The Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve (JLNP) in Louisiana is home to the Barataria Preserve (BP). The BP is 23, 000 acres of protected wetlands, marshes and swamps that connects directly to the Gulf of Mexico.
“Why would one want to celebrate swamps, marshes, and bayous for National Park Week?”, some might wonder.
Well, understanding the bayous in Louisiana is truly appreciating the history and influence of these slow-running streams, on culture in the area.
The term bayou is often associated with Creole culture. Acadians, descendants of French Canadians, were among the first groups to settle in southern Louisiana near Bayou Teche.
In fact, the term “bayou” is thought to be a derivative of the Choctaw Indian term”bayuk”, which means small stream.
Life by the marshes and wetlands in Louisiana certainly impacted the merging of different ethnic groups, language, and tradition.
This Saturday, the JLNP is opening its doors for Junior Ranger Walks for children, nature walks, kayaking and much more.
Perhaps the best aspect to enjoy the JNLP is that these wetlands were not directly impacted by the Gulf Oil Spill of 2010.
Devastation from the 2010 Oil Spill continues to negatively affect the lives of coast residents. Yet, the JLNP wetlands are still open to the public.
Will you be celebrating National Park Week this year?
Would you consider going to the JNLP?
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]]>For Ishmael, the main character in Moby Dick, whaling was a indeed a noble and necessary profession. And the great leviathan, or the whale, was pursued closely and hunted carefully.
Now, the tides have turned sharply in cultural attitudes about whaling. International and marine laws that make whale hunting illegal would probably make Melville turn in his Woodlawn Cemetery grave in the Bronx, NY.
In Melville’s classic novel Moby Dick, whales were hunted for the oil that their bodies produced. Oil could be bought and sold in local marketplaces, making whaling captains, harpooners, and shipmates, a bit richer.
Now, organizations are actively working to prohibit illegal hunting of maritime animals. Even as Melville alludes to in the greatest work of American fiction, humanity’s vain contention with nature and her grandest creatures will never truly be successful.
“Roll on, thou deep and dark blue ocean, roll! Ten thousand blubber-hunters sweep over thee in vain,” writes Melville.
Alas, centuries later, whale hunters are still fighting a perpetually never winning battle. As Melville’s novel unfolds, the reader becomes chiefly aware of the man’s vulnerabilities as he meddles with nature’s affairs.
Whale hunters didn’t win in the day’s of Ishmael who road along the Pequod ship, directed by the “not sick, but not quite well,” Captain Ahab.
The grand leviathan and the pervasive vindictiveness that the whale instilled in Captain Ahab, was vaster than the depths of the Earth’s deepest waters.
Yet still, whale captains and hunters take up the battle of Captain Ahab, and seek to take arms against a still more powerful leviathan.
As whales are a tough animal to contend with, some whale hunters are a tough crew to send a clear message to.
Whaling hunting is threatening endangered species and the future of whales on planet Earth. They must be stopped.
But who could stop a crazed captain with an eye on overdue vengeance for a single whale in the Pacific? Who will truly stop whale hunters now?
What would Melville say if he encountered the action of leading organizations that are organized to stop whale hunting?
Would he support the profession that drove Ishmael to the seven seas?
Or, would he take a stand against the institution of whale hunting for once and for all?
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]]>Within the first minute of Superwoman, Keys is adorned in traditional garb walking across the Saharan desert to fetch water at a well. On her head rests a basin to collect enough water for either herself or her family.
Trailing behind Keys is a row of other women who are on the same journey to fetch clean water for themselves and loved ones. On their hips they carry infants or toddlers. And on their heads, they too balance an empty basin for water.
In this evocative scene, Keys bends over a water hole and pours water from her basin into the basin of another woman directly behind her at the well.
Without words, Keys captivates viewers and conveys a compelling message. Water must be shared by those who have it, with those who need it most.
Key’s connects the significance of water for superwomen around the world. Empowering women in developing nations is next to impossible without providing them with clean drinking water.
Artistically, the water shared by Keys in the Saharan desert morphs into water poured into a glass by a female executive in corporate America.
In a split second, one witnesses how water connects women from around the globe. Despite social class, education level, or national identity, all superwomen are refreshed by a glass of clean drinking water.
According to looktothestars.org, Keys is also involved with a water charity called Raising Malawi (RW). RW boasts of providing 57,000 villagers in Malawi with piped clean drinking water.
In nations such as Malawi, access to clean drinking water can reduce mortality rates from water-borne diseases. It can provide women with more time to devote to entrepreneurship, thereby decreasing rates of poverty. Clean water provision can have a ripple effect for the development sphere in Malawi and beyond.
Directly and indirectly, Keys continues to open doors for clean water initiatives. She uses her talent, influence, and resources, to make a world of difference in the lives of the world’s superwomen.
Is there a celebrity that you would like to nominate for WaterWideWeb’s Water Celebrity of the Week?
Email us at [email protected]
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Travel all seven seas, cruise the Mediterranean, and back again right from your computer, simply by clicking on our Flickr page.
At WaterWideWeb, we’re using social media tools to raise awareness about the importance of protecting and sustaining the world’s water resources.
Check out The Photo Journal of an Oregonian, which features pristine lakes and ponds in the Pacific Northwest.
You can also enjoy phenomenal shots of underwater life and coral reefs in the album Panama ICBG Program. This entire set of photographs was shared with WaterWideWeb by lead investigators in the Panama International Cooperative Program working on drug discover in Panama.
Currently, we have over 300 member in our Flickr Group, and we anticipate that these numbers will grow exponentially in the coming weeks.
Help us raise awareness about the significance of water resource stewardship. Join us on Flickr! Engage in discussion with professionals from around the world who are donating their artwork to make a stand about appropriate water stewardship.
Statistics and estimates about water insecurity can be mind numbing to some people. That’s why we are using creative art to reach all members of our readership.
A picture is worth a thousand words. And a good one, could be mean a thousand more supporters for the sustainable use of the world’s water resources.
If you would like to submit photographs for publication on WaterWideWeb’s Flickr account, please email photos and appropriate credits to: [email protected]
The photograph above was taken by one of WaterWideWeb’s biggest supporters, Daniel Graff
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]]>It’s high time to tackle the age-old question. Is hot cocoa, aka hot chocolate, served best with water or milk?
Food Network chef Ina Garten includes milk in her recipe for hot cocoa. And Southern belle Paula Deen actually includes heavy cream and half and half in her recipe for hot cocoa. Neither celebrity chef uses water to serve up their warm cup of wintery goodness.
Of course, the recipes for high end hot chocolate served up by Ina Garten and Paula Dean are reserved for special occasions when time for embellishing on drink details is not an issue.
What if you want to enjoy some quick hot chocolate on the go? Can you scrimp on the milk and just add water?
Even a quick fix recipe for El Dorado Hot Chocolate featured by the Food Network Kitchens doesn’t use water for their key ingredient in hot cocoa.
According to the cocoa connoisseurs of the Food Network, hot chocolate is best made with milk. But somewhere along the line, water was swapped for milk and the history of hot cocoa has changed ever since.
An unspoken rule of hot chocolate service is that the beverage be prepared with milk. However, there are certain unnamed establishments that use water as a substitute for milk in their hot cocoa. Formal names of said establishments are omitted to protect the guilty.
Some might argue that it’s not the base ingredient but the quality of the cocoa that makes each sip of hot chocolate so savory and sweet. But again, are these individuals the celebrity chefs that America knows and loves?
So how did you make your favorite cup of warm wintery goodness as a child? Did you use water or milk in your family recipe for hot cocoa?
Has that changed? And if so, why?
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]]>Consider scuba diving in Florida for your next vacation. You can save money without scrimping on vacation must have’s like outdoor activities and culture.
The Florida Underwater Archaeological Preserves (FUAP) offers tourists and locals several great spots to scuba dive and take in beautiful underwater culture.
The FUAP protects underwater sites and marine heritage along the coastline of Florida. To date, FUAP has designated 11 sites or Museums in the Sea where divers can explore submerged ships and underwater heritage.
The various underwater museums in Florida’s Museums in the Sea are the locale of some of histories most fascinating battles and naval fleet wars.
The site of Urca de Lima is said to be the place where the alleged 1715 Spanish treasure fleet sank during a hurricane at Ft. Pierce. Surrounding every sunken ship, there is a deep tale or two as to the cargo of the vessel, and how she mysteriously sunk.
Lofthus is another site protected by FUAP. There, the vessel rests at the bottom of the sea after wrecking off Manalapan, FL in 1898.
According to FUAP, the Lofthus averted the attacks of cut-throat pirates by painting “trompe l’oeil” gun ports. But alas, it wasn’t a bank of thievish pirates that let to the Lofthus’ demise. It sank from natural causes.
The San Pedro wreckage of the Museums in the Sea takes divers along a historical journey where a Spanish galleon of the 1733 Spanish Plate Fleet saw her last days in the Florida Keys near Islamorada.
All this and more awaits scuba divers and travelers who want to budget for a memorable yet cost-effective family vacation.
You don’t have to travel all seven seas or spend exorbitant amounts of money to enjoy a lone, group, or family vacation. Think fun, accessible, and easy on the wallet with scuba diving in Florida.
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]]>In the Clackamas River of northwestern Oregon, water use multiplies by 2-3 times more water in spring months as compared to winter months. Additional water use is attributed to the increased landscaping and planting that takes place in early spring.
Cultivating a water efficient landscape in your home garden could protect your plants from root rot, or being over watered. For plants, there is a such thing as too much water leading to an early wilting. Water responsibly.
The city of Hayward, California and Corvallis, Oregon published guides for water efficient landscaping through their department of public works. Water efficient landscaping techniques and plants differ according to climate and region of the country.
Contact your local department of public works to find out suggested water efficient landscaping techniques and plants for your garden.
Choosing a water efficient plant doesn’t mean sacrificing a beautiful garden. After all, an eco-sustainable garden will last longer than all others anyway.
Reap a renewable garden by properly nourishing water efficient plants. Future generations will thank you.
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]]>Listeners are rocked by the ebb and flow of Wrights smooth vocals over a gentle strumming of her guitar, entreating them to take their worries down to the water.
Metaphors have graced great works of art across the centuries. In Wrights’ enchanting melody, she sings of water as a place to put her dreams in. The imagery is timeless, similar to sailors who stuffed letters in glass bottles, hoping a long lost love would stumble upon the writings.
In the lyrics to Song for Mia, Wright also sings of dumping her emotional baggage into this same body of water. “I put my tears in, all night long”, sings Wright. And what woman, young or old, isn’t looking for a place to safely store her tears?
Toward the end of her song Wrights sings, “I’ll take these bad things and I’ll lay them at the shore.” Unique to Wright’s piece, she sings about the power of water to safeguard the most fragile pieces of humanity—our feelings.
Musicians and other artists will surely allude to the various affects of water on the emotional health of people well into the future. Studying the unique characteristics that they associate with water, reveals the influences of nature impressed upon the human psyche.
Understanding how water has become more than a physical need for people broadens the collective consciousness about this precious resource. Water is meant to cleanse and heal that which at times is rendered utterly inexpressible by a series of words.
Lizz Wrights will be performing at the Langston Hughes Auditorium at the Schomberg Center for Research in Black Culture on Monday, March 28, 2011. Hopefully, she will take attendees to the water.
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Why NOLA’s Water Meter Jewelry is a Must Buy
]]>There’s plenty of exciting trinkets to purchase in the birthplace of jazz, before enjoying a beignet and coffee at Cafe DuMonde. But, replicas of the city’s water meters are popular memorabilia even on t-shirts, coffee mugs, and doormats.
Water meter boxes that captivate tourists and NOLA natives were mostly designed by Edwin Ford of Ford Meter Box Company, a company of Wabash, Indiana. Another famous water meter is allegedly the design of M.W. Clark of Mattoon, Illinois
A popular water meter that is replicated on NOLA souvenirs is covered with crescent moons and stars. It’s known as the “Crescent Box that is so coveted” and was designed by Ford in the 1920’s after a trip to NOLA.
NOLA is one of Ford Meter Box Company’s oldest utility customers. By 1924, approximately half of Ford Meter Box’s sales were in NOLA.
In the case of the NOLA water meter, a piece of city infrastructure morphed into an emblem of a city’s culture and fashion.
A system originally designed to meter customers for their consumption of water has evolved into a fashionable way to display NOLA pride.
Water infrastructure and city water systems across the United States have affected local communities in various capacities. But few are more interesting than the legacy of NOLA’s water meters.
If you ever traverse the bustling streets of the Big Easy, be sure to purchase a piece of water meter memorabilia…to complement the iconic fleur de lis tokens , of course!
Some jewelry shops, like Mademoiselle Jewelry, are selling NOLA water meter jewelry while committing a percentage of sales to benefit Hurricane Katrina victims. Consumers can be fashionistas with a cause with NOLA water meter jewelry from designated retailers.
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]]>In the world of ocean conservation, most people certainly know Danson’s name. He recently released his book Oceana, a compelling analysis of ocean degradation and efforts to stop it.
“For over 20 years, I’ve been watching this issue grow and build in the public consciousness and I am convinced that we’re now at a tipping point. The rise in awareness of, and fight against, climate change has convinced me that people are ready for a book to that brings to light the critical issues regarding the future of our oceans,” said Danson.
When off the set of shows like Curb Your Enthusiasm and Bored to Death, Danson is busy lecturing on the significance of ocean degradation and damages to marine life from ocean acidification, global overfishing, and global climate change.
According to an article published on looktothestars.org, Danson lobbied for ocean conservation in front of Congress and the Senate. Danson also narrated The End of the Line, a documentary that spelled out the harsh realities of ocean degradation.
To learn more about Danson’s commitment to ocean conservation, please check out his organization Oceana.org
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