| Fast Facts |
location
eastern Panhandle between Tallahassee and Panama City
ecoregion
East Gulf Coastal Plain
project size
1 million acres
preserves
Apalachicola Bluffs and Ravines
John S. Phipps Preserve
Calhoun Spigellia Preserve
public lands
Apalachicola National Forest, St. Vincent National Wildlife Refuge, Apalachicola River Water Management Area, Apalachicola National Estuarine Research Reserve, Tate's Hell State Forest
partners
Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission, Northwest Florida Water Management District, Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Gulf Power, U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
conservancy initiatives
Freshwater, Marine, Invasive Species, Fire
natural events
savannahs in full flower in early spring; swallow-tailed kites return in early summer; spring floods occur over the largest forested floodplain in Florida | |
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| Local legend places the Garden of Eden here in the Florida Panhandle, but it might be paradise lost if freshwater flows from river to bay decrease. |
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Oyster boats, Apalachicola Bay.
© Richard Bickel/Corbis |
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The lands and waters of the Apalachicola -- river and bay, swampy forest and white-sand islands -- are tinged with the primeval. The river spreads out sleepily among dense bottomland hardwood forests of tupelo, cypress, gum and oak before emptying into Apalachicola Bay. In the piney uplands, ravines cut deep gashes in the sandy soil, their depths trickling with spring water and lined with mountain laurel and magnolia. The shapes and ways of the fantastic creatures themselves tell of ancient days: lumbering sea turtles, burrowing gopher tortoises and a fish -- the Gulf sturgeon -- that has been plying river and sea for more than 30 million years.
The bay is a major nursery for fish, shrimp and blue crabs. The honey-producing tupelo forest is the largest in the world. In the river and floodplain live the highest concentration of amphibian and reptile species north of Mexico. Rare species like the Florida torreya, an evergreen, have helped earn this part of the Florida Panhandle the title as one of six biodiversity "hot spots" in the United States. |
Red-cockaded woodpecker.
© Jeff Lepore |
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But the creature for which the Apalachicola is most known is the humble oyster. The bay accounts for 10 percent of the nation's oyster harvest and 90 percent of Florida's harvest. A fertile stew of leaf litter and just the right amount of fresh water flowing into the bay nurtures the prized oyster beds. Today, however, the Apalachicola oyster and other denizens of river and bay are in jeopardy as upstream agricultural operations and burgeoning cities like Atlanta want to take more of the river's water for their own use. | |
The Apalachicola River is now at the center of one of the most contested water conflicts in the country. Increased water demands by upstream states would result in unnaturally low water flows and flow rhythms in downstream Florida. The Nature Conservancy has worked for over a decade to inform water negotiations by providing sound scientific information that demonstrates the link between water flows and ecosystem health.
Learn more about The Nature Conservancy's work in Florida. |
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| Conservation Profile |
targets
gulf sturgeon, oyster beds, sea turtles, fire-back crayfish, Apalachicola dusky salamander, red-cockaded woodpecker, steephead ravines, migratory birds and butterflies, flatwoods salamander, natural flow regime
stresses
dam and reservoir operations, upstream water management, rapid development, unnatural fire regimes, irrigated farming, river dredging, invasive species
strategies
acquire land, restore ecosystems, protect water supply, modify dam operations, undertake scientific research, facilitate prescribed fire programs, encourage exotic species control, develop migratory fish passage
results
more than 200,000 acres protected since 1968; exotic species control partnership established; cutting edge longleaf pine restoration and research; natural flow regime an established part of discussions | | | | |
