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MEDIA RELEASE
BATON ROUGE, LA: The Save Our Cypress Coalition, a coalition of environmental organizations working to protect Louisiana's endangered swamps, expressed strong opposition today to the possibility that the proposed Baton Rouge Interstate loop would go through the Spanish Lake/Bluff Swamp ecosystem.
The Spanish Lake Basin system incorporates sections of three parishes -
Ascension, East Baton Rouge, and Iberville. It is one of the last
wetlands of its kind in the state, and has a rich historical and
natural heritage. "There are cypress trees well over 1,000 years old in
the Spanish Lake system," said Dean Wilson, the Atchafalaya
Basinkeeper. "Those are irreplaceable."
Two of the potential routes of the proposed Baton Rouge "loop"
would cross through sections of the Spanish Lake Basin and Bluff Swamp.
The Spanish Lake Basin is an ancient backwater swamp of the Mississippi
River. It is part of the 16-parish Lake Pontchartrain Basin that covers
Southeast Louisiana. The basin's nutrient-rich waters, lush vegetation
and numerous species of trees nurture wildlife, check the destructive
powers of floods and storms, and provide people with the opportunity to
enjoy and learn from nature. The area is a popular one for eco-tourism,
bird watching, boating, hunting and fishing.
Alligator Bayou has become an important area for environmental
education in Louisiana. Over 20,000 school children participate in an
environmental tour of Alligator Bayou/Spanish Lake every year.
"There are so few of these amazing places left and this one is right in
our backyard," said Paul Orr, Lower Mississippi Riverkeeper. "Our
cypress swamps are part of our culture, our heritage. It is part of
what makes south Louisiana so unique. People come from all over the
world to experience these places and this one is just a short drive
from Baton Rouge. It has such incredible value as it is. We don't need
to let a toll-road destroy that."
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The members of the Save Our Cypress Coalition are:
Atchafalaya Basinkeeper
Baton Rouge Audubon society
Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana
Delta chapter of the Sierra Club
Gulf Restoration Network
Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation
Louisiana Audubon Council
Louisiana Environmental Action Network
Lower Mississippi Riverkeeper
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Dean Wilson
Atchafalaya Basinkeeper
(225) 692-4114
Paul Orr
Lower Mississippi Riverkeeper
(225) 802-9255
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