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Choctawhatchee Basin Alliance

Sustaining swimmable, fishable waterways through monitoring, education, restoration and research.

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Posted on March 14, 2017 by Erika Zambello

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Heading into the work week like... this little gir Heading into the work week like... this little girl boogie-boarding through the Lake Powell outfall like it's her job! Lake Powell is our largest rare coastal dune lake, easily accessible through #camphelenstatepark. Our dune lakes open periodically to the Gulf, letting in saltwater to mingle with the lakes' freshwater. This process creates fluctuating salinity levels that determine what types of plants and wildlife can thrive in the dune lakes. CBA and our partners at @mattiekellyenvironmental are learning more about the dune lakes all the time. Stay tuned as we continue to reveal what we learn. More info at the link in the bio. @nwfstatecollege @camphelenstatepark @fl.stateparks @sowalbeaches #dunelake #dunelakes #boogieboard #visitflorida #pureflorida #realflorida #beach #workweekhustle #conservationbeginshere
Likes: unicorns AND olive nerite snails. This lit Likes: unicorns AND olive nerite snails. This little explorer and her scout group came to help CBA staff plant salt marsh vegetation at one of our living shoreline sites recently. One of CBA's core values is connection. We believe that hands on education and volunteer opportunities provide folks with a connection to our local environment and a strengthened connection to the community! #connection #snail #olivenerite #unicorngirl #livingshoreline #saltmarsh #community #connect
Rocky Bayou--get it?🤪 Last weekend's living sho Rocky Bayou--get it?🤪 Last weekend's living shoreline build in Rocky Bayou featured some chonky limestone rocks! . CBA uses these rocks, along with our recycled oyster shell, to form breakwaters that slow erosion and provide a home for new oysters, as well as other critters that need refuge and feeding habitat. They stabilize the shoreline enough to provide shelter for new saltmarsh plants to grow and thrive. Together the salt marsh and oyster reef breakwaters form a living shoreline! #livingshoreline #work #rock #RockyBayou #oyster #strong #conservationbeginshere #water #girlpower #barge #boat @nwfstatecollege @nwf_environmental_stewards
Our work barge is 🔥! We use our living shoreli Our work barge is 🔥! We use our living shorelines barge to move heavy materials to restoration sites we can't reach by land. We have had various versions over the years, but our latest is a hull donated by an airman who was being reassigned and wanted to support our waterways. The hull was modified into a barge by our magical handyman. We hip tow it with a Mako center console boat donated by another local supporter whom we met through @impactnwf. We carry materials paid for by the entire spectrum of our community of waterways champions and partners: grantors, municipalities, businesses, homeowners. Soooooo, this little moment captured on video was brought to you a community of water stewards! Learn how you can help and join folks who care about our waterways at the link in the bio. #impact #connection #splash #work #restoration #community #cbaforthebay #livingshorelines @nwf_environmental_stewards @nwfstatecollege
Getting some welcome rain today! #landscape #natur Getting some welcome rain today! #landscape #nature #clouds #rain #thunderhead #summerathebeach #sowalbeaches #hey30a #sowal #weather
Last week's office! CBA and @nwf_environmental_st Last week's office! CBA and @nwf_environmental_stewards were working in Rocky Bayou last week. We had one day of beautifully calm weather and a couple of days of some pretty sporty chop, rain and wind. This view is from Fred Gannon Rocky Bayou State Park as we are leaving the boat ramp. The crew at this extraordinary Florida State Park were awesome partners, helping us stage and move our #livingshoreline and #habitatrestoration materials and equipment! Thanks, @fl.stateparks! #cbaforthebay #nwfdailynews #nature #landscape #latergram #bayoulife
Turn on the sound. Here's an important message fro Turn on the sound. Here's an important message from one of our young helpers about taking care of the environment. Everyone can do their part to keep trash out of our waterways! Find out more at the link in the bio. @internationalcoastalcleanup @oceanconservancy @myfwc @destinfwb #plasticpollution #trash #marinedebris #kids
Alaqua Creek! This creek is a natural treasure wi Alaqua Creek! This creek is a natural treasure with headwaters in the far eastern part of the Eglin Reservation, eventually flowing south westward to Choctawhatchee Bay. This view is from Walton County's Portland Park boat ramp facility. This section of the creek is famous for mullet fishing! Our waterways connect us. Join folks like you who care about our waterways at the link in the bio. #boatramp #creek #alaqua #creeklife #mullet #fish
Basin Creek is looking lovely! This creek runs thr Basin Creek is looking lovely! This creek runs through Eglin AFB Reservation into Basin Bayou, the Choctawhatchee Bay, and finally, into the Gulf of Mexico. We are all connected by our waterways. Help us care for them by joining CBA at basinalliance.org. #basincreek #eglin #basinbayou #creeklife #weareallconnected #landscape #waterways #ropeswing #summer @nicksmulletmafia @eglinafb
Happy Father's Day from CBA! A dune lake is always Happy Father's Day from CBA! A dune lake is always good place to enjoy the best of the beach while remaining sheltered, as this dad at Stallworth Lake seems to know. Learn more about our work on the dune lakes with partners @mattiekellyenvironmental and Walton County at the link in the bio. #fathersday #kayak #dunelake #dune #hey30a #sowal #sowalbeaches @sowal.life @sowalbeaches @hey30a @nwfstatecollege
CBA hoped you enjoy your weekend in our great outd CBA hoped you enjoy your weekend in our great outdoors. Our watershed offers natural wonders that sustain humans and wildlife alike. Help us keep our waterways swimmable, fishable, and livable. Join CBA at the link in the bio. #creek #creeklife #waterways #water #nature #stewardship #doginwater
Glory be! These beach morning-glories are beautif Glory be! These beach morning-glories are beautiful sand-stabilizers. A native beach plant with funnel-shaped white flowers, beach morning-glory produce lots of seeds and are among the first plants to reappear after erosion events wipe out dune habitats. They help to rebuild dunes by anchoring sand and provide habitat for pollinators. CBA has been growing dune plants like these with help from Okaloosa UF IFAS Extension and students at Silver Sands School. @southwalton @sowal @hey30a @fl_native_plants #beach #sowalbeaches #sowal #duneplants #flowers #florida
Turt alert! We found this loggerhead musk turtle i Turt alert! We found this loggerhead musk turtle in one of our local creeks and consulted with one of our @floridaseagrant agents to confirm its species ID. Loggerhead musk turtles average 3-5 inches in size and get their names from their relatively large heads and powerful jaws that help them feed on freshwater mollusks, their preferred food. Loggerhead musk turtles spend most of their time underwater and can actually obtain oxygen from the water through their skin! Our watershed is home to such diverse wildlife; help us protect them by conserving our waterways. Find out more at the link in the bio. #turtle #herpnerd #creeklife #muskturtle #nature #wildlife @nwfstatecollege @seagrant_noaa @nwfstatecollege @myfwc @floridafwc
Sunday snapshot! We are so lucky to be able to en Sunday snapshot! We are so lucky to be able to enjoy Turkey Creek, as well as all the other fun and beautiful waterways in the Choctawhatchee watershed. Let's join together to care for these natural resources. Find out more at the link in the bio. @nicevillevalpchamber #turkeycreek #creeklife #watershed #waterways #nature
Hey, check out this cool little damselfish! One of Hey, check out this cool little damselfish! One of our CBA members found this one swimming around their living shoreline in Choctawhatchee Bay. Damselfish in this genus (Stegastes) feed on filamentous algae and have been observed to cultivate algae gardens! They weed out undesirable algae species and carry them far away from their territory with their mouths. These gardening behaviors have been observed primarily on coral reef damselfish species. This sparks the question of whether this damselfish species may do the same on our oyster reefs. As scientists, we love these types of questions! #damselfish #cbaforthebay #fishid #fish #fishofinstagram #science #nature #nwfdailynews #destinfwb
Refuse, reduce, reuse, repurpose, recycle! One of Refuse, reduce, reuse, repurpose, recycle! One of the best things you can do for local waterways is "refuse" single-use plastic like coffee pods, bottled water, and plastic cutlery, as well as other types of potential waste. Once you've incorporated "refuse" into your routine you can employ the rest of the 5 R's. Here's some examples of how CBA is implementing reuse, repurpose, and recycle. We collect oyster shells that would otherwise go in the landfill from restaurants and use them to build oyster habitat and oyster gardens. We use dead reeds from our invasive plant removal to build pollinator palaces. We will even use that water bottle in the photo as an education tool to talk to kids about plastic pollution. In what creative ways do you implement the 5 R's? Leave answers in the comments and join us at the link in the bio. #refusereducereuserecycle #oystergarden #cbaforthebay #plasticpollution #pollinator #greenliving @shunkgulley30a @ajsgrayton @halfshelldestin @acmeoyster @backporchdestin @thehendersonfl
A measure of success! CBA and our friends from @m A measure of success! CBA and our friends from @myfwc headed out to our Marina Cove living shoreline site in Rocky Bayou to measure and record data about the salt marsh and oyster reefs that we constructed there. Learn more at the link in the bio. #cbaforthebay #livingshorelines #saltmarsh #smoothcordgrass #metertape #waves Partners in this project include: @raestuaries @nfwf @gulfpower @impactnwf @nwfwater @bwbmarina
What's a Secchi Disk? 🤷‍♀️ @nwf_environme What's a Secchi Disk? 🤷‍♀️ @nwf_environmental_stewards member Haley is about to find out, but we will let YOU know right now: The Secchi disk, created in 1865 by Angelo Secchi, is a plain white, circular disk 30 cm in diameter, used to measure water clarity in bodies of water. The disk is mounted on a line, and lowered slowly down in the water. The observer then records the greatest depth at which the disk is visible. A record of these observations over time can tell how water clarity is changing. Clarity is an important factor to aquatic organisms, most notably seagrass, which needs clear water to receive the necessary amount of sunlight for growth. Learn more at the link in the bio. #secchidisk #clarity #waterquality #cbaforthebay #water
Soooooo. We were trying to have a serious conversa Soooooo. We were trying to have a serious conversation about living shorelines with our friends from @myfwc, when Director Alison looked over and saw Restoration Coordinator Rachel doing this! #olanmills #schoolphoto #glamourshot @llbean #beanoutsideratwork #beanoutsider
A deer at one of our Point Washington living shore A deer at one of our Point Washington living shoreline sites! All sorts.of critters need clean water and healthy shorelines. Help us take care of our waterways--they connect us all! Join CBA at the link in the bio #deer #livingshorelines #water #realflorida #florida #cbaforthebay #weareallconnected
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Due to the unforeseen circumstances currently underway, we are canceling all upcoming events and volunteer opportunities in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in our area. We will keep you updated on any changes as they unfold.

 

PBS Story on CBA Living Shorelines

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