Pontchartrain Conservancy's New Canal Lighthouse (Tour) - Clio

Entries on This Tour

1. History of the New Canal Lighthouse

This may seem like a strange place for a lighthouse but the lighthouse is here for the same reason New Orleans is here. It's all about shipping. Traveling up through the mouth of the Mississippi River on sail was quite difficult. The Mississippi was a very large, sediment laden river, with shifting shoals at the mouth hindering navigation. The estuary of Lake Pontchartrain provided the perfect solution. Ships were able to travel from the Gulf into the estuary and down a natural way called Bayou St John. The Bayou brought the ships within easy portage distance to the Mississippi without having to go through the mouth of the river. The Louisiana purchase in 1803 brought tensions between the French Creole who operated the Bayou St John canal and the Americans pouring into town. Soon the Americans decided they needed to build their own canal, the New Basin Canal. The canal company sent representatives to Ireland to recruit workers desperate from the potato famine. The Irish came to New Orleans by the thousands to dig the canal with shovels and wheel barrels for less than $1/day. It is estimated that 8,000-10,000 died during the creation of the canal thru mosquito infested swamps, yellow fever, typhoid fever and malaria. A Celtic cross as a remembrance of the Irishmen who died during the digging of the canal stands on West End Blvd. The original New Basin Canal was 6 miles long, 6 feet deep, 60 feet wide, took 6 years to build. It has since been mostly filled in to make room for I-10. At the mouth of the canal, is where they build the first New Canal Lighthouse.

2. History and Ecology of the Pontchartrain Basin

The Pontchartrain Basin is a 10,000 square mile watershed that includes 16 Louisiana parishes and 4 Mississippi counties. It is one of the largest estuarine systems in the Gulf of Mexico receiving fresh water from rivers and streams and salt water from the Gulf. From rural farming communities to highly urban regions, the basin supports a population of approximately 2.1 million people.

By the 1700’s the Mississippi River had shifted paths back and forth several times - spreading sediment and creating land at the end of an ever-changing delta. The Pontchartrain Basin stretches out into the Gulf of Mexico as a 10,000 square mile watershed from the Mississippi River to the Pearl River and includes 16 Louisiana Parishes and 4 Mississippi Counties. The construction of levees along the Mississippi River prior to the 1927 flood prevented communities from being flooded but also cut off the nutrients, freshwater and sediment that nourished our wetlands. During the 1927 flood, it became clear that the levees alone were not enough to protect communities and outlets were needed along the river relieve flood waters. During the flood, the levees were breached at Caernarvon and flood waters lowered near New Orleans. The realization that relief outlets were need prompted the construction of the Bonnet Carré Spillway in the 1930's. In the 1930’s logging of cypress trees in the coastal swamps for their valuable wood resulted in saltwater intrusion from the logging canals (and later the oil and gas canals) which prevented new cypress from growing. This and the introduction of the invasive nutria (Myocastor coypus), which feed on young cypress, prevented natural swamp regeneration. Ultimately the loss of the cypress destroyed the buffer against storms that the coastal swamps provided the urban areas. In the 1940’s nutria, an invasive species of rodent brought in from South America, added to the coastal woes. A voracious eater of wetland vegetation roots, the nutria has annihilated miles of protective marshland. As the century continued, oil and gas became prominent economic drivers and critical resources for our nation. Access to these was provided by navigation canals and pipelines which crisscrossed South Louisiana marshes. Unfortunately, in the process, the coastal marshes were lost when spoil banks were left randomly throughout the area, disastrously altering the natural hydrology of the region. The canals caused saltwater intrusion and more land was lost. Looking back through the 20th Century, to a large degree, the reduced coastal hurricane protection for South Louisiana was the result of poor decisions made in the 1900’s.

4. Pontchartrain Conservancy's New Canal Lighthouse (Français)

Bienvenue au nouveau phare du canal. Le phare est le Centre d'éducation de la Pontchartrain Conservancy, dont la mission est de favoriser la durabilité environnementale et l'intendance par la recherche scientifique, l'éducation et la défense des droits. Le bassin de Pontchartrain est un bassin versant de 25 900 kilomètres carrés englobant 16 paroisses de Louisiane. L'utilisation des terres de la région est à la fois rurale et urbaine et est la région la plus densément peuplée de la Louisiane, y compris l’aire métropolitaine de la Nouvelle-Orléans et la capitale de l'État Baton Rouge. C'est l'un des plus grands systèmes estuariens du golfe du Mexique, contenant plus de 22 habitats essentiels. La topographie des bassins va des terrains boisés vallonnés au nord aux marais côtiers au sud avec le lac Pontchartrain de 1631 kilomètres carrés comme pièce maîtresse. Faites notre nouvelle visite du phare du canal pour en savoir plus sur le bassin de Pontchartrain, nos programmes côtiers et de qualité de l'eau, et le phare lui-même. Pour commencer, appuyez sur le bouton «Visite guidée» sur l'application ou la page Web.

This Tour is a Virtual Museum or Site Tour.

Pontchartrain Conservancy's New Canal Lighthouse

Created by Kate Tannian on May 26th 2014, 2:42:53 am.

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Description

Welcome to the New Canal Lighthouse! The Lighthouse is the education center for the Pontchartrain Conservancy whose mission is to drive environmental sustainability and stewardship through scientific research, education, and advocacy. The Lake Pontchartrain Basin is a 10,000 square mile watershed encompassing 16 Louisiana parishes. The land use of the region is both rural and urban and is the most densely populated region in Louisiana, including metro New Orleans and the state capital, Baton Rouge. It is one of the largest estuarine systems in the Gulf of Mexico containing over 22 essential habitats. The Basin's topography ranges from rolling woodlands in the north to coastal marshes in the south, with the 630 square mile Lake Pontchartrain as its centerpiece. Take our the New Canal Lighthouse Tour to learn about the Pontchartrain Basin, our coastal and water quality programs and the Lighthouse itself. To start press the Take Tour button on the app or web page.

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