Treehouse-like viewing platform opens on Metairie's lakefront
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The Bird's Nest Learning Pavilion is at Bucktown Harbor in Metairie. It has stairs and an elevator. Photo: Carlie Kollath Wells/Axios
Officials will open the two-story Bird's Nest Learning Pavilion to the public Wednesday morning at the Bucktown Harbor.
Why it matters: The whimsical metal viewing platform is part of a $15M+ overhaul of Jefferson Parish's lakefront from Bucktown Harbor to Bonnabel Park.
The big picture: The multi-year project focuses on increasing recreational access to Lake Pontchartrain while making the levee more resistant to storms, Jefferson Parish councilwoman Jennifer Van Vrancken tells Axios.
- "The lake is a resource, but we've largely been walled off from it," she said.
- One of the goals is to make the lake feel like an extended backyard for residents.
Between the lines: An ulterior motive, she says, is making Jefferson Parish more attractive to young families.
- Recent census figures show the parish is getting older, a trend many other communities are seeing as well.
State of play: The Bird's Nest will be open during daylight hours, Van Vrancken says.
- The Bucktown Boardwalk is nearby, and visitors can walk along the path to see the wetlands up close.
- A living shoreline is under construction too. Two bridges have already been installed along with nine rock jetties that create an additional "speed bump" for storms and waves, Van Vrancken says.
Zoom in: It's the first time a living shoreline has been used to protect a federal levee, NOAA says, and is seen as an experiment for other levees in metro New Orleans.
- Workers will pump in sediment to fill 22 acres to create marshland between the jetties and the levee.
- The parish is setting up a live camera feed so people can watch the process, Van Vrancken says.
By the numbers: The funding comes from federal, state and local sources, including the National Park Service, NOAA, Louisiana State Parks and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.
What's next: The parish plans to open a paddle canal this summer as part of the living shoreline.
- It will be a protected area for non-motorized crafts, like kayaks and stand-up paddle boards, to launch and navigate from Bucktown to the Bonnabel boat launch.
- Plus, there's a large playground called Shrimp Boat Hill in the works along with a two-story pavilion for hosting community events.
- The longterm project includes updating the harbor to make it easier for boaters to visit by adding transient slips and a fuel dock.
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