Getting the BIG Picture

Bill Woodall of Chumuckla

One of the best ways to get a view of the problem is to look at it from above. Sometimes we have had the good fortune to fly with a retired Army sergeant in his private plane to look over the rivers. Bill Woodall of Chumuckla enjoys his plane and knows the area very well. So flying for pictures can be a rewarding  and educational experience.  Sometimes it is a surprise at just how radical the bends in the river can be. All this is the result of thousands of years of river blockages like log jams, that force the river to find an new path.  Look at the heavily studied soil charts of a section of the Mississippi River here.  It is amazing how much the river changes over time.  There are such maps of our local rivers, like the Escambia and Peridido and Alabama Rivers. Just flying over the rivers and obsrerving the changes in vegetation for miles either side will give a good idea of how much movement the rivers have in their seemingly mundane lives.