Organizers and local volunteers gathered at Devil’s Pond in New Iberia City Park to help with some much needed restoration to the area Saturday morning.

“Partners in Preservation,” a project spearheaded by the Bayou Vermilion Preservation Association in collaboration with the Acadiana Native Plant Project, TreesAcadiana, TECHE Project, Bayou Vermilion District, Society of Wetlands Scientists and Soil and Water Conservation districts teamed up to help with planting in the Devil’s Pond area.

The free workshop focused on stormwater management, water quality, enhancing the beauty of natural areas and conservation of banklines through the use of native plants.

“Devil’s Pond needed a little help, we dredged the pond last year and this is the next step,” Mayor Freddie DeCourt said at the event. “We have a good partnership with UL and a whole lot of community folks so it’s a good event.”

Horticulturist Jim Foret said too many ducks as well as too many using the Devil’s Pond area has led to decreased vegetation and life in the area. Although Foret said these were good problems for a park to have, growing extra vegetation was a good step to supply more life in the area.

“When people walk on this all the time every foot is compacting that soil,” Foret said. “When you compact the soil you make it less able tos support life. The trees really look sad, they don’t have a lot of leaves on them, it’s just a bad situation.”

Volunteers worked from 9 to 11 a.m. to put plants in and around the pond to hopefully alleviate that problem.

“You have this soil ecosystem going on, and we’re whacking that,” Foret said. “It’s a desert, it can hardly grow anything. The ducks would leave if there weren’t any corn being thrown on the ground because there’s not a whole lot here for them.”

Organizer Ariel Dauzart said she hoped those attending would use the knowledge at the workshop and carry it forward in the community.

“Take that knowledge where you’re getting today because it’s your job as people who care about this beautiful area and teach other people,” she said.