FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Oct. 18, 2025 CONTACT: DEP Press Office, 850-245-2112, DEPNews@FloridaDEP.gov DEP Celebrates Alum Bluff Designation as Florida’s First State Invertebrate Paleontological Site Alum Bluff in Liberty County has been designated as Florida's first State Invertebrate Paleontological Site and the ninth State Geological Site. BRISTOL, Fla. – The Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has recognized Alum Bluff in Liberty County as one of Florida’s most significant geological and paleontological locations, designating it as the first State Invertebrate Paleontological Site and the ninth State Geological Site. The towering bluff along the Apalachicola River reveals layers of ancient rock that record millions of years of Earth’s history, offering a rare glimpse into Florida’s geologic past.  Located within The Nature Conservancy’s Apalachicola Bluffs and Ravines Preserve, Alum Bluff rises approximately 120 feet above the river, where erosion has uncovered fossil-bearing limestone, sand, silt and clay. The site features some of the most diverse and well-preserved fossil deposits in the southeastern United States.  “Alum Bluff is the tallest natural exposure in Florida and one of the few places where you can see four different geological formations,” said Florida State Geologist and Florida Geological Survey Director Guy “Harley” Means, P.G. “Each formation contains clues, like diverse and well-preserved fossil assemblages, that help geologists interpret Florida’s geologic history over the past 18 million years. Geologists have been studying the strata exposed at this important site for more than 100 years, and we are still learning new things about it.”   In addition to its fossil record, Alum Bluff has several examples of steep sided ravines, called steepheads, which harbor plant and animal species that have persisted since the last ice age.  “When The Nature Conservancy acquired the property, now known as Apalachicola Bluffs and Ravines Preserve, in the 1980s, we named it for the unique geologic features, the bluffs and ravines, that motivated the organization to protect this landscape,” said The Nature Conservancy’s Apalachicola Bluffs and Ravines Preserve Manager Catherine Ricketts. “After decades of restoration and management work to conserve the preserve's biodiversity, The Nature Conservancy is proud to continue to support and protect Florida's natural heritage with these designations for Alum Bluff from the Florida Geological Survey.”  State Invertebrate Paleontological Sites are designated to protect areas containing invertebrate fossils that are rare, unique, exceptionally preserved or of scientific importance. State Geological Sites highlight locations that offer opportunities to experience and learn about Florida’s geological features, their connection to the local ecosystem and their significance in past and present cultures.  Visitors to Alum Bluff are encouraged to help protect this unique landscape by following Leave No Trace principles: stay on designated trails, pack out all trash and leave natural and cultural features undisturbed.  Following the dedication ceremony, attendees joined a boat tour along the Apalachicola River to view Alum Bluff and its striking geological formations.   Legislation authorizes the state geologist to designate sites that are of great and continuing significance for the scientific study and understanding of Florida’s geological history. Other designated sites include Jennings Bluff Tract, Torreya State Park, Falling Waters State Park, Edward Ball Wakulla Springs State Park, Florida Caverns State Park, Devil's Millhopper Geological State Park, Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park and Windley Key Fossil Reef Geological State Park.   Florida State Geologist Guy “Harley” Means, P.G., presents the official designation for Alum Bluff to Apalachicola Bluffs and Ravines Preserve Manager Catherine Ricketts during a ceremony in Liberty County. Fossilized palm frond preserved in the exposed bluff face at Alum Bluff. ###

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