ELMER’S ISLAND, La. -- Ten Marines from Marine Forces Reserve volunteered to install sand fencing along the coast of Elmer’s Island beach April 16, 2010, helping to protect over 5,000 plants that are in danger of washing away during the next big storm.
The Marines along with high school students from Massachusetts and other volunteers participated in the Elmer’s Island Dune Restoration Project to accelerate the creation of sand dunes.
Sand dunes are hills of sand that occur when the wind and the waves pushes sand onto the beach. Rebuilding the shorelines serve as the first line of defense to protect wildlife habitats and encroachment of sand into inhabited land.