1. Apalachicola Riverkeeper
See Background section. (Note: Consider putting our Mission statement on the bottom of this slide)
The Mission of Apalachicola Riverkeeper is to provide stewardship and advocacy for the protection of the Apalachicola River and Bay, its tributaries and watersheds, in order to improve and maintain its environmental integrity and to preserve the natural, scenic, recreational, and commercial fishing character of these waterways.

2. Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint (ACF) River Basin
19,600 Sq Mi Basin
Chattahoochee River -Corps operates 5 Federal Reservoirs
Flint River - Breadbasket of the SE (no federal reservoirs)

3. Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint (ACF) River Basin
Corps Authorized uses:
Hydropower, Flood Control, Navigation, Recreation, Fish & Wildlife, (Atlanta M&I added by Court)
Other needs met:
Agriculture, M&I, Water Quality, Cooling, Recreation, Apalachicola River, Floodplain and Bay

4. Apalachicola River, Floodplain and Bay
Largest forested floodplain in Florida (112,000 acres)
Highest Species Diversity of any River System in North America
UNESCO Biosphere Reserve
Outstanding Florida Water (OFW)

5. Linking Coastal Watersheds to Fisheries
Habitat Linkages – fisheries
Linking Coastal Watersheds to Fisheries
Fishing Sites

6. Bay Productivity Harvest  $200 million Local Seafood Industry, 90% of Florida Oysters, and 10% of US oysters, plus shrimp, crab and finfish.
 In 1994, Five Million lbs. of Seafood were produced from the Apalachicola Bay region.
90% of all harvested species must spend some part of their life cycle inshore on the marsh and seagrass environment, even the grouper caught offshore must rely on this healthy environment.
Commercial fisheries of Eastern Gulf value to west Florida over $5 Billion dollars per year

7. Summary of Major Impacts:
DECLINING RIVER STAGE
Reduced flow
Woody debris removal
Loss of Fish Habitat and Fish
Reduction of aquatic species
DRYING OUT OF FLOODPLAIN FOREST
Decrease in Forests Density
Loss of 4 million trees
Disconnected Sloughs
DECLINING SEAFOOD HARVEST
River flow drives productivity of the Bay and Eastern Gulf
Loss of Nutrients and Organics
Increased Salinity, Temperature and Disease
Chain reaction thru Food Chain

8. Natural Features of river and floodplain
Swamp
Cut bank
Main channel
Slough
Point Bar
used for
Disposal Site
Levee

9. Forest Types Distributed by Elevation
Floodplain slough
Upland
Swamps
High Bottomland
Hardwoods
Main
channel
Low Bottomland

10. River Level Controls Water in Floodplain
Floodplain slough
Upland
Swamps
High Bottomland
Hardwoods
Main
channel
Low Bottomland

11. River Level Controls Water in Floodplain
Floodplain slough
Upland
Swamps
High Bottomland
Hardwoods
Main
channel
Low Bottomland

12. River Level Controls Water in Floodplain
Floodplain slough
Upland
Swamps
High Bottomland
Hardwoods
Main
channel
Low Bottomland

13. River Level Controls Water in Floodplain
Floodplain slough
Upland
Swamps
High Bottomland
Hardwoods
Main
channel
Low Bottomland

14. High and Low Water Seasons (before 1954)
Floodplain slough
Upland
Swamps
High Bottomland
Hardwoods
Main
channel
Low Bottomland
Early Spring
Summer
Fall
Severe drought

15. Impacts of reduced flow and deeper, wider channel
High
water

16. Impacts of reduced flow and deeper, wider channel
water

17. 2007 Flow in relation to Average Flow Apalachicola River at Chattahoochee, FL
2007 flow

18. 85% of Apalachicola River fish species use floodplain

19. Stagnant conditions develop if sloughs are isolated for long periods

20. Fish trapped in floodplain will die if water dries up in isolated pools

21. Crawfish Integral Part of Food Chain
From the time Crawfish emerge from the ground, they are a major food source for fish, eels, turtles, otter, frogs, snakes, beaver, possum, young alligator, birds, and raccoons.
High water is the time when aquatic species migrate into the floodplain to spawn and forage.

22. Crawfish Lifecycle
After foraging above ground to regain weight, crawfish begin to spawn.
In the mating process, males place a sperm packet on the underside of the female's belly.
Male top; female bottom

23. Crawfish Lifecycle
After the sperm packet is placed on the underside of the female crawfish, she curls up her tail and expresses the eggs.
She passes the eggs through the sperm down on to her tail and attaches them to the swimmerets, feathery apertures on the underside of the back section of her body.

24. Crawfish Lifecycle
After being released into water columns by the mothers, babies settle to the bottom and begin to forage and grow.
In 6-8 weeks they are large enough to catch in baskets.

25. Summary of Major Impacts:
DECLINING RIVER STAGE
Reduced flow
Woody debris removal
Loss of Fish Habitat and Fish
Reduction of aquatic species
DRYING OUT OF FLOODPLAIN FOREST
Decrease in Forests Density
Loss of 4 million trees
Disconnected Sloughs
DECLINING SEAFOOD HARVEST
River flow drives productivity of the Bay and Eastern Gulf
Loss of Nutrients and Organics
Increased Salinity, Temperature and Disease
Chain reaction thru Food Chain