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The Atchafalaya is a mysterious land, as much underwater as above.  Its lush environment is home to alligators, egrets, black bears – and for a time two people who yearned for a simple, natural life.  Atchafalaya Houseboat shares the experiences of Gwen Roland and her companion Calvin Voisin, who left civilization in the turmoil of the early 1970s for the unspoiled beauty of the nation’s largest river swamp, Louisiana’s Atchafalaya Basin.

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Gwen wrote
about her experience.

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Atchafalaya Houseboat is produced by Christina Melton who has been recognized with several of the television documentary world’s top awards, including an Emmy Award, the Alfred I. Dupont-Columbia Award for Excellence in Journalism, the Edward R. Murrow Award, and the International CINE Golden Eagle among others.

International CINE Golden Eagle Award Press Release

Along their journey, they befriended photographer C.C. Lockwood, who shared their love of the basin’s endangered beauty. Lockwood’s stunning photographs of the Atchafalaya, featuring Gwen and Calvin, were published in National Geographic magazine. Nearly 30 years later, one of Lockwood’s photographs was featured in a National Geographic collector’s edition, renewing interest in their unique experiences.

Gwen on deck of Houseboat at sunrise Photographs by C. C. Lockwood (Click photograph for slide show) More photos available at C.C. Lockwood's Site (Click Here!)

Discover what drew Gwen and Calvin into the Atchafalaya Basin’s breathtaking beauty and see Lockwood’s stunning photographs of the couple in this natural wilderness. 

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NPR’s Melissa Block talked to Gwen about her life on the houseboat.  Click here to listen to the interview.

Catch Gwen on the Mother Earth News Blog.  Click here.

Gwen is Southern Regional Communications Director for the national outreach office of the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program.  Click here.

C. C. Lockwood - Wildlife Photographer, Writer, Naturalist and Lecturer

Show Credits