JACKSON COUNTY, MS (WLOX) - Saturday's "Battle on the Bayou" kayak and canoe race in Jackson County was a big hit. In just it's second year, the number of participants was nearly double last year's turnout.
And they came to the coast from as far away as California and Wisconsin. A total of 190 boats left the starting point at Gulf Hills Resort, with participants paddling nearly 10 miles along Fort Bayou to the finish line at "The Shed."
Colorful kayaks covered the waters of Fort Bayou behind Gulf Hills Resort. Racers warmed up and jockeyed for position before the cannon sounded to start the second "Battle on the Bayou."
Showing posts with label Old Fort Bayou Blueway. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Old Fort Bayou Blueway. Show all posts
Monday, March 14, 2011
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Trip Log: July 9-11, 2010--Kickoff Weekend, Old Fort Bayou and Davis Bayou, Ocean Springs
BY: B. Keith Plunkett--Lucy's RevengeAs coastal areas go, Mississippi’s coast is still a little known gem. Some see it as a diamond in the rough with opportunity for improved infrastructure for economic development. Others see an already polished jewel with environmental resources, recreational opportunities, and a rugged beauty and serenity. Much sound opinion believes man-made infrastructure is needed for the Mississippi coasts future economic development. For some of the business-first-and-last believers, the conviction overrides most every other concern.
Let me state clearly that I save my hugs for friends and family, not trees. I love the simple joys of nature, but I’m no Unabomber or neo-luddite. The point I attempt to make is that the only infrastructure needed to attract visitors to the Mississippi coast is already in place. In fact, it’s been in place for millions of years, and we should never lose sight of that.
When I decided to spend the next year of my life paddling some of the thousands of miles of Mississippi’s waterways, it was only natural for my mind to think of the Mississippi Gulf Coast. After all, there is plenty of water there. It may come as a surprise to people from outside our state that there is more to Mississippi’s coast than sandy white beaches and monstrous casinos. The diverse ecosystem of the barrier islands, back bays, rivers and marshes support an incredible array of wildlife and touring opportunity. For paddlers this is a seemingly endless menu.
In many ways, Mississippi’s gulf coast is a microcosm of the same opposing forces and troubling conundrums that exist for beautiful coastal areas everywhere. Due to the beauty of the environment, people want to be there. Good, right? But, more people lead to the need for additional man-made infrastructure that pressures, and sometimes destroys, the very reason for the initial attraction.
In the end, a fully understood compromise of these two opposing forces is as impossible to reach as the eternal dispute between night and day. But, everyone knows that both the sun and moon are required to make the tides move, and the world go round. There is a happy medium. As author and artist Alexandra Penney says, “The ultimate test of a relationship is to disagree but hold hands.”
Old Fort Bayou Blueway
Without attracting people to appreciate such beauty, conservation efforts are seriously diminished. So, it becomes necessary for environmentalists to look at ways to recruit visitors to aid in preservation efforts. Old Fort Bayou in Ocean Springs, Mississippi is just such an example. There, the Land Trust for the Mississippi Coastal Plain (LTMCP) has created the Old Fort Bayou Blueway. This trail for paddlers is a way to give conservation minded people a water level view of how conservation can integrate with outdoor recreation. LTMCP is working on this concept in other areas of coastal Mississippi, and I’ll highlight those efforts in the future.
Recently, thirty paddlers joined me on Old Fort Bayou. I happily led this excursion of first time paddlers and long time paddlers alike; from young to old. We witnessed the benefit of this beautiful resource from a personal and social perspective from our boats. The benefit of the personal experience came from the exercise, physically and mentally. Nothing pushes someone’s body to the limit quite like July heat in Mississippi. But at the end, the look of exhaustion on my fellow paddler’s faces was tempered by the great sense of accomplishment.
We all paddled to bring awareness to, and raise money for, Alzheimer’s research and support services. Many of the first-timers smiled at the idea of having completed the 10-mile trek, but to raise money and awareness for a good reason was cause for a smile on every face.
Our journey began at eight-o’clock on Saturday morning, July 10. We launched our boats heading east from mile marker number one. By mile marker two, the nervousness of some of our first time paddlers gave way to one of excitement as we spotted a pod of dolphins heading in the opposite direction towards the Bay of Biloxi. By miles four and five, the expressions were more along the lines of, “What have I gotten myself into?”
There were beautiful examples of coastal marsh flowers with butterflies all over them around markers seven and eight. At this point, the look of dread on some faces began to turn to one of determination. Upon crossing under the Interstate Ten Bridge, I settled into a turn in the bayou and one by one as tired boaters passed I informed them that our destination was right around the next bend. The reaction ranged from big smiles and sighs of relief to celebratory squeals and backslapping “attaboys”.
Paddlers landed boats and prepared to enjoy lunch. The adventure stories ensued, and all the range of emotions were in full display. It was obvious that my friends were hot, tired and hungry. But what was also obvious is that they had been nourished on the water in ways that only nature and its challenges provide.
Davis Bayou
Nothing tests new paddlers quite like open water. On day two of Lucy’s Revenge Kickoff Weekend, ten paddlers took on that challenge. This time, with the exception of me, my wife and youngest son, EVERY paddler was a newbie. Davis Bayou is protected from the Mississippi Sound by a single marsh to the south. But, choppy waters and surf from the west can cause some issues. Some of our boats didn’t quite have the length needed to deal with this very easily. But once across the bayou to the marsh a half-mile away, it became much easier for the paddlers with shorter boats to handle.
In no time at all the gulf breeze and the loosening of muscles had us all relaxed enough to carry on easy conversations. This was billed as a “fun paddle.” It could have just as easily been called the laid back paddle.
We traveled east alongside the grassy marsh until the bayou began closing in to a width of about a quarter mile before we crossed back to the north shore. Here, an uninhabited point loaded with ancient windswept live oaks, and endlessly circling gulls lulled me into forgetting how close civilization really is. Homes are a mere two-tenths of mile to the west. But, without being in view, it may as well be hundreds of miles. Paddling along the north shore, and further to the east the bayou narrows to fifty feet across. Here homes of all shapes and sizes show the challenge of coastal living. Decades of construction and destruction resulted in homes from different eras and styles standing in close proximity, from geo-domes to Spanish style haciendas to beach cottages.
We turned back and paddled the north shore to the mouth of the waterway entering Gulf Islands National Seashore. This is where we spotted the only dolphin pod for the day, but the second of the weekend. I allowed the paddlers to cross to East Beach and continue ahead, while I shot a short video. This trip was one that invited introspection and caused me to think this would be the best time to offer a recap of the weekend’s events.
After shooting a short video, I paddled hard and rode the wakes of a few fishing vessels to catch up with the other paddlers just before landing. We had put in another eight miles toward the cause.
Unlike the Old Fort Bayou trip this one offered the other side of the paddler’s coin: peace and tranquility. Such is paddling, and it sure as heck beats lying on the couch watching television.
Until next time…………………………..
Friday, June 25, 2010
Things are getting a little sketchy on the coast, BUT . . .
DMR, DEQ revised closed water areas in Mississippi
The state Department of Marine Resources and the state Department of Environmental Quality, in an abundance of caution, are closing an additional portion of Mississippi’s territorial marine waters, effective immediately to all commercial and recreational fishing, including all species of finfish, crabs, shrimp and oysters.Sun Herald
The closed area line is described as follows: starting at the northern most point of the Gulfport Ship Channel; eastward following the meanderings of the shoreline to a point on the shore due north of the western tip of Deer Island; due south to the western most tip of Deer Island; southeasterly following the southern shore of Deer Island to 88 degrees 51 minutes west longitude; due south to 30 degrees 19 minutes north latitude; due east to the East Biloxi Ship Channel; due south to the western most tip of Horn Island; easterly following the meanderings of the southernmost shoreline of Horn Island to 88 degrees 39 minutes west longitude; due north to 30 degrees 18 minutes north latitude; due east to the Bayou Casotte Ship Channel; due north to the CSX railroad; northeast along the CSX railroad to a point on the Mississippi/Alabama state boundary; due south following the Mississippi/Alabama state boundary to the Mississippi/Federal waters boundary; westerly following the Mississippi/Federal waters boundary to the Ship Island Bar Channel; northwest following the Ship Island Bar Channel; northwesterly following the channel until it becomes the Gulfport Ship Channel; back to the point of origin at the northern most point of the Gulfport Ship Channel.
Any individuals retaining any marine species from this closed area will be required to immediately return them to the waters. This precautionary closure is a result of oil sightings in this general area and the potential impacts on Mississippi’s coastal marine resources. The continuous monitoring of this situation is to ensure public safety and protection of Mississippi’s coastal resources.
BLOWBACK
Shifting winds will bring BP oil to state’s shores
BILOXI — Mississippi’s lucky streak appears to have ended, with oil from the BP disaster washing into the Mississippi Sound and likely to make landfall on mainland beaches within the next few days, said Trudy Fisher, director of the state Department of Environmental Quality.
“I think we all need to be mentally prepared to see some impact on our beaches,” Fisher said Thursday afternoon, with reports of several streamers or patches of oil and tar hitting barrier islands and making it into the Sound. “While we are making sure BP and the Coast Guard are doing everything they can, we don’t believe they are going to be able to get it all.”
Both Fisher and Department of Marine Resources Director Bill Walker said the BP/Coast Guard Unified Command in Mobile does not appear to have enough skimmer-equipped boats to handle all the oil headed to Alabama, Florida, and now Mississippi, beaches. State officials, including Gov. Haley Barbour, have recently urged President Barack Obama and federal and BP leaders to get more skimmer boats.
“We are going to take matters into our own hands,” Walker said. “The Unified Command does have skimmers in their task force, but we don’t have total control over those, so if there is more oil in Alabama or Florida, they move them over there, which they should. But the idea from the start was that they would have enough of those to provide for all the states, but that hasn’t worked out.”
Fisher said the state should have some of its own skimmers “in a matter of a few weeks.”
Sun Herald
Monday, June 21, 2010
Lucy's Revenge Kickoff Weekend--July 10-11--Ocean Springs
If you’re more the RV kind of person, call Camp Journey’s End. The RV Camp is adjacent to the final destination, and following lunch, you won’t have far to fall. Check them out at http://www.campjourneys-end.com/ , or call 1-888-288-8449.
If you don’t have a kayak, then let not your heart be troubled. South Coast Paddling will rent you one, for the discounted rate of $25 for the trip, AND give a portion of that back as a donation to Lucy’s Revenge. How’s that for incentive?
For more information on the Old Fort Bayou Blueway including maps of the route go to http://www.ltmcp.org/downloads/ofbb_brochure.pdf
Participants are asked to RSVP there plans to attend by emailing Keith Plunkett at plun1100@bellsouth.net or calling 601.941.9668.
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