Oil spill approaching shoreline of the gulf states

I noticed with interest that the off-shore oil rig disaster 40 miles beyond Louisiana's shoreline was the lead story on the NBC evening news this evening. This disaster, with the potential to have far reaching ecological and political consequences, has a lot of people down here nervously watching to see how it will play out over the next few days as the oil spill area spreads. The aftermath of the fiery explosion on an off-shore oil rig that resulted in several deaths, has the potential to severely impact the already fragile wetland region of Louisiana and the coastal regions of several gulf states, affecting not only wildlife, but seafood, tourism, and other industries that our economy depends on. Here is the report on this disaster from our local paper. The report contains a video about midway into the article as well, that includes a clip from Motivatit Seafoods owner Mike Voisin, a fellow Latter-day Saint who I spent some time on Sunday with.

Here is a Facebook comment from Richard Stancliffe, a member of our New Orleans Stake Presidency who works for the oil industry, and who is also an avid bird watcher, "The disaster of the Transocean Deepwater Horizon rig will have political and environmental repercussions that will impact the industry for years to come. Forget about all the OCS acreage Obama opened up last week...the window of that opportunity just closed."

Discovering the wetlands of Louisiana

Christmas 2007, Judy bought me a 9' kayak and put it under the Christmas Tree (actually in the garage). It was probably the biggest Christmas present I ever got. For several months, about the only place I ventured with the kayak was in a body of water in the back of our gated community, which, by the way, is called "The Lakes." Our so-called "lake" is small, only about 1/5 of a mile in length and shaped like a long-neck vase, but adequate to navigate a small kayak.

Within the past few months, I have started to venture out, trying out canals, bayous, waterways, and wetlands in the area. I have discovered a whole new world down here in southern Louisiana, and have really gotten the bug to continue to explore. I would like to buy a waterproof camera, so I can post pictures some of the fauna and flora I see in swamps, marshes, lakes, and bayous while kayaking. I realize now that there are local kayak tours, local clubs, kayak magazines, and more out there. My next exploration activity is going to be the Mandalay National Wildlife Refuge which is close to where we live. Unfortunately, most of the refuge is on the far side of the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway which can be dangerous to cross because of speeding boats and large commercial barges, ships, etc. Right now, I am content to just explore on the north side of the Refuge. It takes me about 25 minutes to go the two miles from Bayou Black to the Intercoastal, and I can just skirt along the north bank of the Intercoastal to get to the part of the Refuge that is on the north side.

What animal life have I seen in the winter thus far? Alligators of course, a water moccasin, nutreas, a wide array of birds, and "flying" fish (none have landed in my boat yet). This morning, I navigated a new waterway. Once away from all indications of human activity it was an amazing experience...almost spiritual, just gliding through the water with the only sounds being from the rustle of wind against the cypress trees and bird life. A bird with a very long beak, poked its head out of of the water right next to my kayak. I thought, "Where in the world did you come from?" Anyway, look for additional posts that will hopefully have some cool wetland pictures. Lousiana has about 40% of the lower-48's wetlands, so I shouldn't run out of places to explore.

Some favorite kayaking destinations include the following: Atchafalaya Basin, Bayou Teche, Bayou Lafourche, "7"-shaped Elmer's Island across from Grand Isle, Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve south of New Orleans, Manchac Swamp, and Pointe au Chien marsh land.

Restoring Louisiana's vanishing coastline

Last night, I had the opportunity to view a compelling documentary entitled "Harvest to Restore America's Coastal Heartland." This documentary eloquently described how important the coastal region of Louisiana is to the entire nation, then introduced the concept of "pipeline sediment delivery" as a means of saving our coastline, wetlands, livelihood and lifestyle in this region. Quoting from the website, "...pipeline sediment delivery holds the promise of expeditiously recreating the natural system of barrier islands, marshes, and ridgelands that provide the only practical long term hurricane protection both to America’s energy hub and to the port and city of New Orleans." The documentary showed how pipeline sediment delivery works, how it’s being used in other countries around the world such as in Dubai. The documentary is well worth watching, and shows what can be done if we put our minds to it. Governor Bobby Jindal just returned from Washington, where he met with the Louisiana congressional delegation and, among other things, discussed the need to move ahead as quickly as possible on projects that will help to save our vanishing coastline.

Hurricane on the Bayou

As everyone knows, Hurricane Katrina was life-changing event in southern Louisiana. Images of New Orleans under water are some of the most vivid. I had the opportunity to go into New Orleans several times to assist in the clean up, and will share a few of the images I captured in future posts. Houma was just far enough to the west, actually about 60 miles southwest, to have been spared from the extreme wind and water damage that occurred especially on the east side of New Orleans and the coastal areas of MS and AL. Hurricane Rita impacted Houma more than did Katrina, with hurricane force winds occurring as nearby as Morgan City, and coastal flooding severely impacting Houma on the SE side of the Intercoastal Waterway that intersects the city, and points further south in Terrebonne Parish. The sugarcane belt was far more impacted by Rita than Katrina, a sizeable portion of it being severely flooded with water high in salt content.

Judy and I were invited to attend a preview of the IMAX film, "Hurricane on the Bayou," prior to its general opening in New Orleans. Amazingly, much of the footage of this film occurred before Hurricane Katrina, with the anticipation that something like a Katrina was well within the realm of possibilities because of coastal erosion and a relentless loss of vital wetlands. Ironically, from the perspective of the producers, the timing of Hurricane Katrina was almost as though it were on queue. This film is a must-see, if you have any interest whatsoever in Bayou Country and the potential far-reaching impact of not taking decisive action to protect Louisiana's wetlands.