The Styx, Blackwater, and Perdido Rivers have not yet been studied; a 5- 

 km (3-mi) section of Soldier Creek was studied, but subsequently deautho- 

 rized. The Escatawpa River and about 11 km (7 mi) of Brushy Creek, from 

 Scarborough Creek to its confluence with the Escatawpa, were studied by the 

 National Park Service for designation as Wild and Scenic Rivers. Although 

 the river was found to be eligible for inclusion as a Wild and Scenic River, 

 the National Park Service recommended it not be included due to opposition 

 from private waterfront owners (National Park Service 1983). 



NATIONAL NATURAL LANDMARKS 



The drainage area of the Mobile River basin is 113,000 km? (43,629 mi'2) 

 and includes areas in Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, and Tennessee. The 

 basin is the largest gulf drainage east of the Mississippi River and has 

 extensive wetlands north of its confluence with Mobile Bay. The Mobil e- 

 Tensaw River Bottomlands National Natural Landmark (Mobile and Bay Minette 

 quadrangles) was designated in 1974 to acknowledge the area as one of the 

 most important wetlands in the nation (Frank Ugolini, National Park Service, 

 Washington, D.C., 12 November 1982, pers. comm.). Although the designation 

 implies National recognition of the area's importance, ownership of the lands 

 remains with over 130 private and public landowners. The following informa- 

 tion is taken primarily from the Natural Landmark Brief for this area (U.S. 

 National Park Service 1974). 



The area is essentially a large flood plain originating near the 

 confluence of the Alabama and Tombigbee Rivers. The northern reaches have a 

 network of streams and lakes with low forested islands and mesic (moderately 

 moist) sites on the higher elevations merging into open, brackish marshes to 

 the south. The southern boundary of the delta is northern Mobile Bay. This 

 delta is unusual in that it is bounded on either side by relatively high, 

 distinct upland terraces. 



The mesic sites contain ash, magnolia, and holly, while the lower, wetter 

 sites are primarily water tupelo and cypress. Also common are red maple, 

 mulberry, and black willow along the watercourses. The bottomland hardwood 

 forest in the northern portion of the tract is dominated by sweet gum, water 

 oak, ash, hackberry, and cottonwood. Herbaceous plants include spider lily, 

 arrowheads, lizard's tail, grasses, and sedges. The open aquatic habitats 

 contain elodea, tapegrass, water lily, arrow-arom, and cattails. 



The rivers comprising the Mobile Delta contain several species of rare 

 fishes, including the blue sucker (C ycleptus elongatus ) and Atlantic sturgeon 

 ( Acipenser oxyrhynchus ) . The Mobile Delta is one of the few large habitats 

 for th~e Federally endangered American alligator ( Al li gator mississippiensis ) 

 between Louisiana and Florida. 



Other reptiles in the area include Pseudemys alabamensis , the Alabama 

 red-bellied turtle, and Graptemys nigrinoda del ti col a , the southern 

 black-knobbed sawback turtle, which is endemic to the 3eTta. The concen- 

 tration of birds, especially waterfowl, in the area is tremendous, with such 

 rare species as the mottled duck ( Anas fulvigula maculosa ), the Mississippi 

 kite ( Ictinia missi ssippiensis ) , and tHe swal low-tailed kite ( Elanoides 



46 



