Due to the mild winter we are having, the wood duck nesting is in full swing earlier than usual. At Bayou Teche mile marker 29.2, we have a successful brood with the hen already nesting. We will be counting down the 28 days it takes in anticipation for jump day. A camera will keep a close eye on the process. We also have a second nest box with a sitting hen and a third still in the laying stage. To make things even more interesting, we have a pair of blue birds in the investigation stage for our blue bird nest box right next to our wood duck nest box. Follow us on Instagram for pictures on this exciting time!

Local historian Shane K. Bernard will speak about the Civil War on Bayou Teche on Wednesday, February 17, at 5:30 pm, at the Sliman Theatre for the Performing Arts in downtown New Iberia. Admission is free, but please call (337) 519-5873 to make reservations.

Bernard’s lecture draws from one of the chapters in his forthcoming book, Teche: A History of Louisiana’s Most Famous Bayou, to be released in November this year by the University Press of Mississippi.

The event is co-sponsored by the Bayou Teche Museum and the Iberia Cultural Resources Association.

St. Bernard Catholic School in Breaux Bridge has once again chosen the TECHE Project as their beneficiary of their semi-annual Chick-fil-A night fundraiser on February 25 on Louisiana Avenue in Lafayette.  The school paddle club will host this event.  A portion of the proceeds go to the TECHE Project for anyone who eats dinner at this Chick-fil-A location on February 25, from 5:00pm – 8:00pm. The proceeds are intending to go to the Breaux Bridge Trailhead.  We hope to see you all out there.

Join us for our annual membership banquet where we will gather to celebrate a great 2015. Together we accomplished so much, from the new floating kayak dock to the National Water Trail designation. We will have live music, food, Bayou Teche beer and wine. We will also have a great talk about the work that the Projet Nouvelle-Acadie/New Acadia Project is doing! We hope to see you all there. Bring a friend or bring the whole family you’re sure to have a great time. If you are not a member you can become one HERE or you can join at the event. Thank you for helping us make the Bayou Teche a cleaner and healthier place for generations to come!

All of us at the TECHE Project are proud to announce the newest member to our council. Magen Smith has lived walking distance to the Teche as she moved from Charenton to Loreauville and finally settled in New Iberia. She fell in love with the waterway as she began kayaking along it’s bank and noticing the variations from town to town. Today she is a CPA and operates her business from home so she can paddle as much as possible. Magen is also a board member of Iberia On Tap and works on the committee for the Acadiana Dragon Boat Festival which is held on the Bayou Teche in New Iberia. You can often find Magen kayaking with her husband and 2 kids. She will be a great asset to all those who live in Iberia and St.Mary Parishes! Welcome aboard!!

The TECHE Project’s Wildlife Management Workshop will take place at the new Lions Club facility (150 VFW St.) in Port Barre, from 9:30 am to Noon on Saturday, January 9, 2016.  It is being held just in time to get your nest boxes installed for the spring wood duck and blue bird nesting seasons!  If you’re interested in obtaining and/or managing your own nest box or if you just want to come learn a little about wood duck and eastern blue bird ecology then this workshop is for you.  The workshop will start with a general ecology discussion of eastern blue birds and wood ducks by Patti Holland, Council Member and retired biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.  Council Member Brent Miller and daughter, Adeline will discuss their first-hand experiences from many years of rearing wood ducks on the banks of the Teche.  The Miller’s will have some of the ducks they’ve raised so that you can get an up-close, live experience of these beautiful birds.  Additionally, there will be tips on how to manage your property to deter nuisance wildlife such as nutria.  Both wood duck and blue bird boxes will be available for purchase, and if you live along Bayou Teche, you can get a free Paddle Trail Sign for your wood duck box displaying the mileage of your spot on the bayou!  Patti Holland says, “This workshop is a great opportunity for those living near Bayou Teche to be part of the ecological improvement of the watershed while at the same time enjoying the fruits of your labor as young birds emerge from their boxes.”

Bayou Teche property owners are the target audience, but anyone who is interested in raising wood ducks or eastern blue birds will benefit from this workshop.  TECHE Project Members get in free, and for non-members, the charge is $10, but you get a discounted membership to the TECHE Project along with that fee.

Free of charge; recyclable electronics, prescription drug take back, and document shredding capabilities will be provided to the residents and businesses of St. Martin Parish on Saturday, January 16, 2016. Just in time to get rid of old electronics and set up new ones that Santa dropped off!

Saturday, January 16, 2016 (Day After Arbor Day) from 8:00 a.m. until 12:00 p.m. recycling collection will take place at St. Martin Parish’s Public Safety Complex Building, located in the middle of St. Martin Parish. Physical address 4870 Main Highway, St. Martinville, corner of Hwy 31 and Cypress Island Extension. Electronics collected will be refurbished by CACRC and given to those who need. Electronic items that will NOT be accepted are; appliances, CRT’s, copiers, televisions, and furniture. For a list of accepted items please contact Holli B. Guilbeau with St. Martin Parish Government.

St. Martin Sheriffs Office will take old prescription drugs to dispose of property. Taking back these prescription drugs support prevention of pill abuse and theft by ridding homes of potentially dangerous expired, unused and unwanted prescription drugs. This service is free and anonymous, no questions asked.

In addition to electronic recycling and prescription drug disposal, St. Martin Parish can also offer a convenient solution for responsible waste management through Skip bins cairns. These skip bins provide an efficient way for residents and businesses to dispose of their non-recyclable items and general waste, ensuring a clean and clutter-free environment. By promoting the use of skip bins, St. Martin Parish can encourage everyone to participate actively in waste reduction efforts, contributing to a greener and healthier community.

St. Martin Library, with director Charlar Brew, will run document shredding on site. Shredding will take place from 9:00 a.m. until 11:00 a.m. Paper documents will be shredded in front of you to insure disregarding of important documents.

Please take full advantage of this Parish wide service in disposing of a variety of materials properly. If you have any questions or concerns, or would like a list of electronics that can and cannot be accepted please contact Holli B. Guilbeau, Project Front Yard Leader for St. Martin Parish at 337-394-4798 or email  hguilbeau@stmartinparish.net.

Visit https://www.facebook.com/projectfrontyardstmartinparish  or www.projectfrontyard.com to see more about Project Front Yard.

Volunteers work to remove 1,500 lbs. from the Bayou Teche Paddle Trail during this years fall Trash Bash and Boogie.

This weekend was another home run for the TECHE Project. At this years fall Trash Bash and Boogie, the TECHE Project partnered with Leave No Trace, Keep Louisiana Beautiful, and Bayou Teche Brewing and despite the fear of rain, we were able attract 25 volunteers who helped remove approximately 1,500 pounds of garbage from the Bayou Teche Paddle Trail; including 15 misc. bags of trash, 3 bicycles, 1 motorized dirt bike, 1 kitchen sink, and other large objects that lined the banks of the Bayou Teche in Arnaudville from Myran’s to just south of Bayou Teche Brewery.  After the cleanup volunteers were treated to free live music, food, and drinks. We want to thank everyone who came out and supported the TECHE Project to make the Bayou Teche a cleaner and safer place to live, work, and play. If you are interested in supporting the TECHE Project please visit our website www.techeproject.org or contact Dane Thibodeaux at techeproject@gmail.com

Three bikes, a dirt bike, even the kitchen sink was removed from the Bayou Teche during the Trash Bash and Boogie.

We want to send a huge thanks to all of those who supported the TECHE Project’s Trash Bash and Boogie; Bayou Teche Brewery, Leave No Trace, Keep Louisiana Beautiful, Bayou Teche Experience, St. Martin Parish Government, Project Front Yard-St. Martin, Whole Foods, Pack and Paddle, Tractor Supply Co., Aqua-Tech Services, The Silver Slipper, and all the volunteers who gave up their rainy Saturday to come enjoy the beauty of the Bayou Teche.

Thanks for making our Bayou great,

Dane Thibodeaux

Bayou Operations Coordinator

TECHE Project

A little rain never hurt anyone.. The fall Trash Bash and Boogie presented by the TECHE Project is still going on. We have plenty of covered area for you to come and boogie down to live music all day in case of an early rain shower. There is a possibility that we may have to move the trash pick up to a earlier time or later date, but we will still have plenty of food, live music, and beer! We hope that you come out and hang out with  the TECHE Project, Leave No Trace, Keep Louisiana Beautiful and Bayou Teche Brewery!

(ARNAUDVILLE, La)The TECHE Project, Leave No Trace, Keep Louisiana Beautiful and Bayou Teche Brewery are joining to produce the fall Trash Bash and Boogie, Halloween Edition, at the brewery in Arnaudville, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., this Saturday, Oct. 31.
It’s a free event – although donations are welcome – mixing entertainment, refreshments and elbow grease for the purpose of beautifying Bayou Teche.

Volunteers bring a boatload of trash pulled from Bayou Teche into New Iberia’s City Park. Saturday’s Trash Bash and Boogie will concentrate on the bayou near Arnaudville.

The scenic and popular Bayou Teche Paddle Trail has experienced an increase in trail users in recent years. Impacts of excessive trash and invasive species along the waterway are a primary concern for the environment and burgeoning low-impact recreation economy. The TECHE Project volunteer organization has worked to remove over 50 tons of garbage and invasive species since 2009. In January of 2015 the Bayou Teche was designated as a National Water Trail under the U.S. Department of the Interior and National Park Service.

“As the mangers of the Bayou Teche Paddle Trail, we are thrilled to work with the Subaru/Leave No Trace Traveling Trainers to engage our community about responsible outdoor recreation on Bayou Teche,” said Dane Thibodeaux, Bayou Operations coordinator the TECHE Project.
“Working with the national leader in outdoor ethics and education highlights the importance of a National Water Trail in our community and our economy,” Thibodeaux said.
Operating from Bayou Teche Brewery, 1106 Bushville Hwy, volunteers will clean up the bayou from 9 a.m. to around 12:30 p.m. The first 50 volunteers who show up will receive a free T-shirt and all volunteers will receive a free lunch and two free drinks of choice.
The TECHE Project will provide canoes, gloves, trash pickers, and water. Motorized boats should use the Leonville Boat Launch.

Volunteers will return the brewery at the end of the cleanup to join the kayak demonstrations, paddle workshops 1-3 p.m. Experience multiple kayaks, canoes, and SUPs with Pack and Paddle and learn proper techniques plus paddle safety with Cajun Paddle.
Live music will be provided by Diego Martin-Perez, 10 a.m.-noon; Spencer Nezat, noon-3 p.m.; and Horace Trahan and the Ossun Express, 3-6 p.m.
Prizes will be given for the Spookiest Trash pulled out of the bayou and Most Original Costume.

For more information, contact Dane Thibodeaux (337) 654-3012, techeproject@gmail.com.

Thank you Ken Grissom and The Teche News for always being there for us to spread the word.

http://www.techetoday.com/news-local/bayou-bash-and-boogie