Congratulations to Peg Ramier and Brian Erberich for getting their 21-acre property gold certified by the Louisiana Certified Habitat program. Their property, which is located near Arnaudville, is in the process of restoring itself as a prairie and forest from pasture land. Peg’s mother remembers seeing cattle grazing the site when she visited about 80 years ago.
The soils have a high clay content, and most of the property is now covered in forest. Large trees such as Loblolly Pine, Water Oak, Hackberry, and Red Cedar dominate the vegetation of this forest. Wax Myrtle, Roughleaf Dogwood, and Deciduous Holly are also ubiquitous, especially along the forest edges. A large coulee drains the site after rain events, but even during long periods between rains, the coulee bottom remains damp. A shallow pond on their property contains water for about 10 months during the year.
Peg and Brian plan to continue restoring the property by adding native plants; their goal is to increase plant diversity on the site. They are also restoring a house recently moved to the property. They hope to move into this restored home in the near future to enjoy the fruits of their labor.