Our Mission

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.

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.