The historic flood that is impacting Southeast Texas and Southwest Louisiana right now has already created far more than its share of human tragedy. With the community of Deweyville along with other areas essentially underwater, thousands of peoples hopes, dreams and life work are awash.
We should keep them in our prayers and find ways to help them put the pieces back together.
This however is an outdoors column and I would be amiss not to address the tremendous impact this flood is having on our local wildlife and outdoors scene. After communicating with others and checking some things out for myself, I have identified four key areas to watch.
• Wildlife Displacement: With record floods, whitetail deer, feral hogs, coyotes, bobcats and all kinds of other wildlife are displaced. That means they will be in neighborhoods, backyards and along the highways.
This will increase the likelihood of car collisions and unfortunately poaching. Be careful as you drive along areas near the flood zone and also be aware of any poaching activity and report to Operation Game Thief at 1-800-792-GAME.
A second point on this is the amount of snakes that will be moved from the river area. Be extremely cautious as venomous snakes like cottonmouths will be in areas they normally do not inhabit. Be especially careful around any debris pushed up from the flood.
• Fish Kills: There is a great chance of fish kills associated with high water standing over coastal marsh. According to Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, freshwater flooding from rain or saline storm surge may trap fish in an inappropriate salinity. If this happens rapidly and the fish have no escape, species that are intolerant to changes in salinity may die. In addition, rising water may flood areas that normally do not contain water. After water levels recede, fish can become trapped if they are cut off from the connection to the main body of water. When the small ponds the fish have been trapped in dry up, the fish die.
• Speck Shifting: Sabine Lake will be as fresh as it has ever been in modern history. I have no question there will be bass and freshwater catfish throughout the system and in spots we would never dream. Speckled trout which are the least freshwater tolerant of our local saltwater game species will be pushed southward. Later in the spring this could mean the fish are all over the reef on the south end where they tend to congregate during flood conditions. For now, I expect many to be in the deep water on the ship channel south of the lake as the saltiest water tends to stay near the bottom. It will be a vastly different year that we were expecting for trout fishing.
• Lease Damage: Hunters along the Sabine River corridor can say goodbye to blinds, feeders, camp houses and other amenities. The level of water we are dealing with is unprecedented and many will find the waters have taken away their hard work. It will be back to the drawing board for many hunters in the area.
If you have any outdoors related photos of the flood or stories that tie in with this column please email them to chester@kingdomzoo.com. We will be putting together several more articles in the coming weeks to make sense of what is happening during this time of tragedy and change.
(To contact Chester Moore, e-mail him at chester@kingdomzoo.com. You can hear him on “Moore Outdoors” Fridays from 6-7 p.m. on Newstalk AM 560 KLVI.)