CBA Hogtown Bayou Symposium

[CBA Phillip]

Choctawhatchee Basin Alliance and U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service announce symposium for the Hogtown Bayou Basin Stormwater Management Plan

On Friday October 27th the Choctawhatchee Basin Alliance (CBA) will present a stormwater management plan for Hogtown Bayou and the surrounding basin during a public symposium. The symposium will be held at the Walton County Coastal Branch Library. The meeting will begin at 9 am and will conclude at 12 pm - lunch will be provided free of charge to all attendants. Please RSVP by October 25th if you plan to attend the meeting by calling the CBA office, (850) 729-6456.

Stormwater is one of the major sources of pollutants to Choctawhatchee Bay and its Bayous. Termed non-point source pollution, the pollutants are created primarily by the people that live, recreate and enjoy these natural resources through deposition, of metals, sediment, pesticides, nitrogen, phosphorus and pet waste. The pollutants release excess nutrients into the bayous as non-point source pollution. Although an estuary, such as Choctawhatchee Bay, needs nutrients to thrive, excess nutrient input can be harmful to the system. Excess nutrients can smother aquatic organisms, such as oysters or seagrass, and fuels a red tide bloom when it occurs in the bay. Education and responsible coastal living are two important steps we can take to decrease the stormwater impact on Choctawhatchee Bay and the surrounding water resources.

After a presentation of the current draft plan public input will be solicited and added to create the final management plan. The break-out session will focus on your concerns by listing your priority issues and suggested solutions for those issues. The final version of the Hogtown Bayou Basin Stormwater Management Plan will be submitted to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife and the Walton County BCC for direction and education for future protection and restoration. Please take the time to be involved in shaping the future of Hogtown Bayou and in turn contributing to sustaining Choctawhatchee Bay.

The management plan and symposium are sponsored by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service who have a vested interest in Hogtown Bayou. Of particular interest is the preservation of a clean and productive habitat for the Gulf sturgeon, a federally listed threatened species, known to be dependant on the bayou and adjacent waters for winter feeding and resting habitat.

CBA was created in 1996 under the auspices of Okaloosa-Walton College to provide opportunities for citizens, educators and technical experts to promote the health of the Choctawhatchee Basin watershed through reduction of pollution, water quality monitoring, restoration and enhancement of marsh grass and wetland areas, and promotion of environmentally sound development. CBA serves as is an important source of environmental information for the public.

[CBA Phillip]

Walton County Coastal Branch Library

Santa Rosa Beach, Florida

Choctawhatchee Basin Alliance

HBBSMP Public Symposium Agenda

October 27, 2006

9:00 am Introduction & Presentation
Presentation of the Draft Management Plan
Joy Brown, CBA

10:00 am Public Forum
Identifying public concerns & issues
Joy Brown, CBA
Phillip Ellis, CBA
Scott Jackson, UF/IFAS


11:00 am Review & Conclusions
Summarize meeting
Joy Brown, CBA





Symposium sponsored by the U.S Fish & Wildlife Service

[CBA Phillip]

I almost forgot that there is a free lunch too (and library coffee)....Call the office if you have any questions (about the Symposium) or would like to RSVP.....729-6456......