Report from the first juncture of the Bayou to Bay canoe trek by wildlife teacher Jon Soul, Shreveport

A Better Shreveport: Jon Soul , a photo by trudeau on Flickr.

"Jon Soul is on his expedition down Bayou Pierre via canoe to Natchitoches, this week," writes Loren Demerath. "He'll be calling in to me every night with his location and notable observations."

"The first day, Jon got off pretty late, having had to go through extensive camera training from professional cinematographer and expedition video technical assistant, Dan Furst.

But Jon made it to Flournoy Lucas Rd., where he awaited pickup from Dan, and they both spent that first night at Camp Forbing.

Today, Jon made it to what the cycling community knows as "the crossroads," Rt. 175 and Ellerbe Rd. He noted some great put-in sites with easy access for canoes and kayaks along the way.

The wildlife highlights today were extraordinary: a river otter, a salamander, deer, bass, geese, hawks and seven beaver. The beaver charged together; came barreling off the bank, making a huge ruckus doing it and one big one—maybe the male—came out and gave a big tale slap."

Soul is a teacher at Montessori School for Shreveport. He is the originator of the Coates Bluff Nature Trail.

The Bayou to Bay voyage is designed to show Louisianians the route that would be taken by a loose basketball - a part of the immense amount of trash that escapes our hands each day - as it dribbles down the Louisiana watershed.