Media Advisory: Sept. 23, 2015

CONTACT: DEP Press Office, 850.245.2112, DEPNews@dep.state.fl.us

APALACHICOLA RESEARCH RESERVE CELEBRATES NATIONAL ESTUARIES DAY

~Media invited to attend the celebration~

Visitors interact with marine life at the marine animal touch tanks.

WHAT:   National Estuaries Day Celebration

WHEN:    Friday, Sept. 25, 2015
                1:30–6 p.m.

WHERE: Apalachicola National Estuarine Research Reserve Nature Center
                108 Island Drive (only foot traffic permitted via Millender St.)
                Eastpoint, FL 32328

HOW:      RSVP to Anita Grove at 850-670-7708

In celebration of National Estuaries Day, the Apalachicola National Estuarine Research Reserve is hosting dozens of free and educational activities for families, including marine animal touch tanks, demonstrations of live blue crabs molting their shells and live reptile presentations.

During the celebration, guests are invited to tour the reserve's 5,400-square-foot Nature Center, equipped with three walk-around aquariums full of local marine life, an 80-foot-long mural depicting local ecosystems and a hands-on “bay discovery” room.

Also on display in the Nature Center is a new temporary exhibit titled "Marine Debris: When Trash Meets the Sea," exploring the impacts of trash on coastal and marine environments. Visitors are asked to bring plastic shopping bags from home and exchange them for a cloth, reusable bag. Sea creatures crafted from trash gathered during the local International Coastal Cleanup held on Saturday, Sept. 19 will be displayed.

The first 600 people to arrive at the event will receive a free National Estuaries Day T-shirt. Adult attendees will also be eligible to win door prizes, which will be distributed at the end of the event.

About the Florida Department of Environmental Protection's Florida Coastal Office

The Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s Florida Coastal Office (FCO) is responsible for oversight of the state’s 41 Aquatic Preserves, three National Estuarine Research Reserves, the Coral Reef Conservation Program, the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, the Florida Coastal Management Program and the Outer Continental Shelf Program. It is the mission of FCO to conserve and restore Florida’s coastal, ocean, and aquatic resources for the benefit of people and the environment. For more information, visit http://www.dep.state.fl.us/coastal/.

https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/FLDEP/bulletins/11b46bb