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Kayak and Canoe Adventures
RiverTrek 2021: Five Days on the Apalachicola River
Lower Lake Lafayette: Kayak Tallahassee’s Hidden Swamp
Chipola River Paddling Trail | The Ovens and...
Kayaking Bald Point | Adventure on a Living...
Wacissa Springs Adventure | Kayaking a Wild Florida...
A Geologist’s View of the Apalachicola River |...
Upper Chipola River Kayak Adventure | Ghosts &...
Tate’s Hell & the Apalachicola River Delta |...
Kayak Scouting Mission on the Ochlockonee Water Trail
Merritt’s Mill Pond | Kayaking and Spring Caves

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
    • 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
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    • Backyard Flora and Fauna
      • Bees of North Florida and South Georgia
      • 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 RiverTrek | Kayaking, Camping, & Hiking the River Basin

by Rebecca July 31, 2013
Apalachicola RiverTrek | Kayaking, Camping, & Hiking the River Basin

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In 2012, WFSU Ecology producer Rob Diaz de Villegas kayaked the Apalachicola River on his first RiverTrek.  The five day, 107-mile adventure is a fundraiser for Apalachicola Riverkeeper.  A team of kayakers collects donations and raises awareness of the Apalachicola River and Bay system.  Over those five days, the team gets a sampling of the rich ecosystems surrounding the river, and the issues facing the river, and the bay it feeds.

That first RiverTrek covered by WFSU came shortly after the collapse of the Apalachicola Bay oyster fishery, emphasizing the importance of the river and its altered flows to the estuary.  Different stories revealed themselves on subsequent RiverTrek segments.  In different years, higher or lower river flows allowed us access to different side adventures.  And in each year a changing cast of team members and guest speakers- from Florida’s State Geologist to Rob’s own four-year old son- provided different perspectives. 

From here, you can access each of WFSU’s RiverTrek segments.  You may also be interested in our explorations of the Apalachicola River basin further from the river. 

RiverTrek 2012

In Part One, we leave the kayak to climb into caves and scale Florida’s tallest river bluff.

In Part Two, we learn how record low flows have crippled the Apalachicola Bay oyster fishery and caused the deforestation of tupelo swamps in the river floodplain.

RiverTrek 2013

In Part One, we hike the Garden of Eden to the highest point above the river, and take to the water with higher and faster flows than a year before.

In Part Two, We see Alum Bluff has a new facial scar, and we plunge into an old growth cypress and tupelo swamp.

RiverTrek 2015

Rob kayaks the river with his four-year old son, who climbs Sand Mountain and explores Owl Creek.  Also, a cycling team runs a parallel trek alongside the river, convening with the kayakers in Apalachicola.

RiverTrek 2016

Florida’s State Geologist uncovers the Apalachicola Bluffs and Ravines region’s distant past through his collection of marine fossils found on Alum Bluff, including one of the fearsome Megalodon shark.

RiverTrek 2021

Rob paddles the entire river for the first time in nine years.  The RiverTrek team learns of efforts to restore flows to the floodplain, confronts snake phobias, and meet fishermen cruising the river at night.  Also, we revisit Alum Bluff, Sutton Lake, Sand Mountain, and Owl Creek.

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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.

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View robdv’s observations »

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WFSU Ecology YouTube

Upcoming Ecology Blog stories

We’ve been busy working on the north Florida part of the NOVA | PBS #ClimateAcrossAmerica initiative. Our first story for that initiative has just dropped, on protecting Florida’s coasts from storm surge. We’ve been out in the field recently for a few other stories you won’t want to miss

 

Fire and Black Carbon in the Longleaf Forest

 

Prescribed fire helps maintain biodiversity in longleaf ecosystems, but it releases carbon into the atmosphere. Despite this, burning might help these systems store carbon in the long term. This is our second story for the #ClimateAcrossAmerica initiative.

 

Black and Yellow Rails: the most secretive birds in North America

 

Fire also helps maintain biodiversity in coastal salt marshes. We head to the coast with Tall Timbers Research Station in search of two seldom seen birds that rely on fire: black and yellow rails.

 

The Brown-Headed Nuthatch, a bird with a unique family structure

 

Back at Tall Timbers, we visit the nests of one of the cutest inhabitants of the longleaf forest, the brown-headed nuthatch. It’s one of a few birds where extended family help raise young.

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