After five months of roundtable meetings to discuss the Delta, participants ventured out for an afternoon into our region’s precious resource. Hosted by Coastal Alabama Partnership and the Delta Working Group, the roundtable members experienced the northern section of the Delta firsthand, traveling the waterways by boat. On Tuesday, October 21st, the group set out from Live Oak Landing in Bay Minette and traveled up the Tensaw River, admiring the estuarine environment and its’ inhabitants. The tour lasted roughly two hours and provided the group perspective for why they should continue to meet, to make sure that this incredible resource is accessible and available for generations to come.
Following the boat tour, Bill Finch spoke briefly on the importance of ensuring the health of the Delta by protecting longleaf pine habitat in the highlands. There is a great need to focus on “what’s happening here on the edge.” For example, the bear population spends three months a year in the Delta but relies on the longleaf pine forests for food and shelter the other nine months. Mr. Finch mentioned that the biggest threat to longleaf pines is urban development and that conservation easements of these lands will be very important to protecting the Delta. He informed the group that there are currently efforts to conserve this vital habitat.
Thank you to Bill Finch, Kristian Aboud, and Five Rivers Delta Safaris for providing an unforgettable Delta tour. The next Delta Roundtable will be held November 12th at 3:00 p.m. at the Five Rivers Delta Resource Center. The meeting will focus on ecotourism and speakers will include Linda Vice, Kristian Aboud, and Michele Archie.
