A River Delta — Wild Austin

Every drop of water that ever is, will travel to the sea. It could take a long slow meandering journey through a mud soaked river. Winding its way through the roots of trees, the mouths of fish, and drops soaking on wet grass. It separates into individual molecules of steam, gaining independence in the sunlight. Then, missing their absence, it falls back to the earth returning to its kin on the shores of a creek. This journey could take years for a small drop to see the vast stretches of ocean. Or, it could be there in an instant, a summer storm washed out to the deep. One thing however is true of all things on this planet, we have come from the sea and we long to return. Like a magnet she pulls her offspring back to her in overflowing vibrant green river deltas. Bringing with them as gifts to their mother, water takes precious nutrients and oxygen back to the sea. The first signs of these abundant gifts are the life that thrives on the edges where the two waters meet. The river delta is a place where nature exists in abundance, and visiting one always feels like returning home.

As part of my chosen profession I have had now two opportunities to see large vast river deltas in person. The first was the Mississippi River delta which is only accessible by a several days boat ride from Louisiana. You can either approach it by riding down the river itself or by going around the reverse way and riding up the river from the ocean. It was a fantastic experience that I kept detailed notes about and am now motivated to re-write and publish it here on this website. This recent visit was to the Colorado River Delta in Texas not to be confused with the Colorado river which winds through the Grand Canyon and enters the Gulf of California. In contrast with its cousin, Texas is very flat and the river flows at a snails pace to the ocean. It savors each leg of the journey before entering the salty bays and seagrass beds. The Colorado river has always been a river of extremes, fierce and dangerous flooding during the fall storms and then dwindling down to a mere trickle in the summer. People have never been comfortable with the whims of nature and decided to dam the Colorado river at several points to allow for better flood control and of course water.

Unlike other rivers in Texas the Colorado brings with it large quantities of dead wood that float dangerously in the channels and canals. These wood trunks come from natural erosion along its journey and form the foundation of the ever changing marshland. The newest addition of real estate can be seen above as a new layer of logs attach themselves to the grassy edges. Over time this will accumulate debris and provide space for new grasses to grow.

Up close to one of the floating marshlands supported by dead logs

The marshy landscape is anything but permanent. A swift hurricane or a strong flood can rearrange the entire structure. So much so that fishermen may walk out one morning a not recognize the paths they previously travelled on.