A program is just getting started to remove some of the derelict vessels from the mouth of the Apalachicola River that were stranded there during Hurricane Michael in 2018.
Local Extension Director Eric Lovestrand said the University of Florida IFAS extension program was awarded a Hurricane Michael marine debris grant that will fund the removal of derelict vessels in Franklin, Gulf and Bay Counties.
The program is being done in conjunction with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the Apalachicola National Estuarine Research Reserve.
This week the groups are taking an airboat to survey the houseboats and and other vessels that were pushed into the grasses and marsh at the head of river.
A contractor will also be on site to assess the vessels and figure out the best way to get the boats out of there while doing minimal damage to the habitat.
Lovestrand said some of the vehicles are very difficult to reach.
They hope to have the vessels removed soon so the state can go back to doing controlled burns in those habitats, but it will take some time.
Once the vessels have been identified, the groups will have to go through a process to get ownership so they can legally remove the vessels.
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