The good, the bad and the gators
Posted: Wednesday, September 21 at 09:16 pm CT by Miguel Llanos
A young American alligator approaches the photographer’s camera during a tour of Hurricane Katrina damage in Bayou Sauvage National Wildlife Refuge. Click “Play” above to hear U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologist James Harris describe how wildlife and land were impacted by the storm.
BAYOU SAUVAGE NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE, La. -- It’s not where I would have expected to find young alligators hanging out. But the spot between a rail line knocked out by Katrina and an abandoned spur was where they’d been since the storm blew through.
For James Harris, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologist who found them, it was a pretty darn good sign that the Bayou Sauvage National Wildlife Refuge would come back to life.
Neither Katrina, nor the flooding that followed, nor the railway and levee work going on 100 feet away was enough to wipe out these 18 or so gators, who ranged from a few months to 3 years old.
But these residents of the refuge aren’t out of the woods just yet. The park, which is the only national wildlife refuge inside a city’s limits, is just 16 miles east of downtown New Orleans and sits next to New Orleans East, a mixed residential and industrial area.
Normally, the drive to this wilderness oasis is pleasant enough. But after Katrina, the view from Interstate 10 is that of wasteland. Driving past New Orleans East the roads and abandoned cars are covered in a dusty grit. A few days earlier this area was under water, much of which has since been pumped into the marshland waters of the refuge.
The waters where the gators were hanging out had an oily sheen that Harris wasn’t sure was natural, from underground methane, or from the floodwaters, which could contain sewage and pollutants.
The flooding is one of two major concerns described to us by Harris. The other: Elevated salinity from gulf water that the storm dumped into the refuge’s freshwater marshes. That extra salt is already killing off marsh grass, leaving tell-tale burn signs on the tall stalks.
Agents had been busy with the search and rescue of Katrina’s human victims, so three weeks after the storm the service still hadn’t done water testing in the refuge or even estimated what percentage of its wildlife was severely impacted.
When will that happen? Hopefully within three weeks, Harris says, but he’s quick to add that “it depends on what Rita does” -- referring to Katrina’s sibling.
“The big question is that we don’t know how much water we got from New Orleans East,” he adds. A lot of floodwater with sewage and other sediment could also cause nutrient blooms that deplete the marsh waters of the oxygen needed by fish.
Most of the refuge has two feet more of water than normal. That’s hard to notice but James says it will make the difference for wildlife like alligators, which burrow and nest near the water.
“It displaces a lot of wildlife,” he says, “just like water in New Orleans displaced people.”
The storm also ripped out pieces of marsh, spitting out chunks onto Interstate 10, residential areas and the refuge’s shoreline. That means less habitat for the wildlife survivors and fiercer competition.
“It’s survival of the fittest out there,” Shelley Stiaes, the assistant manager at the refuge, tells us, adding that alligators will turn cannibalistic if necessary.
Besides the long-term issues, the refuge staff will have to deal with shorter term problems like a five-mile field of debris -- everything from plastic bags and chemical containers to ships -- along one side of the park.
Harris is hopeful that most of the refuge will have recovered within five years. It might not look exactly the same, he says, but it will still be a wildlife refuge.
The 23,000-acre park is one of five national refuges in southeastern Louisiana pummeled by Katrina. Across Lake Pontchartrain is the Big Branch National Wildlife Refuge, where damage includes large stands of forest knocked down. “Some of that I won’t see return in my lifetime,” Harris says.
At the mouth of the Mississippi River is the Delta National Wildlife Refuge, which was completely under water but is now coming back.
Harris notes that some folks like to say that if you leave Mother Nature alone she’ll recover. “To some extent that’s true,” he says, “but it’s also a simplification. An event as large and widespread as this is a seminal event for wildlife populations and habitat.”
And Stiaes has a ready answer for our final question of when will Bayou Sauvage reopen? “Let’s just get through hurricane season first.”
A silver lining in the muck
TRACKBACKS
Is it at all possible to get people in there from different wildlife agencies to rescue the alligators and other wildlife before they become further displaced and/or dead? What is the outlook if they are not rescued in regards to humans and the potential that people could become endangered by this wildlife seeking refuge? Also, by not making attempts at rescuing any such wildlife are those involved with wildlife not simply increasing the chances that all of the wildlife that was here will get sick and die off, or again, threaten humans that may come across their path? I know that it is difficult with the new impending hurricane, but these wild animals need to be rescued. Humans displaced them from their homes to begin with, and as for wildlife, there really are not much truly wild areas left in the United States untouched by humanity. As is apparent now, with human waste and corporate contaminates filling the water what else is left of truly wild places? I hope that this area can be saved and preserved, or at least have the life moved to a more stable environment.
What about zoos or animal parks, can they help perhaps with any animal rescue and medical care? Yes Miguel and David, more questions that we are sure are on the minds of many. For those that are not such animal lovers - wild, tame or otherwise, these animals rely on us humans to help them in times especially such as these.
Keep us informed there as to the welfare of these critters and of their needs and we will do what we can to send financial and/or supplies to the agencies involved in such a rescue...as we have already done for those wonderful volunteers of Noah's Wish...we did send some financial aid to several agencies helping survivors, as well as school supplies but we want to do so much more. We will do what we can, and hope it helps. Again, please just keep us informed of needs and we will do what we can.
Miguel, David, and everyone, be safe and to the survivors, once again look after each other and help each other out. Check on your neighbors and help them and please, take your pets with you, thank you.
Bless you one and all, you are in our prayers.
The Harlow's, San Diego, California (Sent Sep 22, 2005 1:38:46 AM)
Thank you for this news story and the pictures there David, and Miguel too. You both be safe out there. As we said in previous posting to this blog, we pray for all of the survivors and hope for the best of all of life there. We hope that the environment will not be too badly damaged to sustain what life may be left after this and coming Hurricane Rita, or any others that may soon come. We hope and pray that what life is there can be rescued, brought to health if sick and reintroduced to their wetlands or another location if the area is too contaminated for them.
Please, for those of you who do not want to leave, take your family and your pets and get out, and for those that have the ability to leave, help your neighbors to do so with you. Be safe everyone and our prayers with you all.
The Harlow's, San Diego, California (Sent Sep 22, 2005 2:58:37 AM)
I'm so glad that you, David, are reporting on how Louisiana's wildlife are faring after Katrina. As a biologist, I am intensely interested in how the non-human world is surviving. The wildlife preserve will be a microcosm of evolution. I hope you are able to visit there in five years time. In fact, maybe you could visit all the wildlife refuges after 5 years. I also tip my hat to the dedicated natural resource professionals who are there for the long haul.
Sheryl Myers, Anderson, IN (Sent Sep 22, 2005 3:32:38 AM)
leo en el pais:
Más de un millón de personas abarrotan las autopistas de salida de las ciudades de Houston y Galveston (Texas) en respuesta a las evacuaciones, obligatorias y voluntarias, decretadas por las autoridades ante el avance de Rita hacia la costa tejana.
Y claro me pregunto hasta donde puede llegar la falta de previsión del gobierno Bush.
hoteles Almuñecar (Sent Sep 22, 2005 7:24:03 AM)
intensely interesting and major work by MSNBC....to all reporters and specially David and Miguel, thanks for keeping us informed intelligently..take care too
nelly kilroy, Marina del Rey, California (Sent Sep 22, 2005 11:02:15 AM)
To the Harlows and others worried about the alligators, a short message: they will adapt and survive. After years of hunting here in central Florida,they finally gained protection in the 80s. Their numbers have rebounded so that it is now rare to paddle a section of any river on west central Florida without seeing plenty of big, healthy gators. If the Louisiana gators suffer, Florida has thousands of surplus gators to restock the bayous.
D Clark (Sent Sep 22, 2005 11:46:44 AM)
What are we doing to the ecology of the Lake and the gulf by pumping all of this sewage in there?
Larry Ernst, Warrenton, MO (Sent Sep 22, 2005 12:12:19 PM)
D Clark, we are sure the gators will survive and thrive, but what of all of the potential contaminants, as well as if the gators decide to move onto land where people may be? There is the risk that now humans will be endangered from potential hungry gators or simply scared gators.
We are sure there are plenty to restock the bayous, but again the risk to people is a concern. And of course if other wildlife gets sick and dies from the pollutants and gators eat them they can become sick and die too, or even ferrol cats and dogs, or pets that have wondered into the path of a gator as they can become the gators next meal, or if the gators are dying or dead or the birds the dogs or cats will ingest the dying/dead and there begins a cycle of illnesses. Just want to prevent what can be prevented if steps are taken to minimalize the risk to both humans and other animals is all. Thank you for writing your reply though, and again we are sure the area will do fine. Our prayers with everyone and again David and Miguel, be safe. You all survivors be safe and know our prayers with everyone. Assalamu Alaykum (Peace be upon you) all of you....
The Harlow's, San Diego, California (Sent Sep 22, 2005 1:13:29 PM)
I echo Stiaes' last comment of "just getting through hurricaine season first"--as here in the Houston area, we are preparing for Rita. Best wishes in restoring the beauty and maintining the wildlife at Bayou Savauge.
L Davis, Houston, Texas (Sent Sep 22, 2005 1:27:19 PM)
It is good to hear that the animals are being thought of. I wish there was more that we could do though to insure their saftey. As was said in a pervious comment the animals in zoos and wildlife areas often rely on humans for food and for their well being. I only hope something can be done to save what wildlife is left before Rita hits.
Lillian Green, Londand, England (Sent Sep 22, 2005 1:29:04 PM)
The alligators are survivors, they will find their place, as they have for eons.
machu (Sent Sep 24, 2005 10:45:04 PM)
SEND A COMMENT
PLEASE READ: We will only approve comments that are directly related to this blog post, use appropriate language and are not attacking the comments of others.