SPANISH FORT, Ala. — Environmental enthusiasts will receive an additional bonus April 29 when the featured presenter for the second annual Delta Woods and Waters Expo hosts a book-signing on the eve of the event’s Family Day festivities.

John C. Hall will sign copies of his award-winning “Headwaters: A Journey on Alabama Rivers,” beginning at 6:30 p.m. at Books-A-Million in the Spanish Fort Town Center.

“We were thrilled that Dr. Hall made a point to promote his work right here in conjunction with the expo. It not only validates so much of the work our volunteers have poured into making this event a success, but it expands opportunities for local residents to experience some of the environmental education that is so central to the expo’s mission,” said Monica Davis, marketing coordinator for the expo.

Hall’s latest work was recently awarded the Phillip D. Reed Memorial Award for Outstanding Writing on the Southern Environment by the Southern Environmental Law Center.

Hall—who considers himself equal parts educator, historian and naturalist—is founding curator of the University of West Alabama’s Black Belt Regional Museum and will reprise his role as storied naturalist William Bartram during the three-day environmental extravaganza, slated for April 29 through May 1 at Five Rivers Delta Resource Center.

William Bartram traveled through Alabama in 1775, recording firsthand data on the region’s undisturbed natural environment and native inhabitants. Because he was able to document many native plants unknown to Western science, Bartram ultimately published his findings in the 1771 “Bartram’s Travels” that Hall calls “one of the most important documents of American science and the first book of Alabama natural history.”

Indeed, Bartram’s extensive documentation of the Southeast’s flora and fauna secured his work’s place in literary history as the first classic of environmental literature penned in the United States, and his writings were deemed so eloquent by audiences abroad that Bartram is credited with inspiring Romantic poets such as Samuel Taylor Coleridge and William Wordsworth.

According to Hall’s research, Bartram traveled through what is now Baldwin County, reaching Mobile in May 1775. He then sailed up the Tensaw and Tombigbee rivers along what is now referred to as the Bartram Canoe Trail. In witnessing – and describing – his first evening primrose Bartram reportedly sketched the delicate blossom and called it “the most brilliant show of any yet known to exist.”

The expo is designed to expose area youth to the virtues of environmental consciousness and importance of marine safety, while simultaneously addressing the city’s long-range goal of creating a communitywide event that defines and unites its residents. In doing so, organizers have arranged instruction for participants on small boat handling, kite making, kayaks, canoes and racing hulls and even local wildlife.

While the first two days cater exclusively to area fourth-graders, Saturday’s Family Day is free and open to the public, featuring an expanded activity roster, live entertainment and free homemade ice cream in conjunction with the city’s official homecoming activities.

For more information, call (251) 626-4884.