On November 15, a group of Apalachicola River area stakeholders, including Apalachicola Riverkeeper, coordinated and hosted a visit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers along with members of the Tri Rivers Waterway Development. The group of 15 participants spent the previous day on lower Chattahoochee River site visits.     
The tour started at Hopkins Landing in Chattahoochee with presentations from Catherine Phillips and Maureen Walsh of U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and Jerrie Lindsey and Liz Sparks of Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission. Then the group traveled to Wewahitcha via van for a short boat tour with stops at Swift Slough, the Chipola Cutoff and Sand Mountain. Ted Hoehn, FL FWC, emphasized the importance of river and floodplain connection with appropriate freshwater flows that mimic natural cycles needed for healthy fish and wildlife populations.
In Apalachicola, Corps members and tour participants heard presentations from city and county officials, commercial fishermen and business owners, Van Johnson, Smokey Parrish, Shannon Hartsfield and Steve Rash. Dr. Andy Kane, UF, provided a presentation on Apalachicola Bay and the decline of healthy oyster and fish populations.
Each presenter on the day long tour emphasized the importance of restoring freshwater flows to the Apalachicola River to support a healthy river, floodplain and bay eco-system, which the region’s economy relies upon.  
The group included Corps’ members:
Brigadier General Diana M. Holland-Â In June 2017, Holland assumed command of the South Atlantic Division, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, headquartered in Atlanta.
Colonel Sebastien P. Joly- In June 2018, Joly assumed command of the Mobile District which includes Corps’ project management, construction and engineering in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi and Florida.
Command Sergeant Major Douglas Padgett- also of the South Atlantic Division
Special thanks to the presenters and volunteer boat captain Roy Ogles.
  