Apalachicola Riverkeeper To Speak At Chipola Feb. 27

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MARIANNA—The Chipola College Student Scientists Association is hosting Georgia Ackerman, Apalachicola Riverkeeper, for a free informational forum for students and the community, Thursday, Feb. 27, at 6:30 p.m.  The event will be held in the Chipola Cultural Center on the corner of College Street and Indian Circle.

Ackerman will provide an update on oil and gas drilling in the Apalachicola River basin and summary of legal issues in the on-going “water wars” of the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint (ACF) Rivers basin.

Ackerman believes outside play and wild places are fundamental to both the health of humans and the planet. She said, “People will protect what they love. Also, people depend on this river system for their livelihoods. I’m constantly reminded by people’s actions that so many people deeply care about the Apalachicola River–and the Bay that it nourishes. It deserves our long term protection and restoration efforts.”

The Apalachicola is Florida’s largest river in volume of flow stretching more than 100 miles from the Woodruff Dam in Chattahoochee southward to the Apalachicola. The river’s freshwater supports the health and productivity of the Apalachicola Bay and the eastern Gulf of Mexico. With numerous ecological designations, such as Outstanding Florida Waterway, the Apalachicola Riverkeeper has advocated for the protection of the Apalachicola River since 1998 when the independent, non-profit group was founded.

Legal disputes over water use in the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint Basin (ACF Basin) shared by Alabama, Florida and Georgia, have lingered for three decades. Dams and reservoirs on the Chattahoochee, controlled by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, altered the once free-flowing river system. 

Ackerman joined the Apalachicola Riverkeeper team in 2017. She has been involved with the group for over a decade as a business sponsor, volunteer and board member. She is an avid kayaker and outdoor enthusiast. She ran a north Florida ecotourism company for nearly a decade where she spent time learning about the Apalachicola River.

The Tallahassee Democrat recently awarded Ackerman an Honorable Mention as Person of the Year, saying, “Ackerman has fought tirelessly for the protection of the river and the interests of the people whose livelihoods depend on it. She is a leading voice to restore the oyster industry in Apalachicola.”

The event is free and open to the public. For information, contact Dr. David Hilton at 850-718-2382 or email hiltond@chipola.edu