Mad People today

[dmtfish]

I have read through this entire thread, and Smalls, Duck Butter, etc.. ya’ll seem to have a pretty good grasp of the situation and consequences of saltwater intrusion. I have to say Smalls you are pretty much on point with your synopsis. Prior to Rita, I worked for a private engineering firm that collected the data in that marsh. For almost 5 yrs i collected the data and serviced the the data sondes in the reserve, the main lake, mud lake, west cove, and sabine WMA (actually collected data from Breton Sound to Sabine). This by no means makes me an expert, as I was only a field tech that collected the data and handed it over to DNR. I do have a BS though, in Environmental Resources and a minor in Resource Biology.
My first thoughts after reading this is somewhat heartbreaking, as I too used to have access to the "private" areas...and can tell you the amount of waterfowl in that marsh was absolutely stunning. I am hoping that I am wrong in assuming (after reading these posts) that Rita pretty much killed all the fresh/brackish submerged vegetation that was so prevalent in that marsh. Make no mistake, the reason the ducks were in there was for the food. I have seen first-hand the results of storm surge (saltwater intrusion) on duck numbers, as our lease in PI sucked for years after Rita due to vegetation die off...
Second thoughts after reading this, is that I am glad many people grasp the overall picture and understand the importance of wetlands management. With all projects, there will be some narrow minded people are unhappy with what we are trying to do with resource management…Case in point, anyone remember the Caernarvon Freshwater diversion? Oyster fisherman were outraged and even filed law suits declaring their fishing grounds were “ruined.” Were they? Maybe in terms of oysters, but the fact of the matter is this area was returned to a beautiful marsh (and what it was historically) and land was actually “built up” from the sediment laden fresh water. In fact, the area has become a tremendous bass fishery.
Without these saltwater barriers, our coast line will continue to erode, as freshwater marsh becomes brackish, brackish marsh becomes salt marsh, salt marsh becomes open water. Waltrip, you work offshore, so by frequently flying over the coast I know you have seen first hand how much our marshes have eroded over the years (not trying to single you out, just trying to make a point to justify why those weirs are there). I have been in the oilfield 6 years now, and can tell you that it is quite depressing to see sooo much land disappear in such a short amount of time.
I won’t rant any longer, all I am going to say is that those weirs most definitely DO NOT support the Entire lake. They may obstruct some of the ebb and flow of food sources for the fishery, but in the long term they are there for the good of the entire ecosystem and surrounding watershed and marsh.

Cheers…