Dear Kill The Drill Supporter,
Join us Monday, December 9th, at 1 pm Eastern when we gather in front of Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) headquarters in Tallahassee to PROTECT OUR BAY by calling on Governor DeSantis to Kill the Drill in the Apalachicola River Basin.
Clearwater Land & Minerals, a Louisiana company, wants to drill for oil and gas beside the river. On April 26, 2024, DEP quietly issued a “notice of intent” stating that they planned to give them the drilling permit. This move undermines the significant investment by the State of Florida in protecting this valuable ecosystem for the last 50 years. It also threatens hundreds of our community business owners whose livelihoods depend on the bay and river. They are the oyster farmers, beekeepers, boat captains, seafood restaurants, and small businesses who make up the backbone of our coastal communities.
Join them along with local elected officials and conservationists from across the region at a press conference to remind Governor DeSantis that he can and should immediately tell FDEP to rescind all support for the permit. It is completely within the Governor’s power to fix this.
Why Monday, December 9th? That is the first day of the hearing related to the legal challenge, filed by our partner Apalachicola Riverkeeper, to the FDEP permit; the perfect time for KILL THE DRILL supporters to be seen and heard.
KILL THE DRILL PRESS CONFERENCE
FDEP Headquarters (front steps)
3900 Commonwealth Blvd., Tallahassee, FL 32399
Monday, December 9th at 1 PM Eastern
We will have posters and buttons for you when you arrive. Please bring your colleagues, friends, and family to take this critical stand!
Go to our coalition website, killthedrillFL.org for more information.
Thank you for your support!
Adrianne Johnson
Executive Director, Florida Shellfish Aquaculture Association
Dear Friends of the Apalachicola,
As we approach the year-end, I would like to share with you a unique way you can support Apalachicola Riverkeeper’s critical work while also benefiting financially: a Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD) from your IRA.
If you’re 70.5 or older, donating through a QCD can make a significant impact by:
- Lowering your taxable income for 2024
- Satisfying your Required Minimum Distribution (RMD)
- Making an immediate impact on protecting waterways from pollution and harmful chemicals
This year, with support like yours, we’ve made strides on multiple fronts, from securing essential protections for the river and bay and restoration, to achieving regulatory wins that curb pollution from unchecked growth. Every QCD helps further our mission, empowering us to keep fighting pollution, advocating for stronger environmental standards, and equipping local groups with the information and advocacy tools to help protect their waterways.
Making a QCD is straightforward. Click here to start your QCD process and take advantage of tax benefits while directly supporting clean, safe water for communities around the world.
With deep gratitude,
Susan Anderson
Executive Director, Apalachicola Riverkeeper
Giving Tuesday
Next week is Giving Tuesday, a global day of giving back. Giving Tuesday was founded as a response to the rampant consumerism of the holiday season – a call to support nonprofit organizations after a whirlwind of holiday spending. But why should giving be an afterthought?
This year, we’re asking you to act with a lasting gift for the future. Let today be the day you give a holiday gift to inspire and invest in quality of life for the next generation.
Apalachicola Riverkeeper has worked for a quarter of a century holding polluters and policymakers accountable, educating about this place and its importance as a natural community of exceptional diversity, rarity and value, and exposing environmental injustices for the people who depend on the environment in many ways. We also are constantly taking the measure of the gap between science and policy, debunking misinformation, and scrutinizing solutions. Through our work we are strengthening local environmental awareness and advocacy, reaching underserved audiences, and training the next generation of caretakers for our river and bay.
Our impact and influence is direct, enduring and systemic. It is felt every time we openly communicate with a local government, inspire a community partner, or publish a story about the unique and sensitive nature of this American Treasure ecosystem. We are at the start of a new century of challenging growth and development pressures, and the cumulative impacts of past mistakes. The work we do has never been more important.
Please remember the importance of this land and water and donate to keep Apalachicola Riverkeeper a strong voice and action partner for the future. We can’t afford to wait to do what is needed today. Thank you for being a partner.
Apalachicola Riverkeeper Files Legal Challenge to Block Oil Drilling Permit. Details HERE.
We are proud of the mighty team efforts of our Volunteer Corps. Thank you! Explore our website to find out how you can become involved and sign up for email updates.
Visit our Blog for updates. Subscribe to our email for directly-mailed news.
Download one page handout about Apalachicola Riverkeeper
Apalachicola Riverkeeper recognizes the Apalachicola River basin as the ancestral lands of the first nations people of the Apalachee, Miccosukee, Apalachicola, Muscogee and Seminole.
Waterkeepers Florida is working in the State of Florida to protect and restore our water resources. Meet the Waterkeepers and learn about this important work by watching the short film Waterkeepers Florida.
