The apalachicola national estuarine research reserve (anerr or reserve) was designated in 1979 and is located in the florida panhandle

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration awarded the Florida Department of Environmental Protection a $880,967 cooperative agreement on October 1, 2025, to support operations, research, monitoring, education, training, and stewardship activities at the Apalachicola National Estuarine Research Reserve through March 31, 2027, under the Coastal Zone Management Estuarine Research Reserves program (CFDA 11.420).

The award funds routine administration, facilities maintenance, visitor services, system-wide monitoring program and wetlands and water levels research, onsite education programs, coastal training program implementation, staff training and development, and stewardship activities including upland resource management, public access, and biological surveys at the reserve located in the Florida Panhandle. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection's Office of Resilience and Coastal Protection and the reserve will manage the grant with financial oversight by the Department of Environmental Protection. The state will match the federal award with $377,558 in state salaries.

The Department of Environmental Protection obligated $2,517,050 total across this award. Place of performance is Tallahassee, Florida.

Florida State University, through its Sponsored Research Administration Division, received a sub-award (NA25NOSX420C0010-ANR06) dated June 30, 2026, to establish a cooperative workforce development program supporting the reserve's research, education, and training missions. Florida State University staff will hire and manage a Research Technician with qualifications, GIS/Resource Management Specialist, Research/Resource Management Specialist, Coastal Training Specialist, Education Specialist, Research Technician for water levels work, and a Program Manager to support the reserve's collaborative monitoring, research, education, resource protection, and public outreach initiatives.

The reserve is administered by the florida department of environmental protection (DEP), submitting this application for fiscal year 2025 funds to support operations, research and monitoring, education, training, and stewardship activities from october 1, 2025, through march 31, 2027. The grant will be managed by DEP's office of resilience and coastal protection (ORCP) and anerr. Financial management will be the responsibility of the DEP in accordance with established state and federal guidelines. DEP is requesting $880,967 which will be matched by $377,558 (state salaries). The funds in this application will allow the reserve to accomplish routine administration; facilities maintenance; visitor services; support for the research program (system-wide monitoring program [swmp], wetlands and water levels program); continue successful onsite education programs; implementing the coastal training program; staff training and development; and stewardship-related activities such as upland resource management, public access, and biological surveys.