Meet Max. 

Max's dad is Rob Diaz de Villegas who first traveled with RiverTrek in 2012 on assignment with WFSU-TV. Rob has produced various short films about the Apalachicola River and Bay and the surrounding region. Upon hearing stories and seeing photos and film, Max, now age 4, was especially curious about   Sand Mountain which is located south of Dead Lakes.  Unsurprisingly, Max wanted to climb Sand Mountain. Max, our youngest RiverTrek member ever, will join the team for two days as his dad again paddles with the RiverTrek team this week. We hope Max and Rob both make a speedy trek to the top of Sand Mountain and learn even more about the river.

Like Max, you may be wondering how giant sand mounds end up along the Apalachicola River.  In short, decades of dredging coupled with decreased freshwater flow from the Woodruff Dam created the sand piles along the river. This has created devastating effects on the entire river ecosystem.

The floodplain shrinks and dries out as the result of decreased river flow, which causes plants and animals to suffer and decline. For example, one long-term study estimated that we've lost over 1 million tupelo trees in the floodplain, with an additional 3 million trees lost in nearby areas. This creates a ripple effect of loss of other species and industries, in this case tupelo honey production. Other species with natural, human, or economic importance that have been affected by the too-dry, low-flow conditions include oysters, crawfish, striped bass, bream, and the endangered gulf sturgeon.  The health and productivity of the Apalachicola Bay is directly tied to the freshwater flow of the River.

Although low flow is the most significant cause of habitat loss, there are other challenges. Many of the creeks and sloughs that carry water out of the river and into the swamps are now blocked by "sand plugs" where they meet the river. These plugs are the consequence of 50 years of channel-dredging by the Army Corps of Engineers. Although the dredging was halted in 2004, the massive accumulations of dredged-up sand along the riverbanks continue to drift and shift. Floodwaters carry high quantities of sand into the side channels. Eventually these waterways are blocked, and swamp-dwelling organisms are denied life-giving water and nutrients.

With your steadfast support, Apalachicola Riverkeeper will continue to work to restore freshwater flow to the Apalachicola River & Bay.  Thank you for helping to protect Apalachicola River and Bay f or many generations to come.