Had a great day helping the community in the Lower 9th. We helped seal cracks in a house so a future paint could be done. We also helped complete an Aquaculture. What a fascinating thing! David, who built the aquaculture is a Genius. Once we were done we went to CBD and met with two people, a journalist and lawyer. We got a great presentation on lawsuit for the levees and a had a good discussion about what hurricane K has down to Nola. It was a great day!
So a big part of the work we are doing here is dividing up parts of the Woodlands Trail, and counting/measuring the amount of invasive species (Chinese Privet, Tallow, and Chinaberry) that is visible throughout the forest. By breaking up into teams and dividing the forest up into transects and recording what we see.
Recording Sheets
What makes our work so crucial is that students from our school have been coming for ten years to study the impact that invasive species, hurricanes, and humans have had on this landscape.
Jay and Patrick walking the trail
Yesterday we started our day in Buros, Louisiana building a community garden at Carol’s house. This part of Louisiana was deeply affected by Hurricane Katrina and hasn’t quite recovered, so it felt good to help out and built that garden.
After that we drove down toward Venice, Louisiana and the Southern most point of the state. It was crazy seeing the Gulf of Mexico and how salt water had eroded the cypress marsh.
We then made our way to Woodland Plantation and had a crawfish boil for dinner and stayed the night. We just finished up breakfast and I am excited to walk around the property and learn more about the history of this place.
Yesterday we traveled farther south to aid a man named Carol with creating a vegetable garden. After Katrina he was an active community servant helping others with rebuilding. During his service he saved his son from falling in a hole by pushing him away and falling in the hole himself. By doing this he broke many bone and had to have his knee replaced. As a result of his surgery he can no long bend over and plant his own gardens. We all came out and dug up a garden; we tilled the land and planted a big variety of vegetables.
After we left Carol’s, we drove the the Southernmost tip of Lousiana and saw a Cyprus forest that I was being overtaken by saltwater intrusion from the Gulf Of Mexico.
then headed to the Woodland Plantation where we partook in a crayfish boil. It was the first time I tried crayfish and it was delicious!
We worked on making a community garden which was most if our day. Afterwards we drove to the southernmost point of Louisiana, where the Gulf of Mexico is close to meeting with the Mississippi. We noticed the wetland loss where freshwater is turning brackish as salt water moves in from the gulf. As a result of the change in water consistency and content, wetlands and cypress forests have seen drastic change and damage. Afterwards, we had a delicious crawfish boil at Woodlands Plantation, which was absolutely delicious (and spicy).
At the southern most point of Louisiana, we stopped by a dying Cypress Forest. At the farthest point in the Mississippi, the salt water is seeping into the land, due to subsidence, which is causing the Cypress to die. We also noticed a lot of oil refineries and Oil Business in this part of Louisiana.
Our Saturday started the way all good Saturday’s start–with a six course meal.
We arrived at the New Orleans School of Cooking early in the morning and walked to the local farmers market. On our walk, our guide and head chef Michael, told us about the importance of food and culture in any city’s history. We learned the true meaning of creole. We were split up into groups and each group made a portion of the meal.
After our amazing meal, we were let loose in the French Quarter for the rest of the day.
Even though it was a bit rainy and wet, the French Quarter was one of the best days I’ve ever had. In New Orleans they have something called a second line, that is basically a parade in the street that is led by a marching band. They do a second line for weddings, births, holidays, even funerals. After about an hour of all of us going our separate ways adventuring through the French Quarter, a second line was marching with their band through the middle of the street.
After this day, I thought there wouldn’t be much more excitement. There couldn’t possibly be more excitement, right?
Maybe excitement isn’t the right word, but I fell mildly in love with John Boutte.
Here is a link to him performing one of his songs at Jazz Fest, that actually is the theme song for an HBO series Treme that, of course, takes place in New Orleans.
‘Twas a day well spent, dousing myself in culture. A great transition into how we will be spending the rest of our time here–doing fieldwork!
Stay tuned…
Yesterday we made a garden from scratch. We tilled the land and planted the seeds to help a food desert in Louisiana. The field after we finished below.
The field before we started.
Heute haben wir den ganzen Tag im Garten gearbeitet. Ich bin so so müde und ich hab seltsame Sonnenlinien. Wir haben Kürbisse, Melone, Gurke, Paprika, Tomaten, Mais, Wassermelone in fünf Reihen und ein Blumenbeet gepflanzt. Wir haben nur den Garten für diesen Mann namens Carol, aber er ist sehr nett und verletzt und ein Freund zu meinem Professor.
Vor:
Mitte:
Nach:
Das Land befindet sich zwischen dem Golf von Mexiko und dem Fluss Mississipi so wir waren auf der mississippi Levee Seite stehen
Und dann sind wir eine Louisiana Schilden und den sterbende Zypern Wald gesehen
Danach sind wir nach Woodland Plantation gegangen und haben wir ein “Crawfish Boil” gemacht. Es war sehr interessant und ich mag es.
Wir sind in der alten Plantagenhaus bleiben und es ist sehr schön 
Heute haben wir den ganzen Tag im Garten gearbeitet. Ich bin so so müde und ich hab seltsame Sonnenlinien. Wir haben Kürbisse, Melone, Gurke, Paprika, Tomaten, Mais, Wassermelone in fünf Reihen und ein Blumenbeet gepflanzt. Wir haben nur den Garten für diesen Mann namens Carol, aber er ist sehr nett und verletzt und ein Freund zu meinem Professor.
Vor:
Mitte:
Nach:
Das Land befindet sich zwischen dem Golf von Mexiko und dem Fluss Mississipi so wir waren auf der mississippi Levee Seite stehen
Und dann sind wir eine Louisiana Schilden und den sterbende Zypern Wald gesehen
Danach sind wir nach Woodland Plantation gegangen und haben wir ein “Crawfish Boil” gemacht. Es war sehr interessant und ich mag es.
Wir sind in der alten Plantagenhaus bleiben und es ist sehr schön
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