Environmental Atlas of the Lake Pontchartrain Basin

The story of Lake Pontchartrain and its surrounding Basin is a fascinating
saga. Created at the end of the last Ice Age, this estuary is much more than
just a magnificent natural resource. It has provided humans with sources of
food, as well as a means of communication, transportation and commerce. These
and a host of other benefits have supported the growth of New Orleans and the
surrounding communities.

Today, the 1632 km2 (630 mi2) Lake Pontchartrain is the centerpiece of the
12,173 km2 (4,700 mi2) Pontchartrain drainage basin or watershed. The Basin
encompasses land in 16 Louisiana parishes and 4 Mississippi counties. This vast
ecological system includes lakes, rivers, bayous, forest, swamps and marshes.
It is habitat for countless species of fish, birds, mammals, reptiles and
plants. It is also the most densely populated portion of Louisiana with almost
1.5 million people residing immediately around the Lake.

The history of the environmental quality of the Pontchartrain Basin
demonstrates that no resource should be taken for granted or exploited. As the
population grew in the Twentieth Century, use and, unfortunately, abuse of this
nationally important estuary also grew. By the second half of the Twentieth
Century, Pontchartrain's environmental quality had deteriorated to a point that
many believed unrecoverable.

Responsibility and stewardship are necessary for natural resource protection,
restoration and preservation. Recognizing these needs, area citizens began the
SAVE OUR LAKE movement that led to the creation of the Lake Pontchartrain Basin
Foundation in 1989. The Foundation's mission is to coordinate the overall
restoration and preservation of the entire Lake Pontchartrain Basin ecosystem.
The Environmental Atlas of the Lake Pontchartrain Basin will become one of our
tools to help accomplish that mission.

The Environmental Atlas of the Lake Pontchartrain Basin is more than a summary
of Pontchartrain's ecology. It presents information about geology, land cover,
types of shorelines, biological resources, flow patterns, significant storms,
growth trends and more. This Atlas is more of a directory to the Basin's
environment. Hopefully, it will become an easily understandable reference for
students and the public as well as a readily used source for professionals.

[Summary provided by the USGS.]