Recipe: Turkey Pâté en croûte
November 1, 2012
Editor’s Picks for November
November 1, 2012
Wetland destruction is for the dogs.
The Barataria-Terrebonne National Estuary Program aims to promulgate this sentiment. The culture, heritage, history and property are in danger as the estuary’s marshland disappears. Urgent attention is needed, and, among other initiatives, the organization tries to drum it up annually with its free festival La Fête d’Ecologie.
One participant in BTNEP’s 16th annual festival has transformed the “for the dogs” cliché into fact.
Marsh Dog, established through a BTNEP grant, is a business that sells dog biscuits produced from a marshland nemesis – the foul-mouthed, root-chewing nutria.
While the nutria has never been complimented for its good looks, its vegetation-heavy diet produces quality meat, according to the Marsh Dog owners.
“Nutria eat fresh marsh vegetation and occasionally crops like sugar cane,” the website www.marshdog.com reads. “This is the reason Nutria are a serious problem but it’s also why the quality of the meat is so excellent.”
The invasive rodent is perilous enough to wetlands to have coerced the state into paying trappers $5 per nutria tail.
“Unfortunately, only a small percentage of harvested Nutria are utilized in any manner—leaving this otherwise high quality protein source to go to waste,” the website says.
The brother-sister business team of Veni and Hansel Harlan applied for the BTNEP grant and received it. They unveiled “Barataria Bites” – available at Waggin’ Tails and Pet Express in Houma, or online – earlier this year.
Marsh Dog’s enterprise can educate festivalgoers of a wetland threat and provide a unique way of looking at the region’s big picture. In those regards, they’re far from isolated at Le Fête d’Ecologie, says Kristy Monier, BTNEP event coordinator.
“Everything is estuary related,” Monier says of the myriad offerings at the event. The national estuary includes 4.2 million acres between the Atchafalaya and Mississippi rivers.
One of the festival’s great hits, the legendary Cast Net King arrives at 1:30 p.m. After strolling in amid great fanfare, the horned swamp creature with a mossy beard tries to defend his championship in the annual cast net throwing competition.
“It’s a big production,” Monier says. “That’s part of our heritage; that’s part of our culture; that’s what our ancestors did to survive on seafood.” The competition has three divisions: children, intermediate and adult.
The King PakaYea’ Band, Don Rich Band, Travis Matte and the Kingpins and Corey Ledet and His Zydeco Band are scheduled to perform during the seven-hour event. Morgan City magician Glen Ghirardi twice takes the stage to exhibit illusions.
More than 21 exhibitors and 20 artists are anticipated to set up booths.
The exhibitors, with interactive booths, include the Department of Natural Resources, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries and the Cajun Coast and Visitors’ Bureau, among others. These organizations are involved to discuss the estuary’s benefits and importance.
One example of interactivity is the festivalgoers’ opportunity to walk inside a huge, made-to-form crab trap.
Artists are also set to exhibit and demonstrate forms unique to the area.
“We have painters that are coming in, and maybe canvas painting, but you also have some painters that are going to be doing scenes on oyster shells and crab shells,” Monier says. “We have a lot of duck carvers, pirogue carvers; I mean they’re carving anything and everything.”
Folk artists demonstrate fly-fishing, cast net weaving, chair caning and other south Louisiana art forms. Festivalgoers can also get hands-on instruction in building primitive weaponry.
Children can paint with their fingers or submit to face-painting artists. The young ones can also make bird feeders and witness apple snail races.
La Fête’s food options include jambalaya, white beans, seafood, pulled pork sandwiches, boudin po’boys and shrimp and corn bisque; also, ice cream in November. “We’re in south Louisiana,” Monier says.
In addition to cast net tossing, those seeking competition can participate in the duck call challenge and scavenger hunt.
For the second time, the festival is held at Morgan City’s Lake End Park this year after stints at the Jean Lafitte National Historic Park and Peltier Park.
The festival runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Nov. 10 at Lake End Park in Morgan City. Admission is free. For more information, call (985) 447-0868 or visit www.btnep.org.
The Cast Net King arrives at Le Féte d’Ecologie to defend his championship in the annual cast net throwing competition. It’s one of many unique aspects of the BTNEP-sponsored festival geared toward raising awareness of coastal erosion.
