World-renowned biologist E.O. Wilson spent his summers on Burnt Corn Creek in Brewton — and he is willing to lend his name and his expertise to help the city develop its park system to focus on ecotourism.

That buzzword involves visiting pristine, undisturbed natural areas — and city officials are hoping the largely untapped amenity of Burnt Corn Creek fits that bill.

“(Wilson) was catching snakes where our boardwalk is,” said city programs director Connie Baggett, referring to the long green boardwalk that spans between Burnt Corn Creek Park and the old O’Bannon Park. “Now he’s a professor at Harvard, and he’s willing to lend his name to what we do.”

Wilson is also a two-time Pulitzer Prize winner — and has quite a following among those interested in biology and naturalism. His name could help attract tourists to the area. “Wilson spent summers here in his childhood and even used the creeks and swamps here as the setting for his book ‘The Naturalist,’” Baggett said. “He has endorsed our plan to develop the park an educational center and offered to help us plan our development.”