First Responders and the Cajun Navy (2022)

Following 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina, more Americans understood our heavy reliance on first responders. The COVID-19 pandemic further strengthened their public image and support, particularly for overstretched hospital staff coping with supply shortages.   

There are diverse first responders depending on types of emergencies and the different needs that many people can suddenly have. A long list of first responders would probably start with our military, police, firefighters, EMTs and paramedics, civilian air rescuers, and specialists for handling riots, explosives/munitions, infectious diseases, and biological/chemical contaminations. Natural disasters such as earthquakes, volcanoes, hurricanes, and unusual weather events can require those with particular skills and experiences to arrive quickly and remain active for days and weeks.     

There are dedicated federal, state and local government employees, as well as trained military units, who respond when specific threats or dire events occur. Organizations are far from perfect, though, in the ability to forecast, plan, staff, and actually react quickly and effectively to every developing need in emergencies. Mistakes, overlaps, and gaps will often occur within and among responding organizations during crises. 

America has had a long history of neighbors helping neighbors when catastrophes strike. Here in Louisiana, hurricanes, tornadoes, and river flooding can present huge logistical nightmares. Sudden weather events can create human needs that overwhelm the ready resources of both government and third-sector organizations such as the Red Cross or United Way. Search and rescue missions to get victims to safety are often hampered by continuing weather conditions, accessibility constraints, and communication difficulties. 

Media accounts of the terrible suffering and loss of lives associated with Hurricane Katrina in 2005 were often accompanied by more upbeat stories of the hundreds of area and state volunteers with boats who rescued those in flooded houses and on rooftops. These volunteers or “good Samaritans” became known as the “Cajun Navy.” 

Subsequent weather events, such as major state flooding of parts of Louisiana in 2016 and Hurricane Harvey in southeast Texas in 2017, drew some of the earlier Katrina volunteer responders and others to assist many survivors. Public opinion concerning the Cajun Navy was very positive and resulted in increasing private-sector and personal contributions to support and help compensate the expenses of these first responders.      

By 2018, a few negative news items were being reported about certain Cajun Navy operations. Rob Masson of WVUE Fox 8 New Orleans shared a Better Business Bureau warning about fund raising scams associated with at least several of the more than 30 groups with the title of Cajun Navy in their names and social media releases. The BBB apparently could not find evidence then that some were even charitable organizations. Checking for establishment of 501c3 non-profit charity status and for details of actual services and funds provided for previous victims, as reported on their websites and elsewhere, was advised prior to making donations.    

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the Coast Guard, and other organizations formally responsible for disaster response and rescue appear to have had mixed reactions to volunteer efforts by some Cajun Navy outfits. Issues of adequate responder training have been raised, as well as appropriate communication with authorities to avoid duplication, hindrance, or mistakes in emergency call responses.  

Some Cajun Navy organizations have garnered much higher levels of public approval and respect than others over the past five years. Recent disasters, particularly Hurricane Ian in southwest Florida, have led to higher visibility for two of these Cajun Navy organizations. Videos of their rescues and supplies being distributed by them to the needy have aired on national media, along with interviews of their leaders or spokespersons. The United Cajun Navy and the Cajun Navy Ground Force appear to have made substantial contributions to Hurricane Ian survivors. The former has chapters and volunteers in many states, and both have established track records of rescues and assistance well beyond the borders of Louisiana.  

             Cajun Navy Ground Force Distributing Supplies in Fort Meyers [The Weather Channel]

Another search-and-rescue group attracting attention during and after Hurricane Ian was Tampa-based Project Dynamo. This organization, led by and largely composed of ex-military veterans, typically works overseas in conflicts such as in Afghanistan and Ukraine. Credited with successfully undertaking thousands of rescue missions previously, Project Dynamo started in the Sanibel and Naples areas by getting boats to those needing water, MREs, and pet supplies.  

Of course, some recreational Louisiana boaters, Cajun or not, aren’t that keen on the formal structures, policies and procedures of established rescue groups. They respond to developing local or area emergencies on an ad hoc basis, or when they feel really needed. This occasional sacrifice of personal resources for the benefit of suffering others defines an essential quality for the continuing survival of humankind. When we count our blessings at Thanksgiving or otherwise, volunteer first responders should be high on our short list. 

                                                Hobbies Can Help Define Us  (2022)    

What were your hobbies in childhood and adolescence? Did one or two of those hobbies influence the person that you became? 

Most children and adults have at least one hobby. Many adults had a long string of hobbies when they were young. These might have been collecting old coins or stamps, building bird houses, playing checkers or card games, participating in various sports, or going fishing and hunting. Parents, even generations ago, often urged their children to explore diverse leisure activities to discover their emerging interests and aptitudes.  

Sometimes our childhood hobbies or interests shape us in profound ways. My younger brother started playing the piano at about eight years old, and his long career has involved writing, performing, and teaching music. I wanted nothing to do with my parents’ encouragement for both of us take piano lessons. For me, there were more fascinating outdoor and indoor alternatives for my spare time.  

I tried for many years to find at least one sport, hobby, or pursuit that I thoroughly enjoyed and had superior talent. The problem wasn’t my satisfaction engaging in many different activities. It was my average or so skills at any one of these. Over time, I discovered that if I had any distinctive characteristic, it might be a heightened sense of curiosity about the world and the people in it.  

My hobby in middle and high school might have been ham radio, if I could have raised the funds to buy the equipment. With three siblings and a father who was a paper mill electrician, that expense wasn’t a serious consideration. What my parents did allow me to purchase one Christmas was a Hallicrafters S-200 Legionnaire short-wave radio. Priced at about $70 then, it was the best gift that I had ever received. 

Yes, I could read about Norway, Egypt, and Ecuador in encyclopedias, but listening at night to the English-language broadcasts from international radio stations in those and other countries was much more entertaining. Their programming was usually focused on history, culture, folk music, the arts, and politics of that country. 

One of my favorite shortwave stations to monitor during high school was Radio Havana Cuba, partially because I liked Cuban jazz (almost as much as the rock n’ roll on Radio Luxembourg). This Cuban station also provided a sharp contrast to American news reporting. During the early stages of the Vietnam War, I remember listening to Havana broadcasts that were describing particular battles, casualties, and other impacts. Statistics and conclusions from it and other communist-influenced stations were so different from the same day reports from the BBC, Radio Free Europe, or the Voice of America. 

For international short-wave listeners, there was a spirited competition to collect QSL cards from as many countries and radio stations as possible. QSL is code for the confirmation of receiving a radio transmission. International shortwave stations sent QSL cards to listeners who contacted them and could verify reception of their radio signal and programs. Reports from listeners around the world allowed the stations to estimate the size of their audiences and the reception quality of their transmissions. QSL cards were usually colorful postcards with graphics or images that conveyed an impression of the country or city.  

Receiving a QSL card from an international station required a listener to describe the time and date of the contact, the broadcasted radio frequency, comments about program content, a signal report, and occasionally the listener’s radio model and antenna configuration. Some international stations had strong signals that any shortwave listener worldwide could receive. The challenge was to receive international stations with less powerful transmitters and weaker signals. To improve my radio’s signal reception, I climbed atop the roof of our house and tested different antenna arrangements using strung copper wire. 

This shortwave radio hobby influenced me in several ways. Deciding to pursue an electrical engineering degree, I concentrated on communication, antennas, and propagation. Later I had less interest in technology issues and more curiosity about the behavioral, ethical and social aspects of decision making and management policy. For years, I even taught occasional college courses in international management. 

Like childhood, retirement years can offer the more fortunate and curious the freedom for cultivating new hobbies. I’m somewhat of a dilettante or dabbler with many hobbies, whether family genealogy, beekeeping, biking, kayaking, golf, or making walking/hiking sticks. If it were possible to live to be 300 years old and be in decent physical and mental shape, I imagine that I would still want to explore new hobbies.  

Regrets, I’ve had very few. A minor one, though, is a common complaint. Many parents pitched out our baseball or sports card collection. Not only did my mother toss my baseball cards, but she also trashed my QSL card collection stored in our attic. Losing old baseball cards bothered me a lot less than deprival of my 100 or so QSL cards. After all, I spent many late nights straining my ears to detect weak radio signals to collect some of those QSL cards.         

We must recognize our great fortune to be able to explore different hobbies and potentials for personal fulfillment. Children and adults in parts of the world don’t have that luxury. 

                 Exploring the Promise of Direct Climate Intervention  (2022) 

As far back as fifty years ago, some of those critical of environmentalists’ alarms argued that emerging technologies would be the ultimate answer to serious environmental threats. Their position then was “why pay or invest now when we can wait and solve these challenges later.” Arguments for delay seem less convincing in 2022 as threats and crises are increasingly acknowledged.   

The massive challenges of coping with global climate crises might be the most important public policy issue of the twenty-first century. Obtaining a practical overview of climate threats and potentials for climate rehabilitation is not easy though. Despite continuing media coverage, these issues have scientific, economic, political, and moral complexities that can be difficult to grasp.     

I completed an undergraduate degree in engineering and for many years taught senior and graduate courses on business and governmental policies. Based on continuing interest and reading, I assumed that I had a better-than-average understanding of environmental and sustainability issues. What I didn’t have was much knowledge of climate science, including ocean currents, trade winds, magnetic fields, weather patterns, soil chemistry, greenhouse gases, plant and animal biology, solar radiation, earth’s atmospheric, and cloud formations. Most of us know little about these and other climatic influences. This relative ignorance extends to cause-effect relationships between diverse human endeavors and climatic conditions.     

Three fundamental concepts can help though in better understanding research and news coverage about climate change. These are the mitigation, adaptation, and intervention activities being undertaken to combat climate threats. We must find effective methods to mitigate or reduce emissions of carbon dioxide, methane and other greenhouse gases. We must adapt in better ways to the negative impacts of future and already present climate threats. And we must explore and deliberate over potential types of direct climate intervention. All three responses to climate change seem necessary, since any one or two combined can’t significantly reduce dire climate consequences in the future. Even if humankind does attain something close to net zero greenhouse gas emissions by later in this century, grim climate conditions will merely plateau and fall slowly over additional decades or generations.   

Much more has been written and recommended regarding mitigation and adaptation than about direct climate interventions. The 2022 IPCC Report as well as Project Drawdown (https://drawdown.org/) detail many tactics for greenhouse gas mitigation and climate change adaptation. Policies and programs in countries all around the world include many of these recommended activities. Doubts remain, however, whether the speed and global scope for applying these many recommendations will be nearly enough. We’ve had a slow start on mitigation and adaptation responses, and some of the causes for our previous inaction or delays can be expected to persist.   

Under the category of climate interventions, certain approaches are less controversial and already underway. Ground surface modification, or painting/coating buildings and outside objects with white colors or reflective surfaces, is one example. More futuristic technologies are also included within this category. Climate scientists at top private, government and academic organizations have been studying and proposing geoengineering technologies involving solar radiation management. Debate exists concerning the feasibility, implementation timeframe, and eventual effects for each of the specific interventions proposed. 

Stratocumulus cloud brightening or seeding in order to reflect more solar radiation before it reaches earth’s surface is one approach. Cirrus cloud thinning, or spraying higher-atmosphere clouds with certain aerosols that allow reflective energy from the earth and lower clouds to escape, is another potential. A third solar radiation management approach is riskier with a mixed bag of larger positives and negatives. Stratospheric aerosol injection, and not just into clouds, could reduce solar radiation hitting earth surfaces and reduce global temperatures within months of its actual application. This solar radiation management, if it resulted in negative consequences, could be reversed within a short period of time. Mechanisms for the delivery and deployment of chosen aerosols appear to be within reasonable engineering capabilities and do not appear to have huge direct financial costs, relative to some other mitigation and intervention alternatives. 

There are questions and fears concerning stratospheric aerosol injection (SAI). Some of these reservations stem from the notion of allowing any government or private- sector interest to control climate or weather. Despite potentially positive results for most people, what about those regions that could be adversely impacted by the effects of less solar radiation? Not all nations worldwide could be expected to agree on whether, when, or how SAI should be used. With remaining issues for SAI delivery and deployment, there are fears that powerful governments or private interests might rush forward prematurely due to their own emergency needs or other interests. Also, certain environmental advocates worry that solar geoengineering might create a “moral hazard,” or that this technological capability might reduce political and social commitment for still-needed greenhouse gas mitigation activities. These and other concerns have halted or delayed early and limited SAI field experiments.   

The future of solar radiation management is unclear now. These climate intervention approaches, even if fulfilling early promises, are viewed by responsible climate scientists as hardly stand-alone cures for what ails our planet. Be aware, though, that scientists and policymakers are seriously investigating direct climate intervention options for reducing future climate threats. If you have a personal interest in learning more about climate science and climate change mitigation, adaptation, and intervention alternatives, I’d recommend Wake Smith’s 2022 book, Pandora’s Toolbox: The Hopes and Hazards of Climate Intervention.  

                         The Power of Compelling Nature Narratives  (2022)

Our forests speak to us when we care to listen. When we more carefully open our eyes, ears and other senses, we can find insights there that many folks overlook.

Several talented novelists and poets display heightened awareness of nature's diverse gifts and impacts. One of these recent novelists is Richard Powers with his 2019 Pulitzer Prize winning novel, The Overstory.

Powers explores broader values and deeper meanings within our magnificent American forests. His novel describes individuals who come to appreciate nature’s distinctive messages and who make life-changing environmental commitments. Powers' portrayal of the beauty and interconnections of trees in our remaining forests can be as striking at times as the best of Walt Whitman, Robinson Jeffers and other nature poets that many of us read in high school.

“Talk runs far afield tonight. The bends in the alders speak of long-ago disasters. Spikes of chinquapin flowers shake down their pollen; soon they will turn into spiny fruits. Poplars repeat the wind's gossip. Persimmons and walnuts set out their bribes and rowans their blood-red clusters. Ancient oaks wave prophecies of future weather. The several hundred kinds of hawthorn laugh at the single name they're forced to share. Laurels insist that even death is nothing to lose sleep over.” 

Beyond Powers’ vivid imagery throughout the novel, we get inside the heads and hearts of his major characters. One key protagonist is based on respected ecologist, Suzanne Simard. Simard is a professor of forest ecology in the Department of Forest and Conservation Sciences at the University of British Columbia. She received her PhD in Forest Sciences at Oregon State University. 

Simard did pioneering research starting in 1997 discovering how trees use underground fungi networks to communicate and share resources. These conclusions disputed earlier views that trees constantly compete for survival. She described how fungi and roots facilitate communication and interaction between flora in an ecosystem. Carbon, water, nutrients and defense signals are shared among plants and trees in a forest.   

Richard Powers as a novelist describes a Simard-like character, Patricia Weatherford, and other unique personalities from their childhood influences into their later struggles to communicate broader visions for our forests. The opposition against Powers’ characters is relentless and often overpowering. Many passages throughout his novel reveal the characters’ perspectives and challenges.  

“That's the trouble with people, their root problem. Life runs alongside them, unseen. Right here, right now. Creating the soil. Cycling water. Trading in nutrients. Making weather. Building atmosphere. Feeding and curing and sheltering more kinds of creatures than people know how to count.” 

“Something marvelous is happening underground, something that we're just learning to see. Mats of mycorrhizal cabling linking trees into gigantic, smart communities spread across hundreds of acres. Together, they form vast trading networks of goods, services, and information.” 

"Even different kinds of trees form partnerships. Cut down a birch and a nearby Douglas fir may suffer." 

“What is it within us that gives us this need not just to satisfy basic biological wants, but to extend our will over things, to objectify them, to make them ours, to manipulate them, to keep them at a psychic distance?" 

We can easily accept the attitudes and social norms of the cultures in which we are born and raised. Yet most of us discover over our lifetimes that at least a few of these received wisdoms are not valid or the best practices for the future. Many Americans are embracing an expanded environmental ethic and asking questions. Who has a stake in critical environmental policies, and do some key stakeholders have significant voice or representation in important decisions? Such questions have been raised increasingly over the last century.  

Before, during and after the virgin timber boom in the Deep South, residents questioned public and private policies that favored the interests of the more privileged and powerful. Populist sentiment for health and safety measures in the timber industry, as well as for good roads and schools, was strong, particularly in Winn Parish. These concerns even went so far as to give victories in the 1912 election that put many Socialist Workers Party members in charge of Winn Parish government offices. Public support for Huey Long later drew from these populist roots. Emerging conservationists and naturalists began clamoring for changes, including Caroline Dormon in north Louisiana who worked with legislators and the US Forest Service to establish public parks and forests. Our area history is rich with the stories of people who made differences.   

I’m a believer in the power of narrative rationality. Our realities are often constructed in part from the provocative stories that we have read or heard. Much of what we accept as vitally important and what strongly motivates our conduct does not stem from the rationality of science articles or textbooks. If we took the time and had the inclination to read numerous scientific reports based on elaborate statistics and arguments, we might still remain detached and unaffected. One truly compelling story, though, can sometimes move us mentally and emotionally, like nothing else, to revitalize or change our attitudes and responsibilities. Perhaps a few novels or films on our natural environment, like Powers’ The Overstory, could be worth checking out at your local library or bookstore.   

                        The LSU AgCenter and Healthier Communities  (2022) 

Expressing gratitude occurs commonly during the Thanksgiving season. More often though we display our displeasure or criticism concerning one thing or another. Problems or challenges in life can blind us at times to our many privileges and blessings. 

I hope that my previous columns have shown a healthy balance of criticism and gratitude. I’ve praised many who have made distinctive contributions for the well-being of our treasured natural resources. Among those credited have been amateur and professional naturalists, environmental educators, wildlife rehabilitators, park rangers, pollinator protection activists, and environmental justice advocates. A couple of months ago, I saluted environmental science faculty who are teaching and doing research at many state institutions.

Another contributor having a large positive impact on our state economy and quality of life is the LSU AgCenter. Among their many agents who offer valuable services are those conducting applied research on critical concerns affecting state farmers and residents.    

One significant LSU AgCenter success has been the Healthy Communities Initiative. The AgCenter and other news sources announced last month that this initiative had received national recognition for its state-wide activities to increase access to nutritious foods and to provide more opportunities for physical activity. 

Several other states are apparently following the lead of Louisiana in establishing similar programs. We know that Louisiana residents have had among the lowest levels in the country of physical fitness activities and consumption of healthy foods. LSU AgCenter agents leading or participating in almost a hundred communities across the state have been developing approaches to combat these dismal health statistics. The Healthy Communities Initiative has helped start and enhance farmers markets, encourage grocery stores and food pantries to increase healthy food items, support community gardens, and arrange places where community members can safely exercise. 

These programs are especially important in rural parishes in the state. A Monroe News-Star article in November 2016 described the launch of this Healthy Communities Initiative in West Carroll Parish in 2013. St. Helena, Madison, Tensas, and West Feliciana Parishes were added to this initiative by 2016. Associated with the many accomplishments of this initiative has been the involvement of other agencies and organizations such as the Louisiana Department of Health, the Southern University Ag Center, and the Pennington Biomedical Research Center.    

A key component for these community programs has been the establishment of working coalitions that allow local residents to share their particular concerns and to brainstorm their ideas for positive changes. Denise Holston, an AgCenter nutrition specialist and Healthy Communities principal investigator stressed that “Education alone is not enough to promote healthier behaviors, particularly for those whose food and physical activity environments are not supportive of adoption of these healthy behaviors.” 

This AgCenter collaborative approach involves volunteers from police juries, school boards, hospitals, and other public and private organizations. Relationship building and learning others’ perspectives are essential early steps for these coalitions to gain more trust and to begin functioning effectively. Focus groups, qualitative research methods, and mapping of estimated impacts of potential options on the community are often tools chosen for creating sustainable changes.  

Poor health, due to unwholesome diets and limited physical exercise, is hardly a social concern only for communities in less affluent parts of the state. Even wealthier residents with all the resources available to make sound decisions about good diet and exercise routines often fail to do so. Poor dietary and exercise habits for individuals can exist due to influences from parents, peers, and media advertisers. Eating disorders and other unhealthy behaviors developed in childhood and teenage years can be difficult to break. The degree of personal discipline required to avoid the temptations of tasty, empty-calorie foods and to maintain physical fitness is lacking for many of us.  

Later we can be drawn into busy career and family lives when we “eat on the run” and “can’t find the time” for physical workouts. The overall vigor of our early- and mid-adulthood can allow the continuation of poor health habits without many people noticing glaring consequences. Strokes, heart attacks, and other sudden and serious problems can force some, though, into making lifestyle changes. The “golden years” of retirement can also send clear messages that certain subsystems of our bodies are weak or faltering. These problems are frequently caused or exacerbated by life-long bad health habits. Smoking leading to lung cancer is just one extreme example. 

Many private and public organizations devote significant time and other resources to careful strategic planning for their organizations’ future health and viability. Yet individuals can act without much strategic planning concerning their own future being. Without decent health, we can do so much less in our lives. Still, many fail to have basic health goals and practices. If we took a more strategic, yet practical, approach to our own health, what would that mean?  

First, we would need an actual commitment to improving our overall health. Second, we would undertake regular physical examinations by GPs or specialists to determine our specific health deficiencies. Third, we would seek and follow health guidance on what kinds of food and exercise options have consistently been shown to improve health. Fourth, we would develop a plan to begin introducing better choices into our daily and weekly routines. Fifth, we would monitor over time changes in our well-being and determine which recent choices to continue or drop.  

I know that these or other common-sense suggestions for health improvement can’t motivate most folks to start changing their eating and exercising habits. Actual change often requires continuing guidance and support from others over time. We’re fortunate that the Healthy Communities Initiative is providing many state residents this additional guidance and support.  

              Bastrop, Chemin-A-Haut State Park, and Bussey Brake Reservoir (2022) 

Decades ago, my friends and I would fish Bayou and Lake D’Arbonne, Cheniere Lake, Bayou DeSiard, Black Bayou, Lake Bruin, and Toledo Bend. Of course, I had friends who would brag about superior fishing at Bussey Brake and along Bayou Bartholomew, but I never found the opportunity back then to travel in that direction for fishing.   

I have profiled many Louisiana state parks, and a few in Texas, Arkansas, and Mississippi, for the Piney Woods Journal. Among the state parks that I had yet to visit was Chemin-A-Haut State Park. Given its reputation and as one of the first state parks in Louisiana, the park had been on my short list of desired destinations. Early May offered a good opportunity to spend time there and elsewhere in the Bastrop area.  

                                                                 State park entrance

Those searching for a family weekend hub offering interesting outdoor and wildlife venues should seriously consider Bastrop. The Monroe area isn’t that far away, has many parks and outdoor resources, and more accommodation possibilities, so Bastrop might be overlooked. Staying in Bastrop or at Chemin-A-Haut State Park, though, you can avoid the back-and-forth mileage from Monroe to several captivating spots north of Bastrop. 

Within 30 miles of Bastrop also are the Black Bayou National Wildlife Refuge to the south and the Upper Ouachita National Wildlife Refuge to the east. The Starr Homeplace Heritage and Creativity Center in Oak Ridge is even closer and provides a unique blend of the past and new directions for agricultural and industrial practices. A museum of 19 buildings features architecture, equipment, and tools of rural Southerners over the last two centuries. Websites for the two refuges and the Starr Homeplace can supply details for arranging visits.   

My focus this time was Chemin-A-Haut State Park and Bussey Brake Reservoir. I’d recently purchased an inexpensive and lightweight 8’6” kayak. My older Grand Cayman tandem kayak has been fine for outings with a companion, but I wanted an easier-to-haul alternative to put in my Accent hatchback for solo adventures. A trip to this state park and the nearby reservoir would provide a chance to break in the small kayak.    

My first stop and day was at Bussey Brake Reservoir. This LDWF Wildlife Management Area was donated in 2013 by International Paper. The reservoir had been an emergency water supply for the Bastrop mill that was no longer needed when the mill closed in 2010. After draining much of the lake some years ago, new fishing piers and a dock were constructed. Largemouth bass, crappie, and bluegill were stocked there in 2017. I decided to christen my little kayak at a boat launch on the north side of the reservoir to get my first crack at catching bream and sunfish this year. The kayak performed well, despite my below-average haul of fish. I merely chalked this up to my inexperience there and a windy day.   

My next day was dedicated to exploring Chemin-A-Haut, primarily its hiking trails and kayaking venues. The state park compares favorably with other state parks that I’ve visited in terms of facilities. It scores even higher for its visual and sensory beauty, whether from its waterways or along elevated trails that overlook Bayou Bartholomew, Big Slough Lake, and the cypress-tupelo swamps there.  

Beyond camping and RV hookups, the park has six vacation cabins and eight deluxe cabins. The deluxe cabins are on Big Slough Lake, and each has two bedrooms, a rear deck, and sleep up to eight people. A group camp in the park can accommodate up to 38 guests, dormitory style. The group camp and meeting room each have a kitchen/dining area for possible events. Facilities include a bathhouse and pool open from Memorial to Labor Day, a nature center, two playgrounds for kids, a sand volleyball court and a horseshoe pit. A ranger informed me that the park’s amphitheater is being reconstructed and should be available in the future. Kayak, canoe, and golf cart rentals are also available for park sightseers.  

The trail system at Chemin-A-Haut includes the Nick Cox Memorial Horse Trail that runs through the park and proceeds north for many miles to the Chemin-A-Haut Creek Bridge. A half-mile “Story Walk” is designed for children to promote both literacy and fitness. Signs are posted about every 75 yards along this kid’s trail to capture the interest of those in kindergarten and early elementary grades. In addition to the Bobcat Trail (1.1 miles) and Boy Scout Trail (1/4 mile), the Cypress Trail extends along one side of Big Slough Lake. 

                                                     Stop on park's Story Walk Trail 

A prime visitor attraction at Chemin-A-Haut State Park has been the ancient cypress trees along Chemin-A-Haut Creek. Probably saved from logging long ago by their placement in this difficult-to-access creek, the more spectacular of these ancient trees are estimated to be 1000 years or older. Kayaking or canoeing from the park’s launching area to the more famous trees with names such as The Castle, The Jester, and Old Stumpy can be fairly easy or more challenging. Higher water and going upstream on Bayou Bartholomew with a steady headwind most of the way meant more work and time than I anticipated. The payoff was well worth the paddling exercise, though, and the trip back to the park was a fast one.  

                                                                Park kayak launching sign

Trying to visit many state parks and wildlife refuges presents a dilemma for me. Do I use available time to revisit more interesting sites, like Chemin-A-Haut, that deserve more than an initial trip, or do I travel to parts and parks unexplored? I’ve probably erred toward the never seen over the past five years.  

If PWJ readers have strong recommendations about outstanding hiking, biking, or kayaking experiences, please let me know at steve-payne1@live.com. Some of these sites recommended I might have explored before, but others might result in a visit and inspiration for a future PWJ article. 

Photos: 1) State park entrance 2) Park nature center 3) Park kayak launching sign 4) Stop on park's Story Walk Trail 5) Ancient Castle Tree 

       Environmental Study and Research at Louisiana’s Universities  (2022)

Louisiana educators at the elementary, middle, and high school levels continue to develop educational programs on the natural environment, climate change, and sustainability. Back in 2017, I described certain state schools that had initiated Green School programs and some of the many grants and awards that had been achieved by state students and teachers.

  

Some graduating high school students choose traditional college degree programs in agriculture, forestry, biology, zoology, wildlife management, meteorology, and several other disciplines related to ecology and the natural environment. As climate change issues have gained more global and national attention, universities have recognized the interest and demand from students for academic programs that are more transdisciplinary and focused on climate change and sustainability challenges. 

This trend in higher education is revealed by the many state universities that are now offering bachelor’s degrees in environmental science and closely related fields. Tulane, LSU-Baton Rouge, Loyola-New Orleans, UL-Lafayette, Louisiana Tech, UNO, Southern, Centenary, UL-Monroe, and McNeese have environmental science programs. Several other universities, such as LSU-Shreveport, Xavier, and Southeastern, have bachelor programs in biological science with an option for a concentration or multiple courses in environmental science.   

Many college students completing bachelor’s programs decide to continue career preparation through graduate programs. Study and research in environmental science and associated fields can be undertaken at the doctoral level at four of our research universities in this state. Doctoral programs both in environmental sciences and in oceanography and coastal sciences are available at LSU-Baton Rouge. Tulane and UNO both have a PhD program in earth and environmental sciences. UL-Lafayette provides a PhD program in earth and energy sciences that is a multidisciplinary program combining chemistry, physics, environmental science, and geology.  One important characteristic of university doctoral programs is the opportunity for students to work closely with talented faculty researchers. Some of our most impactful scientific discoveries have occurred within American university laboratories and research facilities. 

    

A quick Google search can reveal various listings of the top-rated university programs nationally and globally in environmental science and sustainable development. I’m proud that my doctoral alma mater, Arizona State University, is near the top of some of these listings. Times Higher Education Magazine ranked Arizona State University the #1 university in the USA and #9 in the world for global impact in addressing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals through research, outreach and stewardship in 2021. Among North America’s greenest universities and colleges, the Sierra Magazine recently ranked ASU #1 of 328 institutions, rising from #4 the previous year, for its comprehensive approach to sustainability. The Global Futures Laboratory and Global Institute of Sustainability and Innovation at ASU are tackling some of the world’s more critical challenges through interdisciplinary study and research, as well as collaboration with diverse public and private institutions.  

While Louisiana’s institutions of higher learning might not rank in the top 10 or 25 in various national rankings for teaching and research in environmental science or sustainability, we do have important work underway in this state. Much of this faculty and graduate student research is focused on particular regional and state environmental challenges. One unique example is our state's coastal research facility, the Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium (LUMCON) located in Chauvin. This consortium has ten PhDs who provide outreach services for all ages to understand better the natural and human-influenced processes affecting coastal Louisiana’s landscape and resources. The educators there also work to develop the next generation of innovators through providing undergraduate and graduate courses as well as related research experiences. 

Individual state research universities, particularly LSU-BR, have dedicated facilities for focusing on specific environmental concerns. The Pontchartrain Institute for Environmental Sciences at UNO is another example of partnerships of scientists and higher educators. This institute combines scientific research with education, outreach, and planning to develop practical solutions for the environmental challenges of the Pontchartrain Basin, the Gulf of Mexico, and similar coastal ecosystems.   

Our research universities often work closely with various federal agencies that are conducting environmental research. The UL-Lafayette Research Park is the location for both the US Geological Survey’s National Wetlands Research Center as well as the Estuarine Fisheries and Coastal Habitats Research Center of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 

Most Louisiana citizens are relatively unaware of cutting-edge research and useful applications emerging from these higher education investments. Within our busy work and leisure lives, we hardly notice other than a few important breakthroughs that that are reported occasionally. I wish more of us could visit and keenly observe the work cultures within environmental research communities at our major state universities. Those involved with these research activities have a strong commitment for a better future that should be more frequently praised and emulated elsewhere.