Saving the Live Oaks of Bay St. Louis
Attention community members—if you cherish our region’s live oaks and happen to have a live oak on your land that is at least 100 years old- call Shawn Prychitko, a Bay St. Louis resident whose focus on identifying and registering old oak trees benefits not only our Fourth Ward, but the entire community.
Over the years both the Bay/Waveland Garden Club and the Hancock County Historical Society have alternately and collectively pursued a way to document those aged oak trees Shawn describes as “living landmarks.”
For nearly a year now, Shawn has volunteered for both organizations, taking on the job of finding old oaks in our area and, if size and age requirements are met, registering them. All trees registered must measure nine and a half feet in circumference, which is representative of 100 years of age. The oak then may be named and may take its place among the state registry of historic grand live oaks maintained by the Societe Des Arbres. The Society of Trees, founded in 1971 by Ocean Springs resident, Mrs. D.L. “Pat” Connor has as one of its purposes to preserve all species of trees which possess a living association with historical events of the area.
All trees properly registered with the Society are declared “indigenous natural assets possessing intrinsic value worthy of area protection.”
Most coastal residents know the gracious 500-year old “Friendship Oak.” Located on the grounds of the Gulf Park campus of the University of Southern Mississippi, the oak played a role in education, serving as a place where faculty held classes. Surely it earned its name by serving as a place where generations of students have met to socialize under its cool shade.
But Shawn gently reminds the listener that “every tree has a story.” And indeed, surely those of us who grew up in a landscape studded with live oaks remember our own special trees—the one climbed as children or the one where your family picnicked or the old gnarled tree at the end of the road that weathered countless storms, or a tree wide enough to hide behind when playing hide and seek or stealing a kiss. Shawn says that one of the joys of her work is hearing stories about the tree from those who know its special history.
The oldest oak in Bay St. Louis, named Ouida Sue, grows at 526 Citizen Street. Kevin Stouder and his wife Chris, named the oak in honor of Kevin’s aunt, Ouida Sue Parker. Kevin inherited the property from his aunt and uncle, Ouida and John Parker.
If you would like to register a tree, or even more than one, Shawn invites you to contact her by calling the Hancock County Historical Society at 228.467.4090. Interested folks may also email Shawn at [email protected]. A simple one-page registration form may be downloaded and once submitted, the process gets underway. Shawn will set up an appointment with you to come out and measure the tree or trees and record the necessary data for trees that qualify. Individual certificates for each tree are provided free of charge and plaques may be ordered for a small fee.
A native Canadian, Shawn found her way to Bay St. Louis some 22 years ago, when her husband, Woody, a biologist, landed a job at Stennis in the Naval Research Lab; since Katrina, he has worked at Stennis with NOAA fisheries. Believe it or not, her husband’s real first name is Redwood, and his siblings also were named after trees. Shawn and Woody may have created a tradition by naming their (now-grown) daughters, Willow, age 25, and Aspen, age 23. Their children share their parent’s interest in nature. One loves collecting mushrooms, a veritable “mushroom hunter,” while another is working on a masters degree in sustainable living.
Documenting century-old trees has become for Shawn “a passion.” She has addressed classrooms of children, telling stories about Bay St. Louis’ “Living Landmarks” and great oaks that now are gone. One oak, located at the base of Main Street and the beach and destroyed in the hurricane of 1893, was named the Treaty Oak. Could it be that under that tree, Bienville himself may have conducted important negotiations? Weaving together biology and history, Shawn is delighted to speak to a class or club about respecting and preserving our community’s live oaks and the historical events surrounding the oaks in Bay St. Louis.
Shawn hopes that more can be done to bring attention to the value live oaks add to our community. For instance, Bay St. Louis could follow Gautier’s lead by publishing a pamphlet for the public showing the location of historical trees. Waveland is on track to become a “Tree City,” a special designation awarded to a municipality when certain standards are met.
Shawn relates that the Native Americans who once peopled this area had a saying that showed respect and reverence for the environment. In English, the saying is thus: When we walk through a forest, if a tree is in our path, we do not go through a tree. We go around it.
Shawn couldn’t agree more.
To repeat: If you would like to register a tree, or even more than one, Shawn invites you to contact her by calling the Hancock County Historical Society at 228.467.4090. Interested folks may also email Shawn at [email protected].
Over the years both the Bay/Waveland Garden Club and the Hancock County Historical Society have alternately and collectively pursued a way to document those aged oak trees Shawn describes as “living landmarks.”
For nearly a year now, Shawn has volunteered for both organizations, taking on the job of finding old oaks in our area and, if size and age requirements are met, registering them. All trees registered must measure nine and a half feet in circumference, which is representative of 100 years of age. The oak then may be named and may take its place among the state registry of historic grand live oaks maintained by the Societe Des Arbres. The Society of Trees, founded in 1971 by Ocean Springs resident, Mrs. D.L. “Pat” Connor has as one of its purposes to preserve all species of trees which possess a living association with historical events of the area.
All trees properly registered with the Society are declared “indigenous natural assets possessing intrinsic value worthy of area protection.”
Most coastal residents know the gracious 500-year old “Friendship Oak.” Located on the grounds of the Gulf Park campus of the University of Southern Mississippi, the oak played a role in education, serving as a place where faculty held classes. Surely it earned its name by serving as a place where generations of students have met to socialize under its cool shade.
But Shawn gently reminds the listener that “every tree has a story.” And indeed, surely those of us who grew up in a landscape studded with live oaks remember our own special trees—the one climbed as children or the one where your family picnicked or the old gnarled tree at the end of the road that weathered countless storms, or a tree wide enough to hide behind when playing hide and seek or stealing a kiss. Shawn says that one of the joys of her work is hearing stories about the tree from those who know its special history.
The oldest oak in Bay St. Louis, named Ouida Sue, grows at 526 Citizen Street. Kevin Stouder and his wife Chris, named the oak in honor of Kevin’s aunt, Ouida Sue Parker. Kevin inherited the property from his aunt and uncle, Ouida and John Parker.
If you would like to register a tree, or even more than one, Shawn invites you to contact her by calling the Hancock County Historical Society at 228.467.4090. Interested folks may also email Shawn at [email protected]. A simple one-page registration form may be downloaded and once submitted, the process gets underway. Shawn will set up an appointment with you to come out and measure the tree or trees and record the necessary data for trees that qualify. Individual certificates for each tree are provided free of charge and plaques may be ordered for a small fee.
A native Canadian, Shawn found her way to Bay St. Louis some 22 years ago, when her husband, Woody, a biologist, landed a job at Stennis in the Naval Research Lab; since Katrina, he has worked at Stennis with NOAA fisheries. Believe it or not, her husband’s real first name is Redwood, and his siblings also were named after trees. Shawn and Woody may have created a tradition by naming their (now-grown) daughters, Willow, age 25, and Aspen, age 23. Their children share their parent’s interest in nature. One loves collecting mushrooms, a veritable “mushroom hunter,” while another is working on a masters degree in sustainable living.
Documenting century-old trees has become for Shawn “a passion.” She has addressed classrooms of children, telling stories about Bay St. Louis’ “Living Landmarks” and great oaks that now are gone. One oak, located at the base of Main Street and the beach and destroyed in the hurricane of 1893, was named the Treaty Oak. Could it be that under that tree, Bienville himself may have conducted important negotiations? Weaving together biology and history, Shawn is delighted to speak to a class or club about respecting and preserving our community’s live oaks and the historical events surrounding the oaks in Bay St. Louis.
Shawn hopes that more can be done to bring attention to the value live oaks add to our community. For instance, Bay St. Louis could follow Gautier’s lead by publishing a pamphlet for the public showing the location of historical trees. Waveland is on track to become a “Tree City,” a special designation awarded to a municipality when certain standards are met.
Shawn relates that the Native Americans who once peopled this area had a saying that showed respect and reverence for the environment. In English, the saying is thus: When we walk through a forest, if a tree is in our path, we do not go through a tree. We go around it.
Shawn couldn’t agree more.
To repeat: If you would like to register a tree, or even more than one, Shawn invites you to contact her by calling the Hancock County Historical Society at 228.467.4090. Interested folks may also email Shawn at [email protected].
