Dominique Seibert and Mark Shirley

Mention Marsh Maneuvers to any Louisiana 4-H alums who attended this camp over the past 37 years, and most will enthusiastically say that it was the best experience they had during their 4-H career. Marsh Maneuvers is a weeklong camp that brings high school 4-H members to Louisiana’s coast to experience the ecosystem that is so important to the state and the nation. Four sessions of camp are held each July. This year marked the 37th year of this coastal wetland experience.

It began in the summer of 1987 when a young Louisiana Sea Grant (LSG) marine extension agent used his connections to bring the Vermilion 4-H Junior Leader Club to a camp on Vermilion Bay for a few days to enjoy the marsh. Over the next few summers, other 4-H agents wanted to offer the marsh experience to their 4-H members. Eventually, an additional advanced camp was added to highlight the coastal functions and values during winter.

The development and longevity of the program is attributed to the relationship between the LSG and the LSU AgCenter 4-H Youth Development Program. Marine extension agents Mark Shirley, Paul Coreil, Thomas Hymel, Warren Mermilliod and others shared their knowledge and expertise for curriculum content and activities and had connections to agencies and funding sources that make the camps possible. 4-H assisted with the logistics of selection of attendees, transportation and chaperones.

For the first few years, the camps were held at State Wildlife Refuge on Vermilion Bay. That camp became unusable due to storm damage, and Marsh Maneuvers then found a home at the St. Amant Marine Laboratory, a research facility owned by the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) on Grand Terre Island near Grand Isle. LDWF has been a vital partner in making this youth experience possible.

Teaching young people about the dynamic nature of a changing coast while staying on a barrier island for a week provided fond memories for the youths and the staff. The fishing was great, there were plenty of crabs and shrimp to eat, and the history of the island with Fort Livingston and the legions of Jean Lafitte made it all the more interesting and memorable.

Time and storms took their toll on the facility at Grand Terre, so in 2001, Marsh Maneuvers moved to the LDWF Rockefeller Wildlife Refuge in Grand Chenier in Cameron Parish. The move to the Chenier Plain offered opportunities to include marsh management for waterfowl and alligators in the curriculum. Marsh Maneuvers was a permanent fixture on the July calendar of Rockefeller from 2001 to 2019 until hurricanes destroyed the dormitory facilities at the refuge and forced another move. After a break due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the maneuvers resumed at a private camp in Intracoastal City, and in July 2025, Marsh Maneuvers moved to a hunting camp south of Gueydan in Vermilion Parish. Each week, students still make a day trip to Rockefeller Refuge and Avery Island for field activities.

Marsh Maneuvers has been supported by various state and federal agencies. The state Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority has helped immensely with funding. Some private companies have contributed. The McIlhenny Company is among the most notable. For the past 20 years, students have been able to plant marsh grass and play marsh volleyball along Bayou Petite Anse south of Avery Island.

What makes Marsh Maneuvers so special is the unique, challenging and fast-paced experiential learning that participants go through from the time they arrive on Monday afternoon until they head home on Friday morning. They gain knowledge through lectures, demonstrations and hands-on activities. They gain skills by doing things like peeling shrimp that they eat for dinner, catching, cooking and eating crabs, throwing a cast net and dissecting fish. They get to see coastal restoration projects — not on a computer screen, but out on the beach in the hot sun after a bouncy and windy boat ride. Or they get to crawl in the shallow water to plant marsh grass, feel the texture of the mud and accidentally taste the salinity of a splash of marsh water. They also learn the call of a baby alligator or the sound of squawking egrets on a rookery. They learn about coastal wetlands by using all their senses.

The Marsh Maneuvers experience has influenced many students to pursue a college degree and ultimately a career in a field related to the coastal environment. Over the years, many alumni have earned degrees in natural resources conservation, marine science or other fields but with an environmental aspect.

Anna Normand

Anna Normand attended Marsh Maneuvers in 2004. That experience motivated her to earn a B.S. in environmental chemistry at LSU and a Ph.D. in wetland biochemistry from University of Florida. She currently works for the Congressional Research Service at the Library of Congress assisting legislators with development of national water resources policy.

Marsh Dawgs

Dominique Seibert, the AgCenter and LSG marine extension agent in St. Bernard and Plaquemine parishes, attended Marsh Maneuvers in 1999 at Grand Terre. Those few days contributed to her decision to get her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in marine science. She worked for the United States Coast Guard and LDWF as a fisheries biologist before joining the Louisiana Sea Grant family in 2017. She added to the Marsh Maneuvers legacy by creating her own environmental camp called Marsh Dawgs. Like its predecessor, Marsh Dawgs offers hands-on learning experiences in the marshes and bayous in southeast Louisiana. Seibert’s Marsh Dawgs program was a direct result of her experience with Marsh Maneuvers. These unique camps provide youth with an exceptional coastal experience and will hopefully encourage the next generation of marine scientists.

Dominique Seibert is an extension agent for the LSU AgCenter and Louisiana Sea Grant in Plaquemines and St. Bernard parishes. Mark Shirley retired in 2025 after 41 years as an extension agent for the LSU AgCenter and Louisiana Sea Grant. He remains involved as a Sea Grant Scholar.

This article appears in the fall 2025 issue of Louisiana Agriculture.

Marsh Maneuvers participants ride in an airboat in a marsh. LSU AgCenter file photo

Marsh Maneuvers participants harvest reeds from a marsh. LSU AgCenter file photo

Mark Shirley watches while a Marsh Maneuvers participant learns to cast a net. LSU AgCenter file photo