New Orleans City Park, a 1300 acre green space in the heart of New Orleans, is home to the worlds largest collection of mature Live Oaks trees; some as old as 600 years. Within the park, the Scout Island-Couturie Forest natural area, contains 62 acres that have traditionally been used as a bird watching and wilderness area. Local and regional bird enthusiasts have long-considered this wild area a hidden gem. After Hurricane Katrina, a master plan was developed to restore the native bottom-land forest and to incorporate a native, open prairie landscape, enhancing biodiversity and more easily managing invasive species that proliferated after the storm. The prairie meadows are designed to be maintained by the use of annual controlled burns: a natural necessary aspect of the Gulf Coastal Grassland landscape. Pastorek Habitats worked closely with the Mossop-Michaels Landscape Architects, providing design strategies and facilitating all plant materials and construction work to begin the process of natural succession on this unique 24 acre meadow site, leaving it open to evolution. Pastorek Habitats has managed the site since its inception, in 2009.