The Louisiana Coast: Guide to an American Wetland

8. Conclusion: Tenacity 163

Conclusion: Tenacity 163 chapter 8 Conclusion Tenacity O n a cold winter afternoon several years ago, a flooded field along illinois Plant Road near the lacassine Refuge Pool was the setting for one of the most amazing displays of tenacity i have ever witnessed. Here, as the north wind rippled the water between the low rice field levees, a northern harrier repeatedly attacked an american coot, pouncing upon it and holding the bird underwater for minutes at a time. occasionally one of the coot’s black wings would lift above the surface and flail, but it seemed that the larger harrier, or marsh hawk, would win the struggle easily. Yet the coot bobbed back to the surface each time the harrier released its grip. after several repetitions of this scene, the hawk flew off, perhaps to seek easier, less tenacious prey. the coot rested for several minutes and then continued its feeding; it was impossible for me to determine the extent of its injuries. like the tenacious coot, the land and people of coastal louisiana are engaged in a struggle that has life-ordeath implications. Recent hurricanes have brought home the message that, without a barrier of healthy coastal wetlands, we will suffer damages similar to those that Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita inflicted in 2005. our way of life is already changing, as evacuations become more frequent and some longtime residents leave their homes for more inland areas. lives will continue to change as eroding wetlands cease to protect ports and vital energy infrastructure and cease to nourish the state’s multibillion -dollar seafood industry. these challenges of an eroding coast affect not only louisianians, but people nationwide . Yet despite the loss of approximately twenty-four square miles of wetlands each year, we are still here, clinging to our coast and providing the services associated with waterborne commerce, oil and gas production, seafood harvesting and processing, and recreation and tourism . like the coot, we are tenacious; we continue on. 164 chapter 8 there is precedent and inspiration for such tenacity in the example of the acadians, who are ancestors of many south louisiana residents and coastal dwellers. the acadians were a french-speaking people torn from their northeastern North american homeland (today called Nova scotia) in a brutal ethnic cleansing in 1755. despite tremendous hardship, separation , and suffering, they tenaciously maintained their culture and family ties, and by 1785 they were refashioning a new homeland—and the beginnings of the cajun culture—in the lowlands of south louisiana. But like the besieged coot, the extent of the damage to our coastal way of life, and to our long-term future here, is uncertain. insurance coverage for homes and businesses is very expensive and harder to acquire; stricter building codes and elevation requirements add high costs to construction ; and an economy and culture with deep roots in the wetlands will likely share the same fate as those ecosystems. as our marshes turn to open water and our cypress swamps blanch and fall, will we be like that last clump of marsh grass in a widening bay, hanging on in the face of inAn American coot patters across a marshland pond, clearing the way for an approaching airboat. Conclusion: Tenacity 165 At the Alligator Harvest Festival, Elizabeth Richard displays pride in her Louisiana coastal heritage and in the region’s wildlife. 166 chapter 8 Conclusion: Tenacity 167 surmountable odds, as the saltwater rises? the louisiana coast and its people are vital, valuable, and vulnerable. they are both contributors and creators , enriching the country’s culture and economy with fertile lands and waters, hard work, and a unique The beauty and promise of the Louisiana coast are manifest in the wetland landscape of Marsh Island. Courtesy of U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New Orleans District. A brackish marsh slowly erodes on Rockefeller Refuge. blend of language, food, music, customs , and an enviable joie de vivre. Here lies a “working wetland” second to none on the continent of North america, perhaps second to none on earth. a unique place on the southern rim of the united states, the louisiana coast is worth cherishing, worth protecting, and worth saving, but it will take the commitment and support of the entire nation to achieve this goal. ...