Our goal is 100 new CBA members in 2021! We have 86 days left of our member challenge campaign and still have room for you! Our education program is run year-round, from our traditional school programs, such as Grasses in Classes, to summer camps and Shelves to Shores library lessons. We supply students with the materials for each hands-on experience with CBA. We aim to keep our future stewards exploring. To do this, we need you as a CBA member!

You can join at any amount and pay annually or monthly - Even a membership at the $25 "Oyster" level will fund a lesson for one of our 93 Grasses in Classes classrooms.
A Thanks to Our Supporters
All Hands on Deck
If you are familiar with Old Town Santa Rosa, then you are familiar with Cessna Park Landing. Located on Hogtown Bayou, boaters using the park facilities should notice the oyster reef breakwaters, CBA's first living shoreline initiative. Starting in 2007, CBA installed oyster reef breakwaters and native saltmarsh grass along the shoreline to prevent erosion from boating traffic and filter runoff from the parking lot. Since then, our oyster reef breakwaters successfully collected enough sand to reverse shoreline erosion, burying our reefs.

CBA has been working tirelessly alongside our partners, AmeriCorps NWF Environmental Stewards, and community volunteers to plant smooth cordgrass in the accumulated sand to prevent future erosion in the area. We are also adding new oyster shells to our breakwaters to continue the reversal of shoreline erosion and bring Cessna Park back to its glory days. With our All Hands on Deck initiative, funded by Coastal Partnership Initiative, Walton County, Northwest Florida Water Management District and St. Joe Community Foundation, we create a community of stewardship for local habitats through education, outreach, and volunteer opportunities. Stay tuned for future 'All Hands on Deck' events on the CBA calendar!
Business Buddies, Help GIC Student Field Trips - Sign Up Today!
If you are looking for an impactful team-building opportunity, look no further! We are recruiting local businesses and teams to volunteer for shoreline plantings in place of student field trips. We need your assistance to take our GIC year over the finish line. We have plenty of available events this April. 

Contact Amanda Briant about how your team can sow the seed of stewardship with our students. The Shunk Gulley team, Whole Foods team, and Niceville Publix team are already signed up -- make sure to reserve your spot now! 
Community Partners Supporting CBA
We extend our thanks to South Walton Utility Company, Inc. for their Adopt-A-Waterway sponsorship. Their continuous support for CBA fuels our mission in sustaining healthy local waterways. South Walton Utility Company, Inc. serves the area from Mack Bayou in Walton County to the MidBay Bridge in Okaloosa County with a mission "to provide our members quality and reliable service in a responsive and equitable manner."

The Okaloosa County Democratic Environmental Caucus of Florida awarded CBA with a $400 grant supporting Liza Jackson Park shoreline restoration in Fort Walton Beach. We are fortunate to have an abundance of waterway stewards in our community. Thank you again, South Walton Utility Company, Inc. and Okaloosa County Democratic Environmental Caucus of Florida, for your commitment as waterway stewards of Choctawhatchee Bay.
Oyster Gardeners - Move Your Mollusk Time is Here!
This year’s Move Your Mollusk event will be at Shipyard Point Park in Valparaiso, FL, Saturday, April 17, 2021, from 10-12 pm.

Prepare for Move Your Mollusk by giving your garden a good spring cleaning. Remove your oysters from their cage, thoroughly clean cage wires, ropes, remove any oysters, mussels, or other organisms before the event. If your cage has lots of growth on the wires, chipping away at this task over the next several weeks makes this a less tedious endeavor. Additionally, this helps CBA staff turn around cages for the coming season. We appreciate the help!

On the day of our event, you will bring your oysters in a cooler or bucket with a damp towel laid over the top; this keeps the oysters from overheating. Do not fill the container with water. You will also bring all loaned program equipment (cages, gloves, calipers, brushes, dock ropes, etc.) to return to CBA for inventory.

If you would like to say “goodbye” to your oyster brood, you are more than welcome to place your oysters on the reefs yourself, wear clothes and shoes you don’t mind getting wet.

Remember to sign up for this coming season if you haven’t already done so at our Oyster Gardening Volunteer Page!
CBA on the Bay
Volunteer Opportunities
We are looking for four local artists to paint new monofilament recycling bins placed in Walton County, Norriego Point, and Choctawhatchee River. The theme of our monofilament canisters is marine life, healthy local waters, and native wildlife. Please submit your portfolios to CBA for a chance to feature your artistry to promote swimmable, fishable waterways.

We place monofilament bins at boat ramps and harbor access points to encourage anglers to recycle their equipment and protect our waterways. CBA's monofilament recycling program aims to mitigate fishing lines from ending up in our waters.
We have ample opportunities for you to join our living shoreline initiatives. We will be bagging shells, building oyster reefs, and removing invasive species every week! Oyster reefs are a resilient method for mitigating shoreline erosion and providing habitat for critical species in our estuary. Join our team of CBA staff and AmeriCorps members to enhance our shorelines.
Have you been itching to get outdoors? We have the answer for you. We are looking for citizen scientists to monitor water quality around the bay! Applicants must have reliable access to a boat/kayak.

Walton County:
  • Draper Lake

Okaloosa County:
  • Fort Walton Beach 1-3, 7,16 (Garnier Bayou, Chico Bayou)
  • Fort Walton Beach 8-10 (Destin Harbor)
  • Santa Rosa Sound 1-3
Join our new monofilament recycling team and be a solution to Choctawhatchee Bay's plastic pollution! Volunteers in the Destin/Ft. Walton Beach area will assist with monofilament fishing line recycling on Okaloosa Island and lead cleanup events across the area.
 
Open Positions:
  • Okaloosa Island
We are excited to announce another season of oyster gardening starting in April 2021! Visit our oyster gardening page to view our online workshop and find out more about how oysters improve the water in our bay. New and returning volunteers must complete this application form.

Requirements:
  • Must be free of any Fish and Game violations within the past three years
  • Must be able to lift 30 pounds
  • Should spend roughly 60 minutes per week caring for their gardens
We are partnering with USGS and IFAS to conduct a habitat survey for this elusive critter. Terrapins have only been spotted near the sound in Okaloosa County. With your help, we may learn more about this utterly adorable reptile - Apply Today!

Requirements:
  • Outdoor enthusiasts able to walk at least 2.5 miles under direct sun
  • Access to kayak and ability to paddle across Santa Rosa Sound
  • 3 surveys weekly April - September
Don't forget to report manatee sightings to Dauphin Island Sea Lab's Manatee Sighting Network
News You Can Use
CBEP Public Workshop Series
The Choctawhatchee Bay Estuary Program will be hosting a series of public workshops in the beginning of May to share your thoughts on the importance, concerns, and needs of your local waterways. Register the virtual zoom workshop series below!

May 4, 2021: Alabama's Choctawhatchee/Pea Rivers Region

May 6, 2021: Florida's Choctawhatchee River Region

May 11, 2021: Choctawhatchee Bay Region
GOMA Webinars and Workshops
Species Spotlight: Cobia (Rachycentron canadum)
The season for cobia migration is upon us as they travel Northward from their winter stay in the warm waters of Southern Florida. Cobia is a popular game fish on the Eastern Coast, from Massachusetts down to Florida and along the Gulf of Mexico. Cobia tournaments coincide with their spring migration while large groups swim to their spawning grounds.

These fish are sought for their fighting spirit and prized for their delicious fillets. As solitary fish, cobia congregate by reefs, pilings, oil rigs, and other structures to hunt for crabs, small fish, and squid. While not many organisms predate on adult cobia, especially at six feet long and nearly 100 pounds, many predators such as mahi-mahi and other large fish will consume juveniles.

 Cobia males reach maturity at two years of age, while females reach spawning age at three years. A female cobia will lay up to 2 million buoyant eggs every two weeks that become planktonic fry once fertilized. Like many other fish species, cobia appearance alters with age. Juvenile cobia often have black and white horizontal stripes along their sides that change to solid dark brown with a pale underside as an adult. Cobia has sharp spines along the anterior portion of the dorsal fin that will catch inexperienced anglers unaware. These spines are in sharp contrast to the cephalic disks of their closest living relative, the remoras.

Cobia Tournaments:


For More Information: