Rockefeller Trip Sept 20, 2012

This group of engineers, architects and biologists are exploring how to create sustainable habitations that work with, and ideally enhance, the coastal environment.  This trip to Rockefeller Wildlife Refuge in western Louisiana was fascinating, from the 'Cajun culture (and great food) to the care and challenges of managing the coastal environment.  Food for thought...

 Suire's Cajun Grocery has great po'boys, baked goods and more...

 Well, lots of fun and very tasty inside Suire's, and all this before we got to the coast!

 At Rockefeller, we saw some of our structures that have been growing long enough (2-6 years) to be thoroughly "biologically dominated" and very difficult to think of as traditional "structures", but which are nevertheless highly stable, accreting or gaining sediment, providing habitat, and potentially providing components for a more sustainable architecture...

 Cement coated recycled crab traps may grow oysters, but appear to have done in a couple other coastal denizens.  We need to avoid this in the future...  No point saving the world by killing those who live there...

 This high density emplacement has not yet been well colonized, but some barnacles, oysters and other species have started to grow in this high energy environment on the gulf coast itself.  The waves were low so we were able to get there today. 

There were fish flying up behind the boat - Jim reflected that Louisiana is very rich!  Oil, fish just flying, but also just a beautiful environment.  Yet not all that wealth translates to health and quality of life.  Why?  Why is the coast receding so fast?  Why is there so little money or resources to protect the coast?  Why is there so little appreciation (and so few habitations in) of this amazing coastal environment?  And is there something we can do about it?  These are some of the questions this group is addressing.  Are there ways that living resources can help protect the coast?  Can habitations also function as substrate to encourage growth of plants and animals?  Can we better appreciate this beauty by living here, at least some of the time?  And can we also come to realize that in this dynamic environment, we need to remember that most things are not forever.  Still, we can enjoy the day, and we can consider what it means and what we can do.