Project SpotlightEducational KiosksIn a joint effort between Coastal and Aquatic Managed Areasand the Division of Agricultural Consumer Services, aninformational kiosk was established at the Alligator HarborAquatic Preserve boat ramp. This kiosk represents acompilation of information about the Department ofAgriculture, Division of Aquaculture and the clam aquacultureleases within the harbor, as well as other important resourcesand habitats within the Alligator Harbor Aquatic Preserve.Marshes comprise the bulk of the shoreline in Alligator HarborThe kiosks are full of useful information for the public• The aquatic preserve staff have established a successful partnership with the University of Florida’sFisheries and Aquatic Sciences Department, and participates in a monthly water quality and nutrientmonitoring project. This ongoing project has created a long-term database that serves to documentcurrent water chemistry conditions, to be compared with future water conditions.• Ongoing biological monitoring of valuable commercial and recreational fish and invertebrate specieswill supply habitat data that will identify areas that these important species utilize during critical lifestages and will allow for better management practices in these areas.• Staff have partnered with the Alligator Point Tax Payers Association (APTA), a network of active andconcerned citizens, who are interested in protecting the natural ecological diversity and functions ofthe harbor. This group volunteers with beach clean up events, turtle patrol, water quality and birdsurveys. The preserve staff provide the APTA newsletter with regular articles on the resources withinand adjacent to the harbor and information on how citizens can stay involved in their environment.Key AccomplishmentsPRESERVEPRESERVE“Alligator Harbor is one of the world's largest feeding grounds for theKemp's Ridley which is the rarest and most endangered of all marineturtles. The area's abundance of blue crabs, jellyfish, shellfish and seagrass provide an important food source for all sea turtles. The unspoiledwaters and beaches are valuable breeding and nesting grounds for marinesea turtles. Alligator Harbor, in addition to being a valuable naturalresource, is also archaeologically rich with several Miccosukee/SeminoleIndian artifact and burial mounds surrounding the harbor."Bill Wargo, Coordinator, Alligator Point Sea Turtle PatrolAlligator Harbor**A publication funded in part by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Florida Coastal Management Program, pursuant to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Award No.**  **NA04N0S4190035. The views expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the view of the State of Florida, NOAA, or any of its sub-agencies.**  **Coastal and Aquatic Managed Areas** 

# Alligator Harbor

Aquatic Preserve



# Local Contact:

**Kim Wren Aquatic Preserve Manager**  **350 Carroll Street East Point, FL 32328**  **(850) 670-4783 ext 104 www.aquaticpreserves.org**  

# Aquatic Preserve Facts:

**• Established as the Alligator Harbor Aquatic**

**Preserve in 1969**
**• Alligator Harbor supports a variety of commercial**

**and recreational species of fish and invertebrates**
**• Valuable habitat includes seagrass meadows,**

**salt marshes, oyster bars, and beaches**
**• A major forage area for migratory birds, in**

**particular for trans-gulf migrants in the fall and spring** 
**• Clam aquaculture sites were established in 2002**

**and are producing a very valuable product for Florida's economy** 
**• Migratory species include piping plovers,**

**semipalmated plovers, least terns, peregrine falcons and a variety of hawks** 
**• Local species include American oystercatchers,**

**black skimmers, snowy plovers, royal terns and brown pelicans**  **Pelicans resting on a dock**

**Horseshoe crabs mate in the protected waters of Alligator Harbor**  **Alligator Harbor is a popular location for sailing and other boating activities** 

**Shorebirds feed along the edge of the harbor** 

**Great blue heron perched on a pine tree** 

# Location: **Franklin County** 

# Acreage: **14,000 acres of sovereign submerged lands**