Research Activities
Research activities are ongoing at Turtle Cove as Southeastern professors and graduate students take advantage of the various wetlands easily accessed via Turtle Cove boats and the boardwalks surrounding the Turtle Cove lodge.
For example, Gary Shaffer (pictured right) is measuring how to regrow marsh and swamps using wastewater effluent from local municipalities. He has evaluated the effects of river diversions and has an article in press explaining how much of the Katrina flooding could have been avoided if the levees were lined with natural wetlands. He tracks the health of the basin by measuring tree diameter, water salinity, and tree litter.
Kyle Piller, with funding from the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation, created an index of the fishes in the Lake Pontchartrain Basin.
Janice Bossart is creating an index of biological integrity that includes benthic invertebrates, sediment microbial, and water chemistry. In other words, she's collecting bugs, soil, and water to test the health of the Lake Pontchartrain Basin.
Recent Projects
Backyard Wonders produced by the Southeastern Channel
The Lakes of Pontchartrain by Robert Hastings
Backdoor to the Gulf by Al Dranguet and Roman Heleniak
The History of Turtle Cove by Robert Hastings (PDF)