Lower Ninth Ward, Part 5: Swamps

To read the previous chapter, Lower Ninth Ward Part 4: Levees, click here.

To start at the beginning, click here.

Just as the neighborhoods of New Orleans are proving to be resilient, the surroundings swampland is bouncing back also. One cannot visit New Orleans without at least being curious about the swamps, and swamp tours are offered on almost every street corner in the French quarter. (Free publicity for Cajun Encounters ).

We took a tour of the Honey Island Swamp and found that the swamps were not as adversely affected as one might think. This is as opposed to the wetlands south of New Orleans which were severely affected and remain under threat from future storms.

Our guide told us that things are pretty much normal in Honey Island Swamp. One of the effects of Katrina was that most of the baby alligators were killed. But the overall alligator population seems to be OK.

Here is a vertical lift drawbridge built in the 1930s. The bridge is still functional but requires a 4 hour notice if one needs it lifted.




Here's a scene along the river.



This gator came right up to the boat, lured by tasty marshmallows. The gators are accustomed to the tour boats and Captain Nolan knows them by name.



Here is a great blue heron, one of several that we saw.



Kelly Ripa, of Regis and Kelly fame, took the tour post Katrina and was so impressed that she talked about it on the show. Here is a video clip of that portion of the show. Her tour guide was Captain Nolan, the same person that took us through the swamp.



Here are some more pictures of the swamp.



Here is Captain Nolan.



Sunset in the swamp.



And out of the swamp.