Tale of two Deltas

This is a shorter version of our all day trip, the Delta Circle. On this five hour route we show the tale of two deltas. One river bank connected to the river and on the rebound, the other dominated by human development.

What to expect:

9:00 We will meet at Delta Discovery, located at 168 Ice House Road Empire, LA 70050. The marina is a brown single story building with a carport. Parking is just in front of the marina, if you have any trouble finding the marina, please call Captain Blink at 225-287-2843 and he can help.

Inside there are restrooms and coffee. We go over the natural and human history of the Mississippi River Delta. Once in the boat we hold a safety briefing before we depart.

10:00 Arrive offshore of an indigenous site called the Lemon Tree Mounds. A protective living shoreline has since been installed by Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana using shell from local restaurants. You can learn more here. 

Next stop is some Ghost Bayous, places where bayous once flowed through the marsh and are now open water. We stop offshore of a nearby camp to see the changes.  From here we begin the trek toward the newly rebuilt barrier island chain. Pods of dolphins are frequently seen here. Each pod has a relatively narrow territory. If strong winds are forecast we sometimes turn back to the marina here. 

10:30 Arrive and disembark at Scofield Island, a restored barrier island. Discussion of restoration techniques, community and habitat benefits, benefits to the local economy. This project was funded with Deepwater Horizon fines ($60.8M) and was designed to reduce storm surge while creating vital habitat for birds and other wildlife.

11:45 Return to harbor for restroom break. We enter the Mississippi River through a navigation lock. Here we talk about the economic importance of the Mississippi River to Louisiana and the United States.

12:20 Enter freshwater wetlands actively being built by the Mississippi River. Here we get to see the land building process first hand. In these revitalized wetland areas a number of projects have helped to positively shape the landscape. Many birds are in this area.

2:00 Arrive back to the Delta Discovery Dock.  

This site is a solid primer for the trip and is fun to navigate. You will see some of these places up close, especially the areas near Venice and Buras.