After 30 years of protecting local waters, the organization now helps connect conservation work across the Choctawhatchee watershed.
The Choctawhatchee Basin Alliance (CBA) has a new name and a larger job. The organization is now the Choctawhatchee Basin Alliance Estuary Program (CBAEP), a transition that adds regional coordination to the restoration, monitoring, research, and education work it has carried out since 1996.
For residents, the most important news is what stays the same. CBAEP will keep restoring oyster reefs and seagrass beds, monitoring water quality, and teaching local students through programs like Grasses in Classes. That hands-on work continues without interruption, led by the same team. “We’re not replacing CBA; we’re building on it,” said Executive Director Alison McDowell. “The work we’ve been doing isn’t going away. We’re still the same organization, with the same people and the same commitment to the watershed. What’s changing is that we have a bigger opportunity to bring people together, connect the work that’s already happening, and take on some of the bigger challenges facing the Choctawhatchee watershed.”
What’s New
Local governments, scientists, nonprofits, businesses, and volunteer groups all work to protect the Choctawhatchee’s bays, rivers, and coastal waters. As an estuary program, CBAEP now serves as the hub that connects them. The organization will:
- Coordinate projects among partners to reduce duplicated effort and stretch resources
- Pursue more funding, including estuary-wide grants, to speed up restoration
- Serve as a central point of contact for residents, partners, and funders
- The transition also supports long-term goals for the region, including raising the watershed’s national profile and opening the door to additional federal and state resources for restoration.
Building on Shared Groundwork
CBAEP builds on a strong foundation. Okaloosa County and other Choctawhatchee County Estuary Coalition members laid important groundwork, developing the region’s Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan and bringing partners together around a shared vision for the watershed. As the program moves forward under CBA and Northwest Florida State College, it carries that foundation into its next phase, with a stable home to build on and room to grow across the entire watershed.
How to Get Involved
CBAEP still needs volunteers for restoration projects, oyster gardening, and community science, and donations still support work in local waterways and classrooms. Find volunteer opportunities and ways to give at basinalliance.org.
