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Holding Back the Sea by
Christopher Hallowell. 2001. Harper Collins publisher. 265p.
Chris Hallowell, a resident of Brooklyn, NY and professor of journalism and
creative writing for the City University of New York, draws on his writing
skills to craft an eloquent portrayal of the environmental crisis and the people
of south Louisiana. The crisis, the seemingly inexorable loss of coastal
marshes, costs the area about 30 square miles of marsh a year. Levees built to
prevent flooding also prevent the deposition of river carried sediment that
could replenish the marshes. The marshes sink. Thousands of canals dredged by
oil companies for navigation expose vulnerable banks to erosion. The turbulence
of passing boats widens a 30 ft. canal into a 100 ft. one.
Some native Louisianans can be compared to the biblical prodigal son. As young
adults they exploit and damage this wetland environment, but as older adults
they appreciate and understand the urgency of protecting it. Ironically, the
various groups, such as oyster dredgers and Army Corp of Engineer folks with a
goal of preventing flooding, work first to protect their own “turf”. The
recognition that current programs costing about $30 million annually to save &
restore marshes have slowed marsh loss by only 15% has helped galvanize these
various groups to search for consensus. They continue to search for funding and
an overall plan that harmonizes the needs of healthy humans and healthy
marshlands.
Written 5 January, 2005
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