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Water quality monitoring on Choctawhatchee River. Click for full size.

Posted on June 17, 2018October 16, 2018 by Erika Zambello

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choctawhatcheebasinalliance

Good morning! Director Alison here with a message

Good morning! Director Alison here with a message about our CBA Virtual Annual Celebration, to be held this week during National Estuaries Week.
As you know, our local waterways are the lifeblood of our community, providing habitat for humans and wildlife, economic benefits, recreation, and natural beauty. The mission of our small nonprofit is to sustain these local waterways, and we do that with the help of a small army of everyday heroes. Each year, we celebrate those heroes at our CBA Annual Celebration.
After having to delay our in-person Annual Celebration in June due to pandemic restrictions, CBA staff and Board members decided to go virtual this year. We reasoned that this could actually be an opportunity to reach more people and let them know just how much we appreciate our community of water stewards.
This week, we will honor the essential work of everyday heroes who sustain swimmable, fishable, livable local waterways by getting their hands in the water, their feet in the mud, and using their hearts and minds and voices to make our community a better place now and for future generations.
Naturally, our theme for this week-long celebration is "You are our Hero!" We will recognize some of our heroes this week, and we will empower YOU to be a hero, too!
Go to our Event page at the link in the bio for the full schedule and watch our posts and events for information about how YOU can join the movement and be a hero, too!
@nwf_environmental_stewards @nwfstatecollege @shunkgulley30a @surfhutfl @acmeoyster @brotulas @boathouseoysterbar @backporchdestin @oquigleyseafood
@oceanconservancy @raestuaries @nationalestuarineresearch
#estuaries #everydayheroes #notallheroeswearcapes #heroes #habitatrestoration #citizenscience #waterqualitymonitoring #wildlife #naturelovers #destin #fortwaltonbeach #niceville #valparaisoflorida #santarosabeachflorida #freeportflorida

We see you, Quincy 👀! Quincy is the star shucke

We see you, Quincy 👀!
Quincy is the star shucker at @shunkgulley30a and one of the heroes of our waterways that we will highlight during next week's Virtual Annual Celebration. CBA will celebrate everyday heroes like Quincy who help us accomplish our mission. @shunkgulley30a and our other oyster shell recycling partners helped us recycle over 75 tons of oyster shell last year--shell that we used to create new oyster habitat in Choctawhatchee Bay!
Check out the event page at the link in the bio to see our celebration schedule, then join us next week!
#oysters #shucker #notallheroeswearcapes #everydayheroes #hero #oyster
*********
#Repost @shunkgulley30a
• • • • • •
We are beyond proud to partner with the Choctawhatchee Basin Alliance and their restoration efforts in the Choctawhatchee Bay and in our local waterways. Not to mention how proud we are of their efforts benefiting a thriving oyster aquaculture for many years to come! I mean, you know we love some oysters at Shunk Gulley! 🦪

When’s your next visit to enjoy some Shunk delicacies?

#ShunkGulley #EatLocal www.shunkgulley.com

Cessna Park on Hogtown Bayou this morning. What a

Cessna Park on Hogtown Bayou this morning. What a difference a day makes.
#fishing #water #flood #park #waltoncountyfl

Keep an eye out👀 and stay safe.. The water is s

Keep an eye out👀 and stay safe.. The water is still high in many areas and the Choctawhatchee River is not due to crest (at major flood levels) until this weekend. During this enforced indoor time, CBA staff have been working to get ready for our Virtual Annual Celebration next week. We hope you'll join us!
#hurricanesally #flood #hope #lookingahead #staysafe

Not our favorite kind of water ☹, ugh. Move on o

Not our favorite kind of water ☹, ugh. Move on outta here, Sally!
#2020 #florida #gulfcoast #slowwalking #hurricane

Soooo excited about the @shoreline_fl holding a @f

Soooo excited about the @shoreline_fl holding a @flyfishingfilmtour event on Friday the 25th! Proceed benefit our mission to sustain swimmable, fishable local waterways. See you there!

Sssssnake Sunday!Another friend from the freshwate

Sssssnake Sunday!Another friend from the freshwater environs of our watershed. Do you know what type of watersnake this is? Share in the comments.
#watersnake #snake #snakesofinstagram

Saturday afternoon at the creek, making new friend

Saturday afternoon at the creek, making new friends! Hope you are out enjoying our watershed today.
#crawfish #crawdad #creeklife #freshwater #net #singletake #creek

Scenes of erosion and recovery along Live Oak Poin

Scenes of erosion and recovery along Live Oak Point shoreline. While monitoring seagrass last week, CBA staff spotted many signs of long term erosion at Live Oak Point, including these exposed roots, fallen and dead trees. We also spotted some hopeful signs of recovery due to our living shoreline project there. The abundant shoreline grasses in the second pic are growing behind an oyster reef breakwater that we constructed several years ago. We look forward to working with our partners at the Northwest Florida Water Management District to complete more habitat restoration at this vital part of our watershed.
#livingshoreline
#smoothcordgrass #spartinaalterniflora #erosion #habitatrestoration #iheartestuaries #compareandcontrast #success
#workday #realflorida #saltmarsh
@raestuaries @nfwf @usfws @myfwc

Say hello to this group of heroes! Help us welcom

Say hello to this group of heroes!
Help us welcome this year's @nwf_environmental_stewards, our AmeriCorps team. We could not fulfill our mission to the extent that we do without these folks dedicating a year of service to our watershed. We look forward to the coming year of sustaining swimmable, fishable, liveable local waterways with AmeriCorps.
#servefl #volunteerflorida #team #connected #service #americorps #conservationbeginshere #everdayheroes #notallheroeswearcapes
@nwfstatecollege

Happy Labor Day to all the folks who work in our w

Happy Labor Day to all the folks who work in our watershed. We know many of you won't have today off, as you keep our municipal services, utilities, restaurants, gas stations, retail and grocery stores open so the rest of us can enjoy a day of rest. You are our heroes and we salute you!
P.S. We will be seeing our oyster shell recycling restaurants this morning, as some of us are working today, too!
#laborday #everydayheroes #hometownheroes #thankful
@shunkgulley30a @brotulas @boathouseoysterbar @oquigleyseafood @backporchdestin @surfhutfl @thehendersonfl @acmeoyster
@nwf_environmental_stewards
📷 @murphyphoto

#sundayfunday! #getoutdoors and have some fun in o

#sundayfunday!
#getoutdoors and have some fun in our wonderful watershed today.
#laborday #weekend #nature #waves #beach #topsailhillpreservestatepark #flstateparks
@topsailhillpreservestatepark @fl.stateparks

Heading into the long weekend like... our Monitori

Heading into the long weekend like...
our Monitoring Coordinator Jenna frolicking through this meadow of flowering Spartina patens as if she were starring in "Sound of Music: the Southern Saltmarsh" version!
This meadow is found on Live Oak Point, Choctawhatchee Bay's largest intact saltmarsh. CBA works with the Northwest Florida Water Management District, who hold most of the land on Live Oak Point in conservation, to design and implement projects that will keep the saltmarsh thriving.
Why do we care about saltmarsh? It provides habitat, coastal protection and water storage and filtration, improving swimmable, fishable, liveable local waterways now and into the future. Join us and help us continue these efforts at the link in the bio.
#saltmeadowcordgrass
#spartinapatens #meadow #soundofmusic #livingshorelines #laborday #weekendvibes #nature #naturetherapy
@raestuaries @myfwc @usfws

Sciencing! We repeated this scene over and over y

Sciencing!
We repeated this scene over and over yesterday as we completed premonitoring seagrass for a potential living shorelines project at Live Oak Point. We used a line transect of 45 feet at 15 different sites. At each site, we recorded seagrass conditions every five feet. The water is super-tannic right now because of all the recent rainfall and visibility is low, so we had to snorkel to see the bottom, even in less than 2 feet of water! Science in the field offers many unexpected challenges--that's why we love it! The data we collected will be compiled into maps by our partners at the NWF Water Management District, and be used in project design and permitting.
#monitoring #seagrass #livingshorelines #saltmarsh #linetransect #dontpanicitstannic
@raestuaries @usfws @myfwc

Seagrass monitoring today! Seagrass is an importan

Seagrass monitoring today!
Seagrass is an important indicator of an estuary's health, so special precautions are taken to ensure that our restoration work, such as living shorelines, does not adversely impact seagrass beds. Instead, our projects are placed to improve seagrass beds through stilling waves, securing sediments and clarifying water. Learn more at the link in the bio.
#livingshorelines #seagrass #halodule #monitoring #cbaforthebay @usfws @raestuaries @myfwc

Dreaming of Holmes Creek as we head into the offic

Dreaming of Holmes Creek as we head into the office this morning!
Our local waterways inspire us even during planning, permitting, grantwriting, record-keeping and reporting--all the stuff that keeps us indoors. CBA works for our waterways indoors and out every day. Join us now at the link in the bio!
#creek #holmescreek #holmescountyflorida #vernonflorida #trees #waterways #nature

Sciencing Sunday! 🤓 We spotted this butterfly n

Sciencing Sunday! 🤓
We spotted this butterfly near our saltmarsh nurseries at the South Walton Center of @nwfstatecollege. It's obviously a swallowtail butterfly, but its dark color applies to several different species that may be found locally, so we needed to do some investigation. We started by doing an internet search leaning on reliable resources like @ufifas_solutions. Then we pulled screenshots from this video so that we could see the butterfly's markings more clearly on both the underside and top of the wings, as well as the body. We were able to rule out some species after this step, determining that the markings on our butterfly most closely resemble the black swallowtail butterfly. We grew more confident in that identification when further research showed that black swallowtails sometimes rely on verbena species, like the frogfruit shown here, as a food source. What do you think of our ID? Do you have a better one?
Side note: if you want to help our watershed, you can let portions of your yard go unmowed, so that "weeds" like frogfruit can thrive and attract pollinators!
Go to the link in the bio to find out more ways you can practice backyard science.
@fl_native_plants
#butterfly #swallowtail #sowalbeaches #sowal #sciencesunday #sciencing #naturalist #backyardscience

Even on a cloudy day Rocky Bayou is breathtaking!

Even on a cloudy day Rocky Bayou is breathtaking!
Rocky Bayou is the receiving waterbody for several local steephead streams.
Steepheads are deep ravines that occur in Upland Sandhill or Clayhill habitats. The sloping sides of the ravine, the cool spring-fed waters of the stream, and the lush vegetation keep steepheads a few degrees cooler than surrounding habitats. These features make for an ideal home for amphibians and shade-loving plants. Our watershed is unique; let's keep it that way! Join CBA at the link in the bio.
#flstateparks #rockybayou #steephead #bayou #habitat #connected
@fl.stateparks

Monitoring Coordinator Jenna and @floridaseagrant

Monitoring Coordinator Jenna and @floridaseagrant agent Rick search for signs of Diamondback Terrapins during a recent monitoring trip. These brackish water turtles inhabit coastal saltmarshes and are a near-threatened species in most of their range (stretching from the Florida Keys to Cape Cod) due to human impacts. Diamondback Terrapin and other wildlife monitoring connects our area with a network of Gulfwide programs, helps to assess the health of our waterways, and involves citizen scientists in local conservation efforts. Support these programs at the link in the bio.
#diamondbackterrapin #monitoring #wildlifescience #seagrant #noaa #ufifas
#saltmarsh

Watch out! Whether you call this little fish a lea

Watch out!
Whether you call this little fish a leather jack, skip jack or leather jacket, beware of the sharp spines on the anal and dorsal fins of this fish. If it punctures your skin, you can get a pretty painful wound, exacerbated by the leather jack's venom. These fish often eat shrimp and silver perch while roaming grass beds and are frequently caught in cast nets. They are prey for lots of larger fish, so they are an important part of our connected ecosystem here in the Choctawhatchee watershed.
#connected #leatherjack #fish #ecosystem #watershed

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