Normally, bicyclists who stop along the roadside during long rides are “taking care of business.”
But the 35 Acorns of Hope bicycle riders touring Louisiana's coastal plain earlier this month were professional arborists, and they were stopping to plant 2,000 live oak trees.
Acorns of Hope is a 5-year project that's aimed at replanting the thousands of trees along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico that were wiped out by Hurricanes Rita and Katrina.
Without trees and their roots to hold the soil along the coastline, erosion continues to threaten those who are returning to rebuild their homes and their livelihoods.
Live oaks
The current effort to replant the coast with 10,000 live oaks is the mission of Louisiana native and arborist Bob Thibodeaux of Church Point. He explains at his oak preservation website (.pdf document):
“Hurricane Rita destroyed many trees in the coastal plains and along the coast of Louisiana that were the part of the erosion deterrant as well as a major part of the ecosystem of these coastal plains. This coastline and ecosystem needs to be restored as well as the towns and houses.”
For the past two years, the 250-mile Acorns of Hope bicycle tour has drawn arborists from across North America to help with the replanting. Along the way, they get to enjoy the Cajun culture and food.
Meanwhile, Thibodeaux also has enlisted the help of local residents to collect acorns from surviving trees and sprout them into seedlings for replanting.
Heritage trees
Many of these saplings didn't come from anonymous parentage. Live oaks can grow more than 200 years in these regions and the people name them. Many of the seedlings came from famous Louisiana live oaks such as the Jim Bowie Live Oak in Opelousas, reports the Daily World.
The arborists on the ride are participants in the annual Tour des Trees, an annual bike tour to raise funds and awareness for urban forestry. The next Tour des Trees rolls out July 18 – 25, 2009, covering more than 500 miles in the Northeast US.
I'm always amazed at the unique ways people put their bicycles to use for good causes. This group certainly deserves admiration.
You can learn more about the efforts to reforest the Louisiana coastline in the cool Acorns of Hope video above by PetesHouseProds.
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