July 25, 2009

THERIOT, La. – A bus carrying dozens of wide-eyed Lutheran teens from Nebraska and Wisconsin pulled into the Falgout Canal marina, a 70-mile drive from New Orleans. They strapped on life jackets and stepped into several boats.

The teens knew they'd be working on an environmental service project to help with Hurricane Katrina recovery. Until this moment, they didn't know they'd be planting wetlands grasses a 45-minute boat ride away.

"When we get to the site be aware of where you stand," instructed Caitlin Reilly, education coordinator for Bayou Rebirth. "Watch out for red ants. If you happen to run into a snake or alligator, let us know."

A chance brush with an alligator or snake isn't what worried the teens.

"Will there be restrooms out there?" they wanted to know.

"No."

"Will we be able to come back if we need to use the restroom?" they asked.

"No."

The teens exchanged worried glances. On the rocky ride down the canal, some watched for alligators and swore they spotted one. Others made a point not to look.

"I'm glad we get to do this," said Andrew Osborn, 14, of Gretna, Neb. He's a member of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and among 37,000 youths and adults in New Orleans for the 2009 Youth Gathering.

As part of the event, 12,000 youths and their chaperones are being sent out daily June 23-25 to help with Hurricane Katrina recovery projects. These teens were assigned to Bayou Rebirth, a nonprofit organization dedicated to wetlands restoration.

"What we're really trying to do is respond to an enormous problem; that is the rapid disappearance of Louisiana coastal wetlands," said Colleen Morgan, Bayou Rebirth founder.

Wetlands provide a critical buffer to hurricanes, the teens were told.

"If this will help prevent hurricane damage, then I'm all for it," said Tyler Jarnagin, 16, of Gretna. "It's what I came here to do – to help out."

The planting site was a wide patch of sandy moist ground. The teens planted grass in rows of five for several hours in intense heat without any shade barriers.

Every 45 minutes or so, a few teens sat down and guzzled water.

"I think they're exhausted," said the Rev. Jessica Rivera, pastor of Resurrection Evangelical Lutheran Church, Gretna, Neb. "I also think they're enthusiastic about this. They wanted to do something that helped the people of New Orleans. This fits the bill."

At 3 p.m. the teens climbed back into the boats and headed back to the marina. Many were covered from head to toe in mud and dirt.

Shelby Gross, 14, summed up the Gretna teens thoughts about the project.

"It was gross, but pretty cool," she said. "I hope it helps."

More information is at Pretty Good Lutherans http://blogs.ELCA.org/prettygoodlutherans/, on the ELCA Web site. Information about the 2009 Youth Gathering is at http://www.ELCA.org/gathering/, on the ELCA Web site.

ELCA News Service