Ribbon Cutting for Bayou Greenbelt Pollinator Garden

A new pollinator garden along Contraband Bayou at Henning SEED Center is bringing environmental stewardship, community partnership and the vision of Just Imagine SWLA's Bayou Greenbelt to life. Following the garden's planting in October, community partners will gather Thursday, November 12, for a ribbon-cutting celebrating the new space and the collaboration that made it possible.

Funded by a grant from Phillips 66 to the Community Foundation of Southwest Louisiana, the garden was made possible through the Foundation's ability to bring partners together and facilitate the project from funding to planting.

The collaborative effort brought together the Community Foundation, McNeese State University, Louisiana Master Gardeners, Louisiana Master Naturalists, Diggers & Weeders Garden Club, and the Garden Club of Lake Charles to create the new space.

The garden features over 20 species of native plants, shrubs, and trees, along with sculptures by local artist and McNeese professor Kenneth Baskin and benches overlooking the garden and Contraband Bayou. Beyond creating habitat for pollinators, the space will give people an opportunity to experience and connect with the natural environment.