Cypress Swamp

1. Cypress Swamp An Essential Habitat Tracy Settoon, Spring 2012

2. A brief summary • Cypress Swamp is an essential wildlife habitat located just minutes from LSU. As part of the Mississippi River Flyway, it hosts hundreds of species of birds annually. The swamp offers refuge to a great diversity of animals: alligators, turtles, nutria, bobcats, raccoons, snakes, etc. There is also a plethora of trees and vegetation: cypress trees, willows, wax myrtles, elm, red maple, vines, water lilies, bladderwort, duckweed, sedges, etc. (3/29/12)

3. Cypress Swamp by canoe

4. Cypress Swamp plants and animals

10. Lagniappe On 9/13/2008, a tourist blogged this about the swamp: For fifteen miles out of Baton Rouge, we followed a suburban highway in search of a swamp rumored to be filled with friendly alligators and enthusiastic conservationists. In the midst of a development of mansions was a giant wooden alligator - standing on its back legs, holding a sign reading "ALLIGATOR BAYOU". We were greeted with a loud Cajun whoop from Frank Bonifay, who, for 15 years, had protected a big chunk of primitive wilderness - the 17,000 acre Spanish Lake Basin - from intrusions by housing and strip mall developers, as well as gas and oil explorers. Timber cutters threatened to deforest hundreds of acres of Bluff Swamp and in 1993, Frank Banifay and his business partner, Jim Ragland, sold a lucrative business and jumped into swamp preservation. "We bought 1,500 acres just like that," Frank said, "to protect it from chain-sawers and drillers." By boat, we glided over deep-green waters, moving slowly through the swamp with a pair of white ibis flitting alongside, flying from fallen tree to high branch. Alligators broke the surface and pelicans swooped low as Frank told us that there were a small handful of bobcats and hundreds of nutria in the Cypress forests. "We're right in the middle of the Mississippi River Flyway," he said, "which is why there are always - always - birds here, somewhere between 250 and 300 different species." He said that at the turn of the 18th century, the region was settled by Acadians, African, British, Canary Islanders, Creole, French, German, Scottish, Irish and Spanish and the bayou ultimately served them all as a slow-moving, backdoor link to the Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico. Frank edged the boat to a dock on the edge of the swamp. We moved out from a close, river feel into wide-open Cypress swamp stretching as far as the eye can see. Tall, elegant trees rise out of the swamp. Jumping onto shore, Frank lead the way to what he regarded as the spiritual center of this part of the world, a 300-foot-tall, 800-year-old ancient BALD CYPRESS TREE. A wooden walkway elevated above the swamp lead to towering knees stretching from its base. Moving a finger to his lips, Frank encouraged us to not speak, and reached out to lay his hands on the massive tree. "Sometimes it's like I can feel its pulse," he said. I tried for myself, leaning over and putting my full weight on my hands, against its smooth bark and during sixty seconds of dead quiet in the heart of the bayou, I swore I could feel the 'thump, thump, thump' of the big tree's heartbeat rattling my palms. Probably, it was my own pulse reflecting back to the tree. Frank said, "It's good to know that you're both out here ... and both alive!" http://www.jonbowermaster.com/dispatches/new_orleans/gator.html

11. Links • * Alligator Bayou, located in the Spanish Lake Basin, provides alligators, egrets, herons, and other animals in an old-growth cypress swamp habitat rich with native plant biodiversity, including many submerged aquatic species. http://www.herbarium.lsu.edu/ecotourism.html • *Observe the nesting grounds of alligators, egrets, raccoons, nutria, snapping turtles, and many species of snakes. Some wildlife species are more numerous during the warmer months of the year. http://www.bigeasytours.us/?event=offer.detail&offerId=10637&startDate=01/01/2011&endDate=01/31/2011 • *I am not an alligator expert, but some of the suckers were huge - I don't think 12 feet long is an exaggeration! We also saw cranes, herons, turtles, jumping fish, small gators etc. The "cypress flats" area was gorgeous and peaceful. We used Alligator Bayou Tours @ (225) 677-8297. http://www.evnev.com/kayak/AlligatorBayou/1/index.shtml • *More cypress information: http://etd.lsu.edu/docs/available/etd-06162005-104702/unrestricted/Hurst_thesis.pdf • *More vegetation information: http://www.oceanography.lsu.edu/faculty/liu/Paleoecology_Web/index_files/bluff.pdf • *Side note: There is a dispute between Ascension and Iberville parishes over the water level in the swamp. Iberville land owners want the level lowered in order to increase land value and usage opportunities. Due to the possibility that the interstate loop around Baton Rouge may affect the area, Spanish Lake's water level was lowered by opening valves that were installed during a 1950’s dissection of the swamp.