As you are reading this, we are gathered at Suwannee River State Park for our 2022-2023 finale! We are super excited about the places we have visited this year and look forward to more to come. We thank those that joined us and shared the experience with us. As always, we will announce our upcoming season (2023-2024) on May 1st! We hope you will join us for spectacular locations, speakers, catering and camaraderie.

In February, during our Florida Keys Challenge, we learned about coral disease, and sharks and turtles, and were reminded of the fragility of our coast and the importance of protecting marine life. Dr. Karen Neely and Harold "Wes" Pratt were outstanding speakers and we appreciate the warm welcome at Sea Camp Association and Florida State Parks.

Included in this issue are: Excerpt from "Discovering Florida's Coast: From the Emerald Northwest to Miami's Biscayne Jewel and Beyond”, a new book by Doug Alderson; "Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease”, by Florida Department of Environmental Protection; "Chipola River Watershed Restoration for Listed Mussels and the Black Bass Initiative", and "Using a Throw Rope."

Thanks to everyone who supported us this season! Our partners, vendors, speakers and musicians. Our board, volunteers and staff. For those who came on trips, who donated to our cause and to those who volunteered with us! YOU make a difference and enable us to continue our mission of protecting Florida’s waterways!

In recent years, corals have experienced declines due to a combination of factors including coral disease, coral bleaching, high ocean temperatures and human impacts. Waves from storms and hurricanes can break coral colonies or cover them with sediment; algae can overgrow broken corals before they get a chance to recover; increased sea surface temperatures can lead to wide-scale bleaching events; a loss of predators can disrupt food webs; and coral can be vulnerable to extreme predation by fish, sea stars and other invertebrates. Coral reefs are also harmed by anything that affects water quality such as pollution from land runoff or fuel spills.. [Read More…]

The thrill of seeing a sea turtle or dolphin break a placid surface, a diving osprey or pelican, the rare breach of a whale or manta ray or school of flying fish. It might be breathtaking

sunrises and sunsets that cast lavender colors across water and sand, bathing all in its path. Perhaps it is the feel of warm sand on feet and body and the steady, soothing mantra of breaking waves. It might be the thrill of hooking a tarpon or other fighting fish or gathering scallops across the sea floor that hearkens back to a hunter-gatherer era.

It is usually a special moment that begins a relationship with Florida’s coast, one that can grow over a lifetime. And as with any close relationship, we can become concerned when something is amiss. It might be coastal development, harmful algal blooms, a die-off of marine life or rising sea levels. So, what can we do?. [Read more…]

Photo credit: Doug Alderson

There are six federally threatened and endangered mussels species that occur within the Chipola River i.e., oval pigtoe, fat three-ridge, Chipola slabshell, Gulf moccasinshell, purple bankclimber, and shinyrayed pocketbook. The Chipola River is also a managed resource for striped bass and the unique shoal bass fishery. Other threatened and endangered species include: Amphibians & reptiles- American alligator, eastern indigo snake and flatwoods salamander; Fish; Gulf sturgeon; Birds; Arctic peregrine falcon, southeastern kestrel, bald eagle, wood stork, red-cockaded woodpecker; Mammals: i.e. Indiana bat and gray bat. Chipola plants listed on the state or federal endangered list include Marianna columbine, sicklepod, and Apalachicola wild indigo.. [Read More …]

Support Paddle Florida and our GREEN dish program by purchasing our NEW Paddle Florida Coffee Mug for $30 (add $10 to have it shipped to you), or we can bring it to you on your next trip!

* Powder-coated finish, double-wall stainless steel 18oz tumbler that has a clear push-on acrylic lid.

* Vacuum insulation helps keep a drink hot or cold for hours.

How To: Using A Throw Rope

Click here for the article.