Indigo Snakes in north Florida
Indigo release ’24: Cola River, Zooniverse, and 41...
Wild born indigo snakes found at Apalachicola Bluffs...
2023 Update On The Reintroduction Of Eastern Indigo...
Latest Indigo Snake Release the Largest at Apalachicola...
Searching for Indigo Snakes in the Apalachicola Bluffs...
Snakes, Eagles, & Gopher Tortoises at the E.O....
The WFSU Ecology Blog
  • Home
    • About
    • EcoAdventures
      • Kayak and Canoe Adventures
      • Hiking
      • Wildlife Watching
    • Observations From the Field
      • White Pelicans Visit Dr. Charles L. Evans Pond in Tallahassee
      • An April Walk at Ochlockonee River WMA
      • Nesting Raptors at Honeymoon Island State Park
    • WFSU Public Media Home
  • Documentaries
    • Secrets of the Seep: A Voyage into the Mysteries of Ocean Carbon
    • Finding the First Floridians: Underwater Archeologists Uncover Florida’s Prehistory
    • In Their Words: Black Legacy Communities in North Florida
    • EcoCitizen Show | Seasons in South Tallahassee
    • Red Wolf Family Celebrates First Year at the Tallahassee Museum
    • Roaming the Red Hills
    • Oyster Doctors
    • Testing the Ecology of Fear
    • EcoShakespeare
    • Stories from the Apalachicola
    • Classic WFSU Ecology Documentaries
  • Habitats
    • Estuaries
      • Oyster Reef
        • The Effects of Predators and Fear on Oyster Reefs
        • Apalachicola Oyster Research
        • Animal Species in a North Florida Intertidal Oyster Reef
        • Oyster Reef Ecology | On the Reef
      • Salt Marsh
        • In the Grass- Salt Marsh Biodiversity Study
        • Plants and Animals of a North Florida Salt Marsh
        • Salt Marsh Ecology | In the Grass
      • Seagrass Bed
        • Predatory Snails, and Prey, of the Bay Mouth Bar Seagrass Beds
      • In the Grass, On the Reef Glossary
    • Waterways Big and Small
      • Aucilla/ Wacissa Watershed
      • Apalachicola Basin
        • Apalachicola Bluffs and Ravines | Virtual Field Trip
        • The Age of Nature Screening & Discussion | The Future of the Apalachicola
        • Apalachicola River and Bay
        • Apalachicola RiverTrek | Kayaking, Camping, & Hiking the River Basin
    • Longleaf Pine & Fire Ecology
  • Backyard Habitat
    • Backyard Blog
      • My Year in Bugs: the 2022 Backyard Blog
      • Backyard Ecology Blog | 2021
      • Backyard Blog November/ December 2020
      • Backyard Blog September/ October 2020
      • July and August 2020 Backyard Blog
      • Backyard Blog June 2020
      • Backyard Blog May 2020
      • Backyard Blog April 2020
      • Backyard Blog February and March 2020
      • Backyard Blog January 2020
      • Backyard Blog October through December 2019
      • Backyard Blog September 2019
      • Backyard Blog August 2019
      • Backyard Blog July 2019
      • Backyard Blog June 2019
      • Backyard Blog May 2019
      • Backyard Blog April 2019
      • Backyard Blog March 2019
      • Backyard Blog February 2019
      • Backyard Blog January 2019
      • The Backyard Bug Blog 2018
    • Backyard Flora and Fauna
      • Bees of North Florida and South Georgia
      • Wasps of North Florida: The Bad, the Ugly, and the (yes, really) Good
      • The Seasonality of Bees (and Bee Plants) in North Florida
      • Woody Vines of North Florida
      • Flies of North Florida are More Diverse than You’d Think
      • The Case for Weeds, Our Unsung Florida Native Plants
      • Devil’s Walkingstick: Your New Favorite Thorny Pollinator Plant?
      • Florida Native Milkweed | Tips for Growing Your Monarch Friendly Garden
      • Mistletoe | A Parasite for the Holidays (But Maybe We Like it Anyway?)
    • Florida Friendly Seasonal Planting Guide
    • Pollinator and Gardening Posts
    • Gardening Web Resources

Apalachicola Basin

by Rob Diaz de Villegas November 26, 2012
Click to subscribe to the WFSU Ecology Blog

The Apalachicola River issues forth from the Jim Woodruff Dam, at the Florida/ Georgia border. Where the Chattahoochee and Flint once convened without impediment, its waters are now regulated by a system of dams and reservoirs controlled by the Army Corps of Engineers.

That any water would be restricted from entering the Apalachicola is a cause for concern in Florida. And for good reason. The river basin is one of the nation’s greatest biodiversity hotspots. Likewise, Apalachicola Bay was, historically, one of our nation’s most productive estuaries. There’s a lot at stake.

Over the last few years, WFSU has explored this remarkable system through our EcoAdventures and in our National Science Foundation funded In the Grass, On the Reef series. These have been tumultuous years, during which the river basin has suffered record low flows and the collapse of its once great oyster fishery.

The fight for water between Florida, Georgia, and Alabama is well documented. A lot of attention gets paid to the courtroom battles and political grandstanding surrounding this system. Leave all of that (mostly) behind, and join us as we get to know one of Florida’s great ecological treasures.

Browse the most current Apalachicola River and Bay content on the WFSU Ecology Blog.

RiverTrek | Experiencing the Whole Apalachicola

Every October (when there isn’t a hurricane), a group of kayakers paddles all 106 miles of the Apalachicola River as a fundraiser for the Apalachicola Riverkeeper. RiverTrekkers also explore around the river, climbing river bluffs, ducking into caves, delving into tupelo swamps, and hiking into the floodplain on short excursions.

WFSU Ecology Producer kayaked the whole river in 2012, and returned for a shorter excursion in 2013. In 2015, he paddled for two days with his then four year old son Max. And in 2016, geologist Harley Means took the ‘Trekkers through millions of years of the upper river’s history through fossils, including that of the largest shark to ever roam the earth.


The Collapse of the Apalachicola Bay Fishery

Until 2012, Apalachicola Bay provided 90% of Florida’s oyster harvest.  That year, after months of record low flows on the Apalachicola River, the bay saw its oyster fishery come crashing to a halt.  Saltier water in the bay led to an explosion of oyster predators.  

WFSU’s In the Grass, On the Reef collaborator Dr. David Kimbro joined with researchers from the University of Florida to investigate how low flows, and higher salinity in the bay, led to this ecosystem collapse.


Outside Lake, a cypress/ tupelo swamp off of the Apalachicola River.

Tupelo Swamps and the Apalachicola Floodplain

The Apalachicola River is 105 miles long. But, when the water is high enough, the system has an additional 300 miles of connected waterways. Sloughs, which don’t always hold water, connect the river to a vast network of swamps and floodplain forest.

Some of our favorite adventures have taken place in the maze of waterways that are sometimes passible, and sometimes not. This a key source of nutrients for the Apalachicola bay estuary, and the main source of the world renowned Tupelo honey.


Apalachicola Bluffs and Ravines

The upper Apalachicola river features some of the most unique biology and geology in Florida. The high river bluffs were, millions of years ago, an ancient coastline. Not only are they full of ancient fossils, but within the one time coastal dune systems we find a phenomenon that occurs only in north Florida, and Mars.

Steephead ravines are narrow, shaded pockets carved into river bluffs. They’re filled with a high diversity of plant and animal life, a mix of local endemics, Appalachian Ice Age refugees, and much more.


The Chipola River

The Chipola River is the Apalachicola’s main tributary, running alongside it from the Georgia state line to where they join, just south of Sand Mountain.

Each section of the river has its own character. The Upper Chipola disappears underground at Florida Caverns State Park. The middle section is full of springs runs (one of which, Merritt’s Mill Pond, is a worthwhile adventure on its own) and an easily accessible terrestrial cave. The river then widens into the Dead Lakes, where you can kayak through a dead, flooded forest.

Click to subscribe to the WFSU Ecology Blog

Facebook Comments
Share FacebookTwitterRedditEmail

Search

Subscribe

Subscribe to receive more outdoor adventures, and an in depth look at our local forests and waterways by Email.

If you do not receive a verification e-mail, check your spam folder.

Category

iNaturalist

iNaturalist became a part of the WFSU Ecology Blog during the EcoCitizen Project in 2019.  Since then, we’ve used it to help identify the many plants and animals we see on our shoots.  And on the Backyard Blog, we show how it can be used to identify weeds and garden insects, to help figure out what’s beneficial or a possible pest.  Below is the iNaturalist profile belonging to WFSU Ecology producer Rob Diaz de Villegas.

iNaturalist


View robdv’s observations »

Most Recent

  • Life on the Ocean Floor, and Why It’s a Hard Place to Explore | Coast to Canopy Episode 3
  • Methane and Microbes at the Ocean Floor | The Science of Secrets of the Seep
  • A History of Fire in Tree Rings | Coast to Canopy Episode 2
  • No Mow March & Rewilding in North Florida | Coast to Canopy Episode 1
  • Mining Bees: The Docile Bees Making Mounds on Your Lawn

The WFSU Ecology and Education teams at the UF/IFAS Leon County Extension Open House and Plant Sale, May of 2025. Photo by Clara Mullins.

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Flickr
  • Youtube

@2017 - PenciDesign. All Right Reserved. Designed and Developed by PenciDesign

The WFSU Ecology Blog
  • Home
    • About
    • EcoAdventures
      • Kayak and Canoe Adventures
      • Hiking
      • Wildlife Watching
    • Observations From the Field
      • White Pelicans Visit Dr. Charles L. Evans Pond in Tallahassee
      • An April Walk at Ochlockonee River WMA
      • Nesting Raptors at Honeymoon Island State Park
    • WFSU Public Media Home
  • Documentaries
    • Secrets of the Seep: A Voyage into the Mysteries of Ocean Carbon
    • Finding the First Floridians: Underwater Archeologists Uncover Florida’s Prehistory
    • In Their Words: Black Legacy Communities in North Florida
    • EcoCitizen Show | Seasons in South Tallahassee
    • Red Wolf Family Celebrates First Year at the Tallahassee Museum
    • Roaming the Red Hills
    • Oyster Doctors
    • Testing the Ecology of Fear
    • EcoShakespeare
    • Stories from the Apalachicola
    • Classic WFSU Ecology Documentaries
  • Habitats
    • Estuaries
      • Oyster Reef
        • The Effects of Predators and Fear on Oyster Reefs
        • Apalachicola Oyster Research
        • Animal Species in a North Florida Intertidal Oyster Reef
        • Oyster Reef Ecology | On the Reef
      • Salt Marsh
        • In the Grass- Salt Marsh Biodiversity Study
        • Plants and Animals of a North Florida Salt Marsh
        • Salt Marsh Ecology | In the Grass
      • Seagrass Bed
        • Predatory Snails, and Prey, of the Bay Mouth Bar Seagrass Beds
      • In the Grass, On the Reef Glossary
    • Waterways Big and Small
      • Aucilla/ Wacissa Watershed
      • Apalachicola Basin
        • Apalachicola Bluffs and Ravines | Virtual Field Trip
        • The Age of Nature Screening & Discussion | The Future of the Apalachicola
        • Apalachicola River and Bay
        • Apalachicola RiverTrek | Kayaking, Camping, & Hiking the River Basin
    • Longleaf Pine & Fire Ecology
  • Backyard Habitat
    • Backyard Blog
      • My Year in Bugs: the 2022 Backyard Blog
      • Backyard Ecology Blog | 2021
      • Backyard Blog November/ December 2020
      • Backyard Blog September/ October 2020
      • July and August 2020 Backyard Blog
      • Backyard Blog June 2020
      • Backyard Blog May 2020
      • Backyard Blog April 2020
      • Backyard Blog February and March 2020
      • Backyard Blog January 2020
      • Backyard Blog October through December 2019
      • Backyard Blog September 2019
      • Backyard Blog August 2019
      • Backyard Blog July 2019
      • Backyard Blog June 2019
      • Backyard Blog May 2019
      • Backyard Blog April 2019
      • Backyard Blog March 2019
      • Backyard Blog February 2019
      • Backyard Blog January 2019
      • The Backyard Bug Blog 2018
    • Backyard Flora and Fauna
      • Bees of North Florida and South Georgia
      • Wasps of North Florida: The Bad, the Ugly, and the (yes, really) Good
      • The Seasonality of Bees (and Bee Plants) in North Florida
      • Woody Vines of North Florida
      • Flies of North Florida are More Diverse than You’d Think
      • The Case for Weeds, Our Unsung Florida Native Plants
      • Devil’s Walkingstick: Your New Favorite Thorny Pollinator Plant?
      • Florida Native Milkweed | Tips for Growing Your Monarch Friendly Garden
      • Mistletoe | A Parasite for the Holidays (But Maybe We Like it Anyway?)
    • Florida Friendly Seasonal Planting Guide
    • Pollinator and Gardening Posts
    • Gardening Web Resources