In Search of Cypress- A Trip into the Atchafalaya Basin
“Hey, what’s that one over there?” I asked Dean, gesturing towards a bird that was flying adjacent to us. He had just pointed out a young Blue Heron at the water’s edge. My guide for the day, the Atchafalaya Basinkeeper, Dean Wilson, continued to teach me about the many varieties of birds surrounding us.
The Atchafalaya Basin is truly a birders paradise. It supports more than 300 species of birds and, each year, nearly the entire eastern population of migratory neo-tropical songbirds and waterfowl migrate through Louisiana’s coast. These are crucial wintering grounds for birds that come from the Arctic coastal plain, and an important stop for those that continue to South America. It’s also a great place to recuperate after a long Gulf crossing when heading back up north.
I went into the swamps near Bayou Sorrel with Dean last week to get a sense of what is at stake as the fight to save Louisiana’s coastal wetlands heats up. Dean has been coming to these areas for years, first as a commercial fisherman and hunter, and now as an ardent conservationist. Originally from Spain, Dean moved here to train for an expedition into the Amazon, but he found all the humidity and mosquitoes he wanted right here in Louisiana. No, what really kept Dean here is the same thing that has fascinated residents of the Gulf coast for centuries: the grandeur and majestic qualities of these coastal wetlands, the lush bounty of one of the most biodiverse areas in the world, and an irresistible culture grounded in this unique ecosystem.
Unfortunately, these wetlands are constantly under threat from oil and gas exploration, housing development, and logging interests. As we continued along observing trees, turtles, and birds, the inevitable oil well appeared ahead of us. In fact, even the canal we were motoring along was a by-product of the search for oil and gas. The embankments were built with the soil that had been dredged to make way for massive drilling platforms (and subsequently, more saltwater). We eventually arrived at one of the many pumping facilities. There was a putrid smell to the air and pipelines crisscrossed everywhere, many trees were dead and dying.
The most imminent threat to coastal wetlands today is clear cutting of cypress swamps to supply a growing demand for cypress mulch. Loggers indiscriminately cut down entire stands of cypress (even the little tiny ones) to feed them into a grinder that creates mulch that you eventually buy at retailers like Home Depot and Wal-Mart. We continued on towards an actual swamp. Today was about celebrating this area and what it looks like in a relatively undisturbed situation (although I later learned that’s not exactly possible anymore).
Turning in to a natural bayou and getting into actual wetlands, I could no longer entertain thoughts of destruction as I was overwhelmed and amazed by the beauty of the ecosystem. Cypress, with their solid bases and Spanish-moss covered limbs, and tupelo dominated the water’s edge. We pulled into a small alcove of swamp and got out of the boat. A young alligator jumped into the water next to us and lazily swam away.
As we explored the cavities of a giant cypress, Dean spun a wonderful tale of what it used to look like. Before the logging rush of the early 20th century, old-growth cypress dominated many of the swamps in the Atchafalaya Basin and throughout the Gulf. Trees were often over 50 feet in circumference and the canopy blocked the light 150 feet above where we were standing. The ground was relatively clear due to the lack of light, and one could truly walk in a cypress forest. Unfortunately, by the 1920’s all of the old-growth cypress had been logged.
There are still some of the ancient trees around (check out http://www.lapurchasecypresslegacy.net/ to find out where) but most of the trees we see now are less than 100 years old. This makes them about 100 years too young to be harvested for lumber. Due to changes in the wetland ecosystem and water levels, many cypress that are cut now won’t grow back like they did after the last round of destruction.
Now, companies aggressively promote cypress mulch in order to wrangle money from these swamps. Mulch can be made from any size cypress, even the one-inch saplings, and logging interests are indiscriminate. They entirely clear cut the areas they use, and the Atchafalaya Basinkeeper, a GRN member group, has been at the forefront of exposing and documenting the offenses. Regulations do not do an adequate job of protecting the species, and many of the logging sites are illegal anyway.
Americans must end the demand for cypress mulch in order to save these precious wetlands. Don’t buy cypress mulch, ask your town/university/state to stop buying cypress mulch, ask gardening stores and retailers to stop selling cypress mulch—we have the ability to make the logging companies quit with the cypress.
Visit http://www.saveourcypress.org/ to learn more about this issue and what you can do.
Don’t buy cypress mulch!
Dan Favre is a new Campaign Organizer at the Gulf Restoration Network.
“Hey, what’s that one over there?” I asked Dean, gesturing towards a bird that was flying adjacent to us. He had just pointed out a young Blue Heron at the water’s edge. My guide for the day, the Atchafalaya Basinkeeper, Dean Wilson, continued to teach me about the many varieties of birds surrounding us.
The Atchafalaya Basin is truly a birders paradise. It supports more than 300 species of birds and, each year, nearly the entire eastern population of migratory neo-tropical songbirds and waterfowl migrate through Louisiana’s coast. These are crucial wintering grounds for birds that come from the Arctic coastal plain, and an important stop for those that continue to South America. It’s also a great place to recuperate after a long Gulf crossing when heading back up north.
I went into the swamps near Bayou Sorrel with Dean last week to get a sense of what is at stake as the fight to save Louisiana’s coastal wetlands heats up. Dean has been coming to these areas for years, first as a commercial fisherman and hunter, and now as an ardent conservationist. Originally from Spain, Dean moved here to train for an expedition into the Amazon, but he found all the humidity and mosquitoes he wanted right here in Louisiana. No, what really kept Dean here is the same thing that has fascinated residents of the Gulf coast for centuries: the grandeur and majestic qualities of these coastal wetlands, the lush bounty of one of the most biodiverse areas in the world, and an irresistible culture grounded in this unique ecosystem.
Unfortunately, these wetlands are constantly under threat from oil and gas exploration, housing development, and logging interests. As we continued along observing trees, turtles, and birds, the inevitable oil well appeared ahead of us. In fact, even the canal we were motoring along was a by-product of the search for oil and gas. The embankments were built with the soil that had been dredged to make way for massive drilling platforms (and subsequently, more saltwater). We eventually arrived at one of the many pumping facilities. There was a putrid smell to the air and pipelines crisscrossed everywhere, many trees were dead and dying.
The most imminent threat to coastal wetlands today is clear cutting of cypress swamps to supply a growing demand for cypress mulch. Loggers indiscriminately cut down entire stands of cypress (even the little tiny ones) to feed them into a grinder that creates mulch that you eventually buy at retailers like Home Depot and Wal-Mart. We continued on towards an actual swamp. Today was about celebrating this area and what it looks like in a relatively undisturbed situation (although I later learned that’s not exactly possible anymore).
Turning in to a natural bayou and getting into actual wetlands, I could no longer entertain thoughts of destruction as I was overwhelmed and amazed by the beauty of the ecosystem. Cypress, with their solid bases and Spanish-moss covered limbs, and tupelo dominated the water’s edge. We pulled into a small alcove of swamp and got out of the boat. A young alligator jumped into the water next to us and lazily swam away.
As we explored the cavities of a giant cypress, Dean spun a wonderful tale of what it used to look like. Before the logging rush of the early 20th century, old-growth cypress dominated many of the swamps in the Atchafalaya Basin and throughout the Gulf. Trees were often over 50 feet in circumference and the canopy blocked the light 150 feet above where we were standing. The ground was relatively clear due to the lack of light, and one could truly walk in a cypress forest. Unfortunately, by the 1920’s all of the old-growth cypress had been logged.
There are still some of the ancient trees around (check out http://www.lapurchasecypresslegacy.net/ to find out where) but most of the trees we see now are less than 100 years old. This makes them about 100 years too young to be harvested for lumber. Due to changes in the wetland ecosystem and water levels, many cypress that are cut now won’t grow back like they did after the last round of destruction.
Now, companies aggressively promote cypress mulch in order to wrangle money from these swamps. Mulch can be made from any size cypress, even the one-inch saplings, and logging interests are indiscriminate. They entirely clear cut the areas they use, and the Atchafalaya Basinkeeper, a GRN member group, has been at the forefront of exposing and documenting the offenses. Regulations do not do an adequate job of protecting the species, and many of the logging sites are illegal anyway.
Americans must end the demand for cypress mulch in order to save these precious wetlands. Don’t buy cypress mulch, ask your town/university/state to stop buying cypress mulch, ask gardening stores and retailers to stop selling cypress mulch—we have the ability to make the logging companies quit with the cypress.
Visit http://www.saveourcypress.org/ to learn more about this issue and what you can do.
Don’t buy cypress mulch!
Dan Favre is a new Campaign Organizer at the Gulf Restoration Network.
Labels: Cypress, Member Groups, Natural Storm Defenses
posted by Dan at 10:34 AM
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