Dune Grass Planting

Grand Isle, LA

Thursday, November 20, 2025

9:00 AM – 3:00 PM

CRCL welcomes you to join us in Jefferon Parish for a dune grass planting! Grand Isle, Louisiana’s last remaining inhabited barrier island, bore the brunt of Hurricane Ida and was devastated by the Category 4 storm. Tidal surge pushed water over the island’s southern levee and breached in more than a dozen locations, contributing to the  catastrophic level of damage the island sustained.

With your help, CRCL will plant 25,000 bitter panicum stems along a 2-mile stretch of Grand Isle beach.The plants’ leaves and roots will help retain sand in place, dune development, limiting future erosion and providing important habitat for nesting shorebirds.

Not sure what to expect? Watch this short video!

Registration: 

• Everyone must sign our release and waiver of rights upon registration. Volunteers 17 years old and younger must have a parent or guardian complete the registration on their behalf.

• Please note the minimum age for volunteers is 10. Minors are required to have a waiver signed by a parent or legal guardian and must be accompanied by an adult.

• If you register and later discover you are unable to attend, please notify by email at volunteers@crcl.org so another volunteer can take your slot.

Communications:

• Please be sure to provide a good email address during registration. This is the address that will be used to communicate any last-minute event details.

• Registered volunteers will receive an additional email 2 to 3 days prior to the event with SPECIFIC driving directions and additional event details. If it is the day before the event and you have not received this email, check your spam folder. If it is not there, email volunteers@crcl.org.

• The event location will differ each day, and will only be shared with registered volunteers. 

Day-of Logistics & Safety:

• We will begin with an intro speech and logistics discussion at 9:00am. Please arrive promptly.

• Water, lunch, and all necessary equipment (including work gloves, sunscreen, bug spray, etc.) will be provided to volunteers. Please bring a reusable water bottle to cut down on plastic waste.

• Volunteers MUST wear closed-toed shoes. CRCL will provide boots on a first-come, first-served basis. You will be walking through muddy terrain, we recommend bringing a change of clothes.

• If you have a severe allergy or dietary restriction, please email sofia.giordano@crcl.org, and we will do our best to accommodate you. We are currently unable to accommodate gluten-free volunteers. If you are gluten-free, please bring a lunch. If you have a severe allergy that requires an EpiPen, please be sure to bring it with you.

• CRCL staff members are Wilderness First Aid-certified. If you get injured during any activity, please report it to a CRCL staff member immediately.

• If you are interested in carpooling, please post to our carpool board. If you can offer a ride, please include the capacity of your vehicle, departure and return times, and where you are driving from. Please carpool at your own risk and discretion.

• If you require verification of your service, please email volunteers@crcl.org following the event.

• What to bring:

  • Reusable water bottle

  • Closed-toed shoes

Volunteering on our coast is a wonderful way to spend a day and we would like to ensure that everyone gets a chance to have a great experience. We require that all volunteers please register to let us know if you plan to attend.

• If any additional members of your family/friends are attending, then they must also register.

• If, after registering, you find you are unable to attend, please notify us of your cancellation.

• If you are interested in bringing a group, please email volunteers@crcl.org, and we will do our best to accommodate you.

For inquiries about any of the above, you can contact us at volunteers@crcl.org