SPANISH FORT, Ala. — Thanks to a little interference from Mother Nature, a hands-on exploration of the Bottle Creek Indian Mounds has been rescheduled for Feb. 21 in hopes water levels will recede enough to make the trek more accessible.

Hank Burch, manager of Five Rivers Delta Resource Center, said the trip, originally slated for Jan. 31, was postponed late last week after water levels were assessed.

“Getting there wouldn’t have been a problem, but when it came time for the hike portion from the boat to the mounds, there were places where the water would have been waist deep,” Burch said.

The Bottle Creek Indians lived in the middle of the Mobile-Tensaw Delta between the 13th and 16th centuries. The mound builders left behind Mound Island, a national historic landmark accessible only by water.

The guided tour of the historic mounds are scheduled periodically and carry as many as 20 passengers on “The Pelican” to the site following an informative lecture by Five Rivers’ resident historian Kelly Cuhaj. A herpetologist and a botanist then accompany the troupe with Cuhaj for the three-quarter-mile hike to the main mound.

Burch said tail elevation, or water levels flowing downstream from Claiborne Dam in nearby Monroe County, determines water levels in the delta and provide a strong indicator of projected currents.

When the elevation rests around six feet, for instance, the delta is dry.

By contrast, only more skilled canoe operators are comfortable operating when levels reach 19 feet because of the stronger currents.

Ten days ago, the elevation rested at 40 feet, making the trip obviously navigable by boat, but would have left hikers trying to reach the shell mounds from the boat a little damper than they anticipated.

For more information on the Feb. 21 outing, call 1-800-508-ADVENTURE.