Water Sweep Recap
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 weed 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!
