By Trimmel Gomes, Florida News Connection
Commercial oyster harvesters have returned to a limited season on Apalachicola Bay for the first time since 2020, reviving a cornerstone of Florida’s seafood industry and the Franklin County economy.
Meanwhile, a new 10,000-acre forest conservation project near Port St. Joe in Gulf County aims to support the bay’s long-term recovery by safeguarding the fresh water that flows into it.
Rebecca Perry, Florida associate state director for The Conservation Fund, explained the connection and significance.
“The property is within the Florida Wildlife Corridor,” she said. “This is the migratory corridor across the state. It’s made up of agricultural and natural lands. And the goal is really to protect all of those lands together to create a seamless greenway across the state. So this adds to that.”
The Conservation Fund acquired the Lake Wimico Forest to prevent its development. Sustainable timber management will continue under a permanent conservation easement held by the Florida Forever program, supported by the Richard King Mellon Foundation.
Perry said protecting the upstream forest is key to maintaining clean water for the sensitive bay and its oyster reefs.
“This conservation easement is going to maintain the working forest on the property and maintain the wetlands as they are,” she said, “and so that’s going to enable that support to the bay for fresh water quality and quantity.”
This project brings The Conservation Fund’s total protected area in Florida to more than 200,000 acres. It succeeded despite a recent sharp reduction in funding for the Florida Forever program, the state’s main tool for such deals. This year’s budget allocates $18 million for Florida Forever, down from $229 million last year.
Florida News Connection is a bureau of the Public News Service. Banner photo: Apalachicola Bay shoreline (iStock image).
Sign up for The Invading Sea newsletter by visiting here. To support The Invading Sea, click here to make a donation. If you are interested in submitting an opinion piece to The Invading Sea, email Editor Nathan Crabbe. To learn more about the Florida Wildlife Corridor, watch the short video below.
