But Don’t Expose Yourself to the Air and Water on the Gulf Coast

Glynn Wilson

by Glynn Wilson

FISH RIVER – On the way north from the Gulf Coast on Tuesday, I just had to risk a little river exploration to get the canoe wet and try out a new kayak paddle. It was fun, but I’m not sure it was worth the risk (see below).

The dock on the Bon Secour River at Captain’s Galley, like the restaurant itself, was closed. Signs had it posted as private property, so I continued north to check out the Magnolia River, where they may still run the last U.S. mail route in the country by boat.

I stopped for lunch at Jesse’s in Magnolia Springs and braved the first seafood of the trip. Scrumptious shrimp and grits, and down home friendly service.

They even had a decent WiFi connection in the country store style market, a surprise. Much of Baldwin County still appears to be in the dark ages when it comes to the Internet. Maybe it’s the escapist tendencies of a beach resort perched at the end of a long stretch of Alabama country farmland.

Out behind the restaurant, there is a trail to a spot on the river where a canoe could be launched, and just down the street there is another public access point, but no real boat launch.

Glynn Wilson

Jesse’s Restaurant, also home to The Cold Hole bar and Jesse’s on the Side Market

The next stop heading east was Weeks Bay, where the docks are deserted since the BP oil disaster in April. Last time I was by here in July, it looked polluted with oil sheen and chemical dispersants, but there were sea gulls — and one lone pelican.

The water looked clear enough this time, so I launched the Pelican Navigator and headed up Fish River, between Stapleton on the north and Magnolia Springs to the south. Fish River drains into Weeks Bay, an estuarine embayment that ultimately drains into Mobile Bay. The Fish River is a tidal system with an average daily fluctuation of 1- to 1.5-feet. Its tidal nature also affects salinity levels that fluctuate substantially, from 0 to 25 ppt., depending on time of day and rainfall patterns, according to OutDoorAlabama.

Anglers enjoy Fish River because it has a wide variety of fish species, and they were certainly jumping all around me on the entire trip up and down the river. Bait fish were everywhere, but only one fisherman in sight, and it’s probably for the best. I’m still not sure the fish are safe to handle and eat around here due to oil pollution and the spraying of chemical dispersants.

In normal times, freshwater anglers have greater success in the upper portions of this river catching largemouth bass, bluegill, shellcracker and black crappie. Bass in this river tend to be small and scrappy, though they can be caught in good numbers, especially during the spring and fall.

I’m no fisherman, just a photographer who loves to tool around in a canoe. I wish could report that this trip was worth it, but in retrospect, it was probably a mistake. This may be my last trip to the Gulf Coast for awhile, since it is obvious the BP oil and chemical pollution is still around and most likely will be for awhile.

I had already experienced a skin rash on my stomach and sides. I was not sure it was related to my exposure to crude oil and chemical dispersants or a combination of Volatile Organic Compounds from spending so much on the coast for the past six months. The rash has seemed to come and go for the past few weeks, obviously exacerbated by heat and stress.

But as you can see in the photo below, just from the drops of water that hit my legs from dripping off the paddles caused a serious skin rash. I rinsed it off with distilled water and treated it with After Bite and lotion, and it eased up. After an Epson salt and mineral bath back in Birmingham, it receded.

Glynn Wilson

After all the research on the health symptoms being experienced by others along the coast, however, I now suspect it is a combination of chemicals now trapped in fatty tissue and it could recur.

Needless to say, I do not recommend exposing yourself to the water or the air on the Gulf Coast at this time. Any public official who advocates for people to “come on down” to the coast and says publicly that the seafood is safe to eat is acting irresponsibly, and perhaps should share in the legal liability for any illnesses that occur.

I am considering reporting my symptoms to local, state and federal authorities, and will fill out the community health survey now available online. If you or anyone you know suffers any kind of health symptoms that could be related, please report it. Thera are hundreds and maybe thousands of people who deserve to be treated and compensated by BP for the obvious health problems going on, in spite of the local, state and federal attempts to cover it up.

That is a fact. It is not my opinion, and it is certainly no conspiracy theory.

Riki Ott Speaks at Orange Beach Public Health Forum

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This entry was posted on Thursday, October 14th, 2010 at 12:16 am and is filed under Big Oil, BP Oil Spill, Environment News, Glynn Wilson, Secret Vistas. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.