On Saturday, September 13th, several BCOS members met up at Cheniere Area 8 in West Monroe to participate in Ouachita Green’s annual Water Sweep. We had 11 paddlers picking up trash in that area of the lake. We also picked up a couple new members!
Turns out, the lake was pretty clean and we saw a lot more scenery than trash as we carved our little paddle trail through the duck **** covered water. The water cleared up the farther we went. Surrounded by beautiful tupelo gum trees draped with Spanish moss, we paddled and visited while a few hopefuls cast their lines out to lure in fish. We paddled out to an abandoned beaver hut and found a selection of sticks with lots of gnarls and bite marks that a few of us plan to repurpose into hiking sticks. Tricia Grayson captured a stunning photo of a beautiful swallowtail butterfly we spotted while it was feeding on a buttonbush. There is a shooting range located near the lake, so unfortunately what started out as a serene paddle was soon interrupted by sounds of gunfire as law enforcement practiced shooting rounds.
We headed back to the bank and unloaded our garbage bags – we’d hauled 53 pounds of trash out of the lake. Afterwards we gathered at the Fish House in West Monroe for a feast of shrimp, fish, po-boys, etc.. and had a great time visiting and sharing photos from the morning paddle. It was a great time spent with great people!
