News release Public Information Office  SLU 10880   Hammond, LA 70402   phone: 985-549-2341   fax: 985-549-2061 publicinfo@selu.edu summer 05 news releases Public Information home News archive Contact: Christina Chapple Date: 12/20/05   SOUTHEASTERN ROUNDING UP CHRISTMAS TREES FOR MARSH RESTORATION        HAMMOND – Taking the time to haul your Christmas tree to a recycling site after it has done its decorating duty will turn an annual disposal chore into a good deed, according to Mars Stouder, marsh restoration coordinator for Southeastern Louisiana University’s Turtle Cove Environmental Research Station.         The tree that brightened your holidays can help rebuild fragile marsh areas that were battered by Louisiana’s catastrophic hurricanes, said Stouder, who heads Turtle Cove’s annual Christmas tree collection program.         Stouder said that with the assistance of the city of Hammond and Waste Management, tree collection sites have been established this year at Hammond’s old recycling center on West Coleman Ave. and at Ponchatoula High School and Sumner High School in Kentwood. Trees will be accepted from Jan. 1-7, he said.         “We really appreciate the support from the schools,” he said. “The teachers have been encouraging their students to participate in the recycling project. We also want to thank (city streets superintendent) Buddy Rigdel, who has been a big help in Hammond.”        “We lose a lot of marsh every time a storm comes in,” Stouder said. “Every year thousands of Christmas trees are discarded in landfills where they take up valuable space and serve no purpose. If these trees are brought to one of the collection sites, they will be used to protect our coast and our wetland areas. The trees also help fight erosion and establish animal habitats extremely well.”        Southeastern has been participating in a Louisiana Department of Natural Resources Christmas tree marsh restoration project since 1992. Approximately 4,000 trees annually are placed in the Pass Manchac area in locations such as Jones Island and the Prairie.         The trees are used to construct brush fences that reduce wave energies and allow the capture of suspended sediment. Stouder said the trees are also useful in the preservation and enhancement of habitat for wetland animals such as ducks.        “We can only accept real trees without flocking, plastic wrapping or ornaments,” he said. “Please bring your trees where they will do a great service for us all and keep them out of the already crowded landfill.”