Sea turtle nests on both Little St. George Island (LSGI) and Carrabelle Beach were affected by storm surge from Tropical Storm Bertha. On Little St. George Island, 149 nests were present when impacts from TS Bertha occurred. Of these, 88 were washed over, one was partially washed out, and 51 were completely washed out.

Last month, hundreds acres of mesic flatwoods were maintained during a prescribed burn at the Buffer Preserve in Port St. Joe. Teams from the Gulf Corps, Apalachicola National Estuarine Research Reserve, The Nature Conservancy & Bald Point State Park were there to help ensure burn went as efficiently as possible.

What happens when two groups of young women wanting to do a service project at Apalachicola National Estuarine Research Reserve met the Oyster Corps? First, a lot of vertical oyster gardens (VOGs) were made. Second, the role of oysters in the ecosystem became much clearer, and beyond that, a positive, constructive role for humans in the watershed became inspiring.

In May, Northwest Florida Aquatic Preserve finished spring field work for the Collaborative Science to Assess Restoration Success (CSTARS) grant project subaward received from the Pensacola and Perdido Bays Estuary Program (PPBEP) in 2024 to monitor the extent, species, and transitions of submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) within the Pensacola Bay watershed.

The training and engagement team at the Apalachicola National Estuarine Research Reserve have finished distributing educational items ahead of sea turtle nesting season, which began earlier this month. Staff member Svetlana Vikhlyantseva visited several vacation rental companies with properties on St. George Island to provide items that help visitors and rental occupants understand more about the local coastal ecosystem.

OTG Invasions is a non-profit organization that provides occupational therapy-based trips. The OTG teachers promote independence through life skills and social skills. Apalachicola National Estuarine Research Reserve was fortunate enough to meet students aged 11 – 24 on one of these trips. They learned about the watershed through art and science in the nature center and on the trails.

Nature journaling can provide another way to gather qualitative data on a field trip. A gale recently made a water quality data collection boat trip impossible for a visiting high school class. By remaining flexible, the education department was able to do a land-based version of the trip. Most of the data is collected using the YSI and other traditional equipment.

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.