Stop turning cypress forests into mulch

The new Citizens for Louisiana Progress web site has an excellent tool for citizens to be heard on issues of importance to the state. After signing up, you can write a letter that will be emailed to local papers, and state and federal politicians.

Here's my letter to protect wetland forests:

Cypress forests in Louisiana are disappearing at a record rate, reappearing in big box retailers as plastic bags of cypress mulch.

A broad array of citizens of all political stripes are finally beginning to recognize the irreversible impact of human activities on the wetlands of Louisiana. In addition to their intrinsic beauty, Louisiana forests are a vital habitat for migratory birds, fisheries, and an abundance of other flora and fauna. It is in the cypress/tupelo forests of Louisiana, in fact, where hope remains that the mythic ivory-billed woodpecker may have escaped extinction.

Unfortunately, just as efforts are underway to reverse the further degradation of Louisiana wetlands, the Vitter provision to roll back the Corps of Engineers' authority to protect wetland forests is now pending approval in the US Senate's coastal restoration bill.

A wiser course would be to pass a wholesale ban on the sale of cypress mulch, as many north shore communities have already done. Then, a moratorium on cypress logging should be passed.

After all, can anyone imagine a picture of Louisiana without cypress forests?