Apalachicola National Estuarine Research Reserve

Apalachicola National Estuarine Research Reserve (ANERR) was designated in 1979. It is located in Franklin, Gulf and Calhoun counties, within one of the least populated coastal areas of the state. The Apalachicola River basin is only part of the larger Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River system (ACF) which drains an area covering approximately 19,600 miles, extending into the Blue Ridge Mountains. The Florida portion contains about 2,800 square miles and the population within Florida's basin is probably less than 100,000 individuals.

The boundary of ANERR includes the lower 52 miles of the Apalachicola River and floodplain, as well as most of Apalachicola Bay. It includes lands managed by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS), Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), Florida Park Service, Northwest Florida Water Management District (NWFWMD) and CAMA. Of the uplands acreage within ANERR, CAMA manages 6,794 acres, the USFWS manages 11,938 acres (St. Vincent Island National Wildlife Refuge), the Florida Park Service manages 2,024 acres (St. George Island State Park), FWC manages 63,814 acres and NWFWMD manages 36,241 acres. The balance of the total acreage is open water, including Apalachicola Bay Aquatic Preserve (80,875 acres).