Old Nick's Redfish Round-Up Benefiting CBA
May 20th
Nick's Seafood Restaurant in Freeport, FL will be hosting its 12th Annual Old Nick's Redfish Roundup benefiting CBA! This is a great opportunity to spend the day on the water while supporting our amazing organization. Ten dollars from every entry fee will be donated to Choctawhatchee Basin Alliance.

Tournament check-ins will be from 5:00-7:00am and weigh-ins will be from 4:00-5:00pm. Spread the word to all your fisherman family and friends!

CBA will be at Nick's Seafood Restaurant for the weigh-ins and results from 3:30-6:00pm. The entry fee for a two-person team is $210.
Stop by Nick's Seafood on Saturday, May 20th and watch the fun unfold while enjoying some delicious seafood on the water.
Thank You for making CBA's Earth Weekend a Success
  Earth Day Coastal Clean Up
       First we would like to thank all the volunteers for attending our Earth Day Coastal Clean Up with the City of Destin Government. We would also like to thank Destin Coffee Co. for providing coffee to our Coastal Clean Up crew. It was such a lovely pick-me-up to start our morning.
 The most abundant trash collected were 1,207 cigarette butts, 404 small plastic pieces and 176 small foam pieces. We look forward to another fun Coastal Clean Up soon. All efforts made by our participants have a positive impact on the health of our local waterways, keep up the great work! 
YP @ the Beach 3rd Annual Crawfish Boil
   Even with the rain clouding the YP's 3rd Annual Crawfish Boil, there was still a turn out of some hungry guests! Thank you, Young Professionals at the Beach, for hosting the Crawfish boil benefiting our organization. The sun did eventually shine through and guests filled their bellies for a great cause. We want to thank everyone involved from the bottom of our hearts for hosting such a fabulous event.
Join the Alliance! Donate to CBA, Today! 
Become a steward of local waterways by supporting CBA's mission in the Choctawhatchee watershed.
All monetary donations to CBA are tax deductible to the fullest extent of the law.
Check out CBA's 2015 Stewardship Report!
How Does CBA Monitor the Bay?
  Why is Monitoring pH Important?
    Many may remember learning about acids and bases while in high school. The pH scale ranges from 0-14 with lower numbers indicating an acidic solution and higher numbers indicating a basic solution. It may seem like a distant memory, but pH is very important in the environment.
  Most aquatic animals can live within a range of 6.5 - 9.0 pH. If the pH begins to deviate from this range it can cause stress for marine life along with reduced rates of hatching and survival. Extreme pH levels can dissolve toxic substances making it easier for marine life to absorb into their bodies. Even slight changes in pH can affect ecosystems by breaking down nutrients causing algal blooms in waterways, depleting dissolved oxygen that could potentially cause marine life die-offs.
 pH is a standard parameter that is regularly tested in water quality monitoring. In Choctawhatchee Bay, the pH remains between 7.01 - 8.25 pH. This is within a healthy range for fish, crustaceans and plant life. Our Coastal Dune Lakes each have a unique pH profile with Campbell Lake having the lowest at 4.5 pH and Oyster Lake having the highest at 7.5 pH. These results were recorded by the CBA monitoring team and citizen scientists in their most recent sample assessments of 2017.
This pH scale demonstrates the pH range of many components of our environment.
Photo credit to www.fondriest.com
  CBA needs Citizen Scientists!
Do you have an inner scientist waiting to shine through? Join CBA in monitoring our watershed and help our scientists by gathering data in the Choctawhatchee Bay and coastal dune lakes. With over 130 sampling stations, there is plenty of "sciencing" to go around.
  Click on the link above to find out more about our program!
- Needed -

Someone with their own boat or access to a boat to take over:
  • 6 sites in Fort Walton Beach/Santa Rosa Sound
  • 3 sites near Destin Harbor and Crab Island
  • Allen Lake in Santa Rosa Beach, FL

Upcoming  Events

May 13, 2017

  • River Day 10-4
    Morrison Springs Park, Ponce De Leon, FL

May 20, 2017

  • Old Nick's Redfish Round-Up 3:30-6pm
    Nick's Seafood Restaurant, Freeport FL


  Education Station
Grasses In Classes
   Grasses in Classes field trips have officially commenced. With only one month left of school, students are excited to get outside to learn about the environment. There are so many activities in store such as: exploring the water, testing salinity and racing to build oyster reefs. The time has finally come when they will plant their smooth cordgrass, Spartina alterniflora, along the water's edge of our beautiful Bay. It has been an amazing year with all our participating classrooms. We encourage students to take this knowledge into their everyday lives and share it with the community.

Grasses in Classes at their Exploration Station in Baytowne Wharf. Students wade along the water's edge catching marine life.
Students from Fort Walton Beach High School learn  about oyster spat at the Auburn University Shellfish Lab on Dauphin Island, AL.
Spat On! Youth Outreach Program
       On May 2nd, Fort Walton Beach High School attended a field trip to Dauphin Island, AL to visit the Estuarium and Auburn University Shellfish Labs. They learned about all aspects of an estuary and saw, first hand, the work put into the laboratory's oyster hatchery. This was a great way to finish their senior year, don't you think? These students will pursue futures with the environment in mind and become an amazing part of society! Thank you for all your hard work and congratulations to the Class of 2017!
Critter of the Month
  • The Gulf Pipefish, Syngnathus scovelli, is the only species of the 24 North American pipefish to utilize freshwater.
  • S. scovelli is the most abundant pipefish in Florida and the Gulf of Mexico.
  • S. scovelli are found living in nearshore seagrass beds or drift algae.
  • Like their cousin, the seahorse, S. scovelli have reversed parenting roles. Females lay the eggs into the male brooding pouch and males will raise the eggs until hatched.
  • S. scovelli specializes in suction feeding, with their long tubular snout and small terminal mouth, making them the ideal predator for amphipods and juvenile shrimp.
  We Want to Hear From You!
As a fellow environmental steward, CBA wants to see Choctawhatchee Bay through your eyes! Do you have photos of Choctawhatchee River, Choctawhatchee Bay or the Coastal Dune Lakes? Upload them to Instagram or Facebook and be sure to tag:

#BasinAlliance or #CBAfortheBay