Acadia Power Prairie
Cleco Power initiated the restoration of land in Eunice, La., as Cajun prairie that not only recreates an endangered eco-system, but creates a link for area residents to their historical roots.
The Cajun prairie is named after the exiled Acadian settlers from Nova Scotia who settled in southwestern Louisiana and is extremely rare. Approximately 2.5 million acres of Cajun and coastal prairie existed in the late 1800s.
Today, less than one percent of prairie remains intact. The remaining 200 acres are fragmented parcels and found mostly on narrow strips of land adjoining railroad tracks. Working together, Cleco Power, Acadia Power Partners LLC and the Cajun Prairie Habitat Preservation Society restored a 14-acre site as Cajun prairie on property near Acadia Power Plant used as a material staging area during the construction of the plant. Acadia Power Partners employees prepared the site in the fall of 2003 for planting.
Volunteers from the power plant, members from the society (Texas and Louisiana), biology students from Eunice High School and workers from AmeriCorps planted the site with native grasses.
As the prairie matures, it will become an attraction for residents and tourists interested in the state's natural attractions and resources.
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