November E-News from the Apalachicola Riverkeeper

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Phase Two of RiverTrek Begins November 6th! This year's RiverTrek team and the strong support we have received fills us with gratitude and pride. To safely pull off RiverTrek during a pandemic while also nearing our fundraising goal of $60,000 is nothing short of miraculous. We have also had a highly active hurricane season to contend with, thus the reason we are doing RiverTrek in two phases this fall. Phase one was a two-day paddle October 6 and 7 from Chattahoochee to Estiffanulga. We had a warm send-off, dynamic guest speakers and a wonderful group meal at the end. Plus, the river did its part by interweaving everything with its beauty. Middle School Science teacher and lead fundraiser Cameron Barton summed it up well: “I enjoyed the group and the peacefulness of the river. It is simply powerful and beautiful and worth every effort to protect it!” See Cameron's blog about bringing the river and bay to her classroom. Phase two of RiverTrek, covering the stretch from Estiffanulga to Apalachicola, will occur November 6-8. Make sure to check Apalachicola Riverkeeper’s Facebook and Instagram pages when RiverTrek continues, and please continue your support of RiverTrek so we can meet our fundraising goal.

The Age of Nature Premiere Did you miss the WFSU Age of Nature Episode 2 premiere and associated panel discussion about the future of the Apalachicola River and Bay on October 20? Don't fret. The session, featuring Apalachicola Riverkeeper and the Nature Conservancy, was recorded and you can watch the full program on YouTube

Slough Restoration Team Making Progress

The Slough Restoration Team is currently clearing Douglas Slough and Spider's Cut and some adjacent land paths and doing bathymetry or underwater contours at the mouth of Spiders Cut to make a bathymetric map to calculate how much sediment to remove. They will do this the full length of the slough to get a total volume. They walk, wade or use kayaks and boats to get the thousands of shots necessary to make the contour map. Funded by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, Apalachicola Riverkeeper launched the multi-year slough restoration project to restore the connection of three primary slough systems in the Apalachicola River watershed during times of low flow, feeding the floodplain and bay ecosystem with vital freshwater and nutrients. Read the recent blog from two scientists working on the project.

WFSU Broadcast on Tupelo Honey and Floodplain Loss WFSU FM’s Regan McCarthy recently chronicled the decline of trees in the lower Apalachicola River floodplain forest and its effects on the tupelo honey industry in a segment entitled “Decreased Water Flow In the Apalachicola River could Threaten the Future of Tupelo Honey.” McCarthy interviewed beekeeper Ben Lanier and drew from a 2018 video blog by WFSU’s Rob Diaz de Villegas in which he interviewed Riverkeeper Georgia Ackerman and former Riverkeeper Dan Tonsmeire. Read more here.

Franklin County Coastal Cleanup! Thanks to all 209 intrepid volunteers who cleaned up our beaches, islands, bay and river as part of the September 12, 2020 Franklin County Coastal Cleanup! Despite predictions of stormy weather and exigencies of COVID-19, which required delay of some cleanups, coordinators estimated that volunteers collected 7,163 pounds of trash! Many thanks to long-time coastal cleanup coordinator Ada Long. Apalachicola Riverkeeper also held a volunteer cleanup of Chattahoochee's River Landing Park on October 17.

Apalachicola Riverkeeper's annual auction will be virtual this year, going live November 12th at 5 p.m. Featured items range from beach house rentals to guided kayak trips to hand-crafted pottery. Check it out! The auction closes November 19 at 6 p.m.

The Apalachicola River Basin In the News Decreased Water Flow in the Apalachicola River Could Threaten the Future of Tupelo Honey Riverkeeper Georgia Ackerman Talks Proposal Banning Wild Oyster Harvesting In Apalachicola Bay Florida Plan Would Ease Wetlands Permitting. That's A Problem, Environmentalists Say New Purchase Expands Lake Wimico Tract U.S. Supreme Court: Florida Water War Arguments To Be Held ‘In Due Course' We hope everyone has opportunities to enjoy the restorative power of the natural world and Apalachicola Basin during this time of physical-social distancing.

More blogs here

apalachicolariverkeeper.org Apalachicola Riverkeeper is located at 301 Market Street, at Scipio Creek Marina The office is open by appointment.

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