Despite a tornado watch, the Apalachicola Estuarine Research Reserves’s (ANERR) Estuaries Day was a success. We enjoy participating in this hands-on, annual day of learning. Hundreds of people showed up to learn about our local estuary that is home to thousands of species. Estuaries Day included touch tanks, a live reptile exhibit, a living shoreline exhibit, a cast net game, prescribed fire activities, revamped waterfront race, gyotaku art, and more.
Apalachicola Riverkeeper ran the gyotaku station during Estuaries Day. The word ‘gyotaku’ is a combination of the Japanese words for fish (gyo) and print (taku). This technique dates back to the 1800s when Japanese fishermen wanted to record their catch. They rubbed sumi ink onto the fish and then pressed the fish into newspaper.
Susan Macken, Lynn Wilder, Tom Herzog, and Claudia Bryant helped our gyotaku painters decide between painting an angelfish or flounder and applying either purple or green paint. Georgia Ackerman and Cameron Baxley did their best to hang the art up to dry during the high winds. Susan Macken, Administrative Director at Apalachicola Riverkeeper also serves on the Friends of the Reserve’s board of directors.  
A huge thanks to ANERR for continuing to host this fantastic event where the local community can celebrate our estuaries.
Here’s the full photo album and learn more about our upcoming eco-educational outings.
Cameron Baxley is the Director of Outreach and Advocacy at Apalachicola Riverkeeper. She can be reached at [email protected]