The Spirit of Giving is Upon Us
Giving Tuesday falls on December 3rd this year. You can give back to the bay in a big way by donating to CBA. A donation to CBA will support our efforts to protect our waterways in many different ways including:

  • Living Shoreline restoration
  • Water Quality Monitoring
  • Invasive Species Removal
  • K-12 Education Programs

As a CBA supporter, your donation enables CBA to continue our mission to help restore and strengthen the bond between our community and its natural resources.
A Thank You to AJ's at Grayton Beach
We would like to thank AJ's Grayton Beach for donating oysters to our SHOALS High School program. Fort Walton Beach High School's November lesson was on oyster anatomy and physiology. Thanks to the oysters donated by AJ's Grayton Beach - a participating restaurant in the O.Y.S.T.E.R. Recycling Program - students learned the importance of this small, but mighty creature in our waterways. With kindness and generosity, we lift each other up. You can make an impact in our community - 'Adopt a School' to support our education programs.
Ecosystem Building in Action
We are already seeing our Post'l Point reefs exploding with oyster growth. This season, oysters have taken hold and are building a habitat for our native fish and invertebrate species. These reefs are protecting critical areas on Eglin Air force Base.
Completed in 2017, Our Alaqua Bayou Living Shorelines have taken off! The smooth cordgrass planted behind the natural breakwaters have grown into and through the reefs. These grasses are over five feet tall!
Yule'tide' Celebrations!
Check out this red and white striped oyster spat found at Post'l Point! An oyster spat will produce melanin as it builds it's shell. This is to protect the tender body from the sun's rays while the new shell builds layers. This is a fun variation of melanin production in this oyster - just in time for the holidays. Even our marine critters are excited about Christmas this year!
Volunteer With CBA
Do you own a boat or water craft? Are you interested in making an impact in our waterways? Become a citizen scientist!

We have a volunteer monitoring position available for Destin Harbor. We are looking for individuals with boats to independently monitor water quality on a monthly basis.

Contact Jenna Testa , CBA Monitoring Coordinator
News You Can Use
Species Spotlight: Seagrass
Photo taken by CBA at one of our monitoring sites in Choctawhatchee Bay

Seagrasses, a plant found in shallow coastal waters, aren't actually grasses at all. This is because they produce flowers! Of the seven species of seagrass found in Florida waters, only two are found in Choctawhatchee Bay - Shoalgrass ( Halodule wrightii) and Widgeon grass ( Ruppia maritima). Seagrasses are a vital ecosystem used by commercially and recreationally important fish at critical stages in their life cycles. Seagrasses absorb excess nutrients in the water, prevent erosion by stabilizing the sea floor, and are utilized as a food source by marine life. In a 1997 study of the world's ecosystem services, the economic value of seagrass filtration capabilities was estimated to be $7,690 acre/year. This value has only increased in recent years as populations in coastal areas continue to grow. Damage to seagrass beds is caused by careless boating (the propeller scar running through the seagrass in the picture below) and reckless coastal development practices. It is crucial that we protect this keystone species from further degradation. CBA has implemented a seagrass restoration component to the SHOALS High School program where students grow seagrass in class to be transplanted to living shorelines in Choctawhatchee Bay.

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