Quantifying River Flow Metrics for the Apalachicola River was the focus of November’s Sci-Café webinar. Dr. Steve Leitman, who has worked on Apalachicola River issues for decades, provided an overview of a new project aimed at developing scientifically defensible river flow metrics to evaluate potential modifications to federal reservoir operations in the Apalachicola–Chattahoochee–Flint (ACF) River system.
Over the past month, Rookery Bay Environmental Learning Center welcomed five groups from STARability Foundation’s Trailblazer Academy, a program for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Each group enjoyed a personalized, hands-on learning experience about Rookery Bay’s coastal habitats and wildlife. It was also a pleasant surprise to see past Friends of Rookery Bay staff member Abigail Swisher leading one of the groups.
The Biscayne Bay Aquatic Preserve (BBAP) team assisted the DEP Southeast District permitting team with vessel support to perform a permit verification for a newly proposed mooring field. While awaiting further information from the applicant the team collected three small bags of trash in less than an hour, protecting the bay now and for the future.
Recently NWFLAP staff participated in the 32nd annual Day of Caring Event organized by United Way of Northwest Florida. We hosted a group of volunteers to help us with our first planting event of the season! On Day of Caring, 68 projects and 713 volunteers came together across two counties to make an impact in our local community. We partnered once again with Pensacola Energy to kick off planting season on the islands of Project Greenshores.
November 4-6, 2025, the National Estuarine Research Reserve System (NERRS) held an Education Sector Meeting at GTMNERR (GTM Research Reserve). Education coordinators (ECs) from the 30 NERRS across the country spent three days meeting on topics such as the Teachers on the Estuary (TOTE) teacher training/professional development program, community partnerships and market analysis/needs assessments.
ORAP and FWC staff completed another successful evening of electrofishing in the headsprings of the Silver River to remove invasive fish. The cool temperature, full moon, and alligator sightings made for a wonderful evening. Within two hours, the boat was full with 72 tilapia and one hoplo. Since January 2025, 647 tilapia have been removed from the headsprings.
The Southwest APs and DEP South District Offices Conduct Cleanups for DEP Stewardship Day
Biscayne Bay Aquatic Preserve’s (BBAP) water quality team was able to lend a hand during the federal shutdown to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the University of Miami by taking the Atlantic Oceanographic & Meteorological Lab’s (AOML) water quality team to complete their October sample run.
Another successful sea turtle nesting season has ended at Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, marking a year of encouraging progress for local sea turtle populations. From May through October, staff and interns worked tirelessly to monitor nesting activity across the Reserve, documenting nests, false crawls and hatchlings to support ongoing conservation and research efforts.
On Oct. 29, 2025, GTMNERR (GTM Research Reserve) and Guana River Marsh Aquatic Preserve hosted about 70 staff from the DEP Northeast District as part of their team building event.