Every newly developed slip in Port Fourchon begins with dredging the sediment from an area to create a new port waterway. Every speck of that dredged material is used beneficially in Port Fourchon to both develop new port property along the borders of the new slip and to mitigate for the disturbance of the original dredged area. For decades, Fourchon mitigation has meant marsh creation in fairly inaccessible areas on the outskirts of the port.

The Slip D development brought something totally unique to the table: mitigation with a recreational component. What began as an idea to extract dredged materials from Slip D and place them right next door in an open area in the middle of the port – mitigation in plain sight – has turned in to a fascinating project that will be a landmark for future planning, permitting, and engineering/design efforts. Industry and environment are side by side in the Port Fourchon Coastal Wetlands park, benefitting all in a new and exciting, usable and educational way.

Habitat & Features

The habitat of the Coastal Wetlands Park includes a manmade tidal creek suitable for kayaking, paddle boarding, recreational fishing, birdwatching, and enjoying the beauty of a coastal wetlands environment in the “Sportsman’s Paradise” state. The tidal creek winds through the marsh from its entrance at the kayak launch and fishing pier on Flotation Canal Road to Flotation Canal itself, providing a natural tidal flow from start to finish.

This park is designed as an immersive recreational and educational area. It is open for public use from sunrise to sunset, providing a much-needed opportunity for outdoor activity for visitors and for those working in the port as well.

Future plans for the Coastal Wetlands Park include an orientation hub, several pedestal-mounted viewfinders, walking trails, an event pavilion, and more, available for community access. We’re just getting started, and so should you!

As you plan your visit, don’t forget to check out the rules for Coastal Wetlands Park use listed in Port Ordinance No. 75. You can also find additional things to do in Louisiana’s Cajun Bayou, Lafourche Parish, linked below:

Ordinance No. 75 – Coastal Wetlands Park Use Outdoor Sports & Recreation America’s Wetland Birding Trail Wetlands Cultural Byway

Project Partners

Funding sources for this landmark project include not only the Greater Lafourche Port Commission but also multiple partner agencies and conservation and beautification grant programs, including:

As the Coastal Wetlands Park takes shape, the Port Commission is hopeful that others see our vision – industry and environment, recreation and education, all living in unison successfully – and become engaged in furthering the park’s success.

Port Fourchon Coastal Wetlands Park

Port Fourchon Coastal Wetlands Park Master Plan

Industry or Environment? We Can Have BOTH.

Before the Coastal Wetlands Park

Before the Coastal Wetlands Park

Before the Coastal Wetlands Park