The St. Joseph Aquatic Preserve/Apalachicola National Estuarine Research Reserve (ANERR) is one of 25 sites designated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration as a Research Reserve. The program is a federal/state partnership with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection as the state program administrator. The ANERR is a consortium of management entities with various state and federal agencies assigned lead role management within the Reserve.National Estuarine Research Reserves have been established to provide opportunities for long-term estuarine research and monitoring, estuarine education and interpretations, resource management and to provide a basis for more informed coastal management decisions.
For more information: http://www.dep.state.fl.us/coastal/sites/apalachicola/info.htm