Beth and Rusty Ferguson - Gold Level Louisiana Certified Habitat - Cameron Parish

ANPP congratulates Beth and Rusty Ferguson for achieving gold, and Suzanne

and Randall McFatter for upgrading to gold down in Cameron Parish!

Beth and Suzanne are sisters living next door to each other on multigenerational

family land, and are doing their part promoting native plants in this crucial part of

the state. We certified Suzanne and Randall’s property as silver back in

December, and swung by to take a quick look at their additions (and upgrade to

gold) before heading over to Beth and Rusty’s 100 acres to wander in the

orchards, pastures, pond, woods, and wetlands. Both of these properties are rural

lands that provide food, habitat, and enjoyment.

The 100 acre plot was once rice fields, but has been converted into orchards

containing native pecans, mayhaws, persimmons, blackberries, and other fruits.

Heading south on the property, former rice fields have been converted into

pasture that transitions into woodlands with paths winding through them that get

marshier as you go.

The Fergusons originally applied for silver, but once we were in the woods, that

have been planted and maintained as wildlife habitat with a healthy deer

population, more and more hidden native treasures appeared, easily putting the

property over the 75-species threshold.

The McFatters and the Fergusons both have stories of weathering storms and

resilience that come with living in Cameron Parish. They’ve lost countless trees

since Hurricanes Rita and Laura, but looking at their property in 2026, you can

see the resilience of the land. The McFatters notably have a large stump of a

dead tree they left standing, put a birdhouse on it, and planted mamou and other

natives around it, as it is habitat for all kinds of critters.