As a lifelong resident of Mobile who spent my summers, from Memorial Day through Labor Day, in Point Clear, Alabama, I’ve seen much change in my lifetime in the waters surrounding the Scenic 98 Coastal area. These changes are a cause for concern, and I’ve tried to gain a better understanding of what has happened and what can be done to preserve and protect these waters that we all enjoy.

One of the primary tenets of our weekly newsletter is to raise awareness of the issues threatening our wonderful Gulf Coast waters. We spend a lot of time visiting different conservation groups, learning their role in assessing and finding solutions to improve the area’s natural habitat. These organizations are working diligently to address issues, and each one plays an important part. 

Many have complementary missions and work together to ensure that we can continue to enjoy being in and on the water doing what we love; swimming, sailing, exploring, water skiing, kiteboarding, pulling a trawl net, crabbing, casting a net, floundering, or trying to land one of the many species of delicacies that swim in our waters. 

Whether it's for recreation or livelihood, our rivers, bays, and estuaries are vital to the quality of life we have enjoyed for generations. It also attracts many to locate here, and a better understanding of what is happening is important for everyone.

I’m no scientist, but I have witnessed these changes. There are too many technical and scientific explanations for my feeble mind to comprehend.  You don’t have to be a marine biologist to understand the main issues that have transformed and impacted marine life and its natural habitat. (Although we will have a story from a marine biologist next week who will tell us what’s happening to our waters, wildlife, and habitat.)

The erosion of the beachfront is a starting point. Mother Nature has played her role here—storms, currents, tides, and changes in climate affect the shoreline every day. Generations ago, people knew you shouldn’t build close to the shoreline because the next big hurricane would wipe you out, destroying homes and structures. This hasn’t changed. 

What has changed is that we have built closer to the water, and as Mother Nature changed the shoreline, we tried to stop her by building jetties and bulkheads to hold the land in place. One by one, each neighboring property would succumb to their neighbor's man-made structure and install a similar jetty or bulkhead. Down the line, it continued until the bays became bathtubs, and natural shorelines were no longer.

The result of this development has been devastating to the natural habitat essential to the fish, crabs, oysters, and marine life that depend on seagrass and natural wave action to sustain life. Gone are the pinfish, croakers, and oyster beds as silt, dredging, and runoff cloud the waters with harmful chemicals, and sewage spills of bacteria enter our waters. The development of impervious buildings and parking lots makes the absorption of rainwater that could be filtered before entering the tributaries and larger bodies of water impossible. 

There is a lot to understand about how we got here. Growth has not been Mother Nature’s friend. It would be foolish to think growth will not continue, though hopefully not unabated. So many contributing factors are at play that it’s hard to get your head around it all. Fortunately, we have many organizations that are working hard to figure out what we can do to improve the situation.

One thing is abundantly clear. We need everyone involved in finding solutions. Everyone. Successful solutions that have reversed the loss of seagrass and oyster beds and the health and overall improvement of marine life habitats worldwide have occurred with universal buy-in. It’s essential.

Andrew Saunders, a former State Board Chair of The Nature Conservancy in Alabama, once told me that it's good we have so many conservation groups in the Scenic 98 Coastal area. “They each have their role, and more people get involved.” I’m learning daily how each group plays its part and adds to the overall solution to protect and preserve the waters and natural habitat we love.

In conjunction with the University of South Alabama, the Dauphin Island Sea Lab is minting new marine biologists every year to understand better and test solutions to threats to marine life. They work closely with the Alabama Deep Sea Fishing Rodeo to actively study the fish caught and brought to the weigh-in, with several species judged on catch and release rules.

The Coastal Conservation Association works with state wildlife departments to better understand and improve habitats and ensure that sport fishing remains robust without depleting fish populations. The South Alabama Land Trust is important in identifying threatened wetlands and estuaries and finding ways to purchase and preserve them. Mobile Baykeepers monitor our waters to ensure it’s safe to swim, eat the seafood from our waters, and mitigate pollution threats. 

The Alabama Audubon Society works diligently to understand better how migratory birds are impacted by growth along nesting beaches. Sea Turtle nests are located and protected. Oysters Alabama play a big role in understanding the changes that have affected natural oyster bed populations. Shrimpers see changes in their harvests that are impacted by changes to shrimp natural habitats. 

Environmentalists like Ben Raines, Jimbo Meador, and the late E. O. Wison actively monitor the Mobile River Delta, called America’s Amazon—one of the most biodiverse places on Earth. Water quality in Pensacola Bay and its tributaries are monitored after generations of chemical impact. Perdido Bay is seeing increased incidences of sewage spills that make the waters unsafe to swim.

I could go on and on, but you get the picture. It’s important and will take all of us to make a difference. Get involved. Educate yourself. Growth has and will continue to have an impact, especially on infrastructure. Without natural habitats, we will continue to lose what we value. Minimum regulatory standards won’t get it done. We must hold entities accountable.

We can change the direction of the “tides of change,” but it will take a total community effort and lots of personal involvement and support. We will continue highlighting the organizations working hard to make a difference. Find one that works for you and get involved. With unprecedented growth, more pressure exists on our natural environment than ever. 

Our personal quality of life is at stake. Let’s do this together!