Delta

LOUISIANA’S MISSISSIPPI RIVER DELTA COUNTRY

by Dr. Bob Thomas, Louisiana Naturalist

The wetlands traveled by Westwego Swamp Boat Tours’ boats lie in the heart of the Mississippi River Delta, a vast labyrinth of swamps, marshes, and bayous created by the meandering Mississippi River over the last several thousand years. The history of these wetlands is interesting and very surprising to most.

At the height of the ice age (Pleistocene), 30,000 years ago, sea level was much lower than it is today. In fact, the surface of the Gulf of Mexico (and all other salt water areas) was about 450 feet below its present level, making the coastline of what is now Louisiana some 50 miles south of today’s Grand Isle. During this time, the ancestral Mississippi River formed a canyon by eroding the earth as it moved to the sea.

About 6,000 years ago, sea level was about where it is today, and the mouth of the Mississippi River was in the vicinity of today’s Franklin, Louisiana. The river slowly formed a delta as it laid down sediments carried from the heartland of the continent. As the sediment neared the surface, swamp and marsh plants began to grow and a vast network of wetlands developed extending east to west from today’s Houma to New Iberia, and north to south from the Atchafalaya River basin just west of Baton Rouge to the edge of the continental shelf (a spot about 70 mi south of the present coastline). As time passed, the river swayed back and forth, at one point building a delta and entering the Gulf in what is now eastern New Orleans and St. Bernard Parish, at another doing the same as it passed by present day Lafayette. It is still involved in delta building its present path, but we are maintaining its position (mouths of the present location of the Mississippi and Atchafalaya rivers) and not allowing it to wander back and forth.

Westwego Swamp Boat Tours uses a portion of the Delta that was originally developed between 4,500-3,500 years before present (forming most of the New Orleans region), then built upon again between 2,600-1,500 years before today (including wetlands that extended east to the Chandeleur Islands at the sea’s edge of Breton Sound). These wetlands are very old, but have been inhabited by a succession of cultures, beginning with early Native Americans. Today, these wetlands are an important part of the lives of a population that can trace itself back to Canada, France, Yugoslavia, the Canary Islands, Viet Nam, Africa, the Philippines, and the whole of the United States. We are a multitude of cultures, each using the coastal wetlands as we did in our ancestral lands. The Philippinos dried shrimp, the Yugoslavs are oystermen, the Cajuns live by the seasons (hunting and trapping in winter, shrimping and crawfishing in spring and summer, etc.). Regardless of our specialties, we have blended into a rich, diverse culture all of our own based on a shared love and close relationship to the wetlands.

Come see these wetlands and hear of our heritage from our expert Captains. These fellows are bonafide natives who cut their teeth on crab claws!

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Wetland Types

LOUISIANA’S RICH WETLANDS

by Dr. Bob Thomas

Louisiana has 40% of the coastal wetlands of the continental United States. This translates to about 7,000 square miles of some of the most diverse wetland habitats in the world.

To the casual observer, our wetlands may seem like an endless realm of water and plants. Indeed they are, but they may be divided into very easily recognizable types. If we were to leave Westwego Swamp Boat Tours in Westwego and head directly toward the Gulf of Mexico, we would encounter the following habitats.

Natural Levees. These are high grounds that formed at the edges of rivers. The soils are very sandy, and the elevation above normal water level allows hardwoods like Live Oaks to grow. If you see Live Oaks in coastal Louisiana, you are seeing relatively high ground. If this land subsides, the oaks will die and be replaced by more water tolerant species.

Bottom-land Hardwoods. These are areas that occasionally flood, but are usually dry. Typical plants include a variety of hardwoods (hackberry, elm, maple, ash, honey locust, elderberry), and animal life includes virtually all species of land animals common to south Louisiana.

Swamp. The definition of a swamp is any place holding water and having woody vegetation. In Louisiana, the key species are Cypress and Tupelo-gum. Any other plant that grows in swamps will have to grow on the raised hammocks of tree roots or on the trees themselves. Spanish Moss is very common in swamps. Animal life includes alligators, snakes, turtles, mink, raccoons, otters, nutria, egrets, herons, ducks, bass, bluegills, grass shrimp, and many insects.

Freshwater Marsh. The definition of a marsh is any place holding water that has non-woody vegetation growing. Once we leave the swamps on our trip to the Gulf, we will be seeing a variety of marshes. Freshwater marshes, by definition, have very fresh water. They contain a very high diversity of plant species, many of which are commonly seen in ditches and ponds around Greater New Orleans (e.g., cattail, water lilies, irises, duckweed, cut grass, wild rice, bullwhip, bulltongue). The wildlife is very diverse as well, and is very similar to that of swamps.

Intermediate Marsh. Louisiana has such broad and diverse coastal wetlands that we have a unique type of wetland - intermediate marsh. It is so named because it is characterized by a medley of plant species common to freshwater marsh and the saltier versions toward the sea. The mild salt content of intermediate marsh causes there to be fewer species of plants. A plant not found in freshwater marsh, Wire Grass (Spartina patens), is present with its typical wind-swept looking clusters of three foot long grass-like leaves. Wire grass usually has a straw-colored appearance that is very characteristic and easy to recognize. Intermediate marsh can be easily diagnosed (even from high in an airplane) by its tell-tale combination of freshwater plant species (especially cattails, cut grass, and water lilies) with Wire Grass. Animal life is less diverse than in a freshwater marsh, but population levels of each species may be high. This is a great habitat to view a variety of ducks and other water birds, snakes, alligators, a few turtles, muskrats, raccoons, nutria, and other fur-bearing mammals.

Brackish Marsh. These marshes definitely have a salty quality to them and are made up mostly of Wire Grass. If you enter a marsh that is virtually all Wire Grass, with little variation in plant species, then you are in brackish marsh. Animal life is much less diverse, but waterfowl love it, and many of the salt-loving critters begin to appear. This is one of the best habitats for blue crabs, redfish, speckled trout, fiddler crabs, and the like.

Salt Marsh. This is marsh that is inundated daily with salt water tides. There are few species that characterize this habitat because they are in regular contact with salt water and must be specialized in order to survive. In fact, the principal plant is Oyster Grass (Spartina alterniflora). One can drive for miles through salt marsh and feel that one is seeing only one species of grass for as far as the eye can see. There are a few other species that can withstand the salt water. One of these in coastal Louisiana is Black Mangrove, but this species can be wiped out with periodic severe freezing. Animals are least diverse in salt marsh, but those that are there are really neat - and may be abundant. Periwinkles (snails) crawl up and down the Oyster Grass feeding on algae. Ribbed mussels close up during low tide and open and feed during high tide. Fiddler crabs abound, and clumps of oysters are common. Elusive Clapper Rails dart in and out of the dense vegetation, and the occasional Seaside Sparrow may flutter up in a ritualistic dance.

The only other wetland habitats encountered in coastal Louisiana are the open estuaries (bodies of water where fresh water from rivers mixes with salt water from the sea), beaches and barrier islands, and the open Gulf of Mexico. Each of these is quite diverse and very important to the economy, health, and culture of our region.

Come ride with Westwego Swamp Boat Tours and learn of the economic and esthetic values of our wetlands, as well as hearing about how wetlands have shaped our culture and cuisine. Our Captains are the "real McCoy" (or, we should say, the real Billiott and Toups) and they will entertain you while you learn about how we live - and what we live for!

If you want to learn more about the critters that live in Louisiana marshes, click here.

Westwego Swamp Boat Tours travels through a natural and channelized swamp and marsh habitat. Our swamp is that which is typical of slow moving bayous and backwaters. If you would like to learn about and see a swamp in an active river basin, we recommend the Pearl River Basin.

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Wetland Loss

LOUISIANA’S COASTAL WETLANDS LOSS

by Dr. Bob Thomas, Louisiana Naturalist

Wetlands are in trouble worldwide, and Louisiana is no exception. We are presently losing between 25-35 square miles of marsh per year to open water. Scientists tell us that it is improbable that these marshes will reappear in the near future, so major efforts in our state are focused on slowing the loss, rebuilding wetlands and their quality, and/or adapting our culture and economy to wetlands decline.

Why have the coastal wetlands declined? Basically because land has subsided, sea level has risen, salt water has invaded places where it kills plants, the ebb and flow of tides removes sediments from wetlands to the sea, and freshwater marshes (the sources of much of the coast’s organic matter) have disproportionately diminished.

What has caused the loss? There are many causes, but here are a few of the major issues. Mother Nature plays a role in several ways - some all Her own and some with a little help from humankind. Sea level is rising worldwide, and is projected to be about 6 inches higher over the next 50 years. Coastal Louisiana is very low, so rising sea level is much more devastating here than, say, at the White Cliffs of Dover. In addition, the soil along the Louisiana coast is sinking, so the projections are that in 50 years the relative change in sea level here will be about 18 inches! In a worst case scenario, this could place the coastline of our state somewhere near the Interstate 10!

We have made many mistakes over the last few decades that have accelerated the loss of coastal wetlands. We have dug navigation canals and oil and gas exploration channels. We’ve dumped very salty water into our marshes produced water from oil exploration), we’ve developed some wetlands, and we’ve introduced plant devouring animals (nutria) that have no local controls.

Special mention must be made of two human activities that have had a huge impact. One is that we decided back in 1927 to line the lower Mississippi with levees to protect ourselves from river floods. This was good in that we could now lead stable lives, and we could grow industries that are vital to the success of our nation. It was bad because it prevented the flooding river from replacing sediments that are normally and constantly subsiding, thus our land sinks and water replaces what was once land or wetlands.

The other thing we have done is to develop a labyrinth of canals, channels, and the like throughout our coastal wetlands. It was not done with malice, and it was not done quickly. Over the last 70 years, in the course of developing our economy and feeding the needs of a great nation, our wetlands have slowly but persistently been cris-crossed with canals for oil and gas exploration, open areas (key holes) for drilling rigs and platforms, passageways for fisheries and recreation, the massive Gulf Intercoastal Water Way that crosses the U.S. from east to west, a number of north-south navigation canals (such as our Barataria Navigation Canal and the infamous Mississippi River Gulf Outlet in St. Bernard Parish), and an unknown number of canals built for the spaghetti-like maze of pipelines that literally cover our coast. None of these are devastating by themselves, but when considered together, they have at once produced a flourishing economy and caused the decline of the richest coastal wetlands in the continental United States.

Since scientists identified the enormity of our coastal wetland loss in the late 1970's, much research and discussion has taken place and Louisianians are united in wanting to restore our coast. After all, it is the source of our culture and nursery grounds for our world famous cuisine.

If you would like to help with the coastal wetlands loss issue, or simply know more about what is being done to protect our coast, click here to contact the Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana. If you want to learn about our famous National Wetlands Resources Center in Lafayette, LA, click here.

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Winter Ecolog

THE WONDER OF WINTER SWAMPS

by Dr. Bob Thomas, Louisiana Naturalist

We know that, when most people think of swamps, they envision alligators. In fact, our swamps are full of alligators. During the winter months, however, our gators become dormant and either enter a gator hole or simply lie on the bottom, occasionally tipping upward to take a fresh breath of air. For this reason, it is not unheard of to see a gator or two soaking up the rays on a mid-winter warm day. But, for the most part, we are generally gator-less between November and March, so let me tell you why I love the wetlands in winter.

Since leaves fall from the trees and marsh plants wilt, the winter swamp affords excellent views that are impossible during our summer months when the habitats are dense with green growth. This means that the wildlife that are present are easy to see.

Though you are likely to see something blooming at virtually any time in semi-tropical Louisiana, the most conspicuous flowering herb is Yellow Top (Senecio glabellus), a two foot tall plant with a bright yellow crown of flowers. Such early blooming gives Yellow Top less competition. Since this species blooms during the low water period of the year, the rising waters of early spring usually cover the plants and they thus become one of the primary foods of our beloved crawfish.

Mid-winter also brings the flowering of several trees, with the most obvious being our Swamp Red Maple (Acer drummondii). These deep red flowers literally cover the limbs of the otherwise barren trees. When pollinated, these flowers yield seed pods in the form of large bundles of seeds, each connected to a thin red blade. Botanists call this type of seed a samara, and its blade-like portion causes it to twirl like the blades on a helicopter as it falls to earth. This is one of Mother Nature’s many ways of dispersing seeds from the base of the tree that produces them.

Winter in Louisiana if for the birds, literally. We are the southern destination for many species that fly south and over-winter in our bountiful wetlands. Westwego Swamp Boat Tours visitors may see a Bald Eagle fly by, and it is very common to see Redtailed and Red-Shouldered Hawks as well as the ubiquitous Barred Owl. Ducks and other waterfowl are commonly seen, and we are always on the lookout for elusive rails and crakes. The wide variety of habitats that we visit gives our visitors the opportunity to look for a myriad of sandpiper species and their relatives.

Mammals are also possible, with the most common being the nutria (Myocaster coypus), a large rodent with orange teeth and long whiskers. Be sure to listen for their mew call that they use for communication. Though normally nocturnal, we sometimes see raccoons (Procyon lotor) and opossum (Didelphis virginiana), and rarely beautiful mink (Mustela vison).

If you’re here on a warm, sunny day, you may see an alligator as previously mentioned, as well as snakes and turtles basking on logs and bushes.

At night, our wetlands are the sites for the songs of three winter breeding species of frogs. One is the Chorus Frog (Pseudacris triseriata), whose call sounds like the series of clicks one can imitate by dragging ones thumb along a cheap plastic comb. The Spring Peeper (Pseudacris crucifer) makes a high pitched rising whistle note, and the Southern Leopard Frog (Rana utricularia) makes a weird sound that is reminiscent of rubbing two pieces of rubber together.

Our Captains have grown up in Louisiana’s coastal wetlands, and they will enthrall you with tales of nature and how local cultures live and thrive in the swamp habitats.

Oh, I forgot to mention what I consider one of the best reasons to visit Louisiana coastal wetlands during the winter. Not only are they beautiful, serene, and teaming with wildlife, but they evoke a certain spirit in the human heart. I just love the experience on a typical winter day, and I hope that you will visit us to share that fascination.

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Chicken Bone

THE STORY OF INTERCONNECTIONS:
THE CHICKEN BONE IS CONNECTED TO THE LOUISIANA MARSH BONE

by Dr. Bob Thomas, Louisiana Naturalist

"I live in Montana. Why should I care about Louisiana's coastal erosion?" "I'm a teacher in Ohio. Why should I care?" "Yeah, I'm a car dealer in Helena, Arkansas. It doesn't affect me!"

WRONG! It does affect you, but I'm not surprised that you didn't know. As a matter of fact, few Louisianians have been apprized of their dependence on our coastal wetlands.

Assuming that, if you are reading this, you would be interested in being a member of the "in crowd", let me tell you a story that mixes biology, ecology, and a little economics along the way.

Our story begins with a non-descript fish called a menhaden. Locally, it is most often referred to as a "pogie." If you've never heard of it, maybe you've smelled it. Have you ever noticed that a drive through Pascagoula, Empire, or Cameron may be a genuinely malodorous experience (the locals call it the "smell of Money!")? This is the smell of pogie being changed from being fish to being another very important product, but we'll get to that a little later.

Pogie are small, schooling fish that are about five inches long as adults (the largest are about ten inches) and shiny silver in color. They swim in schools of oodles of millions (that's a "M" word) of fish and they represent the largest single fisheries in the United States. Certainly in tonnage they are Number One. That alone makes them very important, but there's more . . .

Remember what a "food web" is? It is basically a "who eats whom" list with arrows connecting each eater to one or more eatees. Pogie, that tremendously important commercial fisheries crop, eat plankton - tiny little critters and plants that exist as free floating life forms in the water column. On the other hand, pogie are eaten by most flesh eaters of the sea - redfish, trout, sharks, mackerel, tuna, cobia, bluefish, and more. So far I haven't found even a Louisianan who has a good recipe for pogie, but I'm sure someone out there does!

As important as pogie are in the food web of the Gulf, they are most important to humans as the basis for an extensive "economic web." An economic web is a list of all the ways people make money from products with arrows pointing the way between those that affect others (a graphic presentation similar to the food web). The basic part of the pogie economic web is obvious. Pogie fishermen buy boats, nets, gasoline, white rubber boots, clothes, cars, food, electricity, insurance, sunglasses, Dixie beer, brooms, ice, and so forth They hire many people: to dry-dock their boats, to work as deck hands, to haul supplies, etc. And don't forget what all these people and vendors do with the money they get from pogie fishermen - they spend it in many of the same ways!

Now the pogie boat reaches its home base with a load of fish. The fish are rendered into oils and fish meal at a "pogie plant." Most of the oil goes to Europe where it is used in cosmetics, as glazing on pastries, and to make margarine (the FDA won't yet let us produce these products in America). The primary use of the meal is in making chicken (and catfish) food. It must be shipped to another plant (What does the trucker do with his money?), then many other suppliers and handlers are involved to get it to a chicken farm. Now the chicken rancher hires lots of people and spends lots of money to raise chickens. The rancher then ships them to a poultry processing plant (the trucker stops along the way to gas up, eat a burger, play a pinball machine, spend the night in a Motel 6, etc.) where lots of people are employed and lot of businesses receive lots of money for services rendered. Be sure you don't forget all those folks who work at the utility company supplying the electricity to the plant, and the guys at the ice plant, and the preacher at the church where the employees attend, and the person who fills the candy machine, and the people at the Chamber of Commerce, and . . . Do you think this could go on forever?

Now the processed chicken leaves and some goes to a grocery store, some to a restaurant, and some to Popeye's Fried Chicken. Many people now choose chicken as their main protein source because it is relatively cheap, but many others are required for health reasons to eat chicken. What would happen if they had no chicken? Oh, my gosh! Did you realize that we listed Popeye's? Without Popeye's, there would be no Mardi Gras!!! You can't watch a parade without eating fried chicken! The total economy of New Orleans would fail! And to think, it all started with pogie. Or, did it?

We mentioned earlier that pogie feed on plankton, so on what do plankton feed? Most get their energy from nutrients that float in the water. Off Louisiana's coast, these nutrients largely come from organic matter that washes from coastal marshes with each tidal flow. If the marshes did not exist, there would be no food for the pogie to eat. Additionally, pogie (as most other commercially important species from the sea) must spend a portion of their lives in coastal estuaries. Without coastal wetlands, there would be no place for pogie to complete their life cycle.

No marsh, no pogie . . . No marsh, no economic web. How will we replace the economic web if we lose our coastal wetlands?

The next time you have a meal of delicious chicken or pond-raised catfish, remember that you are enjoying the fine taste of processed Louisiana marsh!

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Captain Bios

THOMAS A. BILLIOT

CAPTAIN

I am living along Bayou Pointe Aux Chene now. I have been living in and around Bayous and swamps all my life.

I am of Cajun and Houma Indian descent, which explains my capabilities of translating tours from English to French very fluently in a variety of dialects including Parisian French. I can also name animals and birds in the German language.

When I am not on tours, I am out shrimping, fishing, hunting, or trapping Nutria to save the wetlands.

I also continue to attend various shows and seminars on wildlife, erosion, Wetlands loss, etc.

I have also been featured on several shows including National Geographic. I have given over 10,000 tours in over 17 years. I have been licensed by the United States Coast Guard for over 20 years.

I would enjoy answering your questions on one of my boat tours. Please join us to pass a good time!!

Naturalists Bios

JAMES BOHEMAN

NATURALIST

A lifelong resident of Westwego Louisiana some of my earliest and fondest memories are of the times I would spend in the bayous and swamps of my hometown.

I have been in education of wildlife since 1993.

Devoted to Wildlife Education, I was the former head of wildlife Education at Cypress Swamp Tours and known throughout the Community as a Naturalist and Wildlife Educator who is involved in the community.

“If we can learn to respect wildlife maybe one day we can learn to respect each other”.

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