We're fine. Donna's gotten out visiting yarn shops and other shopping. I'm slowly recovering from my head & chest cold. Felt like getting out Wednesday, so I did a few odd things and got a haircut. Wasn't too motivated to do much else, so I've hunkered back down in the trailer. Today's a rain day, so we're both hunkered down in the trailer.
I did get out & attend a presentation on how Hurricane Ivan affected the state park. We've had a lot of people tell us how pretty the place was before the hurricane. From the pictures the presentation showed, it was pretty. Reminded me of those thick, lush forests you see around the old plantations in South Carolina. Or maybe the campsites at Walt Disney World's Fort Wilderness. Even after the cleanup from the storm, it didn't look too bad. But like a lot of things, the best intended actions lead to long term unintended destruction.
Apparently, a quick road repair to the beach connector (Highway 182) removed any chance that the saltwater that had flowed into the swamps and lakes during the storm could flow back to the gulf. Saltwater isn't all that great for pines and oaks & that started the damage to the trees. A long drought ensued that didn't help. And as things began to recover, the need to remove the dead undergrowth became evident. What today would be called a "prescribed burn" to remove the dead undergrowth became uncontrollable and burned out of control (hence the name "Controlled Burn" isn't used anymore by the Nat'l Park Service). That sealed the fate of the park's trees and leads to the lack of trees that's seen today.
We still love this little park, but I do understand why some people seem so sad over it. And if you're familiar with the park, they say a new conference center and hotel are planned. Just don't know when.
That's it for this week. Later, David
No comments:
Post a Comment