It's kind of a striking sight to transition from driving through the Katrina devastated residential neighborhood, then walk up the levee and be confronted by this vast body of water. There are a number of informational plaques that explain the history of the bayou and the devastating environmental impacts on it over the past number of decades. This body of water used to be a thick cypress swamp that was fed by the Mississippi River, but due to things like the building of levees, oil and gas canals, and shipping channels, salt water has penetrated into the bayou and killed off the vegetation. This is a big problem because it's wetlands like this that form a natural barrier against the winds and storm surge of Hurricanes. Louisiana's wetlands are currently disappearing at the rate of 1 football field per hour. That's crazy! And pretty scary too, if you ask me.