The South Louisiana Wetlands Discovery Center will host Terrebonne Parish’s 10th annual World Wetlands Day celebration on from 8:45 am to 3:15 pm on Friday, February 1, 2019, at the Bayou Terrebonne Waterlife Museum in Downtown Houma.

Each February, government agencies, non-governmental organizations, and groups of citizens worldwide undertake actions aimed at raising public awareness of wetland values and benefits in general.

Organized by the Convention of Wetlands, World Wetlands Day celebrates the importance of our wetland ecosystems with this year’s theme: Wetlands and Climate Change. With our waters warming and sea levels rising, the frequency of natural disasters has quickly increased. Many of these disasters include devastating storm surges and flooding, impacting many people around the globe. Wetland areas are able to lessen some of these impacts by reducing the intensity of storm surges and absorbing excess rainfall, preventing disastrous flooding. Over the last century, these wetland areas have faced many threats. Studies have found at least 64% of our global coastal wetlands have been lost since 1900. The protection and restoration of the wetlands are crucial for reducing the damage caused by extreme climate change related weather events.

To celebrate World Wetlands Day, the Wetlands Discovery Center will host an educational event complete with hands-on activities and a tour of the Bayou Terrebonne Waterlife Museum in Downtown Houma. School visits will begin at 8:45 am, and the event will be open to the public from 2:30 to 3:15 pm.

World Wetlands Day gives the Wetlands Discovery Center an opportunity to give back to our community by inviting students to attend this field trip free of charge. The center works hard during the year to raise the funds to be able to produce these programs. Several groups that partner with the center to provide the hands-on activities during the day. These groups include BTNEP, LSU Wildlife Hospital of LA, CWPPRA, USDA Sugarcane Research Station, and Restore or Retreat.

Terrebonne Parish’s 2019 World Wetlands Day is made possible by funds raised by the 2018 Rougarou Fest.

For more information about the Wetlands Discovery Center or its programs, please visit slwdc.org or call 985-580-7289.