Management activities at Northwest Florida Aquatic Preserves have been discontinued as of July 1, 2011.

Although the aquatic preserves will remain designated, all coastal education and resource monitoring programs at closed locations have been eliminated. The Northwest Florida Aquatic Preserves office serves four aquatic preserves: Fort Pickens Aquatic Preserve, Rocky Bayou Aquatic Preserve, St. Andrews Aquatic Preserve and Yellow River Marsh Aquatic Preserve. These areas are no longer actively managed and the resource management, research and monitoring, and outreach and education programs at these aquatic preserves has ended. Permit review by DEP regulatory offices will still be active through the Northwest District office.

Although seven aquatic preserve offices remain open, it is not possible for the remaining staff to absorb the closed programs into the organizational structure. 

The following page describes former management programs which will be restarted should revenue streams improve.

• Resource Management

  The loss of shoreline along the Yellow River Marsh Aquatic Preserve is generally the result of increased erosion due to wave energy amplified by coastal armoring on either side. Within the last 10 years, 80 feet of shoreline has been lost resulting in severe coastal flooding of a coastal pine flatwood forest. The restoration of this coastal transition zone will provide room for habitat migration with sea level rise and is a focus of the resource management program.
  The project places vertical oyster reef structures along approximately 1,000 linear feet of shoreline to reduce the wave energy and is expected to grow an established living oyster reef which would enhance habitat and emergent vegetation within the preserve.

• Education and Outreach

  Staff conducted education and outreach programs through participation in local events, such as the Seagrass Awareness Festival, and working with the schools by visiting or conducting field trips.

• Research and Monitoring

  Staff conducted monitoring programs of Gulf sturgeon, the Gulf saltmarsh snake, diamondback terrapins and several other species of concern. Since the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, focus had shifted towards water quality and sediment monitoring. The staff also worked with researchers from the University of Northwest Florida and EPA.