Life on the Bayou
The Cajun way of life is definitely a unique lifestyle. Here, we eat the oddest foods--crawfish, often called mudbugs, raw oysters, squirrels, you name it, we probably eat it. Sometimes to get to where we want to go, we actually have to take boats, "So primitive!" some say. We dance to zydeco beats and some of us even still speak the native language. We have festivals celebrating the seasons of our foods, such as crawfish, citrus, oysters, and strawberries. For the most part, we sustain ourselves by fishing, hunting, and farming. But the sad fact is the very things we celebrate are slowly disappearing and threatening our way of life.
The following audio interviews with Zane Melancon, a 49-year local of Plaquemines Parish, is a collection of personal anecdotes depicting Louisiana culture, the severe alterations within the marshland over a 50 year period, and why these changes are so significant to the locals. Throughout the interview, Zane expresses how the locals used to live off the land by fishing, hunting, and farming to sustain themselves, and compares local life in the past to lifestyle now. The audio files contain stories of childhood hunting and fishing excursions, how the marshland and its many resources were used in Louisiana culture, how the marsh looked decades ago, how these changes have personally affected the locals of Plaquemines Parish, and the implications this has for the nation as a whole.
This section focuses on the lifestyle of the local Cajuns and how they were able to sustain themselves by living off the land. The locals would take advantage of foods in season by harvesting wildlife, fruits, nuts, and seafood all at their respective times and there was always an abundance since these practices were done in moderation. There was, and still is, a respect and appreciation for the land and all that it provided the people with.
Then and Now
This section focuses on comparing the past to the present. The following audio clips depict the drastic differences between the way the marsh looked to residents 50 years ago and the way the marsh looks now. The once winding bayous that flowed through marshland have now been converted to open waterways with patches of marsh sporadically placed. The wetlands are continually sinking, eroding, and deteriorating. The barrier islands such as Scofield Beach are significantly smaller than they once were, allowing saltwater from the Gulf of Mexico to flow in freely. High ground within the marsh, such as the Indian Mounds, once 10 ft high are now nearly at sea level. Though not important to some people, these drastic changes to the ecosystem equate with drastic changes to the lifestyles of the locals.
For more pictures like these showing the the drastic changes within the wetlands over the past years check out Marsh Mission, Capturing the Vanishing Wetlands by C.C. Lockwood
The Losses
This section focuses on the implications of such severe land loss for the local communities as well as the entire nation. Without the marshes, storm surges from hurricanes will top over the levee, flooding the many homes of the people who live in Plaquemines. Also, since the marsh supports a great deal of biological diversity, the disappearance of the marsh will take along with it the substantial amounts of seafood and fish harvested every year. The locals who hunt/trap for sustenance or hobby will be devastated since there will be no habitat to support migratory birds, deer, coons, nutria, and so on. Not only will the environmental integrity of this area be destroyed, but also the lives of the many people who so desperately depend on this area.
Interviews with the Locals
The following audio interviews with Bryan Ragas, a 52-year local of Plaquemines Parish and Operating-Production Superintendent of Swift Energy, is mainly meant to show the personal changes noticed over the past decades and how this has personally affected the lives of the locals, including his own. In addition, the interview reveals the benefits as well as the downfalls of the oil and natural gas industry of Louisiana, as well as the degree of willingness within the industry to mend the devastation it has caused the Louisiana coast over the years. During the interview Bryan also discusses five major modes, both anthropogenic and biogenic, that have led to coastal erosion in Louisiana.
The following written interview with Cody Fontaine, a 19-year local shrimper and carpenter of Plaquemines Parish, is meant to record the personal changes seen over the past decades, and how this has specifically affected the local fishermen and the seafood and fishing industry as a whole. It also reveals specific incidences of shark and sea turtle invasion into the once brackish marshes. These personal observations support the salt-water invasion theory due to the extensive erosion of the Louisiana coasts, and show the dire need for wetland restoration in this area. The interview also explores the significance the wetlands and Louisiana culture have on the lives of the locals, especially his own.
