A patch of once-vacant land along the northern edge of the Lower Ninth Ward has become a 40-acre wetland drawing more than 100 species of birds, along with reptiles, amphibians, beavers and otters. The site, now known as Sankofa Wetland Park and Nature Trail, sits at 6401 Florida Avenue and is the product of nearly a decade of work by Sankofa Community Development Corporation, a nonprofit founded by Rashida Ferdinand in 2008.
Sankofa CDC entered into a partnership with the City of New Orleans in 2017 to develop the 40-acre plot, according to Audubon. The nonprofit gained the rights to transform the land through a Cooperative Endeavor Agreement that same year, per a Sankofa CDC project history, though the city retained ownership of the land throughout, as reported by NOLA.com. The project restores land adjacent to the Bayou Bienvenue Triangle into bald cypress-water tupelo wetland habitat, according to Sankofa's own project page.
Native Trees Replace Decades of Buried Trash
The restoration work has not been simple excavation and planting. Crews uncovered more than 27,000 cubic meters of trash buried underground, which required special equipment to remove and pushed back the project's timeline, Audubon reports. Despite that setback, more than 500 bald cypress and water tupelo trees — species chosen for their ability to withstand heavy storm winds — along with 1,000 herbaceous plants have been planted throughout the park, per the same Audubon account.
Sankofa's own project page, updated this past summer, offers a more specific tally: more than 300 bald cypress and 200 herbaceous trees installed, alongside the removal of more than 1,000 invasive tallow trees. According to a news release cited by WGNO, the restoration also includes native trees, trails and a retention pond. The park's bioretention ponds are designed to retain up to 8,000,000 gallons of water, a capacity confirmed on the same Sankofa project page.
Ponds Built to Hold Back the Next Storm
The ponds running the length of the park aren't just scenery. They're engineered to retain excess rainwater during storms, giving the park a flood-mitigation role alongside its habitat value, Audubon notes. Wetland researcher Robert Lane told NOLA.com that the park would act as a reservoir for the water, a function that could matter in a part of the city still defined by its flood history.
The payoff for wildlife has been dramatic. Over the five years before Audubon's reporting, the park became a hotspot for New Orleans's birding community, and a separate account from Ceramics Monthly describes diverse bird, mammal, reptile, fish and insect species returning to the site.
Founder Frames Restoration as Community Legacy
Ferdinand, who serves as founder and executive director of Sankofa Community Development Corporation, has tied the ecological work to the neighborhood's identity. Per the news release cited by WGNO, Ferdinand said, “The wetlands of the Lower Ninth Ward are part of our community's story, and caring for them is part of our future.” She also invited neighbors, families and young people to help protect the wetlands for generations, according to the same release.
Completion timelines for the full 40 acres have shifted over the life of the project. Ceramics Monthly reported in 2022 that the park was projected to be completed by the end of that year, while Audubon's account describes the park as slated for completion in fall 2025 with an outdoor amphitheater and more trails. Sankofa's own 2026 project history states the nonprofit is projected to have all 40 acres completed by 2026. The dossier does not resolve which timeline reflects the current status of the build-out.
What's documented is the transformation already underway on land that sat vacant for years along the Lower Ninth Ward's edge. Sankofa Community Development Corporation has restored the 40-acre site into a landscape where otters and beavers now share space with a growing list of bird species, turning a once-overlooked lot into one of the city's newer destinations for nature and storm resilience alike.
