In Our Communities
Monofilament Recycling
The Choctawhatchee Basin Alliance’s Monofilament Recycling Program, started on Earth Day 2014 as a community initiative, helps keep local waterways clean by providing designated bins for anglers to recycle fishing line instead of leaving it in the environment. Fishing line can entangle wildlife and take centuries to break down, so the program places recycling stations at spots like Destin Harbor, Bluewater Bay Marina, Okaloosa Island parks, and other local sites to reduce environmental harm and support healthier ecosystems.
Oyster Gardening
The Choctawhatchee Basin Alliance’s Oyster Gardening Program invites local volunteers and citizen scientists to grow oysters at docks or piers as part of a hands-on restoration effort in Choctawhatchee Bay. Participants help raise oysters that are later used to seed reef breakwaters, supporting habitat restoration, improving water quality, and building environmental awareness through community engagement and education.
Oyster Shell Recycling
The Choctawhatchee Basin Alliance’s Oyster Shell Recycling Program collects discarded oyster shells from local restaurant partners and cures them so they can be used to build oyster reefs, providing habitat for oysters and other species, improving water quality, and helping reduce shoreline erosion instead of sending shells to landfills