Eco-Tourism Could Take A Hit With Oil Spill

The Five Rivers Delta Resource Center offers Delta Tours. Captain Michael Dorie took me on an abbreviated one today, 4/30/10.

“You can hear the birds chirping, it's quiet and peaceful, can't imagine what it would look like inundated with a layer of oil over all this stuff,” says Dorie. People like Michael and deckhand Carol Furman make their living through eco-tourism. The thought of what this oil spill could do is chilling.

“Even at the best of circumstances it's not going to be favorable outcome and it can potentially affect this area for years to come,” says Furman. Captain Michael Dorie says he's not even sure if he can still tour through an oil slick, he says he hopes the oil doesn't get this far north in mobile bay.

“Everything from the marshy grasslands to the cypress swamps and something like a million gallons of oil can have an impact on an area like this,” says Dorie. Birds, gators and other animals make their homes here. The captain says this oil spill will be felt long after the clean up is over too. Dorie says potential tourist will remember the cleanup images for a long time.

“A year from now when they decide where to go on vacation they’re going to remember those pictures of black beaches and decide maybe we'll go to Disney World rather than Alabama.
Dorie says people come to the delta because very little has been developed and you're seeing pure nature. He says he's worried how things might change.