Dear Neighbors,
Many islanders have experienced losses in the past two years from which are still recovering. On Wednesday evening, one island family has experienced a second devastating loss in a little more than a month, made all the more tragic because of the time of year of its occurence. Below is an article in this morning's Press Register with the details. At the end of the article is information about what you can do to help if you are able. Thank you.
In the spirit of the season,
Island Watch
To help, send donations to: For the Benefit of the Janet Sweetser Family, care of Bay Bank, 640 LeMoyne Drive, Dauphin Island, AL 36528. For information, call Dauphin Island Town Hall at 861-5525, ext. 23
General Business
Today the Mobile Register has a profile of Dr. Monty Graham, a Senior Marine Scientist at the Dauphin Island Sea Lab. Dr. Graham is a world renowned authority on the jellyfish. It's an interesting article about a fascinating creature and the man who studies them.
From his "about me" page on the Dauphin Island Sea Lab web site:
My research program is broadly aimed at processes that influence the production and distribution of coastal marine plankton. The principal area of research that I am involved with is the ecology and biology of gelatinous zooplankton. Current research activities in this area are all related to the potential response of gelatinous zooplankton predators to short-term (i.e., seasons) and long-term (i.e., years) changes in nutrient inputs from adjacent watersheds. Three main areas of activity include
- feeding, growth and metabolism of jellies that utilize patchily distributed prey,
- reproduction and fertilization dynamics of jellies, and
- behavioral adaptations of jellies that act to optimize growth and reproduction.
The Robert H. Dixey, or what's left of it, may have found it's once and final resting place in a Mobile area landfill.
According to a news article in today's Mobile Register the relic was trucked to a landfill recently.
We wrote several articles about the shipwreck over the past several months. The saga began with Katrina dredging a huge chunk of what was believed to be the Robert H. Dixey and using it to destroy and damage homes on Dauphin Island's west end beach.
When the relic was discovered by a local marine archaeologist a brief flurry of activity ensued to dig it out of the sand beneath a vacation beach home and preserve it for its historic value. A local restaurant owner proposed using his flooded restaurant as a storage facility where the preservation process could take place.
That plan fell apart when the preservationist team could not figure out how to move it from under the house. Eventually they lost interest. The vacation home owner took matters into his own hands and dragged the relic to the side of Bienville Blvd, where it sat in the sun for several months.
Presumably the vacation home owners finally tired of looking at it and had it picked up and trucked to the landfill.
Read previous stories about the Robert H. Dixey
Rob Nykvist was up early recently and captured some of Dauphin Island's early morning beauty.
If you check his web site you'll find that one of his most recent kayaking adventures started out from Dauphin Island before sunrise. Rob's photos of the Dauphin Island sunrise from out on the Gulf of Mexico are simply stunning.
The image is one of the pop-up storms which took place later in the morning. Check Rob's site for other photos of far away storms, Dauphin Island beaches and a few glimpses of the life and beauty of Dauphin Island.