forficatus ) . The only known populations in Alabama of Florida black bears 

 ( Ursus airiericanus floridanus ) occur within the delta, the northern black bear 

 ( Ursus amencanus ) apparently having been extirpated in the State (Boschung 

 1976) . Common mammals in the delta floodplain include beaver, raccoon, river 

 otter, and deer. 



The National Natural Landmark area is used mostly for hunting, fishing, 

 and boating. Although some commercial logging is done, it is limited because 

 of the area's inaccessibility. New techniques for logging may, however, 

 result in the area becoming more disrupted in the future. The rivers of the 

 Mobile Delta drain a great deal of farmland and consequently carry a heavy 

 load of silt and agricultural chemicals. Additional chemicals are discharged 

 into the rivers from the industrial areas adjacent to Mobile. 



NATIONAL AUDUBON SOCIETY SANCTUARY 



The National Audubon Society leases approximately 64 ha (159 acres) of 

 land on Dauphin Island (Biloxi quadrangle) from the Dauphin Island Park and 

 Beach Board. The current 10/year lease runs from 1980 to 1990. The 

 facilities currently consist of an entrance, parking lot, and several nature 

 trails. A boardwalk over the dunes is proposed. The land includes a 

 beach-dune complex with high dunes, a gum swamp, a large freshwater lake, and 

 sandy pine woods (Friend et al . 1981). Like the Bon Secour National Wildlife 

 Refuge, the area is important to both resident and migratory species of 

 birds. In a 48-hour period in 1979, 176 species of birds were identified on 

 the sanctuary (Myrt Jones, National Audubon Society, Mobile, AL; 17 March 

 1982; pers. comm.) . 



INTENSIVELY USED RECREATIONAL BEACHES 



The beaches of Alabama are a recreational resource important to the 

 tourist industry of Mobile and Baldwin Counties. These counties have about 

 80 km (50 mi) of beaches on the Gulf of Mexico and another 103 km (64 mi) 

 along the bays (Mobile, Weeks, Perdido, etc.) and Mississippi Sound (South 

 Alabama Regional Planning Commission and J. H. Friend, Inc. 1971). 



Water off the wide white-sand beaches fronting the open ocean is 

 generally clear. While the bay and sound areas are economically important, 

 especially in seafood production, they tend to be muddier and not as 

 attractive as the white-sand gulf beaches for such beach activities as 

 swimming, wading, and sunbathing. 



The principal gulf beaches are Dauphin Island (Biloxi quadrangle) in 

 Mobile County, which is 24 km (15 mi) long, and the southern border of 

 Baldwin County from Mobile Point (Pensacola quadrangle) to the Florida state 

 line, which comprises 51 km (32 mi) of ocean beach. Most of the gulf shore- 

 line is privately owned, although the city of Gulf Shores makes available 458 

 m (1500 ft) of beach and the state maintains 5 km (3 mi) of beach for public 

 use at Gulf Shores State Park. In Mobile County, there is 0.8 km (0.5 mi) of 

 public-use beach on Dauphin Island (Friend et al . 1981 ) . 



47 



