By Doug Jimerson, President of the ANERR Friends of the Reserve
Did you know that the future of the Apalachicola National Estuarine Research Reserve (ANERR) is in jeopardy? Over 50% of its budget comes from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) which is currently being defunded by the new federal budget bill.
The Reserve supports community resilience by monitoring the health of the bay, protecting valuable species and habitats that draw hundreds of thousands of visitors every year, educating local students and teachers about the unique world they live in, and soliciting world-renowned scientists to better understand the future of our fragile ecosystem. With this unprecedented loss of funding, the Reserve’s Nature Center may have to close its doors and research and educational programming will be drastically reduced. There are 30 National Estuarine Research Reserves located around the country (3 in Florida alone) and all of them are likely to share the same fate.
We need elected officials to hear directly from you about how much you value your Reserve. Please go to https://www.nerra.org/get-involved to find our how you can help!
More info:
Apalachicola National Estuarine Research Reserve
