May Field Trips

Students of all ages hit the shoreline this month on CBA field trips. Grasses in Classes 3 rd and 5 th graders visited the Choctawhatchee Bay – including new areas on Eglin Air Force Base – to study native aquatic species and plant the smooth cordgrass they’ve been raising all year. Across the Gulf of Mexico, CBA worked with Fort Walton Beach High School to take marine science students to Dauphin Island’s Estuarium to learn about coastal ecosystems and oyster gardening. During the 2017-2018 school year, CBA reached over 2,000 students each month, and we are excited to wrap up the school year with hands-on field trips before beginning summer programs.
Clean-up Results
On April 14th and April 21st CBA partnered with community groups to organize a coastal clean-up on Okaloosa Island and Mattie Kelly Park in Destin in honor of Earth Day. Volunteers picked up hundreds of pounds of marine debris and plastic pollution, including over 4,000 cigarette butts. A big thank you for everyone who came to help out!
CBA Partners with Community Groups for May Events
Our waterways are the lifeblood not only of our environment and economy, but of our community as well. Locals and visitors alike spend countless hours on the river, bay, and coastal dune lakes, enjoying the beauty of our landscape. On sunny days in May, hundreds of runners and anglers competed in races and fishing tournaments to give back to our waterways in a unique way. 
Proceeds from the Destin Chamber of Commerce’s Bayou, Bay, & Beach 5K and 10K, as well as Nick’s Seafood Restaurant and Treylermade Tournaments’ Redfish Roundup and Nick’s Catfish Tournament benefited CBA efforts to improve swimmable, fishable waterways through education, restoration, research, and monitoring. Additionally, Shoreline Church donated the proceeds from their Fly Fishing Film Tour event, a unique multi-media experience highlighting the importance of angling around the world.
Progress Continues on Valparaiso Reef Breakwater
High school students, Boy Scouts, Fort Walton Beach Rotary Club members, Destin Forward participants, and so many more have helped CBA nearly complete the reef breakwater in Valparaiso! The completed living shoreline initiative will reduce shoreline erosion while creating amazing habitat for a range of aquatic species.

For a video and article on the reef building, click here.
Volunteer Opportunities
For more information or to sign up to be a water quality monitor, email Brandy Foley at foleyb@nwfsc.edu.