Helen Wood Park Where Are You In The Watershed?

Can You Say Estuary? The Dog River Watershed An estuary (es-choo-er-ee) is where freshwater Dog River and its tributaries drain most of from inland is mixed with saltwater from Mobile, and is a “sub-watershed” the sea. Estuaries are home to some of the of the greater watershed. most sensitive and ecologically important habitats on earth. They provide sanctuary Dog River Watershed for many species of birds and serve as By the Numbers breeding grounds for many ocean fish, Area: 95 square miles including shrimp, crabs, red fish and Location: 56 percent City of Mobile, mullet. Helen Wood Park is located 44 percent Mobile County within the Mobile Bay estuary. Waterways include: pristine streams, concrete lined drainage ditches, and Did You Know... That tidal channels

Mobile Bay is Where No Dumping Five Major Rivers Meet These markers are placed throughout the the Dog River Watershed to remind citizens that storm drains flow directly Rivers, creeks and streams from over into the creeks and streams that feed 65 percent of the state of Alabama and Dog River. Any trash, chemicals, portions of Mississippi, Geogia, and motor oil, yard clippings, Tennessee flow into Mobile Bay and mix or other things that with saltwater from the Gulf of Mexico. are allowed to reach This makes Mobile Bay watershed the a storm drain will sixth largest in the nation by area and end up in a tributary the fourth largest in North America by or Dog River and affect freshwater flow. Wind and tides deliver the fish and wildlife that salty water into the bay from the Gulf depend upon the river for life. of Mexico. Due to the shallow nature of Mobile Bay the “saltiness” or salinity of the water changes constantly. You Are Here – Where Dog River Meets Mobile Bay Mobile Bay By the Numbers Helen Wood Park is located on the Drains: 43,662 square miles margin of two even smaller watersheds Receives: 62,000 cubic feet of included in the Mobile Bay Watershed. freshwater per second Gulf of Mexico Some of the water that runs off the park Average Depth: 10 feet flows downhill directly into the bay.

O D ATM SPH N ER The remaining runoff flows towards A I IC C Length, North to South: 32 miles N A A D E M I C N O I S the west into marshes adjacent and L T

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Did You Know... you are now Animals in the Marsh Plants of Helen Wood Park looking at a tidal marsh? Look a little closer, and you will see All plants that live in salt marshes have that the marsh is teeming with animal developed special abilities to withstand Marshes are transition zones between life, both in and out of the water. constant flooding and to keep salt bodies of water, like Mobile Bay, and out of their tissues. However, more uplands, like pine or hardwood forests. plant species can live in the brackish A tidal marsh is one kind of wetland. Look for... water of Helen Wood Park than Wetlands are formed by three different Fiddler crabs (Uca pugnax and pugilator) in the saltier marshes further south. things: water, soil, and plants. The plants live in burrows they dig along the edge Arrowhead and animals that live in this marsh must of the marsh. As you walk through the park, you will be able to handle the unique conditions They get their findblack needlerush (Juncus roemerianus), created by the always-changing water and common name and smooth cordgrass (Spartina alterniflora) tides of Mobile Bay. from the shape of that are typical of Gulf Coast marshes. You’ll the one extremely see a large stand of bulrush (Schoenoplectus An ecosystem includes plants and animals large front claw of robustus and Schoenoplectus pungens), that depend on each other for food, the male fiddler crabs. duck potato (Sagittaria latifolia), shelter, and survival. The marsh you see around you is an example of one of the Periwinkle snails Duck Great Blue most productive and beneficial ecosystems Potato Heron (Littoraria irrorata) graze on on the planet. the algae living on the grass leaves, and they climb southern wild What’s in the water? up its stalks to avoid both The richness of salt marsh habitat makes it rice (Zizaniopsis Birds of Helen Wood Park high tidal waters and blue a nursery for fish and other aquatic species. miliacea), arrowhead (Sagittaria lancifolia), crabs (Callinectes sapidus), 345 species of birds make their pickerel weed (Pontederia cordata), and Here are some of the fish and shellfish who like to eat them. home in and around Mobile Bay. marsh hibiscus (Hibiscus moscheutos). Some of these birds are migratory. you might find at the marsh’s edge: All these different plants provide food • White trout (Cynoscion arenarius) Green Heron Grasshoppers and habitat for the • Redfish (Sciaenops ocellatus) (Orchelium fidicinum) marsh’s many animals. • Ground mullet (Mentiairrhus americanus) graze on the upper portion • Speckled trout (Cynoscion nebulosus) of marsh grass leaves. Snowy Egret White Ibis • Brown and white shrimp (Farfantepenaeus aztecus), (Penaeus setiferus) Can you spot these marsh birds? • Oysters (Crassostrea virginica) Black Needlerush • Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) • Blue crab (Callinectes sapidus) • Green Heron (Butorides virescens) • Snowy Egret (Egretta thula) • White Ibis (Eudocimus albus)

Speckled Trout

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U .S E C Redfish . D R Blue Crab E E P M A M RT O Shrimp MENT OF C Helen Wood Park Restoring The Marsh

Native Bulrush The Helen Wood Park restoration project The improvements included three steps: was completed by the City of Mobile, the Restore the marsh located between 2 Replace “impervious pavement” with Construct a waterfront boardwalk State of Alabama and the Mobile Bay 1 Dog River Bridge and the Bay. pervious parking material that allows 3 with safety rails for fishing and National Estuary Program to provide public water to soak into the ground. observation. access and recreation along Mobile Bay.

Hydrology and Marsh Restoration Impervious vs. Pervious Access to Bay Water Invasive Species In 2008 the Mobile Bay National Estuary Public access along Mobile Bay is very Program received a Community Restoration limited. In fact, only Arlington Park, When Dog River Bridge was built in Partnership Grant from the National Oceanic McNally Park, and Helen Wood Park 1990-92, much of the material removed and Atmospheric Administration and Gulf in Mobile and Bayfront Park in Mobile during construction was cast into the of Mexico Foundation to restore wetlands by County provide public access to the wetlands of today’s Helen Wood Park, removing Phragmites, excavation of six Bay’s western shore. To encourage wise in effect “filling” them. This reduced inches of fill from the marsh floor, and stewardship of our precious coastal “Impervious surfaces” like concrete, roads, water flow into the area and created replanting the area with native marsh plants. resources this park provides a way for roofs, or the asphalt used to create parking conditions favorable for infestation of the public to connect to the waters that lots; prevent water from soaking into the the common reed (Phragmites australis). so enhance our quality of life. A wooden soil and recharging underground aquifers. boardwalk along the waterfront and a Phragmites occurs in areas that have been Instead, they cause water to runoff, erode gazebo along the north side of the parking disturbed by humans, where it crowds out creek banks, and carry sediments, pollutants, area allow visitors to enjoy the beauty more beneficial native marsh plants by excess nutrients, animal waste, and other surrounding Mobile Bay. spreading its roots up to 16 feet each year harmful materials into receiving waters Phragmites roots also release chemicals like the Bay. In 2005, the parking area’s that poison native plants and seedlings impervious pavement was replaced with that are important to fish, invertebrates, pervious material to allow water to soak Smooth Cordgrass birds, and other wildlife found in, preventing runoff. in healthy native salt marshes. Look for these plants: Phragmites In November 2009, volunteers planted Three plant species that will contribute TMOS almost 13,400 native plants across the D A PHE AN R C IC I A to the restoration of this ecosystem: N A D E M C I marsh site. This project was successful in N O I S L T (Schoenoplectus robustus) A Sturdy bulrush R

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What is an Estuary? About the Mobile-Tensaw Delta An estuary (es-choo-er-ee) is where freshwater Just north of Mobile Bay lies the country’s from inland is mixed with saltwater from second largest delta, the Mobile-Tensaw. the sea. Estuaries provide some of the Designated a National Natural Landmark most sensitive and ecologically important it stretches over 30 miles long and 12 habitats on earth. They offer sanctuary miles wide and is home to more than and food for abundant bird species and 200,000 acres of swamps, marshes and breeding grounds for many ocean animals rivers bottomlands that support the lives of including shrimp, crabs, red fish and some 337 different fish, 126 reptiles and mullet. Brooks Park is located in the amphibians, 370 birds, and 49 mammals. Mobile Bay Estuary. Chickasaw Creek Watershed Did You Know... That By the Numbers Mobile Bay is Where Area: 250 square miles Location: Northern Mobile County from Five Major Rivers Meet Citronelle south and east to the the Gulf of Mexico? Waterways include: Eight Mile, Log, Meekers, Seabury, and Chickasaw Creeks Rivers, creeks and streams from over 65 percent of the state of Alabama and portions of Mississippi, Georgia, and Chickasaw Creek Watershed... Tennessee flow into Mobile Bay and is where five sub-watersheds drain into mix with saltwater pushed in by tides the Chickasabogue. Anglicized from the and wind from the Gulf of Mexico. This Indian words, “Chickasa Bok,” this makes the Mobile Bay Watershed the sixth massive watershed includes lands utilized largest in area and the fourth largest by by both heavy and light industry, retail freshwater flow volume in the continental and commercial uses, farms and forests, as U.S. Due to changing weather conditions well as, both rural and dense residential. and the shallow nature of Mobile Bay the Drainage that has resulted from this “saltiness” or salinity of the water changes diverse development is causing more constantly. erosion along with bacterial contamination and trash to flow into the waterway. Mobile Bay By the Numbers Drains: 43,662 square miles You Are Here – Receives: 62,000 cubic feet of Williams Brooks Park is located freshwater per second Gulf of Mexico in the Chickasaw Creek Watershed. It Average Depth: 10 feet provides access to Chickasaw Creek;

ATMOSP boating, fishing and paddling opportunities; ND HE A RI IC C Length, North to South: 32 miles N A A D E M I C N boardwalks for bird watching and O I S L T

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Did You Know... Plants of Brooks Park Marshes are places where plants can The land area around Brooks Park is thrive in wet conditions like those found distinguished by forested wetlands along around Chickasaw Creek. The plants stream banks. Look for these plants as and animals that live in marshes must be you walk along the wooded platforms: able to handle the unique conditions Canopy Trees provide the shade: created by the always-changing water and • Swamp Tupelo (Nyssa sylvatica) tides of Mobile Bay and its tributaries. • Red Maple (Acer rubrum) An ecosystem includes plants and animals • Sweet Gum (Liquidambar styraciflua) that depend on each other for food, shelter, • Bald Cypress (Taxodium distichlum) and survival. The marshes of Brooks Park Understory Plants found under are examples of one of the most productive the trees: and beneficial ecosystems on the planet. • Wax Myrtle (Myrica cerifera) • Yaupon (Ilex vomitoria) What’s in the water? • Groundsel Tree (Baccharus halimifolia) The land near Brooks Park is mostly • Marsh Elder (Iva frutescens) silty sand. The water, while almost fresh, undergoes changes in salinity that make it Look for... more brackish, especially close to the These tall marsh plants grow bottom. This richness of tidal marsh Photo by John Dindo in the shallow water: habitat makes it a great nursery for fish • Southern Wild Rice (Zizaniopsis miliacea) and other aquatic species like: Birds of Brooks Park • Bulrush (Schoenoplectus spp.) • Alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) • Cattails (Typha latifolia) • Grass and glass shrimp (Palaemonetes spp.) These wetland plants produce • Largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) beautiful flowers: Duck Potato • Bream/Sunfish (Lepomis spp.) • Cahaba Lily (Hymenocallis coronaria) • Crappie (Pomoxis spp.) Bald • Pickerel Weed (Pontederia cordata) Cypress • Blue crab (Callinectes sapidus) • Duck Potato (Sagittaria latifolia) Look for these birds in the sky, • Mullet (Mugil cephalus) • Arrowhead (Sagittaria lancifolia) trees, and shallows:

• Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) • White Ibis (Eudocimus albus) • Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) • Red-wing Blackbird (Agelaius phoneiceus) Crappie Pickerel Weed

• Laughing Gull (Leucophaeus atricilla) Largemouth Bass • Snowy Egret (Egretta thula) • Mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos) Mullet

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Wetland trails at Brooks Park allow visitors to experience Alabama wetlands History of Chickasaw up close. The trails are named based upon historical, geographical, and Like many communities, Chickasaw natural references: was originally settled because of its access to waterways. Apalachee Indians are said to be among the earliest settlers though the area had always been a crossroad for bands of Indians who seasonally migrated to other areas. Records indicate the French Explorer, Sieur de Bienville (1680-1768) deeded a large tract of land containing what is now Chickasaw to his friend, D’Arraguette. Later, legends describe “lawless elements” that engaged in piracy and

Birdie Tower Trail Magnolia Trail Ferry Boat Landing Trail used the backwater coves and bayous along the creek for hiding places. The large tract of land that is now Birdie Tower Trail Magnolia Walking Trail Ferry Boat Landing Trail Chickasaw, was a planned community Many species of birds call this area This one half mile wooded trail begins The original ferry landing site was also of attractive, well-built homes with home, including raptors like ospreys, at a board walk and continues on to a used by barges and ships carrying goods neighborhood amenities for shipyard owls and hawks. gravel trail leading to the uplands. between Chickasaw and Mobile. workers prior to WWI. Following the war some workers moved away, but a vibrant community remained where, in 1946, townspeople voted to incorporate and the Town of Chickasaw was formally born.

Do your part – keep Brooks Park Clean!

Wooden Bridge Trail Basket Factory and Magnolia Trails Boat Dock

Wooden Bridge Trail Basket Factory Trail Boat Dock Records show that the first wooden The trail ends at the site of a German The boat dock offers a launch site bridge over Chickasaw Creek was built immigrant family-owned factory, that where paddlers can access unique

TMOS D A PHE AN R once employed up to 20 people who canoe and kayak trails. C IC near this site in the early 1900s. I A N A D E M I C N O I S L manufactured and shipped baskets T A R

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downstream to Mobile. N U .S E . C D R E E P M A M RT O MENT OF C Steele Creek Lodge Where Are You in the Watershed?

What is an Estuary? About the Mobile-Tensaw Delta An estuary (es-choo-er-ee) is where freshwater North of Mobile Bay at the confluence of from the land is mixed with saltwater from the Alabama and Tombigbee rivers is the the sea. Estuaries provide some of the country’s second largest delta, the Mobile- most sensitive and ecologically important Tensaw. This National Natural Landmark habitat on earth. They offer sanctuary has more than 200,000 acres of gum and food for abundant bird species and swamps, flood plains, tidal and brackish- breeding grounds for many ocean animals water marshes, bottomland forests, and including shrimp, crabs, red fish and submerged aquatic vegetation supporting mullet. Steele Creek is located within some 337 different fish, 126 reptiles and the Mobile Bay Estuary. amphibians, 370 birds, and 49 mammals. Steele Creek is located in the Gunnison Creek Did You Know... That Watershed part of the Mobile-Tensaw Delta. Mobile Bay is Where Mobile-Tensaw By the Numbers Five Major Rivers Meet Area: 30 miles long by 12 miles wide, the Gulf of Mexico? 260,000 acres Location: 30° 45' 15" N, 87° 56’ 32" W Rivers, creeks and streams from over Included within its boundaries are portions 65 percent of the state of Alabama and of Baldwin, Clarke, Mobile, Monroe and portions of Mississippi, Georgia, and Washington counties of Alabama. Tennessee flow into Mobile Bay through Major rivers include: Apalachee, the Mobile-Tensaw Delta and mix with Blakeley, Middle, Spanish and Tensaw saltwater pushed in by tides and wind from the Gulf of Mexico. This makes the Gunnison Creek Watershed... Mobile Bay Watershed the sixth largest in in north Mobile County drains 11 square area and the fourth largest by freshwater miles of mainly forest and coastal marsh flow volume in the continental U.S. with increasing residential use. It is among Due to changing weather conditions the least-disturbed watersheds in the region. and the shallow nature of Mobile Bay the ADEM’s use classifications for the Creek salinity or “saltiness” of the brackish include swimming, fishing and wildlife. water changes constantly. You Are Here – Mobile Bay By the Numbers Steele Creek Lodge is a City Drains: 43,662 square miles of Satsuma Park located on a Bayou Sara Receives: 62,000 cubic feet of embayment. Facilities include boat ramps, freshwater per second Gulf of Mexico a boardwalk, a small playground area, Average Depth: 10 feet picnic tables and grills. It is secluded, yet Length, North to South: 32 miles easily accessible from Hwy. 43 and I-65. Boat wakes have caused erosion of the Widest Point: 23 miles bay’s western shore, damaging the natural Width at City of Mobile: 10 miles shoreline and the ecosystem it provided. Steele Creek Lodge The Ecosystem

Did You Know... Plants of Steele Creek The plants and animals that live along the Forested wetlands line the banks of stream banks, freshwater wetlands, and Steele Creek near the lodge. Look for marshes around Steele Creek together these plants: with their physical environment form their own ecosystem. Adapted to the Canopy Trees providing shade: moist conditions created by the always- • Swamp Tupelo (Nyssa sylvatica) changing water and tides of Mobile Bay, • Red Maple (Acer rubrum) these organisms depend on each other for • Sweet Gum (Liquidambar styraciflua) food, shelter, and survival. The unique • Bald Cypress (Taxodium distichlum) ecosystem around Steele Creek is an Understory Plants found example of one of the most productive and beneficial ecosystem types on the planet. under the trees: • Wax Myrtle (Myrica cerifera) What’s in the water? • Yaupon (Ilex vomitoria) The bottom near Steele Creek is mostly • Groundsel Tree silty sand. The water is almost fresh but (Baccharus halimifolia) slightly acidic, like many coastal plain • Marsh Elder (Iva frutuescens) streams. But it frequently undergoes Birds of Steele Creek changes in salinity that makes it more Tall marsh plants in the shallow water: brackish, especially close to the bottom. • Soft or Common Rush (Juncus effusus)

The richness of this tidal marsh • Southern Wild Rice habitat makes it a great nursery for (Zizaniopsis miliacea) Great Blue fish and aquatic species like: • Cattails (Typha latifolia) Laughing Gull White Ibis Heron • Blue crab (Callinectes sapidus) Look for these birds in the sky, • Grass and glass shrimp (Paleomonetes spp.) trees, and shallows: • Bream/Sunfish(Lepomis spp.)

• Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) • Mullet (Mugil cephalus) • White Ibis (Eudocimus albus) • Alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) Mullet • Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) • Largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) • Red-wing Blackbird (Agelaius phoneiceus) • Crappie (Pomoxis spp.) Cattails • Laughing Gull (Leucophaeus atricilla) • Snowy Egret (Egretta thula) • Mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos) Crappie

Largemouth Bass

Blue Crab Alligator Bream Steele Creek Lodge Stabilizing the Shoreline

Improvements to Re-establishment of Shore Resource Management and Stream Bank Habitats The Steele Creek Lodge Shoreline Stabilization Project was completed Since wakes produced by recreational Following construction of the perched terrace, by the City of Satsuma and the Mobile boats have been the primary source of Satsuma High School students planted emergent Bay National Estuary Program with erosion, and to protect the newly restored native vegetation on the flat, stable banks guidance by USA Engineering shoreline terrace at Steele Creek Lodge, creating a natural wetland border that included: Professor Bret Webb to showcase a “No Wake Zone” has been established southern wild rice, cattails, pickerel weed, duck environmentally-friendly ways that will be enforced by the Alabama potato, and arrowhead. These plants provide to control erosion and restore Marine Police. many important services, like buffering the shoreline from boat wakes and wind waves, aquatic and shoreline habitat. slowing and absorbing runoff before it reaches the creek, and providing fish and wildlife habitat.

Erosion Control In 2010, rock/riprap and clean sand were installed to prevent erosion from reflected boat wakes and to create habitat for fish, crustaceans, and other aquatic Steps taken to control erosion and life. A rock sill with a six foot crest was restore aquatic and shoreline habitat: installed parallel to the 150-foot shoreline. • Installation of a perched terrace Sand was placed on geofabric behind the sill just below mean high water levels. High tide covers the area of clean sand placed consisting of a rock sill and clean atop geofabric creating the perched terrace. sand fill. • Restoration of shore and stream bank habitat by planting native emergent plants similar to those found nearby. • Creation of a “No Wake Zone” to reduce wave energy near boat ramps.

A City of Satsuma employee installs a rock sill along the western shoreline at Steele Creek Lodge – the first step in constructing a vegetated, perched terrace.

Satsuma High School volunteers help restore the shore and stream bank habitat by planting native emergent plants similar to those found nearby.