Help us achieve our mission.
Our accomplishments are not possible without the support from you, our neighbors, community members, and waterway stewards.
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Be a sustaining CBA member through monetary gifts of $25 or more because your recurring donations fuel our programs.
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A Thanks to Our Supporters |
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Thank You to Our Grasses in Classes Sponsors |
Okaloosa Gas District, Sam's Club, and Crestview Walmart have all adopted a school in our Grasses In Classes Program. Their contribution provides for materials, plants, and field trips for 3rd and 5th-grade students. Our Grasses in Classes program engages students with a hands-on, place-based learning experience that remains with each child long after we leave their classroom. We are so thankful to have community businesses who stand with our mission for swimmable, fishable waterways.
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Sustaining Heroes - Pedego Electric Bikes 30A |
Pedego Electric Bikes 30A cares for our waterways with a quarterly donation of 5% of profits from every bike rental. They support our mission to maintain swimmable, fishable waterways in the Choctawhatchee watershed. Contributions such as this aid our organization in the daily operations and funding restoration projects.
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Fly Fishing Film Tour Beneficiary |
Thank you Shoreline Church for once again making us your beneficiary at your Fly Fishing Film Tour event. It's local heroes like you that help us continue our mission of maintaining swimmable, fishable waterways. BOTE attended and raffled off a Lono Aero Inflatable kayak. We would also like to thank all the sponsors of the Fly Fishing Film Tour, Costa, Simms, and Yeti for bringing this project to fruition.
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Congratulations Hero T-Shirt Winners! |
It's not every day we run into heroes on the street. We think it's time for Matt Butler, Brittany Tate, Clair and Jane Pratt, Allison Spake, and Blake Blanco to show everyone their true colors and don a hero cape for all to see. They are the winners of the CBA Hero T-Shirt raffle! We thank you, from the bottom of our hearts, for being heroes to our waterways. Your stewardship of our bay is an essential part of our mission in promoting swimmable, fishable waterways!
"Being a hero doesn't mean you're invincible. It just means that you're brave enough to stand up and do what's needed." -Rick Riordan
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Citizen Scientists Wanted |
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!
Walton County:
Destin 5 & 6 (near Baytowne)
Draper Lake
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Free CBA Lessons on our Youtube Channel! |
We do everything we can to engage our young stewards. While we await the day we head back to the classrooms with our favorite citizen scientists, we are uploading our Grasses in Classes lessons on our Youtube channel for all to access. Take a look at our videos and subscribe to our channel so you won't miss out! We couldn't do this without our reliable NWF AmeriCorps Environmental Stewards team as our partner. |
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Living Shoreline Resilience Before and After Hurricane Sally |
Living shorelines not only provide habitat for countless bay species, but they also buffer wave energy to protect shorelines from erosion. The first picture was taken at our Alaqua Site during fall reef monitoring last year and the second picture was taken during fall reef monitoring this year after Hurricane Sally brought excessive rain and storm surge to the area. As you can see the shoreline looks untouched, and the main difference is that the smooth cordgrass has spread and flourished even more! |
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Two National Park Service virtual civic engagement opportunities proposing to implement a Commercial Services Strategy to better manage commercial operations in the Crab Island Area of the Gulf Island National Seashore.
Virtual Civic Engagement Links:
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Species Spotlight: Brown Pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis)
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One of three species of pelicans native to the Americas, they are found from New Jersey to the mouth of the Amazon river. We find brown pelicans year-round in our estuary and along our coast. They are slightly smaller than their migratory cousin, the white pelican. With their pale yellow cap, dark neck, and long beak, pelicans dive into the water to scoop prey swimming near the surface. When you look out into the waters of Choctawhatchee Bay, you will often see the aftermath of such hunting embodied as a splash from the corner of your eye. Juvenile brown pelicans are indeed similar to their mature counterparts, save for the lack of coloring -- Juveniles are all brown, from crown to toe. The first National Wildlife Refuge was created in 1903 by Theodore Roosevelt to protect this species from hunters, Florida's Pelican Island.
For More Information:
Photo by Doug Buck
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