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I went on a guided sunset kayak tour with Artist Boat, a non-profit organization that is “dedicated to promoting awareness and preservation of the coastal margins and marine environment through the disciplines of the sciences and the arts.”  The location was Galveston West Bay at their Coastal Heritage Preserve, specifically by a peninsula that splits Starvation Cove and Mentzel Bayou.  To get to the water, we had to walk through the coastal prairie of the preserve and it was buzzing with such a great variety of insects!  There had been recent sightings of two venomous snakes and we had been told to be watchful for scorpions and stinging insects on the ground such as fire ants!  It was amazing to see the land so teeming with life!  Two marsh hares appeared seemingly unbothered by our presence.  Several birds swooped by.

As we launched from Starvation Cove and paddled through with the sun still high, we saw a plethora of jumping mullet fish leaping through the water, bright silver and gleaming.  Tiny jumping shad skipped through the surface of the water like skipped stones.  The water was an extremely warm 83° Fahrenheit.  Laughing gulls flew by and great blue herons peaked at us, partially hidden by the sea grasses.  At some point we also saw a little blue heron, royal terns, and a willet.  The huge outstretched dark wings of a frigate bird floated above us.  As we rounded around the peninsula the current became stronger and pulled at us so we had to paddle harder to round the edge and into Mentzel Bayou.  Our hearts leaped to immediately see a roseate spoonbill in the marshes, and a great egret perched on a protruding stretch of land.  The spoonbill used its bill to scoop about the water and then suddenly a graceful snowy egret emerged on its left, stepping through the cordgrass.  Here we paused as the sun grew heavy, the sky layered with colors, and our guide gave the three of us water colors and canvasses and I painted the great egret.  Our guide was very informative and also talked to us about his programs and tours for children in which they also do plein-air painting.  Just as we were about to leave, Kristin noticed two sting rays that were moving below the surface quite close to us; we were able to get a few glances before they skirted away.

As we headed back and turned the corner back into Starvation Cove, an adorable baby night heron fuzzy with a dark crown appeared in the adjacent grasses.  It shifted for some time until we saw that it had joined another baby heron and a parent night heron in their nest!  Two squadrons of pelicans flew by, some large ones dipping low just above my head, just as the sun was setting and oranges and grays laced the sky.  We pulled over onto a nearby island to take some photos, sliding our feet back and forth in the mud as we got off of our kayaks to warn any nearby stingrays of our presence.  I remarked that I don’t remember ever being on any trip in nature in all my life where I have seen such a diversity and abundance of animal life.  In some ways the experience reminded me of my childhood when I would wander the woods and in those days, decades ago, the woods seemed much more inhabited, there was a much greater abundance of life than now.  

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As we were finishing our tour, somehow I mentioned the contrast to the heavy industry I had seen just that morning in Mont Belvieu, completely surrounding the EcoCenter, and in fact, the very small parcel of land on which the EcoCenter was situated and its dilapidated buildings were owned by the energy company.  The guide just maybe a little defensively spoke about how oil and gas are part funders of the Artist Boat organization, and the other person on the tour with us, Kristin, a woman visiting from Cape Cod who rescues marine animals and is a bird expert, chimed in that the friends she was staying with, the husband works for a chemical company and even though he doesn’t have a degree, makes very good money. This seems to be another theme weaving through my conversations with people here:  Almost any time I bring up the industry here and its impact on wildlife and the landscape, people look uneasy, avert their eyes a bit, maybe get a bit defensive, even the environmentalists. They put forward that their salaries are paid for by oil, gas, or chemical interests, or that the land and funds for the materials and space have been donated or leased from the oil and gas industry. I get the feeling of someone describing an abusive partner who gaslights and  breadcrumbs you.  Who talks sweetly in public and puts on a good show while mistreating you in private.