By Doug Alderson
“People protect what they love” is the core premise of the proposal for a comprehensive trail guide for the Apalachicola Basin, one that the Felburn Foundation of Ocala agreed to fund this year with a $4,000 grant to Apalachicola Riverkeeper. The primary objective is to build on our earlier efforts to establish the Apalachicola Blueway, a paddling guide to the 107-mile Apalachicola River, and to highlight the Apalachicola Basin as one of North America’s six biological hotspots.
The new initiative will develop a webpage featuring 9 hiking trails, 3 biking trails and 26 paddling trails. It will be a one-stop resource for recreation users seeking or eager to explore the basin. Furthermore, many of the additional trails will be added to our eco-educational outings program that involves a guided hiking or paddling trip at least once a month coupled with additional education about the ecological benefits of the resource. The initial trails webpage for existing trails in the basin will be developed this summer and scouting of new trails will begin this fall.
Apalachicola Riverkeeper is committed to partnerships that further sustainable recreation in the Apalachicola Basin, one reason we have been getting people out into the watershed since 1998.
