Some of Our Past Accomplishments

"Swamp Sweep"
Member volunteers have accomplished a lot in the brief history of their organization. In March 1995 LMS organized a "Swamp Sweep" of the old Hwy. 51 which transverses through the Lake Maurepas estuary. This 23 miles of road had been used for years as a dumping ground for commercial debris and household garbage.Over 250 volunteers from the communities of St. John and Tangipahoa Parishes along with support from the governments of these parishes cleaned 289.5 tons of trash from the sides of the road.  The La. D.O.T.D. also provided heavy equipment and manpower to assist in this massive undertaking.   Over 11 tons of tires were removed and recycled from Hwy 51 between LaPlace and Ponchatoula, La. during this cleanup.

Since the initial "Swamp Sweep", LMS has also organized 22 businesses and organizations to adopt a mile of Hwy 51.  The road is now routinely cleaned every three months and LMS monitors its progress.  The natural beauty of this road through a pristine swampland has now been regenerated.  The public education that has been produced in the community cannot be measured from this successful undertaking.  Law enforcement has also been stepped up in St. John Parish and many litterers have been caught, ticketed and convicted.  There were more litter citations written in 1997 on Hwy 51 than in any other parish in Louisiana. 

"Keeping an Eye on the Lake"

Water quality samples of Lake Maurepas are taken every month to check for fecal chloroform bacteria, the first indicator for pollution.  There are three rivers that empty into the lake and these are also checked routinely.  Member volunteers go out in all kinds of weather during the year to take samples.  Then, these samples are taken to a local lab for testing.  The results are documented and placed into a database to be compared with previous studies and future information.





"Lakeside/Roadside Park Project"
In July of 1995 members of the Lake Maurepas Society began to clear an area of La. D.O.T.D. right of way land in Manchac, La.  This 1.5 acres of land overlooks the lake and is also accessible by road.  LMS was successful in facilitating a join use agreement between St. John Parish and La. D.O.T.D. for this park area.  LMS has agreed to maintain and to make improvements to the park as a way of bringing more public awareness to the natural beauty of the lake and it's estuary. The Army Corp of Engineers has determined that the park area does not need to go through a permitting process since it is not considered a wetland.  LMS plans to place picnic tables, barbecue pits and walking paths in the park as money is made available to fund these projects.
 
"Save the Manchac Lighthouse Project"

Prior to the Civil War, a lighthouse was built on the Manchac Pass on the western edge of Lake Ponchartrain to help in navigating those entering the Pass at night. The Manchac Lighthouse served as the only guide in navigating this waterway. During the Civil War the lighthouse was destroyed by the Union Army, but was eventually rebuilt soon afterwards. It continued to be used as a navigation light that could be seen for 10 miles into the lake. However, the US Coast Guard who owns the lighthouse, declared it as excess property in the late 1 980's and removed all of the navigation equipment. With new navigation equipment that is installed on most commercial shipping these days, there is no need to have anymore lighthouses at least not in the Manchac Pass. The history of the old Manchac Lighthouse goes back generations. There have been several generations of lighthouse keepers that actually lived on the lighthouse and raised their families up until the middle of this century. The reason that many of the members of the Lake Maurepas Society are concerned about saving this historic structure is because the foundation is slowing eroding away due to the many years of wave action from Lake Ponchartrain. The lighthouse is starting to list to one side and is in peril of falling into the lake. The "Save the Lighthouse Committee" had several successful fund raisers this past summer and spring and these monies will be used to restore the foundation of the structure. The Lake Maurepas Society has also been in contact with state and federal officials to have them bring in much needed funding as well. Interested parties who would like to contribute to this cause or who would like to know more about the Manchac Lighthouse should contact Ben Taylor, Committee Chairman at 504-542-6266.

Soil Preparation for planting wild flowers Here, Billy Mason plants the wild flower seeds Above, as you can see, we enjoyed great success!

"Wildflower Project" Volunteers of the Lake Maurepas Society recently planted wildflowers along Hwy. 51 near the lake. To the amazment of many of us, the flowers grew and really looked great during the summer. We plan to plant more seeds in the near future to beautify the roadside with flowers.