Special Note from Ann Terry Hill:

Parts of the following story were originally published in 2004, but Honey Island Swamp is so interesting and the tour so much fun, I felt it was worth updating and running again. Paul and Brenda Trahan purchased the company from Dr. Paul Wagner in 2004, after having worked at Honey Island for 18 years. Even Hurricane Katrina hasn’t changed the operation. The tours and the swamp remain the same. The section of the swamp where Honey Island is located is protected, and has Cypress trees 1000 years old, so the swamp has weathered inclement conditions and storms for centuries.

Spring and Summer are prime times to visit. The wild Iris are blooming now, and the alligators are coming to the surface to sun themselves. You’ll have the experience of a lifetime---Guaranteed!


SIMPLY SWAMPED!

By Ann Terry Hill

With visions of alligators, swamp monsters, and unspecified creepy-crawlies-- all the things I’d read about concerning swamps-- I approached the Honey Island Swamp Island tour with trepidation. Would our boat disappear in one of the inlets or bayous, never to be seen again, or would we lose an arm to a hungry alligator, just waiting for a crunchy human morsel. After all, I’d seen this happen in the movies. I swallowed my fear and boarded the flat bottom boat, built especially to navigate in back waters and tight quarters. Dr. Paul Wagner (the owner at the time) guaranteed we would be exposed to some of the most pristine areas of this natural water world wonder as he gunned the motor and we took off from Crawford Landing, near Slidell, Louisiana.

It was mid-December, 2003, when we embarked on this tour. Although most of the foliage was gone from the trees, the Spanish Moss on the bare branches of the gnarled cypress and tupelo gum trees reassured us, we were, indeed, in for a picturesque and exotic trip. Dr. Paul advised it was too cold for the alligators during our visit. They were hibernating at the bottom of the swamp trying to stay warm. But he said “you will see a lot of life, nutria, herons, ibis and if you are lucky, a wild swamp hog or a bald eagle and occasionally, black bear. One eagle nest in the swamp is estimated to be about 70 years old. The birds return each year to raise their families, usually between October and May.

A slight mist on the water cleared as we made our way deep into the swamp. Although the sun was bright above us, we were shaded by the trees that lined our path, and if it weren’t for the blankets provided for us, it would have been down right cold out on that water. Cutting the boat motor, Dr. Paul told us to ‘listen’ to the swamp. We did, and all we could hear was our own breathing. Then he began his lecture. “You are surrounded by the beauty of nature,” he said.

With a PhD in Wetland ecology (I refer to it as Swampology) Dr. Paul has lived on and studied the swamp for thirty years. He has operated tours since 1982 and has a world-wide customer base which continues under the new ownership. A recognized authority on swamplands, he is sought out by the likes of BBC, Disney and the National Geographic when they need specific information or a particular backdrop for a movie they are shooting. I have to admit, much of the scenery we saw that day was eerily familiar, and I realized I’d probably seen it on film, either on TV or in the movies. Current owners Paul and Brenda Trahan continue to work with all these companies.

Honey Island Swamp is fed by fresh water from the Pearl River and is healthy and vibrant. The swamp got its name from the bees that used to swarm there. The Dr. pointed out hundreds of new roots of cypress sticking up out of the water which confirmed new growth. There are no manmade levees on this swamp therefore the floods can flush out the water and drop sediments and fertilize naturally. This is what keeps it fresh., opposed to other swamps along the Mississippi which are controlled by manmade levees and are dying. Crawfish are the mainstay of the swamp. They eat the dead leaves that decompose in the water. Everything else feeds on them; the fish, the alligators, the people.

Honey Island Swamp is 250 square miles of wetlands. Nearly 70,000 acres of it are permanently protected wildlife areas. It is home to many species of exotic birds. A birders’ and fishermans' paradise, the swamp has some of the richest wildlife stretches on the river.

Guiding our boat into one small waterway, so narrow there was just room for us to pass, the naked branches of the cypress reached out for us like the monsters I’d imagined. Dr. Paul allayed our concerns. “I’m not saying ‘never’, but up to this time, I have never encountered anything resembling a monster, “ he said. The legend of Wookie, a huge animal that resembles an orangutang or Big Foot, remains an enigma since several visitors to the swamp have sworn they’ve seen him. “However,” the Dr. continued, “I keep an open mind. I was in this swamp one night fishing when I heard strange groans and sighs. I put my boat in high gear and headed for home. I never looked back, so I don’t know if it was Wookie, or not!”

“Pirates of old and convicts used to head for Honey Island Swamp and disappear. There are many stories of pirates who buried their treasure here in the 1800s, during the Battle of New Orleans. .It’s said Pierre Rameau, a Creole pirate, used these waters for years. None of these tales have been documented, although cryptozoologists call occasionally and are still trying to solve the mysteries.

Dr. Paul took pride in his educational, ecological and natural history tours, and owners Paul and Brenda are continuing the heritage. “That’s what makes us different from the other swamp tours, “ he says. “All our tours are educational. All our guides are schooled in the ecology and are naturalists that know the swamp. The tours are a learning experience, that hopefully awakes peoples awareness to the necessity of these wetlands to the environment.

Spring and fall are Dr. Paul’s favorite times of year in the swamp. “ But,” he says, “it changes with every season. There is always something different to look at and enjoy. Winter season with most of the foliage off the trees gives you a much better chance to see wildlife, but all the new growth of spring is special with all the flowers. This is the least altered, most beautiful wetlands we have.”

Turning the boat back toward the Crawford Landing, we passed several “shacks” as they are called, where people vacation on weekends, principally to relax and fish. I noticed more than one of these cabins was proudly displaying the Confederate flag. “Oh,. yes, “ said Dr. Paul in jest. “ We feed the Yankees to the alligators!”

Honey Island Swamp tours are offered daily in the AM and PM and last for roughly two hours year round. Round-trip transportation from downtown New Orleans hotels is offered if needed. Call for reservations.

HONEY ISLAND SWAMP TOURS
Slidell: 985.641.1769, New Orleans: 504.242.5877
Paul and Brenda Trahan, Owners & Operators
www.honeyislandswamp.com

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