Creole Nature Trail
Intracoastal Waterway, LA

A 2,500-mile-long ship channel between Brownsville, Texas, and Trenton, New Jersey, the Intracoastal Waterway has served many purposes and provided many advantages to the region. However, it has also allowed saltwater from the Gulf of Mexico to seep into the marsh's freshwater areas. Controlling salinity, or salt content, in the marsh waters has become a major goal of environmental management in Louisiana's Outback.

Constructed by the federal government, the channel enabled ships to travel between Texas to New Jersey without having to venture out on the high seas. This was particularly important during World War II, when the route was used as a means of avoiding the submarine menace along the Gulf and Atlantic coasts.