Westbank Adventures

This past Tuesday, Project Homecoming packed into several cars and made a trip to the West Bank. For those of you who might not be familiar with New Orleans geography, the West Bank is the area on the other side of the Mississippi (the East Bank being New Orleans). It is counter intuitive because the West Bank is actually south and the East Bank is actually north but in relationship to the Mississippi it has been dubbed the East and West Bank. I haven't spent much time on the other side of the river so it was nice to branch out and explore with the wonderful people of Project Homecoming.

We crossed over the beautiful Crescent City Connection Bridge that links the two banks and headed to Cafe Hope. Cafe Hope is a restaurant that mentors young adults ages 17-23 in the restaurant and hospitality industries while also teaching them useful life skills to carry into adulthood. The food was absolutely delicious and it was rewarding to be supporting such an awesome establishment. I ordered the shrimp and grits which was prefaced with warm bread and honey butter. Have I mentioned yet how amazing the food in New Orleans is? This was no exception. If you want to read more about Cafe Hope, click here.

Cafe Hope! Anna Leigh and Emily's hand reaching for the amazing bread and honey butter

I ordered a Coke and it came in a mason jar! 

After our hungry was satisfied we headed to Jean Lafitte National Historic Park and Preserve. It was a cool 75 degrees and perfect for admiring nature. Our walk began with dense oak trees but as we continued, the dense trees thinned out and eventually opened up to a beautiful open marsh land. My roommate and wetlands extraordinaire Colleen, gave a presentation on the condition and importance of the wetlands especially in Louisiana. It is not often in the forefront of my mind how crucial the wetlands are to the safety of the city and how much of a buffer healthy wetlands can be during a storm.

I thought this tree was so beautiful with the exposed roots...you can't really tell from this picture but I could almost stand upright under those roots!

Valentina goofing around on the trail!

Our crew listening to Colleen talk with a view of the beautiful marshland.

As you can see from the sign, this Cypress Tree is over 200 years old! Colleen explained it was strange that loggers over the year kept the tree but it's still there and as the sign says..alive in 1812!

Anna Leigh and I showing two ways to wear the Project Homecoming sweatshirt...I'm sporting the preppy shoulder wrap and Anna Leigh is showing off the sweatshirt around the waist look. What's your favorite?

The wetlands in our area are essential for helping reduce storm surges. Replanting grasses can vastly improve harmed areas in just a matter of months. Salt water erosion has been harming the wetlands at an alarming rate and many trees have suffered due to the inability to tolerate high salt water levels. The statistic that stood out to me the most, however, is that Louisiana loses a football field of wetlands every hour. It is very scary to realize how much our society and culture has been hurting the land. We also learned that 51% of the continental US is in the Mississippi Watershed. That means that every bit of fertilizer, oil, paint, sediments, anything that finds its way into the Mississippi River will eventually end up in Louisiana and eventually in the Gulf.

This is a map that shows the extent of the Mississippi watershed and demonstrates how everything drains right into New Orleans and the Gulf of Mexico!

It was so nice to get out of the office and experience nature. Although there are a lot of harmful things happening to the wetlands, I feel so fortunate that I am able to learn about these problems and be aware of them. Colleen is a real advocate for "everything little thing matters" and I could not agree with her more. These problems in the wetlands feel so overwhelming but if every individual can do the little things, they can add up and make a big difference. I truly, truly believe that.

Lesson from the Journey: Spanish moss is absolutely beautiful.