An information kiosk of the Bayou Teche is revealed during a ribbon cutting event for a new kayak dock in Jeanerette.

JEANERETTE — Jeanerette officials and TECHE Project members celebrated the opening of the kayak launch and information kiosk in Jeanerette Tuesday morning.

The dock is just one of many that have been installed by the TECHE Project over the years. Member Patti Holland said the goal is to install one in all 15 towns on the Bayou Teche so kayakers will have a clear trail all the way through the national waterway.

The project came thanks to a federal grant with the Recreational Trails Program that is administered through state parks.

“This was a partnership with the town of Jeanerette and Iberia Parish Government,” Holland said.

Holland said the launches are often used by kayakers for group events, and fishermen and boaters also make use of the structures wherever they are put.

Mayor Carol Bourgeois Jr. said the dock will be a boon for the town in attracting tourism.

“It’s certainly an influence in our ambitions to attract tourism in Jeanerette and I expect good utilization of it,” Bourgeois said. “The Bayou Teche was a serious resource for the development of this community, and we’ll see good utilization of this dock for future generations.”

The TECHE Project tasks itself with the mission of promoting and maintaining the Bayou Teche, Louisiana’s only nationally designated water trail, as well as developing low-impact recreation that will hopefully attract more people to the historic site.

As planned, the Bayou Teche Paddle trail will have a total of 15 official access points for paddle trips, as short as seven miles and as long as 130 miles. Information kiosks with maps and community stories are also part of the infrastructure at each site, funded in part by a $46,000 grant from the Atchafalaya Trace Commission.