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Riviere du Chien by night. can be slick as glass....I caught this view of the new bridge with a pier silhouetted in the foreground, a short while after twilight. Commonly known as "Dog River" it is a very special place to the people of Mobile, Alabama. It is entirely non-industrial, with a cluster of yacht brokers, a yacht club, fishing pier, pleasure boat marinas, fuel docks and restaurants around the mouth. The rest of it is residential, although the upper reaches of its watershed is subject to abuse by construction site runoff.

Those of us who enjoy the river and bayou life turn our back on the city pavement and take to the water. Dog River is our "Main Street," and beyond this bridge is Mobile Bay.

Beyond that---the WORLD!!

MIDDLE BAY LIGHT is one of the last lighthouses of its type still on station, although it is no longer active. It is a landmark for sailors on Mobile Bay. This picture taken by Captain Rick Walker of Blue Water Rigging & Restoration before he moved

to Florida

ALLIGATORS are native to the river. Not as plentiful today, their "barking" was so common in the 1700s that the French gave it the name RIVIERE DU CHIEN, or DOG RIVER.

Alligator mississippiensis was hunted to the point of extinction for its hide and tail meat. No longer endangered, it is nonetheless protected throughout its range. Estimate the measurement from eyes to snout in INCHES, and his length is that in FEET. This male is at least ten feet long. He has no enemies except man.

SNOW! December 1997 was the last time it snowed enough to stick. A thoughtful neighbor took this picture of MOCCASIN LANDING for me. Note the Lady Banks rose climbing the carport to the right, and the Carolina jessamine still green and covered with snow on the front fence. In the old days, much cypress was cut from this bayou area by sawmills until almost none remain. However, wetlands are part of our world here. And yes, so are snakes! And turtles, frogs, salamander, wild birds, butterflies, raccoon, opossum, beaver, osprey, heron and egret, cormorants, gulls, otter, hummingbirds, mosquitos, --the non-native nutria rat and fire ant also. Click here for an aerial view of the neighborhood.

The future of Dog River may well rest in the hands of Dog River Clearwater Revival, spearheaded by Dr. Mimi Fearn of the University of South Alabama.

Do what you can to restore this lovely little river.

August 16, 2003, the 2nd Annual Dog Paddle was held to benefit DRCR.

Photos from the event are posted on the DRCR site with links to other photo pages.

A link to watershed test results is here:

http://www.angelfire.com/al3/nancynrob/monitor/sites.htm