Last week, the Apalachicola National Estuarine Research Reserve (ANERR) research team kickstarted our biannual Surface Elevation Table (SET) monitoring efforts in the Lower River Marsh. Our small but mighty team collected data at 6 SET sites to investigate marsh elevation trends as part of the Wetlands and Water Level (WWL) program.

On March 18, a group of 20 students from Miami University (Ohio) traveled from Jacksonville Zoo to the Apalachicola National Estuarine Research Reserve (ANERR) as part of their Regional Ecology class. Training and Engagement Program Coordinator Anita Grove and Apalachicola Riverkeeper Cameron Baxley met with the group to discuss the Apalachicola River and Bay and its watershed.

A decade and a half after Franklin Fifth graders first started planting a living shoreline at ANERR. It is exciting to see that the plant formerly known as Spartina alterniflora (smooth chordgrass) is flourishing. The most recent classes to visit and plant Spartina alterniflora dug into the sand and dug into the data with equal enthusiasm.

Last week the Apalachicola National Estuarine Research Reserve stewardship team worked in partnership with Florida Audubon, FWC shorebird biologists, and FWC botanists to tackle invasives plants on the St. George. Island Causeway in preparation for shorebird nesting season. This ongoing project aims to treat vegetation encroaching on shorebird nesting habitat on the Critical Wildlife Area island in the Apalachicola Bay.

Apalachicola National Estuarine Research Reserve (ANERR) research staff successfully completed winter trawl sampling! Trawling is conducted quarterly at nine sites throughout the Apalachicola Bay system. Fish and benthic invertebrates are identified to species level and the first twenty of each species are measured, while all are counted. Organisms are returned to the water as soon as possible after being processed to minimize mortality.

NWFLAP staff installed three new signs on the islands at Project GreenShores Site 2 (PGS2). These signs let visitors via boat or kayak know that it is a restoration project and to be mindful of the plants. A self-guided kayak tour of the site is in the works.

ORCP staff worked together to capture drone images of the living shoreline along Cat Point. Living shorelines have been monitored along Cat Point since 2004, with breakwaters and marsh plantings added throughout the years. The team set out to deploy ground control points (GCPs) across the survey space. Flights were flown the next day at low tide.

Staff from the Central Panhandle Aquatic Preserves (CPAP) hosted some special guests for a tour of the Apalachicola National Estuarine Research Reserve (ANERR) Nature Center and to view nearby restoration projects.

Sixth graders from Cornerstone Learning came to the Apalachicola Research Reserve from Tallahassee to do a service project. Their school emphasizes stewardship as well as a community outlook. After a brief overview of the Apalachicola watershed, the students took to the trails to scrub signs and clear brush. They definitely left the trails in much better shape for visitors to enjoy.

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.