The
paddle launch site is at Highland Rd Park, behind the archery range
(same side of the road as the Observatory). If you have a small motor
boat and can help ferry collected trash, be sure to contact us at info@bayoumanchac.com for directions to the nearest boat launch.
Once
in the water, we'll go upstream as far as Bluebonnet Swamp, then clean
downstream for 3.5 miles to Bayou Manchac. Along the way, you'll be
able to see the 2000 year old Indian Mounds at the back of Country Club
of Louisiana (See page 5 here for info on the Indian Mounds http://www.laarchaeology.org/newsletters/1985%20No.%203.pdf).
The bayou is gorgeous this time of year, so don't forget your camera.
For an idea of the hundreds of bird species utilizing this swamp system
visit http://www.braudubon.org/bluebonnet-swamp-bird-monitoring.php.
The numerous otters are typically only seen at dawn and late afternoon,
but being curious creatures, they may make a quick appearance to see
what's going on. The Florida Manatee spotted in early October is long
gone. They migrate here in later summer and return to Florida before
the weather turns cold.
With
no litter controls and street drainage that flushes directly to
waterways, Baton Rouge is the single largest contributor of trash into
the Lake Pontchartrain Basin and quite possibly the entire northern Gulf
of Mexico. Trash we clean out of Baton Rouge's Bayou Fountain is trash
that won't show up later in Bayou Manchac, the Amite River, the
Diversion Canal, Lake Maurepas, Pass Manchac, Lake Pontchartrain, and
the Gulf.
