NEW ORLEANS FEATURES - More about the SWAMPS

More about the SWAMPS

Visitors to New Orleans usually learn pretty quickly that much of the city is below sea level. That’s one of the reasons that there are so many above ground cemeteries. But much of South Louisiana is covered by swamp and marshland. The wetlands are a natural filter between the overflow of the Mississippi River and the salt waters of the Gulf. Seafood like oysters and crawfish thrive in areas where the buffers meet.
The swamps are particularly fun to explore because of all of the wildlife. During hot summer months it is easy to spot alligators in just about any of the surrounding swamp lands. There are also plenty of turtles, egrets, herons, nutria and other creatures. Nutria look like beavers with very long straight tails. They are distinguished by their two large orange teeth and their fine pelts. Originally, they were brought to Louisiana from South America. But once they escaped into the wild it was learned that they bred voraciously. Now they are everywhere you find swamps, bayous and shallow banks. Because they eat the vegetation on the banks they have exacerbated erosion problems and the state has had to try to control their populations.
Alligators are the source of greatest interest in the swamps. The reptiles can grow to more than 19 feet long, but it is more common to see females up to ten feet and males up to 14 feet. Like sharks, they will eat any chance they get but, in fact, they are not terribly active. As reptiles they have low metabolism, so they tire quickly and spend most of the winter in a hibernation-like state.
Alligators have lost their instinctual fear of humans so they actually swim out to meet swamp tour boats. Since the gators are territorial, boat captains often see the same ones frequently.
The swamps have never been typically easy to live in but the pirate Jean Lafitte used them very successfully to hide his smuggling operations from the colony before it was sold to the United States. He preyed on Spanish shipping in the Gulf and hid his men and ships in Barataria. The first American governor, William Claiborne, put a bounty on his head, which prompted Lafitte to put an even larger bounty on Claiborne’s. By the time the Battle of New Orleans was approaching in 1815, General Andrew Jackson was furious with Claiborne, worried that Lafitte would aid the British. Instead, Jackson arranged for amnesty and Lafitte helped the Americans defeat the British at Chalmette Battlefield.
There are many options to explore different swamp areas. Most are east or south of the river and within 15-30 minutes of downtown.

Jean Lafitte Swamp Tours offers both pontoon and airboat tours of the swamps. Transportation to the swamps is available.