In Remembrance - Western Oregon University

fixation on the marshes’ demise, I was
impressed with the efforts at sustainable
living practiced by the marais (marsh)
dwellers of the 17th century and beyond.
Would you consider molding cow
dung with a special press, and then using
the resulting briquettes to cook your
food? And what about all those trees
along the banks of the canals? Ash was
specifically chosen for its ability to grow
quickly and withstand extreme pruning
of branches almost to the trunk itself.
Thus, the ashwood was harvested without
killing the tree, and then voila!, the
branches would rapidly regrow. Additionally,
while the “locavore” movement
in the United States is relatively young,
the French, including the inhabitants of
Le Marais Poitevin, have long embraced
the concept of eating locally-produced
foods. The marais cuisine, which we of
course sampled intensively for research
purposes, was comprised of regional
delicacies including eel, frogs’ legs, and
snails.
My favorite room of La Maison
was devoted to the eel, as central to Le
Marais Poitevin culture as are salmon
to the Pacific Northwest. French school
children learn all about the eel life cycle
and no doubt create mobiles, drawings
and odes to the eels. The eel is classified
as vulnerable, and its decline eerily
resembles that of our own west coast
salmon. Dams, overfishing, pollution
and above all, habitat loss, have led
to the depletion of both species. And
paralleling our efforts in the Pacific
Northwest to promote salmon recovery,
A typical marais dwelling built from local limestone (above); illustration of an
eel passageway over a lock, taken from a poster at La Maison du Marais Poitevin
(right); traditional barques along a residential waterway (page 18). Photos by
Karen Haberman.
scientists in Le
Marais Poitevin
pioneered the use of
“eel ladders” to guide
eels past dams and
other barriers during
their migrations.
We studied the
display of various lines,
traps and sharpened weapons used
in eel fishing. One fishing method, in
which a tangled mass of vine shoots
is used as a lure, was so successful
that it had to be banned. Why did it
work so well? Apparently, the woody
vines provided an attractive habitat
for the eels. Such vegetation became
scarce when the natural meanders
of the waterway were replaced by
20 WOU Magazine • FALL 2009
more navigable, human-constructed
channels, and so the eels greedily
rushed to these traps in search of
protection and shade. In addition, the
invasive Louisiana crayfish, introduced
over two centuries ago to supplement
the local cuisine, voraciously consumes
the aquatic plants, removing even more
protection for the eels. We were pleased
to do our part in ridding Le Marais of
this nuisance species by devouring a
generous plateful of them.
We approached the final wall of La
Maison, a collage of native animals and
plants including herons, dragonflies,
nocturnal mammals, rare irises and
even orchids. The display featured the
highly endangered European otter, a
prominent symbol (alongside the eel)
of Le Marais Poitevin. This last exhibit
highlighted the evolving environmental
ethic within the region. Close to 90
percent of the original Gulf of Picton
comprises Le Parc Interrégional du
Marais Poitevin, with the stated mission
of preserving and promoting Le Marais’
natural and cultural heritage. This is not
a national park in the American sense;
the park includes many towns and
agricultural lands, and
very few protected
areas exist within its
boundaries. Although
unconventional from
our perspective,
this more inclusive
approach seems
to fit the long
human history of
Le Marais Poitevin,
and allows the park
to influence the
communities within
its borders. The park
actively advocates
conservation,
renewable energy
use and eco-friendly
building practices.
Furthermore, it has helped to create
networks of motivated people with
the skills necessary to transform their
region into a model of sustainable and
low-impact living. After a thousand
years of exploitation, the people of Le
Marais Poitevin are learning to value
and protect what is left of their unique
marshlands. I am heartened by their
vision.
meets