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Nick Stevens

Biology, MS

Master’s student Nick Stevens is saving Louisiana’s remaining forested wetlands one restoration project at a time.

Nick Stevens

Since earning a bachelor’s in biology from Southeastern—a leader in forested wetland ecology—Nick Stevens has helped engineer several large-scale wetland restoration projects with far-reaching impact, including the 40-acre Sankofa Wetland Park in the Ninth Ward.

His master’s thesis follows up on his undergraduate work to restore a roughly 3,000-acre bald cypress-water tupelo swamp in Lac des Allemands within Barataria, Louisiana.

Action Plan

  • Checked off task, Grow native bald cypress and water tupelo trees from seed in Southeastern’s greenhouse.
  • Checked off task, Publish thesis in Forests, a peer-reviewed forest ecology journal.
  • Checked off task, Work on projects to reconnect the Mississippi River to Maurepas Swamp and restore native habitats.
  • Checked off task, Co-design a patent-pending pot with a nutria extrusion device to keep the swamp rodent from devouring new transplants.
  • Checked off task, Produce a wetland restoration tool for homeowners to remove excess nutrients from their pond habitats.
  • Checked off task, Prevent algae blooms in Lake Pontchartrain by pumping treated sewage into the Hammond assimilation wetland.
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