Oct. 30, 2003 — The Apalachicola National Estuarine Research Reserve is one of 26 sites designated by NOAA as a National Estuarine Research Reserve. Designated by NOAA in 1979, it is located in Franklin and Gulf Counties on the northwest coast of Florida. The ANERR is a consortium of management entities with various state and federal agencies assigned lead management roles within the reserve. Specifically, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection serves as the state program administrator. The reserve is also involved with other coastal state management programs, as well as local community groups. Like all the NERRs, ANERR was established to provide opportunities for long-term estuarine research and monitoring, estuarine education and interpretations, resource management and to provide a basis for more informed coastal management decisions.

The Apalachicola River, along with its bay and drainage basin, represents the largest and most productive estuary in Florida. It is also one of the least populated coastal areas in the state. The Apalachicola River is the largest in Florida and ranks 21^st in the United States in terms of flow. Its floodplain encompasses approximately 144,000 acres, and it is one of the most undeveloped, pristine and unique aquatic systems remaining in the nation. The Apalachicola Bay system is a wide, shallow estuary that covers an area of approximately 210 square miles behind a chain of barrier islands. Its primary source of fresh water is the Apalachicola River. Average depth in the bay system ranges from 3 feet, in East Bay, to 9 feet, in Apalachicola Bay, with maximum depths up to 20 feet occurring toward the barrier islands.

The ANERR itself encompasses approximately 246,000 acres of land and water — including barrier islands, estuaries, the river and floodplains and upland environments — all of which are closely interrelated and influenced by each other. The reserve consists of several independently managed subunits, supports a variety of recreational and commercial activities, and is affected by land and water use policies in three states — the Apalachicola River basin is only part of the larger Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River system. The ACF basin covers the north-central and southwestern part of Georgia, the southeastern part of Alabama, and the central part of the Florida panhandle (Click image to the
right for larger view of the Apalachicola NERR map). Since 1990, however, a controversy over proposed upstream diversion of fresh water has engulfed the region, resulting in environmental impact studies, lawsuits, negotiations, a federal contract between three states and involvement of local and national citizen organizations.

One of the unique features of this reserve is the extensive multiple agency involvement in the area. Various upland regions within the reserve boundaries were previously acquired by federal and state agencies for a variety of different purposes. For example, St. Vincent Island (12,358 acres) is a national wildlife refuge; Cape St. George (2,300 acres) was acquired as a state reserve and is now a subunit of ANERR; the eastern tip of St. George Island (1,883 acres) is a state park and 28,685 acres of Apalachicola River floodplain were purchased under the state’s Environmentally Endangered Lands acquisition program for preservation purposes. The Northwest Florida Water Management District and the Florida Wildlife Conservation Commission have added 35,487 and 17,521 acres of forested floodplain to the reserve, respectively. Some privately owned land is also within the boundaries of the reserve. ANERR properties were acquired specifically for the protection and conservation for the reserve’s aquatic resources. Major estuarine habitats of the reserve include oyster bars, submerged vegetation, tidal flats, soft sediment, tidal marshes and open water habitats. The bay is a nursery for penaeid shrimp, blue crabs and a variety of finfish — all of which are commercially important species. The bay also provides 90 percent of Florida’s oyster harvest and supports an active finfish industry. The importance of the Apalachicola River to the productivity of the bay cannot be overemphasized. The overall high water quality of the estuary with the combined effects of seasonal flooding, nutrient and detrital transport and variable salinity regime, provide ideal living conditions for estuarine biota and result in a highly productive system. The myriad of habitats, found within this system, support a wide range of plant and animal species.

Research
The ANERR research and monitoring program promotes research within the reserve utilizing a variety of methods. First, the research program provides the setting and basic equipment to attract and assist researchers to the area. Second, the reserve tries to direct outside researchers to priority research topics, which address important coastal management issues. Third, the program has developed in-house, management oriented research and monitoring projects to address issues of local, state and national concern. The research and monitoring program also spends time coordinating with local, state, regional and federal agencies on local land development regulations and ordinances, dredge and fill projects, oil spill planning, large scale development reviews, interstate water issues, coastal zone planning, threatened and endangered species protection and monitoring and any other issues that may impact the resources within and adjacent to ANERR. The ANERR also has a citizen support group, Friends of the Reserve (FOR), which donates time and funds to monitoring projects. Research staff also participates on a variety of committees addressing local, state, regional and national issues. The wide diversity of projects and agencies involved, attest to the variety of habitats and issues that are associated with the ANERR.

The overall goal of the ANERR research and monitoring program is to promote, engage in and coordinate research and monitoring to provide information that promotes understanding, protection and enhancement of the natural resources of the Apalachicola river and bay system, as well as other estuaries nationwide. In general, priority research topics that concentrate on specific management issues that currently confront the ANERR include:

• Population changes, habitat and food requirements, environmental factors, recruitment, predation and mortality of ecologically, recreational and commercially important species in the Apalachicola River and Bay system;
• Examination of the morphology and hydrology of the river and bay system and the variables influencing them;
• Effects of historic, current and proposed upstream water reductions and uses on the hydrodynamics and natural resources of the system;
• Assessment of the effects of man-made alterations on the system;
• Assessment of the role of marshes and sea grass beds in nutrient cycling, estuarine productivity and as nursery areas for important commercial and noncommercial species in the area;
• Ecology of and development of conservation strategies for threatened and endangered species found within the ANERR boundaries;
• Assessment of the importance of upstream activities;
• Continued identification and cataloging of plants and animals, as well as, habitat delineation in the system;
• Cultural and economic implications of past, present and future uses of the natural resources of the system;
• Effects of resource management decisions on the natural resources of the system; and
• The importance of the forested floodplain as habitat, food source, refuge and transportation corridor for plants, fish and other wildlife species.

Because the research program promotes research within and adjacent to the reserve by outside investigators from universities, government agencies and private institutions, ANERR is able to address all of the resource management issues at hand.

Over the last several years, more projects dealing with resource management issues have been undertaken than any other. These achievements can be attributed to Florida’s efforts to better managing resources within its jurisdiction, as well as the research and monitoring section’s goal of achieving management-oriented results. In 1994, for example, the ANERR and NOAA developed and acquired initial funding for the System-Wide Monitoring Program, a phased monitoring approach that focuses on three different ecosystem characteristics: abiotic factors, biological monitoring and watershed and land use classifications. The SWMP program monitors water quality, nutrients, chlorophyll, temperature, salinity, water level, dissolved oxygen and meteorological data. This data is reviewed for quality assurance, posted on the Web site, and archived in a Central Data Management Office. A project to analyze the data on a system-wide basis began in 1999 under the direction of the ACE Basin NERR. Biological monitoring projects have been under development and several pilot projects involving benthic/larval and marsh/sea grass sampling will begin later this year. NOAA provided all funding for the SWMP.

Resource Management Activities
All facets of resource management by the reserve are guided by the primary goal of providing protection, conservation, restoration and enhancement of habitats within the reserve, as well as those outside reserve boundaries, which may impact reserve communities. The ANERR’s role in resource management is diverse due to the wide range of landowner activities and managing agencies within its boundary. One major objective of the ANERR is to complete the acquisition of the remaining environmentally sensitive tracts of privately owned land that still exist within and adjacent to reserve boundaries. To accomplish this, the resource management section of the reserve concentrates its efforts on boundary expansion, land acquisition, management coordination with other agencies that manage property found within in the reserve’s boundaries, prescribed fire program, exotic species program, natural resource inventory and monitoring, cultural resource inventory and monitoring and natural area restoration and public accessibility enhancement — just to name a few. Private landowners have access to reserve staff and other appropriate management agencies for assistance in determining their land management practices. Likewise, the Apalachicola river and bay drainage basin, which includes the reserve, contains more than 100 archaeological sites and numerous historic structures. ANERR staff review and comment on the best management practices to safeguard and preserve these valuable sites.

Education
The Education program is another important component to the ANERR. Specifically, it provides the crucial linkage between research and coastal management so that monitoring and ongoing research can be made available to appropriate audiences in ways that may be understood and applied by decision-makers, professionals and members of the general public. The six objectives are as follows:

• Provide informational and educational materials supporting the goals of the reserve to audiences that impact reserve resources;
• Promote the reserve’s economic, biological, recreational, educational, cultural and intrinsic values;
• Provide first-hand field experiences with the natural systems of the reserve;
• Promote personal involvement and responsibility for maintenance of the reserve’s natural systems;
• Teach the purposes and benefits of environmental regulations; and
• Disseminate reserve research data and develop educational themes on research topics and management concerns.

Outreach education projects at the ANERR include: Estuarine Habitats, an
elementary teaching series; Project Estuary, a five-lesson high school and middle school curriculum; an audio/visual and book library; a quarterly newsletter called "The Oystercatcher" and off-site educational presentations. On-site educational projects include short trips to the reserve headquarters; in-the-field activities; an overnight program; a guest lecture series; coastal management workshop series and educational exhibits throughout the reserve. The "Estuarine Walk" is the reserve’s aquarium facility. It houses three simulations of key aquatic habitats in the reserve (i.e., river, bay and gulf) and is used with educational groups. It is also open to the public during regular office hours. The reserve also has a new boardwalk / interpretive trail. Other educational offerings include ongoing guest lectures for the community and coastal management workshops for environmental professionals. Through its education programs, the ANERR is dedicated to developing an attitude of stewardship regarding the resources of the Apalachicola river and bay systems.

Recreation
The environment within reserve boundaries and on reserve managed land provides a wide variety of outdoor resource based recreational opportunities. Although the reserve does not coordinate recreation, it is an important activity within the reserve. These activities include, boat and shoreline saltwater and freshwater fishing, hunting, hiking, camping, nature study, birding, canoeing, kayaking, boating, shelling, beach activities, swimming and nature photography. As with many other coastal areas, increased use leads to additional pressures on the resource, therefore appropriate management coordination is crucial to protecting the area. Informational brochures available for recreational users include: boating and angling guides, bird checklist and guide, shell checklist and guide and brochures for mammals, amphibians and fishes.

Commercial Use
The basis of the area economy is commercial fishing. Between 60 to 85 percent of the local population make their living directly from the fishing industry, most of which is done in reserve waters. Seafood landings from the ANERR are worth $14 million to $16 million dockside annually. At the consumer level, this represents a $70 million to $80 million industry. Tourism is also a growing part of the economic base.

Over the last six years, ANERR has successfully provided assistance and coordination with other local, state and regional entities — both within the public and private sectors. This coordination is aimed at helping to protect the resources of the reserve, the state of Florida and estuarine resources nationwide. Enhanced public awareness and understanding of estuarine systems and management issues help support the reserve’s goals and objectives. Likewise, informed decisions affecting coastal resources made by legislators and local officials help to ensure continued protection and preservation of estuarine systems. ANERR system research, education and stewardship has successfully raised awareness throughout the region and will guide estuarine management for sustained support of commercial and recreational fisheries, tourism, aquaculture and other activities.

Relevant Web Sites
NERR System Wide Monitoring

NOAA National Estuarine Research Reserves

Apalachicola National Estuarine Research Reserve

NOAA Ocean Service

NOAA’S NATIONAL ESTUARINE RESEARCH RESERVES: PROTECTING THE NATION’S
ESTUARIES

Media Contact:
Glenda Tyson, NOAA Ocean Service, (301) 713-3066 ext. 191 or Ben Sherman, NOAA Ocean Service, (301) 713-3066 ext. 178