Tag: environment

By Allison McDowell, CBA

Along the shores of Choctawhatchee Bay, a quiet but powerful movement is taking place – one oyster at a time. Families, retirees, and students are rolling up their sleeves to take part in a unique conservation effort led by the Choctawhatchee Basin Alliance (CBA). Their mission? To rebuild the bay’s critical oyster reefs through an innovative and community-driven initiative: the Oyster Gardening program.

Now entering its 2025 season, this hands-on program invites local volunteers to help restore the bay’s ecosystem by growing young oysters at their homes or designated dock locations. It’s a project where science meets stewardship, turning everyday citizens into environmental champions.

A Simple Solution with a Big Impact

Each oyster grown through the program can filter up to 50 gallons of water daily, making them natural purifiers for Choctawhatchee Bay. Beyond water quality, these tiny powerhouses also create habitat for fish and crabs and help stabilize shorelines.

The program has supported habitat restoration efforts at multiple sites around the bay, an impressive achievement that’s benefiting marine life and bolstering the overall health of the ecosystem. It’s a grassroots effort with ripple effects far beyond the shoreline.

Science Comes to Life

One of the most inspiring aspects of the Oyster Gardening program is its educational value. Whether it’s a retiree tracking oyster growth or a middle schooler observing changes in the water, participants are engaged in real-world marine science. The program transforms conservation into a fun, local, and impactful experience, nurturing the next generation of environmental stewards in the process.

Get Involved

With the 2025 season underway, CBA is calling on new volunteers to help make waves. No experience is needed, just a love for the water and a willingness to learn.
For more information or to get involved, visit www.basinalliance.org or email reynol59@nwfsc.edu.

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America’s Flagship, the SS United States (SSUS), has now begun her journey from Philadelphia, Pa., to our own Emerald Coast!

After Okaloosa County’s Tourist Development Department, Destin-Fort Walton Beach completed the necessary safety requirements by local, state and federal agencies, the journey began to move the SSUS from her current docking area in south Philadelphia to a docking area in Mobile, Ala., where preparations to ready the ship to become the World’s Largest Artificial Reef will continue.

The SSUS departed Philadelphia after 30 years, and, at the time of this printing, had arrived in Mobile, Ala., after being chaperoned by multiple tug boats making her way down the Delaware River and into the Atlantic Ocean. As with any project of this magnitude, the schedule is tentative with dates, times and other logistics subject to change, due to many factors.

The SSUS’ amazing journey to Mobile took about two weeks. In Mobile, the vessel is continuing its rebirth into an artificial reef as contractors remove hazardous material, including non-metal parts and fuel to ensure this deployment is clean and not harmful to the environment it aims to benefit. Modifications are also being made to ensure that when the vessel is deployed, it will land upright underwater. The preparation process will take about 12 months.

The exact location along the Gulf Coast for the vessel’s deployment has not been set, but it is expected to be about 20 nautical miles south of the Destin-Fort Walton Beach area.

As the World’s Largest Artificial Reef, the story of the SSUS will be told to thousands of divers from around the world as they explore her unique design and features. She will also benefit her surrounding ecosystem and become home to countless marine species that will thrive from the presence of her structure. Due to the size and the depth, she will be home to a wide variety of marine life from iconic reef fish such as red snapper to pelagic species of fish like wahoo. This new artificial reef will provide bountiful fishing and diving opportunities for the local, visiting and charter industries.

Okaloosa County will continue to partner with the SSUS Conservancy as it pivots to develop a land-based museum in Destin-Fort Walton Beach that will celebrate and commemorate the nation’s flagship. The County will provide the Conservancy with regular project updates and will support the museum planning process which will incorporate iconic features from the ship, including the funnels, radar mast, and other signature components, as well as the Conservancy’s extensive curatorial and archival collection. This will preserve the ship’s storied history and the memories that she has created for so many people over the years.
To follow the SSUS’ journey via GPS tracking, visit //www.destinfwb.com/explore/eco-tourism/ssus.

Fun Facts About the SSUS:

• The design of the SSUS was so innovative that the details of her construction were kept top-secret. She was the first passenger liner to be built almost entirely in a graving dock – safely out of the public eye.
• The SSUS was designed to be just wide enough (101 feet) so it could pass through the locks of the Panama Canal with two feet of clearance on either side.
• Five days before her maiden voyage in July 1952, the SSUS was opened to the public at her berth in New York. Some 70,000 people turned out to see the dazzling new ship that day – more than a sellout crowd at Yankee Stadium! The line to go aboard stretched for 14 blocks.
• How fast was the SSUS? During her speed trials, she sliced through the waves at an astonishing 38.32 knots – 44 miles per hour!
• Four U.S. presidents sailed aboard the SSUS: Harry Truman, Dwight Eisenhower, John Kennedy and Bill Clinton. (The youthful Clinton, fresh out of Georgetown, was on his way to study at Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar.)
• For her maiden voyage, the SSUS stocked 7,935 quarts of ice cream and a whopping 500 pounds of caviar.
• The SSUS carried an impressive roster of luminaries on nearly every voyage. Famous passengers included Marlon Brando, Coco Chanel, Sean Connery, Gary Cooper, Walter Cronkite, Salvador Dali, Walt Disney, Duke Ellington, Judy Garland, Cary Grant, Charlton Heston, Bob Hope, Marilyn Monroe, Prince Rainier and Grace Kelly, Elizabeth Taylor, John Wayne, and the Duke and Duchess of Windsor.
• A famous passenger of a different sort sailed aboard the SSUS in 1963: the Mona Lisa. Leonardo Da Vinci ’s masterpiece was traveling to the U.S. for special exhibitions in Washington and New York. (She made it back to the Louvre in remarkably good shape for a 460-year-old woman.)
• The SSUS is 990 feet long – about five city blocks! If you stood her on end, she’d rise nearly as high as New York’s Chrysler Building or Philadelphia’s Comcast Center.
• You think the Titanic was huge? The SSUS is over 100 feet longer.
• The SS United States’ designer, William Francis Gibbs, wanted his ship to be fireproof, so he insisted that no wood be used in her construction or fittings. One exception: the ship’s grand pianos were made from fire-resistant mahogany. A Steinway piano was tested in advance by dousing it with gasoline and lighting a match. (It didn’t burn.)
• More aluminum was used in the SSUS than for any previous construction project in history. Why? To reduce her weight and make her the fastest ocean liner of all time.
• Thanks to her reduced weight and powerful engines, the SSUS could go almost as fast in reverse as the Titanic could go forward.
• On her maiden voyage, the SSUS shattered the trans-Atlantic speed record in both directions. She was the first American ship in 100 years to capture the coveted Blue Riband (awarded to the fastest trans-Atlantic ocean liner). Amazingly, she still holds the record more than 60 years later.
• Built to be converted from luxury liner to troop transport in the event of war, the SSUS was able to carry 14,000 troops 10,000 miles without refueling.
• The galleys aboard the SSUS could turn out up to 9,000 individual meals a day!
• The SSUS was retired from active service in 1969. The age of the great ocean liners had come to a close, doomed by increasingly fast and affordable trans-Atlantic airline flights.
• From 1996 to 2025, the SSUS was docked on the Delaware River in Philadelphia.

Source: ssusc.org
Learn more about Okaloosa County’s artificial reef program at https://www.destinfwb.com/explore/eco-tourism/artificial-reefs/.

Views: 26

In a profound stride toward protecting one of Florida’s most beloved marine creatures, the Gulfarium proudly announces the arrival of two rescued manatees—Lil Joe and Inigo—to its newly renovated manatee habitat. This milestone is the culmination of a three-year vision that began in 2022, when Patrick Berry, CEO of the Gulfarium, first spoke with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service about creating a haven dedicated to nurturing manatees in need of long-term care.

Originally a 300,000-gallon dolphin habitat, the space, now named Manatee Cove, has been meticulously transformed to meet the specialized needs of rescued manatees. Improved viewing windows invite guests into the gentle underwater world of these animals, while enhanced Life Support Systems (LSS), a dedicated medical area, and intentionally designed resting ledges ensure that Lil Joe, Inigo, and future manatee residents receive the focused attention they need to thrive.

Yet this undertaking is about far more than a physical renovation—it is a testament to the Gulfarium’s dedication to giving manatees a second chance at life. With so many of these gentle giants, a federally threatened species, facing threats in the wild, it became clear that an expanded facility was necessary to help manatees beyond their initial critical care stages.

By joining forces with the Manatee Rescue and Rehabilitation Partnership (MRP), U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS), and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), the Gulfarium is now the first facility in the Florida Panhandle to provide housing for rescued manatees requiring extended care. This vital collaboration relieves pressure on central Florida’s critical-care facilities, allowing them to focus on more urgent cases and strengthening statewide efforts to save manatees from harm. Additionally, the Gulfarium plans to further develop its manatee program by expanding to provide critical care for manatees in need within the northern Gulf Coast region.

Lil Joe and Inigo, who previously called The Seas with Nemo & Friends their home, will serve as living ambassadors for their species—sharing a message of resilience and hope with everyone who comes to see them. Visitors will discover their stories in a newly created education area, where daily chats and additional educational programming with the Gulfarium’s team shine a light on the challenges manatees face in the wild and how each of us can play a role in their protection.

“The Gulfarium is honored to welcome Lil Joe and Inigo, two extraordinary manatees who will help illuminate the urgent conservation needs of their species,” said Patrick Berry. “Our vision has always been to create a caring environment where manatees can continue their healing journeys while inspiring our guests to connect more deeply with marine life. By taking on the long-term care of these animals, we enable facilities in central Florida and elsewhere to devote critical resources to those manatees in acute need. We’re proud to stand with our partners in the MRP to protect these vulnerable creatures.”

Central to the Gulfarium’s mission is public engagement. In addition to providing top-tier animal care, the new manatee habitat fosters a deeper understanding of manatees’ plight. Through interactive programs, visitors can learn about Florida’s marine ecosystems, ongoing rescue efforts, and the simple steps we can all take to protect wildlife.

This vision aligns seamlessly with the Gulfarium’s accreditations by the Alliance of Marine Mammal Parks & Aquariums (AMMPA) and the International Marine Animal Trainers’ Association (IMATA), underscoring an unwavering commitment to the highest standards of animal care, conservation, and public education. By welcoming Lil Joe and Inigo, the Gulfarium demonstrates the power of compassion, collaboration, and community engagement in safeguarding Florida’s remarkable marine life.

For those eager to learn more about manatees and experience the wonder of these gentle giants firsthand, Lil Joe and Inigo can be viewed as part of general admission to the Gulfarium. Guests are encouraged to explore Manatee Cove, attend daily educational chats, and discover how their own actions can make a positive impact on manatee conservation efforts.

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Kimberly Stanley, SEASIDE Institute™

When discussing sustainability, many think about environmental concerns and the ways we can help slow the effects of climate change. However, the concept extends far beyond our planet’s health. It also encompasses social inclusion, wellness, and economic stability. The term, officially defined in 1987, refers to our ability to meet current needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

From an environmental perspective, sustainability involves safeguarding our ecosystem from pollutants to ensure the long term health of our natural resources. By reducing pollution, adopting renewable energy sources, and implementing more environmentally friendly methods and practices, we can do our part to help mitigate climate change. A healthy ecosystem is a thriving ecosystem.

Social sustainability means taking the necessary steps to improve everyone’s quality of life. Access to clean water, nutritious food, and safe living conditions support physical and mental well-being. This fosters optimism, hope, and can improve an individual’s sense of self-worth. People who have access to their daily needs and a better sense of self-worth will likely take steps to embrace a healthier lifestyle, thereby increasing their lifespan.

Economic sustainability promotes the importance of economic growth. Positive economic growth is vital for a community to thrive and be a healthy place for its residents to call home. This includes balancing supply and demand, investing in green technologies, and supporting local businesses to create jobs. If workers can provide for their family, their overall quality of life improves and the local economy continues to move forward.

It is essential for each of us to take practical steps to be more sustainable. Every individual should play a part as the health of our environment affects each of us. We can do small things like conserve energy, reduce waste, walk or bike when possible instead of driving an automobile, and choose products that are better for our body and the environment. Actions like these not only benefit our planet, but also enhance our resilience and quality of life.

By embracing sustainable practices in our daily lives, we can contribute to a more robust and equitable future for generations to come. If interested in learning more, visit seasideinstitute.org.

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