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Bayou
Bartholomew
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Designated as the longest bayou in the world, Bayou Bartholomew begins northwest of the city of Pine Bluff and flows approximately 300 miles through almost one-million acres of watershed before crossing the Louisiana border on its way to joining the Ouachita River. It is lined in portions with cypress and tupelo swamps and inhabited by alligators and large turtles, visited by wintering waterfowl and contains over one-hundred and thirty species of fishes. However, as is the problem with most bayous, Bayou Bartholomew has been riddled with trash from thoughtless cititzens. The Bayou Bartholomew Alliance is a nonprofit organization that has formed in response to the needs of this special bayou. The sub-unit had the privilege of helping out the alliance on one of their many clean-up days. It was a cold and rainy morning in the water, but afterwards, everyone had a least a small sense of accomplishment. The list of items pulled from under the bridge ranged from old computers to swing sets, and even a pay phone came from the murky depths! Needless to say, we filled our trailer to the point of breaking and then had to call it a day - yet another ton of garbage removed from Bayou Bartholomew - we hope it will make a difference!
The finish to a long morning of work!