SPANISH FORT, Ala. — With barely two months until the second annual Delta Woods and Waters Expo showcases the natural beauty and utility of the Mobile-Tensaw Delta, organizers are scrambling to recruit the volunteers needed to handle expected increases in both activities and participation.

Slated for April 29 through May 1 at Five Rivers Delta Resource Center, the expo’s theme of “Discovering the Delta” aims to familiarize locals and visitors alike with the wealth of ecological and environmental lessons available in Spanish Fort, while helping develop what many believe can easily become the city’s signature event. 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.

Building on the success of the inaugural expo, organizers are tightening the event’s footprint within Five Rivers’ sprawling campus but expanding the informational courses being offered to both school children and families.

While the first two days will still cater exclusively to elementary school students, event chairwoman Claudine Andress said the decision was made to limit invitees to only fourth-graders this year — as opposed to fourth- and fifth-graders — in order to accommodate classes from two additional schools. The step also ensures that from this point forward all students enrolled in local elementary schools will have the opportunity to attend.

In addition to Spanish Fort and Rockwell Elementary schools, Andress said Daphne Elementary and .J. Carroll Intermediate School will participate in each of the eight round-robin activities focusing on everything from mall boat handling, kite making, and local wildlife to kayaks, canoes and racing hulls.

Saturday’s Family Day will feature the same eight activities plus eight more, and Andress said organizers are trying to add an entertainment element by scouting for a live musical act to perform. New additions to the activities include hiking, fly casting and yarn making.

In addition, Andress said participants will be treated to an array of exhibitions including turkey and deer calls, retrieving dogs and a demonstration by Alba High School’s award-winning archery team. The Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources will also host an informational segment on black bears because the breed is experiencing a resurgence in northern Baldwin and Mobile counties.

John C. Hall will also reprise his role as William Bartram, bringing the work and works of the storied naturalist to life for festival-goers. Hall — who considers himself equal parts educator, historian and naturalist — is the founding curator of the University of West Alabama’s Black Belt Regional Museum, and will depict in costume Bartram’s late 18th-century exploits in Baldwin County.

In addition to the roughly 150 volunteers who assisted with the 2009 event, Andress said she is hopeful an additional 25 good souls will step forward this year to assist children learning to use a rod and reel.

“We really need one volunteer for each child to help them straighten out the lines when they get tangled, so they don’t get discouraged and give up,” she said.

Andress said she would also like to recruit teenagers to help younger children make Delta-animal masks during the Family Day festivities.

“If we learned anything last year, it’s that we appreciate all the help we can get, and we really want everyone who participates to feel like this is their festival,” she said.