02/17/2012 - Eslava Creek

Polluted water around the world causes untold human suffering and death.

Lots of wood ducks around this year.

A derelict boat that had been floating around Dog River for a long time will not be floating around any more. It is now condo shoreline decor.

I wonder if fish ever try to read nutritional and warning labels.

Cute little turtle.

The redhead seems attracted to the red label.

Get rid of those hazardous old tube TVs - throw them in the water. (Just kidding!)

Plastic bags line upper Eslava Creek shoreline south of Halls Mill Road.

Cute little dog kept barking at me.

Undeveloped property south of Dog River Park. The owner can thank the City of Mobile for polluting his shoreline.

06/30/2011 - Dog River Sunrise Pedal

Header image shows an adult Muscovy Duck (red face) with its babies.

1) The sun pinks up the jet contrails on this last day of June.

2) A photo merge of my fantastic vantage point this morning. It was like a big colorful eyelash in the sky.

3) A single duck paddles across the water.

4) An egret and a heron take advantage of the sewer pipe that still blocks Bolton Branch and Eslava Creek.

5) This morning's sunrise was scummy at this location.

6) Speaking of scummy, I hope everyone enjoys eating their Alabama Seafood. Yum Yum, wouldn't you just love to take a drink of water or eat a fish from Dog River?

7) A pair of osprey eagles. One looks like a baby.

8) Have you ever had a tickle on the end of your nose?

02/14/2009 - Dog River Trash Dump

Launch: Dog River Park (formerly Luscher Park)
Launch Fee: Free.
Route: Up Dog River into the Bolton and Eslavia branches
Distance: 8.3 miles.
Pace: Leisurely.
Weather: Mostly cloudy, temperature in the mid 60s, winds calm, tide high, very little current.

1) Happy Valentines Day! Boy, it doesn't take long for trash to end up in Dog River.

2) One burnt boat and one sunk boat. Isn't this a lovely scene? There ought be a law against private property owners polluting our public water ways!

3) Can you see the turtle? It was very difficult to see any wildlife today because of all the trash. Every single time I've ever been on Dog River it has looked like a trash dump.

4) Trash lining paradise on Dog River.

4) Just Ducky!

5) The photos say it all and this has been going on for YEARS. http://mobilepaddler.blogspot.com/2006/09/9242006-dog-river-

6) Here is a trash collecting boom. There was more trash on the downstream side of the boom than in the collection side. This boom is a small bandaid on an arterial trash gusher.

7) I met Daniel who was filling up his canoe with trash. Daniel doesn't even live on Dog River and hadn't planned on picking up trash on this outing. There is always hope when you see people like Daniel trying to make a difference.

8) The photos say it all and this has been going on for YEARS. http://mobilepaddler.blogspot.com/2006/06/61006-dog-paddle.html

9) Water fowl suffers

10) The trash situation on Dog River is beyond pathetic.

It isn't that people and organizations aren't trying to solve the problem. Dr. Mimi Fearn and the Dog River Clearwater Revival have been feverishly working on cleaning up Dog River for years.

(http://www.southalabama.edu/geography/fearn/480page/dogriver.html)

The trash in Dog River is the consequence of a serious problem with our current trash collection system. Despite attempts to get people to clean up litter by putting trash bins all along public roadways, the roadside ditches are full of trash. When it rains, the trash gets washed down the storm sewer pipes and drainage ditches into Dog River. The real question is, how is the trash getting into the roadside ditches and who is going to do what to stop it?

I tried to see if there was a particular source for this trash but trash lined the entire length of Dog River from Dog River Park to this boom near Halls Mill Road and Eslavia Creek. Does anyone really know where the trash is coming from? Does anyone with the City trash department really care?

Someone needs to be held accountable for the magnitude of this problem.