Check our our news and events.

The Apalachicola Riverkeeper is a grassroots environmental advocacy organization dedicated to the protection and preservation of Florida's most endangered river and estuary---the Apalachicola--- including its tributaries, such as the Chipola, Brothers and Little St. Marks rivers. We are one of the 160 waterkeepers, coastkeepers, baykeepers, riverkeepers, and creekkeepers in the Waterkeeper Alliance with a shared mission to protect waterways and water bodies in the United States and the world. Along with the Emerald Coastkeeper in Pensacola, the Indian Riverkeeper in Stuart and the St. Johns Riverkeeper in Jacksonville, we are working to protect some of Florida’s threatened waters. We work with national groups such as American Rivers, River Network and Taxpayers for Common Sense, statewide groups such as Florida Wildlife Federation, The Nature Conservancy and Clean Water Network, and local groups such as the Chipola River Economic and Environmental Council and the Franklin County Seafood Workers Association.

Since our founding in 1998, the Apalachicola Riverkeeper has grown to a staff of eight and dozens of great volunteers. We have a small office and store in downtown Apalachicola. . We continue to expand our work throughout the Apalachicola basin and into the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint rivers watershed in Georgia and Alabama. Dozens of energetic volunteers help us run our store, produce of our newsletter, do coastal cleanups and projects such as our recent Paddle Apalachicola , An American Treasure. 

The Resource

From the confluence of the Flint and Chattahoochee Rivers, the Apalachicola flows from the Georgia/Florida border over 107 miles through the high bluffs of Grand Ridge and Cody Scarp to the Gulf Coastal Lowlands before it reaches Apalachicola Bay. This relatively undeveloped basin plays a major role in supporting a billion dollar offshore seafood industry in the Gulf of Mexico and produces over 13% of the nation’s oyster production making up 90% of the oyster harvest in Florida. The Apalachicola River is the largest in Florida in terms of flow volume and is truly an American treasure. Apalachicola Bay has been recognized as an exceptionally valuable estuarine system, one of the most outstanding left in the United States, and as such, has received numerous protective designations (e.g. Outstanding Florida Water, Florida Aquatic Preserve, National Estuarine Research Reserve, and UNESCO Man in the Biosphere Reserve).

The Threats

The Apalachicola Riverkeeper has identified four priority and inter-related threats to the clean water, ecological productivity, biological diversity, and economy of our Basin:

1. Reduction of Life-Sustaining Freshwater
2. Loss of Floodplain Habitat
3. Point and Non-Point Source Pollution
4. Explosive Growth and Development

Our Goals

Through strategic planning the staff and Board of Directors developed the following five goals:

GOAL 1: Secure an Ecologically and Economically Equitable Allocation of the Freshwater in the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint (ACF) System – The Apalachicola River and Bay must have a flow regime that will sustain their function and productivity; the flow regime should mimic the historical, natural system and be of adequate quantity, delivered at the right time to nurture the extensive floodplain habitat and nursery, and the extensive local commercial oyster, shellfish and finfish fishery. We are working closely with the Franklin County Seafood Workers Association in the “media wars” and with other Florida Stakeholders such as the Florida Wildlife Federation, The Nature Conservancy, 1000 Friends of Florida and concerned citizens to make Florida’s official position support a healthy ecosystem and economy in the Apalachicola basin.

GOAL 2: Assist in the Restoration Programs – The Apalachicola River floodplain has undergone extensive degradation from years of dredging and poor disposal practices. We will continue to advocate for a permanent end to the routine dredging of the river. The State of Florida has agreed that dredging is economically wasteful and environmentally destructive and adopted our position by denying the US Army Corps of Engineers permit to dredge. In addition, we are working with the Northwest Florida Water Management District and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission on restoration efforts related to past dredging activities.

GOAL 3: Protect and Restore Water Quality – In our Lanark Reef Sea Grass Protection Project we are: 1) emplacing caution buoys to alert boaters to stay out of or go slowly in shallow, sensitive sea grass beds in the Lanark Reef area; 2) designing kiosks to educate the public about the values of sea grass beds and how to protect them; and 3) conducting a migratory bird survey for the US Fish and Wildlife Service to document the use of Lanark Reef and other areas of Franklin County as crucial habitat for migratory shorebirds.

GOAL 4: Create Balanced Growth – We are working the Franklin County Citizens’ Advisory Committee to produce ecologically sound recommendations to improve the effectiveness of the Franklin County comprehensive plan.

GOAL 5: Promote the Work of the Apalachicola Riverkeeper – We must develop and strengthen the infrastructure, financial support, community support, and membership necessary to sustain the Riverkeeper as a dynamic and effective organization.

Our Mission Statement

The mission of the Apalachicola Riverkeeper is to provide stewardship and advocacy for the protection of the Apalachicola River and Bay, its tributaries and watersheds, in order to improve and maintain its environmental integrity, and to preserve the natural scenic, recreational and commercial fishing character of these waterways.