04/29/2012 - One Mile Creek and Maple Street Canal

Header image is the obligatory photo of a wood duck, this one taken in One Mile Creek. In the background is an oil boom that has yet to be removed. I wonder where all that BP money is really going because none of it is being used to clean Mobile's urban waterways...

As you probably expected, the first thing I did upon getting back to town was check out how effective the Cleanup Event was. Another 4-hour volunteer clean-up event failed to remove any trash from Three Mile Creek, One Mile Creek and Maple Street Canal. That is sad. 

The City shouldn't be waiting for volunteer efforts to clean up the storm water generated pollution - they should have their own crew removing the trash. Got no money? Raise the taxes to keep Mobile and its waterways free of litter.

This City of Mobile property is not looking so good. 

Aren't there enough people in the prison to clean this up? If not, start arresting litterers and put them to work cleaning up this mess!

Mobile is heads above the rest when it comes to ignoring their waterway pollution, but they are not alone when it comes to struggling with plastics litter. Los Angeles is getting in a bitter war over plastic garbage bags.

Despite the paddle through the disgusting trash, I had the good fortune of paddling through the middle of a spawning or mating session of about a dozen large alligator gar fish in Three Mile Creek. The gar's occasional splashes got me soaked.

Some sources indicate Gar have attacked humans, others say it is myth. These alligator gar seemed to be pretty docile to me, but based on their teeth and size, my heart rate was pretty elevated while taking these photos.

One of the Gar had to be over 6 feet long. Even though the waters were clear, the Gar would swim right under the kayak and in some cases bump it and then make a big splash.

I was in awe watching these huge fish swim all around the kayak. If you can turn a blind eye to all the shoreline trash like the City of Mobile does, there is abundant life in Three Mile Creek and it is worthy of a kayak trip.

Short YouTube video of the Gar Fish.