2012 Map of Bastian Bay

About this map

Bastian Island and the surrounding marshlands of Plaquemines Parish reveal a landscape defined by an intricate network of coastal waterways in the early twenty-first century. This portion of the Mississippi River Delta features a labyrinth of channels including Bayou Huertes, Bayou de Suite, and Bayou Courant, which feed into the larger basins of Bastian Bay and Garden Bay. The terrain is characterized by its fragility, with fragmented landmasses like Lanaux Island situated along the edge of the Gulf of Mexico. The survey illustrates the impact of dredging and canal cutting on the natural hydrology, where straight-line artificial channels intersect the winding paths of Bayou Cook and Bayou Chaland. This map provides a detailed view of the coastal interface before further environmental shifts, documenting the precise position of barrier features and bayous that are central to the region's maritime history and ecosystem.