"People of the Apalachicola System:" Assessing Risk and Value through Integrated Cultural Heritage Management Prioritization Frameworks

"People of the Apalachicola System:" Assessing Risk and Value through Integrated Cultural Heritage Management Prioritization Frameworks | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article "People of the Apalachicola System:" Assessing Risk and Value through Integrated Cultural Heritage Management Prioritization Frameworks Nicole Bucchino Grinnan, Mike Thomin, Bria Brooks, Lindsey Cochran This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-7753414/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted 4 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract The Apalachicola National Estuarine Research Reserve (ANERR) represents one of the most ecologically and culturally significant landscapes along Florida’s Gulf Coast. The “People of the Apalachicola System” project, funded by a 2023 National Estuarine Research Reserve System Science Collaborative Catalyst Grant, incorporated technical and collaborative methodologies to examine cultural heritage under threat from climate and human pressures. Archival research, archaeological monitoring, and high-accuracy shoreline mapping revealed that many sites included in the project are already experiencing erosional degradation, with predictive modeling indicating that nearly all project sites will be destroyed by 2100. Community conversations and surveys highlighted that residents place the highest value on burial grounds, Indigenous and African American heritage sites, and living traditions such as shellfish harvesting and fishing. Together, these findings underscore the need for dual prioritization frameworks that balance technical assessments of environmental risk with ethnographic and participatory insights into heritage value. This article provides an overview of the project’s results, demonstrating how the integration of quantitative and qualitative approaches yields management strategies that are both evidence-based and grounded within the community. Integrated approaches like these can provide significant benefits for both cultural resource management and broader coastal resiliency planning. Cultural heritage Coastal Archaeology Climate Ecosystem services Community engagement Apalachicola Florida Figures Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3 Figure 4 Figure 5 Figure 6 Introduction Situated along Florida’s northern Gulf of Mexico coast, the Apalachicola River and Bay system is one of the most ecologically and culturally distinctive estuarine landscapes in the United States. Encompassing more than 234,000 acres, the Apalachicola National Estuarine Research Reserve (ANERR) spans a large portion of this system, including the lower 52 miles of the Apalachicola River, its vast floodplain, Apalachicola Bay, and three barrier islands (Fig. 1 ). The landscape is also a UNESCO World Biosphere Region and supports an extraordinary biodiversity of over 1,300 plant species, 40 amphibian species, 80 reptile species, 50 mammal species, 300 bird species, and 270 fish species (Florida Office of Resilience and Coastal Protection, 2025 , p. 9). Human communities have inhabited and shaped the region for at least 12,000 years, leaving behind archaeological remains and cultural traditions that attest to a profound connection with natural resources (Donoghue & White, 1995 ; Dunbar & Waller, 1983 ; Tyler, 2008 ; White, 2024a , 2024b ). Despite this rich human history, many aspects of the area’s tangible and intangible heritage remain poorly documented, and the cultural landscapes of the Apalachicola system are under acute threat. Hurricanes, storm surge, flooding, and shoreline erosion are visibly affecting archaeological sites, while anthropogenically influenced impacts, including upstream water diversion and shifting economies, further destabilize both ecosystems and heritage resources (Beven II et al., 2019 ; Fang et al., 2022 ; Florida Office of Resilience and Coastal Protection, 2025 ). Climate change projections suggest that sea level rise will accelerate these processes, potentially inundating large portions of the Reserve within several decades (Office for Coastal Management, 2025 ). Within this context of change, a collaborative team of researchers developed the “People of the Apalachicola System” project. Funded by a 2023 NOAA National Estuarine Research Reserve System (NERRS) Science Collaborative Catalyst Grant, the one-year project aimed to explore the intersection of cultural heritage with ecosystem planning, management, and adaptation in the context of climate change. Specifically, the project asked three interrelated questions: What ecosystem services have people, past and present, used and valued in the Apalachicola system? How are cultural heritage resources within ANERR being impacted by climate change and other pressures? How can integrated approaches inform ecosystem planning and adaptation? To answer these questions, the project combined archaeological site monitoring, shoreline mapping, and predictive modeling with ethnographic methods, including Community Conversations on Heritage at Risk (CCHAR) workshops and online Qualtrics surveys. The combined methodological approach was designed around the recognition that heritage at risk cannot be understood through technical documentation alone but must also account for the meanings and values that communities attach to heritage. The Apalachicola project was built on and contributes to a broader movement of heritage-at-risk research. Internationally, Scotland’s Scottish Coastal Archaeology and the Problem of Erosion (SCAPE) Trust has pioneered large-scale coastal monitoring since 2000. Through Coastal Zone Assessment surveys inherited from Historic Environments Scotland, SCAPE and its partners documented more than 12,000 archaeological sites, ultimately prioritizing 940 as the most vulnerable (Dawson, 2015 ; E. Graham et al., 2017 ). Scotland’s Coastal Heritage at Risk Project (SCHARP), launched in 2012, expanded this effort by creating mobile apps (ShoreUPDATE ) and community-led research projects (ShoreDIG) that empowered residents to record and interpret threatened heritage (Dawson et al., 2017 ; E. Graham et al., 2017 ; Hambly et al., 2024 ). Although the SCHARP initiative ended in 2016, SCAPE has continued to support both the app and public engagement work. In Scotland, SCAPE and SCHARP ultimately established an influential model of community-driven, technology-enabled heritage monitoring. In the United States, the Florida Public Archaeology Network (FPAN) adapted these concepts to create Heritage Monitoring Scouts (HMS) Florida in 2016. HMS Florida mobilizes volunteers and land managers to record climate-driven impacts on sites across Florida. The effort built a database of hundreds of monitored sites within its first years (Lees et al., 2015 ; Miller et al., 2021 ; Miller & Murray, 2018 ). Unlike in Scotland, HMS Florida also innovated under limiting conditions in the U.S.: federal and state restrictions on site locational data required secure databases, signed permits, and volunteer vetting for all program initiatives. Such restrictions are necessary because the publication of exact site coordinates can facilitate looting, vandalism, or unregulated collecting, which are persistent behaviors threatening archaeological resources. In the U.S., restricting this information among land managers and cultural resources professionals is seen as a way to protect vulnerable sites while providing a means to permit legitimate research and compliance work. Building on HMS Florida, FPAN and partners helped establish North American Heritage at Risk (NAHAR) in 2020. NAHAR proposed a standardized five-step pipeline of predictive modeling, monitoring, stakeholder engagement, prioritization, and mitigation (Miller et al., 2024 ). Its first major application was the “People of Guana” project in the Guana Tolomato Matanzas National Estuarine Research Reserve. Modeling produced for the project predicted that more than half of the 26 surveyed sites would be threatened by sea level rise by 2100 (Murray et al., 2025 ). Precedents set by SCAPE/SCHARP, HMS Florida, and NAHAR informed the design of the “People of the Apalachicola” project, which also sought to integrate technical and community methods into a single case study area. Like these projects, the Apalachicola project explicitly framed cultural heritage as an ecosystem service (Miller & Murray, 2018 ). For example, as revealed through the project’s Community Conversations on Heritage at Risk (CCHAR) workshops, shell middens illustrate provisioning through harvested resources while also embodying cultural significance as places of memory. The use of shellfish resources from Apalachicola Bay among Indigenous communities also provides a strong correlation to Apalachicola’s identity today as a major seafood exporter. Similarly, historical forts, burial grounds, and industrial sites reveal strategic use of natural resources for defense, social order, and labor, while also serving as symbols of present-day community distinctiveness. In this way, cultural heritage serves as both a legacy of past human interactions with the environment and as an active force that shapes contemporary life in the Apalachicola system. Framing heritage in this way can embed it into conceptual frameworks used by ecosystem planners and managers, positioning cultural heritage not as a separate concern but as integral to the broader goals of resilience and adaptation. Methods The “People of the Apalachicola System” project employed a mixed-methods approach that included archaeological documentation, geospatial modeling, and ethnographic engagement to investigate cultural heritage vulnerability in the Apalachicola National Estuarine Research Reserve (ANERR). This integration was designed to generate a comprehensive dataset capable of addressing both the physical conditions of cultural resources and the social values communities attach to them. Archival Research and Site Selection The project began with a review of archival materials and secondary sources, supplemented by a review of entries in the Florida Master Site File (FMSF). The goal of this initial research was to establish a baseline of cultural resources previously recorded within ANERR and its immediate surroundings. The review incorporated early state surveys, unpublished reports, local histories, and published archaeological syntheses. From this inventory, 20 “high priority” sites were initially identified for project monitoring in consultation with the ANERR’s Stewardship Coordinator. Selection criteria included: Integrity of archaeological remains, as assessed through prior reports and site records; Environmental representation, making sure that sites spanned barrier islands, riverine floodplains, and bay shorelines; Accessibility for field teams under logistical constraints; and, Representation of cultural affiliations, including Indigenous, colonial, early American, and industrial-era communities. After a preliminary field evaluation of logistical feasibility, 15 of these sites were selected for repeat monitoring during the project’s one-year period (Table 1 )(Fig. 2 ). Table 1 Priority Apalachicola Reserve archaeological sites list for monitoring and assessment. Florida Master Site File (FMSF) Number Site Name Primary Cultural Affiliation(s) as listed in the FMSF Selected for Monitoring? 8FR00001 Porter’s Bar American 1821-present; Deptford 700BC-300BC; Early Woodland; Ft Walton AD1000-1500 Y 8FR00009 Nine Mile Point Deptford 700BC-300BC; Santa Rosa-Swift Creek; Weeden Island Y 8FR00024 Saint George West Ft Walton AD1000-1500 Y 8FR00064 Fort Gadsden Historic Memorial African-American; American Acquisition and Development 1821-45; British 1763–1783; Civil War 1861–1865; Second Spanish Period 1783–1821; Seminole 1716-present Y 8FR00079 St George Plantation-Leisure Properties Ft Walton AD1000-1500 Y 8FR00359 Fort Mallory American 1821-present Y 8FR00744 Van Horn Creek Shell Mound Ft. Walton AD1000-1500; Late Archaic Y 8FR00745 Hendrix 2 Weeden Island AD450-1000 Y 8FR00747 Cape St George Lighthouse Keepers Quarters American 1821-present; American − 19th Century 1821–1899; American-20th Century Y 8FR00749 Turpentine Camp American 1821-present Y 8FR00845 Late PM Midden Ft Walton AD1000-1500; Leon-Jefferson; Prehistoric-Ceramic; Prehistoric-Unspecified; Weeden Island AD450-1000 Y 8FR00863 Creels African-American; American-20th Century; Boom Times 1921–1929; Depression/New Deal 1930–1940; Prehistoric-Aceramic Y 8FR00952 Bluff Road Landing American-19th Century 1821–1899; American-20th Century Y 8FR01300 Marshall House Field Station Main House Historic structure: frame vernacular Y 8FR01380 Lewis Leland Headstone Historic cemetery: abandoned Y 8FR00013 Five Mile Point Ft Walton AD1000-1500 N 8FR00746 Pilots Cove Prehistoric-unspecified N 8FR00862 High Bluff Homestead American-20th Century N 8FR00876 Bloody Bluff Landing American-19th Century 1821–1899; American-20th Century; Boom Times 1921–1929 N 8FR01303 Poor Man’s Creek Site First Spanish Period 1513–1599; Ft Walton AD1000-1500; Mississippian; Weeden Island II; Contact period N Archaeological Site Monitoring Archaeological site monitoring followed protocols established by the Florida Public Archaeology Network’s HMS Florida program (Miller & Murray, 2018 ). 1 The project’s fieldwork team visited each of the 15 high-priority sites three times, spaced at two-month intervals, to capture seasonal variability in conditions. At each visit, standardized HMS Florida recording forms documented arrival information (date, time, weather, tidal state), site condition (visible erosion, flooding, storm surge impacts, vegetation growth, or anthropogenic disturbance), and management recommendations. Photographs were systematically taken from the site center outward toward the periphery, along the four cardinal directions, and from the periphery inward to the center, along the same four cardinal directions. Opportunistic photographs of exposed artifacts or eroded deposits were also taken when encountered. As outlined in the project design, the fieldwork team adhered to a non-disturbance policy that prohibited the collection of archaeological remains during monitoring. Several factors informed this approach. First, since the project had no planned excavations, artifacts and features could be reasonably documented through photography without being brought to a laboratory facility. Second, consultation with Tribal Nations emphasized that most midden and mound sites included in the project for monitoring contained burials or burial resources according to Indigenous Knowledge. As a result, consulting Tribes requested that no collection occur. Third, the project sought to avoid adding to the ongoing curation crisis in Florida and beyond, where archaeological collections facilities are already overburdened with artifacts lacking required resources for long-term care. These considerations reflect an effort to respect the perspectives of descendant communities, adhere to best practices in site stewardship, and prioritize on-site documentation as an ethical and sustainable strategy for monitoring. Following each visit, data were uploaded to the secure HMS Florida Arches database, where locational information is protected from public disclosure. In addition to visual observation, monitoring incorporated opportunistic ethnobotanical and geomorphic observations. Vegetative growth, presence of exposed roots, and soil compaction were noted as secondary indicators of erosional stress. Where archaeological deposits were exposed, particularly at mound and midden sites, faunal and shellfish remains were recorded qualitatively to provide context for potential historical resource use. Shoreline Mapping As many of the project’s priority sites were located on erosional margins, high-accuracy shoreline mapping was undertaken. Mapping employed an Arrow Gold GNSS receiver connected via Bluetooth to handheld devices running ArcGIS Field Maps. Each receiver was configured to receive real-time kinematic (RTK) corrections from the Florida Permanent Reference Network (FPRN), achieving sub-centimeter horizontal and vertical accuracy under ideal conditions. Surveyors walked the vegetative edge (defined as the landward limit of grasses, shrubs, or larger trees) of these shorelines since vegetation retreat or visibly undercut vegetation often corresponds to shoreline erosion (Maine Geological Survey, 2024; K. E. L. Smith et al., 2021 ). Individual points were collected at approximately 1.5m intervals to create detailed datasets. Each shoreline was mapped three times at two-month intervals. Data quality control involved removing spurious points (caused by canopy interference or user error) and verifying alignment with aerial imagery in ArcGIS to confirm accuracy. Predictive Modeling and Archaeological Triage Assessment To estimate long-term impacts of sea level rise, the project used a Sea Levels Affecting Marshes Model (SLAMM) developed by team member Dr. Lindsey Cochran. Inputs included LiDAR-derived DEMs (1.5m vertical interval), slope and aspect layers, and National Wetlands Inventory (NWI) classifications. SLAMM outputs projected wetland reallocation under 1m, 1.5m, and 2m global mean sea level rise scenarios, modeled through 2100 in 25-year increments. These outputs were then used to create an Archaeological Triage Assessment (ATA) (Cochran, 2024 ). Each of the 15 priority sites was assigned a status of “safe,” “threatened,” “damaged,” or “destroyed” for each modeled interval. Classifications were based on the intersection of site polygons with projected wetland categories (Table 2 ). For example, sites within projected tidal flats by 2075 were considered “damaged,” while those submerged in estuarine open water by 2100 were considered “destroyed.” The goal of this predictive modeling and companion ATA is to provide ANERR land managers with temporal trajectories of risk through the next 75 years based on available datasets. Table 2. Relevant SLAMM/NWI Category Conversions to Cochran’s (2024) Apalachicola Reserve Archaeological Triage Assessment (ATA). SLAMM Category National Wetlands Inventory Category Model Color Code Archaeological Triage Assessment 1 Developed Dry Land No impacts 2 Undeveloped Dry Land No impacts 3 Nontidal Swamp Threatened 4 Cypress Swamp Destroyed/Submerged 5 Inland Fresh Marsh Threatened 6 Tidal Fresh Marsh Damaged 7 Transitional Marsh Scrub Shrub Threatened 8 Regularly Flooded Saltmarsh Damaged 9 Mangrove Damaged 10 Estuarine Beach Damaged 11 Tidal Flat Destroyed/Submerged 12 Ocean Beach Damaged 13 Ocean Flat Damaged 14 Rocky Intertidal Damaged 15 Inland Open Water Destroyed/Submerged 16 Riverine Tidal Open Water Destroyed 17 Estuarine Open Water Destroyed 18 Tidal Creek Destroyed 19 Open Ocean Destroyed 20 Brackish Irregularly Flooded Marsh Damaged 22 Inland Shore Destroyed/Submerged 23 Tidal Swamp Destroyed/Submerged Community Engagement Three “Community Conversations on Heritage at Risk (CCHAR)” workshops were held in Apalachicola, Eastpoint, and at the ANERR Visitor Center in early 2024. Each workshop followed a semi-structured discussion format with seven guiding questions: What is your favorite thing about living in the Apalachicola area? How do you define cultural heritage? What is significant about the Apalachicola area’s cultural heritage resources? What are the threats facing Apalachicola-area cultural heritage resources? If we can’t do further research at or take action to preserve every cultural heritage site, how should we decide which sites to prioritize? What are your aspirations for Apalachicola-area cultural heritage by 2030? What needs to happen to get there? In order to achieve aspirations, where do roles and responsibilities lie? If work to preserve sites is required, who should pay for this work? Local community, local authority, national heritage agencies, other? Sessions were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and redacted to remove personal identifiers. The transcripts were imported into QDA Miner Lite for qualitative data analysis through coding. The project team developed a project-specific codebook, incorporating both deductive codes (e.g., “heritage definition,” “threats,” “prioritization”) and inductive codes that emerged from the data. Coding was conducted independently by two team members and then discussed together to reduce discrepancies. In parallel, a 23-question online Qualtrics survey was hosted for community members between January and September 2024. These online surveys were developed to capture and engage individuals who were otherwise unable to attend the CCHAR workshops. Although CCHAR attendees may have also filled out the survey, they were not encouraged to do so to prevent data overlap. Questions probed basic demographic information, perceptions of ecosystem services, threats to heritage, and aspirations for the future. The questions in the survey mirrored those asked in the CCHAR workshops but were formatted differently to account for the differences between digital and in-person engagement. Survey data were de-identified and analyzed using the same codebook as the CCHAR workshop transcripts, allowing for thematic comparison across datasets. Compliance and Consultation As this project constituted a federal undertaking due to its funding source, its design was subject to compliance review under Section 106 and Section 110 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA), the Endangered Species Act, the Magnuson-Stevens Act, and the Coastal Barrier Resources Act. Consultation letters were sent to affiliated Tribal Nations, including the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, the Choctaw Nation, the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians, the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians, the Coushatta Tribe of Louisiana, and the Seminole Tribe of Florida. Of those Tribal Nations, the Seminole Tribe of Florida’s Tribal Historic Preservation Office emphasized the potential presence of burial resources and requested that monitoring be conducted exclusively by professional archaeologists meeting Secretary of the Interior standards. Additionally, all ethnographic components received Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval at the University of West Florida and underwent ethics review at the University of St Andrews prior to the beginning of fieldwork. Written informed consent was obtained from all participants in workshops and surveys. Participants also had the option of removing any responses to either the CCHAR workshops or online surveys before the end of the project period (December 31, 2024). Data Management and Sharing All datasets produced by the project were version-controlled and archived in a project Open Science Framework (OSF) repository (Bucchino Grinnan et al., 2025 ). 2 Spatial data were preserved in open formats (.shp, .geojson), imagery in TIFF and JPEG formats, and transcripts in PDF format. Metadata adhered to Dublin Core standards and included information on the creator, date, spatial coverage, and methodological notes. Sensitive data, including archaeological site locations and unredacted community transcripts, was restricted to vetted users. Publicly available datasets include SLAMM and ATA outputs, shoreline change analyses, de-identified HMS reports, redacted transcripts, and survey results. Results Archaeological Site Monitoring Utilizing non-disturbance recording methods standardized by the HMS Florida program, archaeological site assessments of the 15 priority sites within the ANERR indicated important patterns for ongoing site management. In particular, the project team found that a site’s geographic location within the ANERR had important implications for its stability at the time of assessment. Those sites located along the shorelines of Apalachicola Bay and the Gulf of Mexico were generally in poorer condition, with the highest frequencies of observed negative impacts like active erosion, flooding, storm surge, wind, and wave action. The sites include 8FR00001, 8FR00009, 8FR00024, 8FR00079, 8FR00745, 8FR00747, 8FR00749, 8FR00845, 8FR01300, 8FR01380. Due to their visibility, many of these sites were also prone to foot traffic from visitors to places like Little St. George Island or the beaches along the northern shore of Apalachicola Bay. Many of the shell midden sites in these shoreline locations also had observed eroding shell components (e.g., oyster and scallop) and precontact Indigenous ceramics (Fig. 2 ). The visibility of these materials often depended on the presence of low or high tides during assessment periods (i.e., materials were more likely to be visible during low tide). Due to the presence of visible material culture and observed negative impacts at these sites, the project team placed a “medium” or “high” priority management classification on these sites. In all cases, recommendations for land managers include repeat visits annually or following large storm events. Of those sites along the shorelines of Apalachicola Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, only two were classified as “low” priority: 8FR01300 and 8FR01380. The first low-priority site, 8FR01300, is the Marshall House Field Station Main House, an early 20th-century homestead that is actively used and maintained by the ANERR to support field operations on Little St. George Island. This historic structure sits on the island’s northwest, along the southern shore of Apalachicola Bay. The second low-priority site, 8FR01380, is the Lewis Leland Headstone. While the standalone marble grave marker sits on the western tip of Little St. George Island, it is situated on relatively high ground at least 200m from the shoreline in any direction. The most significant observed negative impact on the site was vegetative growth, which had almost completely obscured the headstone at the time of the project’s first site assessment visit in January 2024. The project team assessed four additional sites in areas inland from Apalachicola Bay and the Gulf of Mexico: 8FR00064, 8FR00744, 8FR00863, and 8FR00952. Of these sites, only 8FR00064 was classified as a “high” management priority site due to the multiple events of unauthorized visitation and looting during the project period. This site, also known as “Fort Gadsden Historic Memorial” or “Prospect Bluff Historic Sites,” is a well-maintained and interpreted heritage tourism location in the Apalachicola National Forest. Damage to the site's volunteer host infrastructure during Hurricane Michael in 2018 has meant that this site has been inaccessible to visitors outside of special events. With little regular, on-site oversight and no regular visitors, this extremely well-known fortification site is at tremendous risk of opportunistic metal detecting and looting. The project team classified one site, 8FR00744, as a “medium” management priority. Known also as “Van Horn Creek Shell Mound,” this site is relatively inaccessible to most visitors to the Reserve. The project team did note modern refuse (i.e., soda cans and beer bottles), however, which means that it is subject to occasional visitors. The unexpected discovery of archaeological human remains at the site in June 2024 – the third visit to the site – also indicates that some disturbance has occurred (whether human or animal). While all established protocols were followed to report the human remains to consulting Tribes and the State of Florida, 8FR00744 should be regularly monitored for potential disturbance of additional human burials in the shell mound. The final two sites, 8FR00863 and 8FR00952, were classified as “low” management priorities due to their overall stability in non-coastal areas. Both sites were observed as being prone to occasional flooding due to their proximity to riverine environments but were generally stable. Finally, one site location, 8FR00359, could not be verified by the project team. The existing Florida Master Site File polygon places the site, a Civil War-era earthworks fortification referred to as “Fort Mallory,” in a low-lying, swampy area along West Pass Road Trail on St. Vincent Island, facing the West Pass entrance into Apalachicola Bay. As no nearby material culture was identified and it is unlikely that armed fortifications would have been located in a perpetually waterlogged environment, the project team believes that the Fort Mallory location is elsewhere on the island. A land manager for the St. Vincent National Wildlife Refuge noted that many people often confuse the locations of the pedestrian/ATV roads; he believes that the Fort Mallory site may actually be farther west, along another road/trail. Archaeological site monitoring also yielded critical data that contributed to answering the project’s primary research question. At all sites, the project team found evidence in site location, structure, and associated material culture that directly connects human populations to the long-term formation of the Apalachicola system and its numerous natural resources. For example, all of the precontact Indigenous sites within the 15 priority sites (8FR00001, 8FR00009, 8FR00024, 8FR00079, 8FR00744, 8FR00745, and 8FR00845) show evidence of intensive harvest of edible shellfish resources like oyster ( Crassostrea virginica ), bay scallop ( Argopecten irradians ), and Atlantic rangia clam ( Rangia cuneata ). That these shell mounds and midden sites are primarily composed of these resources indicates that the diets of many precontact communities had adapted to suit the environment. The Van Horn Creek Shell Mound site (8FR00744), in particular, showcases the development of the Apalachicola system over several thousand years and human adaptation to those changes. Previous archaeological excavation has shown how the mound’s earliest deposits were primarily composed of more saltwater-reliant brackish species like oyster, while later deposits indicate decreasing salinity at the site with an increased presence in Atlantic rangia clam (Donoghue and White 1995 ; White 1991). Site monitoring noted the surface exposure of shells from several species, including oyster and rangia, which likewise suggests the long-term exploitation of multiple habitat types. Historical period sites (8FR00064, 8FR00747, 8FR00749, 8FR00863, 8FR00952, 8FR01300, and 8FR01380) also exemplify the continued importance of ecosystem services to human communities in the Apalachicola system. Some of these sites represent strategic construction to access waterways for various reasons. Fort Gadsden Historic Memorial/Prospect Bluff Historic Sites (8FR00064) is located approximately 15 miles upriver from the mouth of the Apalachicola River, serving as a defensive mechanism to protect the maroon and Indigenous communities seeking refuge there during the early 19th century. Turpentine Camp (8FR00749), Creels (8FR00863), and Bluff Road Landing (8FR00952) all represent late 19th- to early 20th-century sites of timber-related commerce that defined natural resource exploitation in the Florida Panhandle during that period. The ability to float timber, sawn lumber, or naval stores on various riverine waterways to the port of Apalachicola, where it could be shipped internationally, fed demand and brought financial resources to Apalachicola area communities. Other sites, like the Cape St. George Lighthouse Keepers Quarters (8FR00747), associated with the now-fallen Cape St. George Lighthouse, and the Marshall Field House Station Main House (8FR01300), a 20th-century homestead also on Little St. George Island, were constructed to facilitate the movement of people and goods within the Apalachicola system. Shoreline Mapping Shoreline mapping efforts established high-resolution baselines for understanding erosional processes. Although the project year was too short to register a statistically significant retreat across all sites, mapping still produced valuable insights. At 8FR00009 (Nine Mile Point), for example, mapping revealed that the site extended far beyond the previously recorded site boundary. This finding expanded the documented extent of the site and demonstrated the utility of pedestrian survey in correcting and updating site records. To quantify change, the project applied the U.S. Geological Survey’s Digital Shoreline Analysis System (DSAS v6.0) to three of the mapped shorelines. Using 100m offshore baselines and transects spaced every 10m, DSAS calculated Net Shoreline Movement (NSM) between the oldest and most recent shoreline records. While the short project duration limited long-term statistical significance, the DSAS results provided early quantitative measures of shoreline retreat. DSAS figures are not included here to protect sensitive archaeological site locational information. Together, quantitative mapping, DSAS analysis, and qualitative field observation datasets demonstrated how high-accuracy mapping can be integrated with archaeological monitoring to produce a more nuanced picture of shoreline change. Most importantly, the collected datasets established a baseline against which future years of monitoring can be compared. With sub-centimeter accuracy and systematic DSAS transect analysis, future fieldwork will be able to quantify erosion rates with a high degree of precision, creating one of the most detailed shoreline monitoring datasets for cultural heritage along the northern Gulf Coast. Predictive Modeling and Archaeological Triage Assessment The results of the Sea Levels Affecting Marshes Model (SLAMM) outputs have important implications for the work undertaken by this project, as they seem to indicate that, even in the most conservative estimate of global sea level rise (SLR) resulting in a 1m local SLR by 2100, the vast majority of the ANERR will be a regularly flooded marsh by 2050 (Fig. 3 ). In more extreme scenarios that reflect the current Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP) estimates from the International Panel on Climate Change – 1.5m or 2m in local SLR – the majority of the ANERR will be some sort of transitional marsh by 2050 and open water by 2100. These results correspond to the NOAA Sea Level Rise map viewer for 1, 1.5, and 2m SLR projections, as well as SLOSH inundation patterns and trajectories in Alizad et al. ( 2020 ) and Garwood et al. ( 2023 ). After SLAMM outputs were calculated, Cochran conducted an Archaeological Triage Assessment (ATA) to determine which known cultural resource sites were likely to be “destroyed/submerged,” “threatened,” “damaged,” or experience “no impacts” from climate change (see OSF-archived project data for site-specific assessments). These calculations are estimates and only account for gradual changes over time, rather than punctuated events such as storm surge, extreme tides, or storm events. Threat assessments are also based on the anticipated damage to cultural resource sites that lie in each of the 23 National Wetlands Inventory categories present within the ANERR. Sites on dry land are expected to sustain minimal impacts or “no damage” from that wetland category type (gray color); a site adjacent to an area susceptible to flooding or significant storm surge is considered “threatened” (yellow color); a site within an area susceptible to flooding or significant storm surge is considered “damaged” (orange color); and, once a site is fully underwater, it is assumed “destroyed/submerged” (red color). The major changes illustrated in the project’s SLAMM between 2025 and 2100 include the drastic increase in open water moving north up the Apalachicola River and washing into existing marshes. According to SLAMM outputs, the majority of the ANERR will transition to regularly flooded salt marsh by 2050, tidal flats by 2075, and estuarine open water by 2100 with a 1m SLR. This scenario would mean the destruction or submersion of at least 13 of the 15 selected priority cultural resource sites in this study by 2100. The ATA results (Fig. 4 ) also indicate that few of the 145 total archaeological sites within the ANERR are unlikely to be threatened, damaged, or destroyed by 2100 due to these shifting wetland categories. Although rising sea levels pose a threat to archaeological sites and other above-ground cultural resources, most negative impacts on archaeological sites within the ANERR stem from wetland reallocation and shoreline erosion. Considering the longer course of the region’s environmental history, changes wrought by human interactions with the environment (like shoreline development and overly exploitative resource harvesting practices) are the most deleterious to fragile resources. These factors, coupled with archaeological site monitoring observations and the speed of wetland reallocation and shoreline erosion in the SLAMM outputs, even under a 1m SLR scenario, suggest that land managers in and around the ANERR should prioritize efforts to fully document these cultural resources. The timeline of site-specific climate impacts offered by the ATA can be a crucial tool for developing an effective planning system. Community Engagement The project’s archaeological site monitoring activities, SLAMM, and companion ATA provide insight into the current condition of cultural resources within the ANERR and predicted environmental change to those sites over time. While these datasets can help prioritize management efforts into the future, cultural resources like archaeological sites are a product of the communities of people that have passed through a particular place over time. For this reason, the material remains of archaeological sites and any cultural traditions associated with those sites may also hold significance for people living in the present. To answer this project’s research question about how local communities value ecosystem services within the ANERR, qualitative data analysis of the CCHAR audio transcriptions and the Qualtrics surveys reveals an essential connection between people and the environment through the repetition of certain themes or concepts (referred to here as “codes”). The second-most frequently occurring code was “water” (3.9%), with variations of that code relating to the waterfront (1.3%) and outdoor recreation (0.7%). Ecosystem services tied to the commercial exploitation of natural resources, both in the past and present, were also an important part of how participants identified with the local environment. The frequency of code occurrences related to the seafood industry (3.6%), the lumber industry (1.1%), the turpentine industry (1.1%), beekeeping (i.e., for tupelo honey), (0.2%), and the cotton industry (0.2%) suggests that the Apalachicola area community has closely tied economic success to natural resources. The seafood industry, likely because of its more recent significance to the community in the 20th and 21st centuries, was the third most frequently occurring code. Other code occurrences related to ecosystem services included food consumption (1.9%), the general value of natural resources (1.5%), natural resource preservation (0.9%), outdoor recreation (0.7%), hunting (0.6%), and ecotourism (0.4%). The CCHAR focus group workshops and Qualtrics survey responses collected during the project period also revealed a great deal about the Apalachicola area community’s concerns for its future. As a result of the shift away from a seafood industry-focused economy and toward a more modern Florida tourism/service economy, many people expressed a desire to retain the small town, working waterfront lifestyle that characterizes much of the area’s recent history. Indeed, “loss of connection to history” (4.1%) and “historic preservation” (4.1%) were the most frequently occurring codes in the CCHAR qualitative data analysis. With the introduction of new residents in Apalachicola, many seeking to retire in a beautiful location with a low cost of living, the existing community has begun to feel the pressures of tourism (3.2%), the flight of young people to bigger cities (2.4%), gentrification (1.7%), lack of employment opportunities suited to the existing workforce (1.5%), and higher prices overall (1.1%). Discussion Integrating Archaeological, Environmental, and Community Data One of the principal contributions of the “People of the Apalachicola System” project lies in its integrated methodology. Archaeological monitoring generated site-specific data on erosion, disturbance, and exposure; shoreline mapping created high-resolution quantitative baselines; and predictive modeling projected long-term trajectories under various climate change scenarios. These technical methods alone provided a rich body of evidence regarding the vulnerability of cultural heritage in the ANERR. Yet, they also risk reducing heritage to measurable “units” of risk, stripping it of the values that communities attach. Community engagement, through focus groups and surveys, shifted the project’s framework. Residents emphasized that burial grounds and sites linked to African American and Indigenous heritage must be prioritized, regardless of whether they face immediate physical destruction. They also defined heritage as encompassing not only tangible sites but living practices such as foodways, waterfront labor, and recreation. In this sense, heritage was seen as deeply embedded in daily life and identity. As one participant stated, “…coastal towns that have survived the longest [have] a working shore, where people who live here work the water and make their living doing so, and bringing that food back to the community, which then feeds what we eat…that is disappearing.” These perspectives complicate triage systems based solely on environmental vulnerability. Implications for Management and Policy The project’s findings also have clear implications for cultural resource management within and around the ANERR. Proactive professional documentation emerges as an urgent priority, especially as the vast majority of monitored sites are projected to be impacted by the effects of a changing climate within decades. Baseline recording through high-accuracy shoreline mapping will also serve both future researchers and community members seeking to remember landscapes that may be physically altered. Most importantly, the project highlights the need for dual prioritization systems. While predictive models can identify which sites are most vulnerable to climate-driven impacts, community perspectives reveal which sites and traditions hold local significance. Effective adaptation must consider both dimensions. The project likewise benefited from cross-sector collaboration (Fig. 5 ). Resource managers in the ANERR often lacked in-depth training in cultural heritage; conversely, the project’s archaeologists relied on land managers’ knowledge of ecological datasets. By treating ecological and cultural adaptation as interdependent processes, the project ultimately demonstrated the benefits of bringing these sectors together through collaboration and knowledge co-production. With limited resources, the most accessible and least invasive mitigation strategy remains continued site monitoring and documentation. Recordation and mapping tools, such as the high-accuracy shoreline surveys employed in this project, offer opportunities to study cultural resources and their impacts without further disturbance. When consistently repeated once or twice each year, these methods can generate robust longitudinal datasets while simultaneously creating digital archives of places that may not survive physical loss. At the same time, the project made clear that documentation alone is insufficient. Through CCHAR workshops, Qualtrics surveys, and other public engagement event opportunities, the project fostered stronger connections with key communities reliant on the Apalachicola system. Community members provided invaluable perspectives on heritage preservation priorities, which shaped the project’s interpretive and ethical dimensions. Ongoing dialogue has also helped build trust and mutual investment in long-term heritage stewardship. The project team continues to participate in public outreach, such as ANERR’s annual Estuaries Day, and is planning future projects to support community-led heritage initiatives among groups like the North Florida African American Corridor Project and the Hillside Coalition of Laborers for Apalachicola (H’Cola). These collaborative activities lay the groundwork for future co-created projects, including community-led conservation initiatives and expanded oral history collection. The relationship between archaeology and heritage is a complex one. Archaeological resources represent the tangible remains of the past, while heritage is an ongoing process through which communities select aspects of the past to incorporate into their present identities (B. Graham et al., 2000 ; Howard, 2003 ; Little & Shackel, 2014 ; L. Smith, 2006 ). Land managers and researchers must therefore weigh preservation decisions carefully. The data produced in this project may suggest straightforward strategies for prioritizing mitigation, but these sites are not simply research opportunities. As many participants emphasized, they are integral to cultural identity and collective memory in the Apalachicola system. The imperative moving forward is to ensure that these sites and traditions, shaped by people over thousands of years, remain part of an evolving heritage landscape, interpreted and stewarded in partnership with the people who continue to live there. The project also demonstrated that cultural data can be mobilized for decision-making frameworks in adaptation planning. By integrating SLAMM projections into an ATA, the project refined the evaluation of at-risk cultural heritage sites. SLAMM outputs indicate that even under a conservative 1-m SLR scenario, most of ANERR will transition to regularly flooded marsh by 2050, and to open water by 2100 under higher scenarios. The ATA classified sites into categories of anticipated impact, revealing that at least 13 of the 15 priority sites will be destroyed by the end of the century and that most of the recorded archaeological sites in ANERR face a significant risk. This finding provides urgency to proactive documentation efforts and the incorporation of heritage into climate adaptation planning. Importantly, the decision-making process developed here is not static: as site conditions change and climate models evolve, the ATA framework can be continuously updated to support proactive management strategies. In addition to monitoring and modeling, the project has already begun to shape interpretive and educational programming at the ANERR. Input from CCHAR workshops, survey responses, and archival research has deepened understanding of how past and present resource users interact with the Apalachicola system. This information has been incorporated into preliminary interpretive materials and is likely to continue informing exhibits, digital resources, and educational programming. While full integration of findings into the ANERR’s operations will evolve over time, the project has demonstrated how cultural resource data can enrich visitor education and public awareness, even when Reserve staff themselves are not heritage specialists. Ethical Dimensions The ethics of cultural resource management emerged as a recurring theme throughout the project. The discovery of human remains at the Van Horn Creek Shell Mound highlighted the vulnerability of Indigenous burial resources, but also the benefits of including Indigenous Knowledge in project planning. Consultation with the Seminole Tribe of Florida’s Tribal Historic Preservation Office emphasized the need for professional oversight in such contexts, ensuring that burial resources and human remains are treated with respect and in accordance with the expectations of the descendant community. CCHAR workshop and survey participants echoed this concern differently, emphasizing burial places as a top priority for preservation and impact mitigation. Climate-driven heritage loss is thus not only a technical or managerial issue, but also a deeply moral one. Decisions about which sites to document, preserve, or allow to disappear carry ethical weight, particularly when burial grounds, sacred sites, and places of memory are at stake. Equitable adaptation requires centering the voices of descendants and local communities in decision-making processes. Shared responsibility was another important theme related to preservation ethics. CCHAR workshop and survey participants expressed diverse views on who should bear responsibility for heritage preservation. Some emphasized local stewardship, while others stressed the need for state and federal agencies to allocate resources. The multiplicity of views reflects the complex governance environment of state- and federally protected reserves, where authority is distributed across agencies, local governments, and community groups. Limitations This project faced several limitations, one of which was the significant constraint on its duration. As a result of funding availability through the National Estuarine Research Reserve System Science Collaborative, priority site monitoring and mapping spanned only a single year and were insufficient to capture long-term changes. Survey data was also limited. The online Qualtrics survey yielded only 15 responses, restricting statistical representativeness. While the data provided valuable qualitative insights, sustained outreach is necessary in the future to capture a wide range of community views. Future surveys would also benefit from incorporating the perspectives of youth and groups underrepresented in the existing survey data. Modeling constraints were another limitation. SLAMM provides useful projections of gradual sea level rise but cannot model sudden storm events, storm surge, or other catastrophic processes that are often the most destructive forces in Gulf Coast environments. Ultimately, the project’s ATA may underestimate near-term impacts from extreme events. Future Directions Looking forward, the project team has identified several avenues for continued research and engagement. Some of this work will deepen scientific understanding of the region’s archaeological and geological landscape. Sediment coring and geophysical surveys can reconstruct the ecological history of Apalachicola Bay and refine our understanding of past human habitation patterns. GIS modeling would build on these datasets to further examine how people moved through and adapted to the system over time. Targeted geophysics at high-risk midden sites could also assess erosion patterns and material redistribution, answering a key question raised during monitoring: whether archaeological integrity remains beneath dispersed shell deposits along eroding shorelines. Long-term monitoring is also critical. Continued shoreline mapping of priority sites will provide insight into future changes within the ANERR, refining the ATA and informing management responses. These datasets, when accumulated across years, will serve both scientific and heritage needs by providing measurable evidence of change while potentially preserving digital surrogates of sites that may not endure. Community engagement and collaboration will continue to be a critical component of the project team’s future work in the Apalachicola area. CCHAR workshops revealed that residents are deeply concerned not only about archaeological sites but also about intangible cultural resources, practices such as oystering, boatbuilding, and tupelo honey production, that are tied to the natural environment. Participants also emphasized the importance of recording oral histories with elders and tradition bearers before these voices are lost. Priorities include documenting memories from residents of Apalachicola’s historic “The Hill” neighborhood, seafood industry workers, beekeepers, recreational sportsmen, and multi-generational families. These oral histories would complement archaeological data by capturing the lived experiences that animate heritage in the Apalachicola system. Finally, project outcomes stress the need for a synthesized interpretive plan that explicitly incorporates tangible and intangible cultural heritage into the ANERR’s public engagement initiatives. Reserve staff have already expressed interest in enhancing public education on heritage, and project findings demonstrate both the demand and the resources to do so. A plan that directly ties cultural heritage to ecosystem services, such as provisioning, regulating, supporting, and culture-informing, would be a valuable tool for interpretation and community outreach. Such efforts would also strengthen the ANERR’s position in integrated resource management. Future directions reflect the collaborative spirit at the heart of the “People of the Apalachicola System” project. This research was never envisioned as a one-off study, but as a launching point for deeper exploration, stronger partnerships, and long-term stewardship. The project succeeded not only in generating data but also in fostering relationships among researchers, land managers, and communities. It demonstrated that effective adaptation is not simply about technical capacity, but about co-creation, trust, and shared responsibility. The Apalachicola system, as a case study, also offers lessons with wider resonance. Climate-driven heritage loss is not unique to Florida; it is a global challenge. This project demonstrates how integrative and collaborative approaches can create actionable pathways forward. Documentation, modeling, and monitoring provide the evidence base; community dialogue provides the values system. Conclusion The findings of the “People of the Apalachicola System” project are striking, though not unexpected. Coastal archaeological sites in the ANERR are experiencing ongoing impact from climate and cultural pressure, a trend that is likely to persist well beyond 2100. Multiple lines of evidence support this reality: repeat site monitoring has revealed visible erosion and exposure, predictive modeling projects widespread inundation, shoreline mapping has documented several areas of retreat, and dialogue with residents has underscored community concern for both tangible and intangible heritage. Together, these datasets establish a clear directive for action on behalf of land managers and researchers. They also underscore that effective adaptation requires dual prioritization systems: one based on environmental vulnerability and another rooted in community-defined significance. Cultural heritage can and must be integrated into adaptation planning, both as a resource in its own right and as a contributor to the resilience of human communities. The results of this work matter because they establish a reproducible framework for cultural resource management within climate adaptation planning. By balancing technical assessments with community valuation, the project shows how preservation strategies can address both physical risk and community identity. Participants in the project repeatedly articulated that the loss of heritage is not only the loss of archaeological data but also the erosion of cultural continuity. As sea levels rise, storms intensify, and people shift across the global landscape, much will inevitably be lost. A great deal can be carried forward, however. The imperative now is to decide, in partnership with communities, what stories and places must be preserved, how they should be remembered, and how they can contribute to resilient futures. The Apalachicola system has been home to various human populations for over 12,000 years. As one CCHAR participant remarked, “Apalachicola is a place of powerful history.” Ensuring that descendants and modern communities remain active participants in documenting, interpreting, and shaping their evolving heritage is critically important. Declarations Ethics approval and consent to participate This study involved human participants in its Community Conversations on Heritage at Risk (CCHAR) workshops and online Qualtrics surveys. It was reviewed and approved by the University of West Florida Institutional Review Board (No. 2121961-1), as well as the University of St Andrews University Teaching and Research Ethics Committee (No. HI17435). Written informed consent was obtained from all participants prior to participation in focus groups and surveys. Consent for publication Not applicable. Availability of data and materials The datasets generated during the study are available via an Open Science Framework repository at https://osf.io/wsvgk/ or DOI 10.17605/OSF.IO/WSVGK. Due to the sensitive nature of archaeological site locational data and participant privacy, some materials cannot be made publicly available. Redacted data and metadata are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request. Competing interests The authors declare that they have no competing interests. Funding This work was sponsored by the National Estuarine Research Reserve System Science Collaborative, which supports collaborative research that addresses coastal management problems important to the reserves. The NERRS Science Collaborative is funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and managed by the University of Michigan Water Center (NA19NOS4190058). The funding body provided support for project implementation but had no role in data collection, analysis, interpretation of results, or the writing of this manuscript. Authors’ contributions NBG conceived the project, served as Principal Investigator, led implementation, conducted archaeological monitoring and analysis, directed community engagement, and drafted the manuscript. MT conducted archaeological monitoring and analysis, served as the primary community liaison, transcribed community engagement audio files, and acted as the project photographer. BB conducted archaeological monitoring and analysis, assisted with community engagement, and helped interpret transcribed engagement files. LC established the predictive modeling method used in this project, producing the data, images, and reporting related to the Sea Levels Affecting Marshes Model (SLAMM) and Archaeological Triage Assessment. All authors read and approved the final manuscript. Acknowledgments The authors thank the staff of the Apalachicola National Estuarine Research Reserve, as well as local representatives from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Florida State Parks, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the U.S. Forest Service for their collaboration and logistical support. We acknowledge and thank the Tribal Nations consulted for this project and value their guidance. The project is also grateful to Tom Dawson and Katie Eagleton at the University of St Andrews for providing expertise and supervision as part of Nicole Bucchino Grinnan’s doctoral program. The Florida Public Archaeology Network’s Kassie Kemp facilitated project data management, and Sarah Miller and Emily Jane Murray provided critical insight at all project stages. Finally, we are appreciative of the residents of the Apalachicola area whose participation shaped the outcomes and future directions of this work. We also extend our thanks to the volume editors for their thoughtful feedback and support throughout the publication process. References Alizad, K., Medeiros, S. C., Foster-Martinez, M. R., & Hagen, S. C. (2020). Model Sensitivity to Topographic Uncertainty in Meso- and Microtidal Marshes. IEEE Journal of Selected Topics in Applied Earth Observations and Remote Sensing , 13 , 807–814. IEEE Journal of Selected Topics in Applied Earth Observations and Remote Sensing. https://doi.org/10.1109/JSTARS.2020.2973490 Beven II, J. L., Berg, R., & Hagen, A. (2019). Hurricane Michael (AL142019) [National Hurricane Center Tropical Cyclone Report]. National Hurricane Center, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/data/tcr/AL142018_Michael.pdf Bucchino Grinnan, N., Dawson, T., Thomin, M., Brooks, B., Cochran, L., Kemp, K., & Marten, M. (2025). People of the Apalachicola System: Exploring Cultural Heritage to Support Ecosystem Planning, Management, and Adaptation [Dataset]. OSF. https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/WSVGK Cochran, L. (2024). Sea Level Affecting Marshes Model of the Apalachicola National Estuarine Research Reserve, Florida . Report to the University of West Florida. Dawson, T. (2015). Eroding Archaeology at the Coast: How a Global Problem is being Managed in Scotland, with Examples from the Western Isles. Journal of the North Atlantic , 9 , 83–98. Dawson, T., Hambly, J., & Graham, E. (2017). A central role for communities: Climate change and coastal heritage management in Scotland. In Public Archaeology and Climate Change (pp. 23–33). Oxbow Books. Donoghue, J. F., & White, N. M. (1995). Late Holocene Sea-Level Change and Delta Migration, Apalachicola River Region, Northwest Florida, U.S.A. Journal of Coastal Research , 11(3), 651–663. Dunbar, J. S., & Waller, B. I. (1983). 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Hydrobiologia , 850 (20), 4479–4496. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-023-05206-6 Graham, B., Ashworth, G., & Tunbridge, J. (2000). A Geography of Heritage . Oxford University Press. Graham, E., Hambly, J., & Dawson, T. (2017). Learning from Loss: Eroding Coastal Heritage in Scotland. Humanities , 6 (4), 87. https://doi.org/10.3390/h6040087 Hambly, J., Boyd, S., & Dawson, T. (2024). Community Coastal Zone Assessment Surveys: Methods and Experiences from Scotland. Advances in Archaeological Practice , 12 (3), 233–244. https://doi.org/10.1017/aap.2024.21 Howard, P. (2003). Heritage: Management, interpretation, identity . Continuum. Lees, W. B., Scott-Ireton, D. A., & Miller, S. E. (2015). Lessons Learned Along the Way: The Florida Public Archaeology Network after Ten Years. Public Archaeology , 14 (2), 92–114. https://doi.org/10.1080/14655187.2015.1112690 Little, B. J., & Shackel, P. A. (2014). Archaeology, Heritage, and Civic Engagement: Working toward the Public Good . Left Coast Press. Maine Geological Survey. (2024, September). Beach Mapping Shoreline Change—FAQ: Maine’s Geologic Hazards: Maine Geological Survey: Maine ACF . Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation, and Forestry. https://www.maine.gov/dacf/mgs/hazards/beach_mapping/faq.htm#q5 Miller, S. E., Kemp, K., & Murray, E. J. (2021). Heritage Monitoring Scouts: Assessing Archaeological Sites at Risk . Florida Division of Historical Resources. Miller, S. E., & Murray, E. J. (2018). Heritage Monitoring Scouts: Engaging the Public to Monitor Sites at Risk Across Florida. Conservation & Management of Archaeological Sites , 20 (4), 234–260. https://doi.org/10.1080/13505033.2018.1516455 Miller, S. E., Murray, E. J., Kemp, K., Lee, L., Simmons-Jenkins, G., Cochran, L., & Gaillard, M. (2024). North American Heritage at Risk (NAHAR) Research Pipeline and Collaborative Community. Advances in Archaeological Practice , 12 (3), 202–218. https://doi.org/10.1017/aap.2024.14 Murray, E. J., Miller, S. E., & Kemp, K. (2025). Collaborative Science and Digital Tools: Monitoring Heritage at Risk during the People of Guana Project. Journal of Field Archaeology , 50 (1), 81–94. https://doi.org/10.1080/00934690.2024.2439218 Office for Coastal Management. (2025). NOAA Digital Coast Sea Level Rise and Coastal Flooding Impacts Viewer [Dataset]. https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inport/item/48241 Smith, K. E. L., Terrano, J. F., Pitchford, J. L., & Archer, M. J. (2021). Coastal Wetland Shoreline Change Monitoring: A Comparison of Shorelines from High-Resolution WorldView Satellite Imagery, Aerial Imagery, and Field Surveys. Remote Sensing , 13 (15), Article 15. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs13153030 Smith, L. (2006). Uses of Heritage . Routledge. Tyler, W. D. (2008). The Paleoindian Chipola: A Site Distribution Analysis and Review of Collector Contributions in the Apalachicola River Valley, Northwest Florida [University of South Florida]. https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/etd/541 White, N. M. (2024a). Apalachicola Valley Archaeology, Volume 1: Prehistory Through the Middle Woodland Period . University of Alabama Press. White, N. M. (2024b). Apalachicola Valley Archaeology, Volume 2: The Late Woodland Period Through Recent History . University of Alabama Press. Footnotes https://fpan.us/hmsflorida https://osf.io/wsvgk/ Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted Reviewers agreed at journal 06 Oct, 2025 Editor invited by journal 01 Oct, 2025 Editor assigned by journal 30 Sep, 2025 First submitted to journal 30 Sep, 2025 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. 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14:29:12","extension":"html","order_by":19,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":133322,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"earlyproof.html","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7753414/v1/6fe7997aa8b6eaa4a545d129.html"},{"id":93843569,"identity":"615880db-fd9a-4eca-b331-91f54f89080c","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-10-18 14:29:12","extension":"jpg","order_by":1,"title":"Figure 1","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":143272,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eThe Apalachicola National Estuarine Research Reserve (ANERR), bounded here in red, includes over 234,000 acres of land and aquatic areas. Figure by author.\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"1.jpg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7753414/v1/b9951bca485919ad4ffeb915.jpg"},{"id":93842701,"identity":"e9928d2f-abd2-4b90-899b-26e33afc73da","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-10-18 14:21:12","extension":"jpg","order_by":2,"title":"Figure 2","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":353818,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eRepresentative site types in the project, including (a.) St George Plantation-Leisure Properties (8FR00079), an eroding shell midden with a large amount of shell and precontact Indigenous ceramics in the intertidal zone, (b.) Nine Mile Point (8FR00009), an aggressively eroding shell midden with areas of undercut shoreline vegetation, (c.) Cape St George Lighthouse Keepers Quarters (8FR00747), remains of 19th and 20th century structures supporting the Cape St. George Lighthouse, which collapsed into the Gulf of Mexico in 2005, (d.) Turpentine Camp (8FR00759), remains of a temporary settlement on Little St. George Island to exploit pine tree resources for the area’s 20th-century turpentine industry, (e.) Creels (8FR00863), a 20th-century town associated with the turpentine and lumber industries, and (f.) Lewis Leland Headstone (8FR01380), a solitary marble headstone on Little St. George Island that may be related to the death and burial of a local sailor at sea\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"2.jpg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7753414/v1/b694ce864d794bb7a9cefbd8.jpg"},{"id":93842698,"identity":"3320e4dd-622c-4ab4-b222-746bc11417cd","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-10-18 14:21:12","extension":"jpg","order_by":3,"title":"Figure 3","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":393374,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eA scatter of oyster shell and precontact Indigenous ceramics from the Saint George West (8FR00024) midden’s intertidal zone. Photo by Mike Thomin, Northwest Florida Maritime Landscape Alliance for Preservation.\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"3.jpg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7753414/v1/f8d6293652df2047a6591c4b.jpg"},{"id":93843748,"identity":"1853ebe6-0841-4721-9c3d-dab20d644eea","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-10-18 14:37:12","extension":"jpg","order_by":4,"title":"Figure 4","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":78451,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eResults of SLAMM within the ANERR for 1m SLR at a 25-year time increment. Figure by Lindsey Cochran, East Tennessee State University (2024).\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"4.jpg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7753414/v1/2a7d8b9dde04a284e6873278.jpg"},{"id":93842706,"identity":"291d2b60-4cc1-4655-a805-b7c2b8697644","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-10-18 14:21:12","extension":"jpg","order_by":5,"title":"Figure 5","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":81329,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eResults of the ATA within the ANERR for 1m SLR at a 25-year time increment. Figure by Lindsey Cochran, East Tennessee State University (2024).\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"5.jpg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7753414/v1/14a32afde74113621007d487.jpg"},{"id":93843570,"identity":"9a27fa12-3842-4593-b153-9acfd2e0d2be","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-10-18 14:29:12","extension":"jpg","order_by":6,"title":"Figure 6","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":561751,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eA collaborative team of researchers from the University of West Florida, Florida Public Archaeology Network, and the ANERR monitored several archaeological sites together, including the Van Horn Creek Shell Mound (8FR00744). Photo by Mike Thomin, Northwest Florida Maritime Landscape Alliance for Preservation.\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"6.jpg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7753414/v1/97f6c5a38fb38b448d5a1f1c.jpg"},{"id":93844532,"identity":"e3764280-59aa-4d98-b67b-5b6a4ebd76b9","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-10-18 14:53:13","extension":"pdf","order_by":0,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":2537468,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"manuscript.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7753414/v1/fd183e3b-c34c-40c7-bfaf-28b3f2798476.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"","formattedTitle":"\"People of the Apalachicola System:\" Assessing Risk and Value through Integrated Cultural Heritage Management Prioritization Frameworks","fulltext":[{"header":"Introduction","content":"\u003cp\u003eSituated along Florida\u0026rsquo;s northern Gulf of Mexico coast, the Apalachicola River and Bay system is one of the most ecologically and culturally distinctive estuarine landscapes in the United States. Encompassing more than 234,000 acres, the Apalachicola National Estuarine Research Reserve (ANERR) spans a large portion of this system, including the lower 52 miles of the Apalachicola River, its vast floodplain, Apalachicola Bay, and three barrier islands (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e). The landscape is also a UNESCO World Biosphere Region and supports an extraordinary biodiversity of over 1,300 plant species, 40 amphibian species, 80 reptile species, 50 mammal species, 300 bird species, and 270 fish species (Florida Office of Resilience and Coastal Protection, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR10\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2025\u003c/span\u003e, p. 9). Human communities have inhabited and shaped the region for at least 12,000 years, leaving behind archaeological remains and cultural traditions that attest to a profound connection with natural resources (Donoghue \u0026amp; White, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR7\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1995\u003c/span\u003e; Dunbar \u0026amp; Waller, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR8\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1983\u003c/span\u003e; Tyler, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR26\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2008\u003c/span\u003e; White, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR27\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2024a\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR28\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2024b\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDespite this rich human history, many aspects of the area\u0026rsquo;s tangible and intangible heritage remain poorly documented, and the cultural landscapes of the Apalachicola system are under acute threat. Hurricanes, storm surge, flooding, and shoreline erosion are visibly affecting archaeological sites, while anthropogenically influenced impacts, including upstream water diversion and shifting economies, further destabilize both ecosystems and heritage resources (Beven II et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR2\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2019\u003c/span\u003e; Fang et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR9\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2022\u003c/span\u003e; Florida Office of Resilience and Coastal Protection, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR10\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2025\u003c/span\u003e). Climate change projections suggest that sea level rise will accelerate these processes, potentially inundating large portions of the Reserve within several decades (Office for Coastal Management, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR23\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2025\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWithin this context of change, a collaborative team of researchers developed the \u0026ldquo;People of the Apalachicola System\u0026rdquo; project. Funded by a 2023 NOAA National Estuarine Research Reserve System (NERRS) Science Collaborative Catalyst Grant, the one-year project aimed to explore the intersection of cultural heritage with ecosystem planning, management, and adaptation in the context of climate change. Specifically, the project asked three interrelated questions:\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003col\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhat ecosystem services have people, past and present, used and valued in the Apalachicola system?\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cp\u003eHow are cultural heritage resources within ANERR being impacted by climate change and other pressures?\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cp\u003eHow can integrated approaches inform ecosystem planning and adaptation?\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/ol\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTo answer these questions, the project combined archaeological site monitoring, shoreline mapping, and predictive modeling with ethnographic methods, including Community Conversations on Heritage at Risk (CCHAR) workshops and online Qualtrics surveys. The combined methodological approach was designed around the recognition that heritage at risk cannot be understood through technical documentation alone but must also account for the meanings and values that communities attach to heritage.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe Apalachicola project was built on and contributes to a broader movement of heritage-at-risk research. Internationally, Scotland\u0026rsquo;s Scottish Coastal Archaeology and the Problem of Erosion (SCAPE) Trust has pioneered large-scale coastal monitoring since 2000. Through Coastal Zone Assessment surveys inherited from Historic Environments Scotland, SCAPE and its partners documented more than 12,000 archaeological sites, ultimately prioritizing 940 as the most vulnerable (Dawson, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR5\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2015\u003c/span\u003e; E. Graham et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR13\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2017\u003c/span\u003e). Scotland\u0026rsquo;s Coastal Heritage at Risk Project (SCHARP), launched in 2012, expanded this effort by creating mobile apps (ShoreUPDATE\u003cem\u003e)\u003c/em\u003e and community-led research projects (ShoreDIG) that empowered residents to record and interpret threatened heritage (Dawson et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR6\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2017\u003c/span\u003e; E. Graham et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR13\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2017\u003c/span\u003e; Hambly et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR14\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2024\u003c/span\u003e). Although the SCHARP initiative ended in 2016, SCAPE has continued to support both the app and public engagement work. In Scotland, SCAPE and SCHARP ultimately established an influential model of community-driven, technology-enabled heritage monitoring.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn the United States, the Florida Public Archaeology Network (FPAN) adapted these concepts to create Heritage Monitoring Scouts (HMS) Florida in 2016. HMS Florida mobilizes volunteers and land managers to record climate-driven impacts on sites across Florida. The effort built a database of hundreds of monitored sites within its first years (Lees et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR16\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2015\u003c/span\u003e; Miller et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR19\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2021\u003c/span\u003e; Miller \u0026amp; Murray, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR20\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2018\u003c/span\u003e). Unlike in Scotland, HMS Florida also innovated under limiting conditions in the U.S.: federal and state restrictions on site locational data required secure databases, signed permits, and volunteer vetting for all program initiatives. Such restrictions are necessary because the publication of exact site coordinates can facilitate looting, vandalism, or unregulated collecting, which are persistent behaviors threatening archaeological resources. In the U.S., restricting this information among land managers and cultural resources professionals is seen as a way to protect vulnerable sites while providing a means to permit legitimate research and compliance work.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBuilding on HMS Florida, FPAN and partners helped establish North American Heritage at Risk (NAHAR) in 2020. NAHAR proposed a standardized five-step pipeline of predictive modeling, monitoring, stakeholder engagement, prioritization, and mitigation (Miller et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR21\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2024\u003c/span\u003e). Its first major application was the \u0026ldquo;People of Guana\u0026rdquo; project in the Guana Tolomato Matanzas National Estuarine Research Reserve. Modeling produced for the project predicted that more than half of the 26 surveyed sites would be threatened by sea level rise by 2100 (Murray et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR22\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2025\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ePrecedents set by SCAPE/SCHARP, HMS Florida, and NAHAR informed the design of the \u0026ldquo;People of the Apalachicola\u0026rdquo; project, which also sought to integrate technical and community methods into a single case study area. Like these projects, the Apalachicola project explicitly framed cultural heritage as an ecosystem service (Miller \u0026amp; Murray, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR20\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2018\u003c/span\u003e). For example, as revealed through the project\u0026rsquo;s Community Conversations on Heritage at Risk (CCHAR) workshops, shell middens illustrate provisioning through harvested resources while also embodying cultural significance as places of memory. The use of shellfish resources from Apalachicola Bay among Indigenous communities also provides a strong correlation to Apalachicola\u0026rsquo;s identity today as a major seafood exporter. Similarly, historical forts, burial grounds, and industrial sites reveal strategic use of natural resources for defense, social order, and labor, while also serving as symbols of present-day community distinctiveness. In this way, cultural heritage serves as both a legacy of past human interactions with the environment and as an active force that shapes contemporary life in the Apalachicola system. Framing heritage in this way can embed it into conceptual frameworks used by ecosystem planners and managers, positioning cultural heritage not as a separate concern but as integral to the broader goals of resilience and adaptation.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Methods","content":"\u003cp\u003eThe \u0026ldquo;People of the Apalachicola System\u0026rdquo; project employed a mixed-methods approach that included archaeological documentation, geospatial modeling, and ethnographic engagement to investigate cultural heritage vulnerability in the Apalachicola National Estuarine Research Reserve (ANERR). This integration was designed to generate a comprehensive dataset capable of addressing both the physical conditions of cultural resources and the social values communities attach to them.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cdiv id=\"Sec3\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\u003ch2\u003eArchival Research and Site Selection\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe project began with a review of archival materials and secondary sources, supplemented by a review of entries in the Florida Master Site File (FMSF). The goal of this initial research was to establish a baseline of cultural resources previously recorded within ANERR and its immediate surroundings. The review incorporated early state surveys, unpublished reports, local histories, and published archaeological syntheses. From this inventory, 20 \u0026ldquo;high priority\u0026rdquo; sites were initially identified for project monitoring in consultation with the ANERR\u0026rsquo;s Stewardship Coordinator. Selection criteria included:\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003col\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cp\u003eIntegrity of archaeological remains, as assessed through prior reports and site records;\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cp\u003eEnvironmental representation, making sure that sites spanned barrier islands, riverine floodplains, and bay shorelines;\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cp\u003eAccessibility for field teams under logistical constraints; and,\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cp\u003eRepresentation of cultural affiliations, including Indigenous, colonial, early American, and industrial-era communities.\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/ol\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAfter a preliminary field evaluation of logistical feasibility, 15 of these sites were selected for repeat monitoring during the project\u0026rsquo;s one-year period (Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e)(Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab1\" border=\"1\"\u003e\u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 1\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e\u003cp\u003ePriority Apalachicola Reserve archaeological sites list for monitoring and assessment.\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/caption\u003e\u003ccolgroup cols=\"4\"\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cthead\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eFlorida Master Site File (FMSF) Number\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eSite Name\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003ePrimary Cultural Affiliation(s) as listed in the FMSF\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eSelected for Monitoring?\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003c/thead\u003e\u003ctbody\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e8FR00001\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003ePorter\u0026rsquo;s Bar\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eAmerican 1821-present; Deptford 700BC-300BC; Early Woodland; Ft Walton AD1000-1500\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eY\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e8FR00009\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eNine Mile Point\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eDeptford 700BC-300BC; Santa Rosa-Swift Creek; Weeden Island\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eY\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e8FR00024\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eSaint George West\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eFt Walton AD1000-1500\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eY\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e8FR00064\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eFort Gadsden Historic Memorial\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eAfrican-American; American Acquisition and Development 1821-45; British 1763\u0026ndash;1783; Civil War 1861\u0026ndash;1865; Second Spanish Period 1783\u0026ndash;1821; Seminole 1716-present\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eY\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e8FR00079\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eSt George Plantation-Leisure Properties\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eFt Walton AD1000-1500\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eY\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e8FR00359\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eFort Mallory\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eAmerican 1821-present\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eY\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e8FR00744\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eVan Horn Creek Shell Mound\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eFt. Walton AD1000-1500; Late Archaic\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eY\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e8FR00745\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eHendrix 2\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eWeeden Island AD450-1000\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eY\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e8FR00747\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eCape St George Lighthouse Keepers Quarters\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eAmerican 1821-present; American \u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;19th Century 1821\u0026ndash;1899; American-20th Century\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eY\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e8FR00749\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eTurpentine Camp\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eAmerican 1821-present\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eY\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e8FR00845\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eLate PM Midden\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eFt Walton AD1000-1500; Leon-Jefferson; Prehistoric-Ceramic; Prehistoric-Unspecified; Weeden Island AD450-1000\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eY\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e8FR00863\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eCreels\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eAfrican-American; American-20th Century; Boom Times 1921\u0026ndash;1929; Depression/New Deal 1930\u0026ndash;1940; Prehistoric-Aceramic\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eY\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e8FR00952\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eBluff Road Landing\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eAmerican-19th Century 1821\u0026ndash;1899; American-20th Century\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eY\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e8FR01300\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eMarshall House Field Station Main House\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eHistoric structure: frame vernacular\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eY\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e8FR01380\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eLewis Leland Headstone\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eHistoric cemetery: abandoned\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eY\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e8FR00013\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eFive Mile Point\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eFt Walton AD1000-1500\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eN\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e8FR00746\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003ePilots Cove\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003ePrehistoric-unspecified\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eN\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e8FR00862\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eHigh Bluff Homestead\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eAmerican-20th Century\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eN\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e8FR00876\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eBloody Bluff Landing\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eAmerican-19th Century 1821\u0026ndash;1899; American-20th Century; Boom Times 1921\u0026ndash;1929\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eN\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e8FR01303\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003ePoor Man\u0026rsquo;s Creek Site\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eFirst Spanish Period 1513\u0026ndash;1599; Ft Walton AD1000-1500; Mississippian; Weeden Island II; Contact period\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eN\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003c/tbody\u003e\u003c/colgroup\u003e\u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eArchaeological Site Monitoring\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eArchaeological site monitoring followed protocols established by the Florida Public Archaeology Network\u0026rsquo;s HMS Florida program (Miller \u0026amp; Murray, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR20\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2018\u003c/span\u003e).\u003csup\u003e1\u003c/sup\u003e The project\u0026rsquo;s fieldwork team visited each of the 15 high-priority sites three times, spaced at two-month intervals, to capture seasonal variability in conditions. At each visit, standardized HMS Florida recording forms documented arrival information (date, time, weather, tidal state), site condition (visible erosion, flooding, storm surge impacts, vegetation growth, or anthropogenic disturbance), and management recommendations. Photographs were systematically taken from the site center outward toward the periphery, along the four cardinal directions, and from the periphery inward to the center, along the same four cardinal directions. Opportunistic photographs of exposed artifacts or eroded deposits were also taken when encountered.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAs outlined in the project design, the fieldwork team adhered to a non-disturbance policy that prohibited the collection of archaeological remains during monitoring. Several factors informed this approach. First, since the project had no planned excavations, artifacts and features could be reasonably documented through photography without being brought to a laboratory facility. Second, consultation with Tribal Nations emphasized that most midden and mound sites included in the project for monitoring contained burials or burial resources according to Indigenous Knowledge. As a result, consulting Tribes requested that no collection occur. Third, the project sought to avoid adding to the ongoing curation crisis in Florida and beyond, where archaeological collections facilities are already overburdened with artifacts lacking required resources for long-term care. These considerations reflect an effort to respect the perspectives of descendant communities, adhere to best practices in site stewardship, and prioritize on-site documentation as an ethical and sustainable strategy for monitoring.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFollowing each visit, data were uploaded to the secure HMS Florida Arches database, where locational information is protected from public disclosure. In addition to visual observation, monitoring incorporated opportunistic ethnobotanical and geomorphic observations. Vegetative growth, presence of exposed roots, and soil compaction were noted as secondary indicators of erosional stress. Where archaeological deposits were exposed, particularly at mound and midden sites, faunal and shellfish remains were recorded qualitatively to provide context for potential historical resource use.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eShoreline Mapping\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAs many of the project\u0026rsquo;s priority sites were located on erosional margins, high-accuracy shoreline mapping was undertaken. Mapping employed an Arrow Gold GNSS receiver connected via Bluetooth to handheld devices running ArcGIS Field Maps. Each receiver was configured to receive real-time kinematic (RTK) corrections from the Florida Permanent Reference Network (FPRN), achieving sub-centimeter horizontal and vertical accuracy under ideal conditions.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSurveyors walked the vegetative edge (defined as the landward limit of grasses, shrubs, or larger trees) of these shorelines since vegetation retreat or visibly undercut vegetation often corresponds to shoreline erosion (Maine Geological Survey, 2024; K. E. L. Smith et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR24\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2021\u003c/span\u003e). Individual points were collected at approximately 1.5m intervals to create detailed datasets. Each shoreline was mapped three times at two-month intervals. Data quality control involved removing spurious points (caused by canopy interference or user error) and verifying alignment with aerial imagery in ArcGIS to confirm accuracy.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003ePredictive Modeling and Archaeological Triage Assessment\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTo estimate long-term impacts of sea level rise, the project used a Sea Levels Affecting Marshes Model (SLAMM) developed by team member Dr. Lindsey Cochran. Inputs included LiDAR-derived DEMs (1.5m vertical interval), slope and aspect layers, and National Wetlands Inventory (NWI) classifications. SLAMM outputs projected wetland reallocation under 1m, 1.5m, and 2m global mean sea level rise scenarios, modeled through 2100 in 25-year increments. These outputs were then used to create an Archaeological Triage Assessment (ATA) (Cochran, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR4\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2024\u003c/span\u003e). Each of the 15 priority sites was assigned a status of \u0026ldquo;safe,\u0026rdquo; \u0026ldquo;threatened,\u0026rdquo; \u0026ldquo;damaged,\u0026rdquo; or \u0026ldquo;destroyed\u0026rdquo; for each modeled interval. Classifications were based on the intersection of site polygons with projected wetland categories (Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e). For example, sites within projected tidal flats by 2075 were considered \u0026ldquo;damaged,\u0026rdquo; while those submerged in estuarine open water by 2100 were considered \u0026ldquo;destroyed.\u0026rdquo; The goal of this predictive modeling and companion ATA is to provide ANERR land managers with temporal trajectories of risk through the next 75 years based on available datasets.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTable 2.\u003c/strong\u003e Relevant SLAMM/NWI Category Conversions to Cochran\u0026rsquo;s (2024) Apalachicola Reserve Archaeological Triage Assessment (ATA).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ctable style=\"border-collapse: collapse;border: none;width: 491px;\"\u003e\n \u003ctbody\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 53.5pt;border: 1pt solid windowtext;background: rgb(242, 242, 242);padding: 0cm 5.4pt;height: 24.2pt;vertical-align: top;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin:0cm;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;line-height:115%;'\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size:13px;line-height:115%;color:black;\"\u003eSLAMM Category\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/strong\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size:13px;line-height:115%;color:black;\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 139.5pt;border-top: 1pt solid windowtext;border-right: 1pt solid windowtext;border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext;border-image: initial;border-left: none;background: rgb(242, 242, 242);padding: 0cm 5.4pt;height: 24.2pt;vertical-align: top;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin:0cm;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;line-height:115%;'\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size:13px;line-height:115%;color:black;\"\u003eNational Wetlands Inventory Category\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/strong\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size:13px;line-height:115%;color:black;\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 63pt;border-top: 1pt solid windowtext;border-right: 1pt solid windowtext;border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext;border-image: initial;border-left: none;background: rgb(242, 242, 242);padding: 0cm 5.4pt;height: 24.2pt;vertical-align: top;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin:0cm;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;line-height:115%;'\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size:13px;line-height:115%;color:black;\"\u003eModel Color Code\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 112.5pt;border-top: 1pt solid windowtext;border-right: 1pt solid windowtext;border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext;border-image: initial;border-left: none;background: rgb(242, 242, 242);padding: 0cm 5.4pt;height: 24.2pt;vertical-align: top;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin:0cm;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;line-height:115%;'\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size:13px;line-height:115%;color:black;\"\u003eArchaeological Triage Assessment\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/strong\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size:13px;line-height:115%;color:black;\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 53.5pt;border-right: 1pt solid windowtext;border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext;border-left: 1pt solid windowtext;border-image: initial;border-top: none;padding: 0cm 5.4pt;height: 13.5pt;vertical-align: top;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin:0cm;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;line-height:150%;'\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size:13px;line-height:150%;\"\u003e1\u0026nbsp;\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 139.5pt;border-top: none;border-left: none;border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext;border-right: 1pt solid windowtext;padding: 0cm 5.4pt;height: 13.5pt;vertical-align: top;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin:0cm;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;line-height:150%;'\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size:13px;line-height:150%;\"\u003eDeveloped Dry Land\u0026nbsp;\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 63pt;border-top: none;border-left: none;border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext;border-right: 1pt solid windowtext;padding: 0cm 5.4pt;height: 13.5pt;vertical-align: top;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin:0cm;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;line-height:150%;'\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size:13px;line-height:150%;\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 112.5pt;border-top: none;border-left: none;border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext;border-right: 1pt solid windowtext;padding: 0cm 5.4pt;height: 13.5pt;vertical-align: top;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin:0cm;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;line-height:150%;'\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size:13px;line-height:150%;\"\u003eNo impacts\u0026nbsp;\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 53.5pt;border-right: 1pt solid windowtext;border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext;border-left: 1pt solid windowtext;border-image: initial;border-top: none;padding: 0cm 5.4pt;height: 13.5pt;vertical-align: top;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin:0cm;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;line-height:150%;'\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size:13px;line-height:150%;\"\u003e2\u0026nbsp;\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 139.5pt;border-top: none;border-left: none;border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext;border-right: 1pt solid windowtext;padding: 0cm 5.4pt;height: 13.5pt;vertical-align: top;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin:0cm;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;line-height:150%;'\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size:13px;line-height:150%;\"\u003eUndeveloped Dry Land\u0026nbsp;\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 63pt;border-top: none;border-left: none;border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext;border-right: 1pt solid windowtext;background: rgb(217, 217, 217);padding: 0cm 5.4pt;height: 13.5pt;vertical-align: top;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin:0cm;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;line-height:150%;'\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size:13px;line-height:150%;color:black;\"\u003e\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 112.5pt;border-top: none;border-left: none;border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext;border-right: 1pt solid windowtext;padding: 0cm 5.4pt;height: 13.5pt;vertical-align: top;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin:0cm;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;line-height:150%;'\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size:13px;line-height:150%;\"\u003eNo impacts\u0026nbsp;\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 53.5pt;border-right: 1pt solid windowtext;border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext;border-left: 1pt solid windowtext;border-image: initial;border-top: none;padding: 0cm 5.4pt;height: 13.5pt;vertical-align: top;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin:0cm;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;line-height:150%;'\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size:13px;line-height:150%;\"\u003e3\u0026nbsp;\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 139.5pt;border-top: none;border-left: none;border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext;border-right: 1pt solid windowtext;padding: 0cm 5.4pt;height: 13.5pt;vertical-align: top;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin:0cm;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;line-height:150%;'\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size:13px;line-height:150%;\"\u003eNontidal Swamp\u0026nbsp;\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 63pt;border-top: none;border-left: none;border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext;border-right: 1pt solid windowtext;background: yellow;padding: 0cm 5.4pt;height: 13.5pt;vertical-align: top;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin:0cm;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;line-height:150%;'\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size:13px;line-height:150%;\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 112.5pt;border-top: none;border-left: none;border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext;border-right: 1pt solid windowtext;padding: 0cm 5.4pt;height: 13.5pt;vertical-align: top;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin:0cm;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;line-height:150%;'\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size:13px;line-height:150%;\"\u003eThreatened\u0026nbsp;\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 53.5pt;border-right: 1pt solid windowtext;border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext;border-left: 1pt solid windowtext;border-image: initial;border-top: none;padding: 0cm 5.4pt;height: 13.5pt;vertical-align: top;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin:0cm;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;line-height:150%;'\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size:13px;line-height:150%;\"\u003e4\u0026nbsp;\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 139.5pt;border-top: none;border-left: none;border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext;border-right: 1pt solid windowtext;padding: 0cm 5.4pt;height: 13.5pt;vertical-align: top;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin:0cm;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;line-height:150%;'\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size:13px;line-height:150%;\"\u003eCypress Swamp\u0026nbsp;\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 63pt;border-top: none;border-left: none;border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext;border-right: 1pt solid windowtext;background: red;padding: 0cm 5.4pt;height: 13.5pt;vertical-align: top;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin:0cm;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;line-height:150%;'\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size:13px;line-height:150%;\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 112.5pt;border-top: none;border-left: none;border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext;border-right: 1pt solid windowtext;padding: 0cm 5.4pt;height: 13.5pt;vertical-align: top;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin:0cm;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;line-height:150%;'\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size:13px;line-height:150%;\"\u003eDestroyed/Submerged\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 53.5pt;border-right: 1pt solid windowtext;border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext;border-left: 1pt solid windowtext;border-image: initial;border-top: none;padding: 0cm 5.4pt;height: 13.5pt;vertical-align: top;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin:0cm;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;line-height:150%;'\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size:13px;line-height:150%;\"\u003e5\u0026nbsp;\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 139.5pt;border-top: none;border-left: none;border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext;border-right: 1pt solid windowtext;padding: 0cm 5.4pt;height: 13.5pt;vertical-align: top;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin:0cm;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;line-height:150%;'\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size:13px;line-height:150%;\"\u003eInland Fresh Marsh\u0026nbsp;\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 63pt;border-top: none;border-left: none;border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext;border-right: 1pt solid windowtext;background: yellow;padding: 0cm 5.4pt;height: 13.5pt;vertical-align: top;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin:0cm;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;line-height:150%;'\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size:13px;line-height:150%;\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 112.5pt;border-top: none;border-left: none;border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext;border-right: 1pt solid windowtext;padding: 0cm 5.4pt;height: 13.5pt;vertical-align: top;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin:0cm;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;line-height:150%;'\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size:13px;line-height:150%;\"\u003eThreatened\u0026nbsp;\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 53.5pt;border-right: 1pt solid windowtext;border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext;border-left: 1pt solid windowtext;border-image: initial;border-top: none;padding: 0cm 5.4pt;height: 13.5pt;vertical-align: top;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin:0cm;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;line-height:150%;'\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size:13px;line-height:150%;\"\u003e6\u0026nbsp;\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 139.5pt;border-top: none;border-left: none;border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext;border-right: 1pt solid windowtext;padding: 0cm 5.4pt;height: 13.5pt;vertical-align: top;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin:0cm;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;line-height:150%;'\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size:13px;line-height:150%;\"\u003eTidal Fresh Marsh\u0026nbsp;\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 63pt;border-top: none;border-left: none;border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext;border-right: 1pt solid windowtext;background: rgb(255, 192, 0);padding: 0cm 5.4pt;height: 13.5pt;vertical-align: top;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin:0cm;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;line-height:150%;'\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size:13px;line-height:150%;\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 112.5pt;border-top: none;border-left: none;border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext;border-right: 1pt solid windowtext;padding: 0cm 5.4pt;height: 13.5pt;vertical-align: top;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin:0cm;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;line-height:150%;'\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size:13px;line-height:150%;\"\u003eDamaged\u0026nbsp;\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 53.5pt;border-right: 1pt solid windowtext;border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext;border-left: 1pt solid windowtext;border-image: initial;border-top: none;padding: 0cm 5.4pt;height: 13.5pt;vertical-align: top;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin:0cm;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;line-height:150%;'\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size:13px;line-height:150%;\"\u003e7\u0026nbsp;\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 139.5pt;border-top: none;border-left: none;border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext;border-right: 1pt solid windowtext;padding: 0cm 5.4pt;height: 13.5pt;vertical-align: top;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin:0cm;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;line-height:150%;'\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size:13px;line-height:150%;\"\u003eTransitional Marsh Scrub Shrub\u0026nbsp;\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 63pt;border-top: none;border-left: none;border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext;border-right: 1pt solid windowtext;background: yellow;padding: 0cm 5.4pt;height: 13.5pt;vertical-align: top;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin:0cm;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;line-height:150%;'\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size:13px;line-height:150%;\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 112.5pt;border-top: none;border-left: none;border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext;border-right: 1pt solid windowtext;padding: 0cm 5.4pt;height: 13.5pt;vertical-align: top;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin:0cm;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;line-height:150%;'\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size:13px;line-height:150%;\"\u003eThreatened\u0026nbsp;\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 53.5pt;border-right: 1pt solid windowtext;border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext;border-left: 1pt solid windowtext;border-image: initial;border-top: none;padding: 0cm 5.4pt;height: 13.5pt;vertical-align: top;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin:0cm;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;line-height:150%;'\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size:13px;line-height:150%;\"\u003e8\u0026nbsp;\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 139.5pt;border-top: none;border-left: none;border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext;border-right: 1pt solid windowtext;padding: 0cm 5.4pt;height: 13.5pt;vertical-align: top;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin:0cm;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;line-height:150%;'\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size:13px;line-height:150%;\"\u003eRegularly Flooded Saltmarsh\u0026nbsp;\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 63pt;border-top: none;border-left: none;border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext;border-right: 1pt solid windowtext;background: rgb(255, 192, 0);padding: 0cm 5.4pt;height: 13.5pt;vertical-align: top;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin:0cm;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;line-height:150%;'\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size:13px;line-height:150%;\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 112.5pt;border-top: none;border-left: none;border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext;border-right: 1pt solid windowtext;padding: 0cm 5.4pt;height: 13.5pt;vertical-align: top;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin:0cm;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;line-height:150%;'\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size:13px;line-height:150%;\"\u003eDamaged\u0026nbsp;\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 53.5pt;border-right: 1pt solid windowtext;border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext;border-left: 1pt solid windowtext;border-image: initial;border-top: none;padding: 0cm 5.4pt;height: 13.5pt;vertical-align: top;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin:0cm;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;line-height:150%;'\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size:13px;line-height:150%;\"\u003e9\u0026nbsp;\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 139.5pt;border-top: none;border-left: none;border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext;border-right: 1pt solid windowtext;padding: 0cm 5.4pt;height: 13.5pt;vertical-align: top;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin:0cm;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;line-height:150%;'\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size:13px;line-height:150%;\"\u003eMangrove\u0026nbsp;\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 63pt;border-top: none;border-left: none;border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext;border-right: 1pt solid windowtext;background: rgb(255, 192, 0);padding: 0cm 5.4pt;height: 13.5pt;vertical-align: top;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin:0cm;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;line-height:150%;'\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size:13px;line-height:150%;\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 112.5pt;border-top: none;border-left: none;border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext;border-right: 1pt solid windowtext;padding: 0cm 5.4pt;height: 13.5pt;vertical-align: top;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin:0cm;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;line-height:150%;'\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size:13px;line-height:150%;\"\u003eDamaged\u0026nbsp;\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 53.5pt;border-right: 1pt solid windowtext;border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext;border-left: 1pt solid windowtext;border-image: initial;border-top: none;padding: 0cm 5.4pt;height: 13.5pt;vertical-align: top;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin:0cm;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;line-height:150%;'\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size:13px;line-height:150%;\"\u003e10\u0026nbsp;\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 139.5pt;border-top: none;border-left: none;border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext;border-right: 1pt solid windowtext;padding: 0cm 5.4pt;height: 13.5pt;vertical-align: top;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin:0cm;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;line-height:150%;'\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size:13px;line-height:150%;\"\u003eEstuarine Beach\u0026nbsp;\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 63pt;border-top: none;border-left: none;border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext;border-right: 1pt solid windowtext;background: rgb(255, 192, 0);padding: 0cm 5.4pt;height: 13.5pt;vertical-align: top;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin:0cm;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;line-height:150%;'\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size:13px;line-height:150%;\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 112.5pt;border-top: none;border-left: none;border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext;border-right: 1pt solid windowtext;padding: 0cm 5.4pt;height: 13.5pt;vertical-align: top;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin:0cm;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;line-height:150%;'\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size:13px;line-height:150%;\"\u003eDamaged \u0026nbsp;\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 53.5pt;border-right: 1pt solid windowtext;border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext;border-left: 1pt solid windowtext;border-image: initial;border-top: none;padding: 0cm 5.4pt;height: 13.5pt;vertical-align: top;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin:0cm;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;line-height:150%;'\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size:13px;line-height:150%;\"\u003e11\u0026nbsp;\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 139.5pt;border-top: none;border-left: none;border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext;border-right: 1pt solid windowtext;padding: 0cm 5.4pt;height: 13.5pt;vertical-align: top;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin:0cm;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;line-height:150%;'\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size:13px;line-height:150%;\"\u003eTidal Flat\u0026nbsp;\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 63pt;border-top: none;border-left: none;border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext;border-right: 1pt solid windowtext;background: red;padding: 0cm 5.4pt;height: 13.5pt;vertical-align: top;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin:0cm;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;line-height:150%;'\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size:13px;line-height:150%;\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 112.5pt;border-top: none;border-left: none;border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext;border-right: 1pt solid windowtext;padding: 0cm 5.4pt;height: 13.5pt;vertical-align: top;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin:0cm;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;line-height:150%;'\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size:13px;line-height:150%;\"\u003eDestroyed/Submerged\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 53.5pt;border-right: 1pt solid windowtext;border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext;border-left: 1pt solid windowtext;border-image: initial;border-top: none;padding: 0cm 5.4pt;height: 13.5pt;vertical-align: top;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin:0cm;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;line-height:150%;'\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size:13px;line-height:150%;\"\u003e12\u0026nbsp;\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 139.5pt;border-top: none;border-left: none;border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext;border-right: 1pt solid windowtext;padding: 0cm 5.4pt;height: 13.5pt;vertical-align: top;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin:0cm;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;line-height:150%;'\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size:13px;line-height:150%;\"\u003eOcean Beach\u0026nbsp;\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 63pt;border-top: none;border-left: none;border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext;border-right: 1pt solid windowtext;background: rgb(255, 192, 0);padding: 0cm 5.4pt;height: 13.5pt;vertical-align: top;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin:0cm;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;line-height:150%;'\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size:13px;line-height:150%;\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 112.5pt;border-top: none;border-left: none;border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext;border-right: 1pt solid windowtext;padding: 0cm 5.4pt;height: 13.5pt;vertical-align: top;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin:0cm;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;line-height:150%;'\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size:13px;line-height:150%;\"\u003eDamaged\u0026nbsp;\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 53.5pt;border-right: 1pt solid windowtext;border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext;border-left: 1pt solid windowtext;border-image: initial;border-top: none;padding: 0cm 5.4pt;height: 13.5pt;vertical-align: top;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin:0cm;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;line-height:150%;'\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size:13px;line-height:150%;\"\u003e13\u0026nbsp;\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 139.5pt;border-top: none;border-left: none;border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext;border-right: 1pt solid windowtext;padding: 0cm 5.4pt;height: 13.5pt;vertical-align: top;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin:0cm;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;line-height:150%;'\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size:13px;line-height:150%;\"\u003eOcean Flat\u0026nbsp;\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 63pt;border-top: none;border-left: none;border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext;border-right: 1pt solid windowtext;background: rgb(255, 192, 0);padding: 0cm 5.4pt;height: 13.5pt;vertical-align: top;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin:0cm;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;line-height:150%;'\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size:13px;line-height:150%;\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 112.5pt;border-top: none;border-left: none;border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext;border-right: 1pt solid windowtext;padding: 0cm 5.4pt;height: 13.5pt;vertical-align: top;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin:0cm;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;line-height:150%;'\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size:13px;line-height:150%;\"\u003eDamaged\u0026nbsp;\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 53.5pt;border-right: 1pt solid windowtext;border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext;border-left: 1pt solid windowtext;border-image: initial;border-top: none;padding: 0cm 5.4pt;height: 13.5pt;vertical-align: top;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin:0cm;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;line-height:150%;'\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size:13px;line-height:150%;\"\u003e14\u0026nbsp;\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 139.5pt;border-top: none;border-left: none;border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext;border-right: 1pt solid windowtext;padding: 0cm 5.4pt;height: 13.5pt;vertical-align: top;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin:0cm;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;line-height:150%;'\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size:13px;line-height:150%;\"\u003eRocky Intertidal\u0026nbsp;\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 63pt;border-top: none;border-left: none;border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext;border-right: 1pt solid windowtext;background: rgb(255, 192, 0);padding: 0cm 5.4pt;height: 13.5pt;vertical-align: top;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin:0cm;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;line-height:150%;'\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size:13px;line-height:150%;\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 112.5pt;border-top: none;border-left: none;border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext;border-right: 1pt solid windowtext;padding: 0cm 5.4pt;height: 13.5pt;vertical-align: top;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin:0cm;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;line-height:150%;'\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size:13px;line-height:150%;\"\u003eDamaged\u0026nbsp;\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 53.5pt;border-right: 1pt solid windowtext;border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext;border-left: 1pt solid windowtext;border-image: initial;border-top: none;padding: 0cm 5.4pt;height: 13.5pt;vertical-align: top;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin:0cm;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;line-height:150%;'\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size:13px;line-height:150%;\"\u003e15\u0026nbsp;\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 139.5pt;border-top: none;border-left: none;border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext;border-right: 1pt solid windowtext;padding: 0cm 5.4pt;height: 13.5pt;vertical-align: top;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin:0cm;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;line-height:150%;'\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size:13px;line-height:150%;\"\u003eInland Open Water\u0026nbsp;\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 63pt;border-top: none;border-left: none;border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext;border-right: 1pt solid windowtext;background: red;padding: 0cm 5.4pt;height: 13.5pt;vertical-align: top;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin:0cm;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;line-height:150%;'\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size:13px;line-height:150%;\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 112.5pt;border-top: none;border-left: none;border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext;border-right: 1pt solid windowtext;padding: 0cm 5.4pt;height: 13.5pt;vertical-align: top;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin:0cm;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;line-height:150%;'\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size:13px;line-height:150%;\"\u003eDestroyed/Submerged\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 53.5pt;border-right: 1pt solid windowtext;border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext;border-left: 1pt solid windowtext;border-image: initial;border-top: none;padding: 0cm 5.4pt;height: 13.5pt;vertical-align: top;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin:0cm;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;line-height:150%;'\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size:13px;line-height:150%;\"\u003e16\u0026nbsp;\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 139.5pt;border-top: none;border-left: none;border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext;border-right: 1pt solid windowtext;padding: 0cm 5.4pt;height: 13.5pt;vertical-align: top;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin:0cm;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;line-height:150%;'\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size:13px;line-height:150%;\"\u003eRiverine Tidal Open Water\u0026nbsp;\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 63pt;border-top: none;border-left: none;border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext;border-right: 1pt solid windowtext;background: rgb(0, 112, 192);padding: 0cm 5.4pt;height: 13.5pt;vertical-align: top;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin:0cm;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;line-height:150%;'\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size:13px;line-height:150%;\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 112.5pt;border-top: none;border-left: none;border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext;border-right: 1pt solid windowtext;padding: 0cm 5.4pt;height: 13.5pt;vertical-align: top;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin:0cm;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;line-height:150%;'\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size:13px;line-height:150%;\"\u003eDestroyed\u0026nbsp;\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 53.5pt;border-right: 1pt solid windowtext;border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext;border-left: 1pt solid windowtext;border-image: initial;border-top: none;padding: 0cm 5.4pt;height: 13.5pt;vertical-align: top;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin:0cm;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;line-height:150%;'\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size:13px;line-height:150%;\"\u003e17\u0026nbsp;\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 139.5pt;border-top: none;border-left: none;border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext;border-right: 1pt solid windowtext;padding: 0cm 5.4pt;height: 13.5pt;vertical-align: top;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin:0cm;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;line-height:150%;'\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size:13px;line-height:150%;\"\u003eEstuarine Open Water\u0026nbsp;\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 63pt;border-top: none;border-left: none;border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext;border-right: 1pt solid windowtext;background: rgb(0, 112, 192);padding: 0cm 5.4pt;height: 13.5pt;vertical-align: top;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin:0cm;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;line-height:150%;'\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size:13px;line-height:150%;\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 112.5pt;border-top: none;border-left: none;border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext;border-right: 1pt solid windowtext;padding: 0cm 5.4pt;height: 13.5pt;vertical-align: top;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin:0cm;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;line-height:150%;'\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size:13px;line-height:150%;\"\u003eDestroyed\u0026nbsp;\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 53.5pt;border-right: 1pt solid windowtext;border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext;border-left: 1pt solid windowtext;border-image: initial;border-top: none;padding: 0cm 5.4pt;height: 13.5pt;vertical-align: top;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin:0cm;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;line-height:150%;'\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size:13px;line-height:150%;\"\u003e18\u0026nbsp;\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 139.5pt;border-top: none;border-left: none;border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext;border-right: 1pt solid windowtext;padding: 0cm 5.4pt;height: 13.5pt;vertical-align: top;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin:0cm;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;line-height:150%;'\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size:13px;line-height:150%;\"\u003eTidal Creek\u0026nbsp;\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 63pt;border-top: none;border-left: none;border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext;border-right: 1pt solid windowtext;background: rgb(0, 112, 192);padding: 0cm 5.4pt;height: 13.5pt;vertical-align: top;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin:0cm;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;line-height:150%;'\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size:13px;line-height:150%;\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 112.5pt;border-top: none;border-left: none;border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext;border-right: 1pt solid windowtext;padding: 0cm 5.4pt;height: 13.5pt;vertical-align: top;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin:0cm;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;line-height:150%;'\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size:13px;line-height:150%;\"\u003eDestroyed\u0026nbsp;\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 53.5pt;border-right: 1pt solid windowtext;border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext;border-left: 1pt solid windowtext;border-image: initial;border-top: none;padding: 0cm 5.4pt;height: 13.5pt;vertical-align: top;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin:0cm;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;line-height:150%;'\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size:13px;line-height:150%;\"\u003e19\u0026nbsp;\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 139.5pt;border-top: none;border-left: none;border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext;border-right: 1pt solid windowtext;padding: 0cm 5.4pt;height: 13.5pt;vertical-align: top;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin:0cm;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;line-height:150%;'\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size:13px;line-height:150%;\"\u003eOpen Ocean\u0026nbsp;\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 63pt;border-top: none;border-left: none;border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext;border-right: 1pt solid windowtext;background: rgb(0, 112, 192);padding: 0cm 5.4pt;height: 13.5pt;vertical-align: top;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin:0cm;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;line-height:150%;'\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size:13px;line-height:150%;\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 112.5pt;border-top: none;border-left: none;border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext;border-right: 1pt solid windowtext;padding: 0cm 5.4pt;height: 13.5pt;vertical-align: top;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin:0cm;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;line-height:150%;'\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size:13px;line-height:150%;\"\u003eDestroyed\u0026nbsp;\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 53.5pt;border-right: 1pt solid windowtext;border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext;border-left: 1pt solid windowtext;border-image: initial;border-top: none;padding: 0cm 5.4pt;height: 13.5pt;vertical-align: top;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin:0cm;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;line-height:150%;'\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size:13px;line-height:150%;\"\u003e20\u0026nbsp;\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 139.5pt;border-top: none;border-left: none;border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext;border-right: 1pt solid windowtext;padding: 0cm 5.4pt;height: 13.5pt;vertical-align: top;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin:0cm;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;line-height:150%;'\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size:13px;line-height:150%;\"\u003eBrackish Irregularly Flooded Marsh\u0026nbsp;\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 63pt;border-top: none;border-left: none;border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext;border-right: 1pt solid windowtext;background: rgb(255, 192, 0);padding: 0cm 5.4pt;height: 13.5pt;vertical-align: top;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin:0cm;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;line-height:150%;'\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size:13px;line-height:150%;\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 112.5pt;border-top: none;border-left: none;border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext;border-right: 1pt solid windowtext;padding: 0cm 5.4pt;height: 13.5pt;vertical-align: top;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin:0cm;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;line-height:150%;'\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size:13px;line-height:150%;\"\u003eDamaged\u0026nbsp;\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 53.5pt;border-right: 1pt solid windowtext;border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext;border-left: 1pt solid windowtext;border-image: initial;border-top: none;padding: 0cm 5.4pt;height: 13.5pt;vertical-align: top;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin:0cm;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;line-height:150%;'\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size:13px;line-height:150%;\"\u003e22\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 139.5pt;border-top: none;border-left: none;border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext;border-right: 1pt solid windowtext;padding: 0cm 5.4pt;height: 13.5pt;vertical-align: top;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin:0cm;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;line-height:150%;'\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size:13px;line-height:150%;\"\u003eInland Shore\u0026nbsp;\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 63pt;border-top: none;border-left: none;border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext;border-right: 1pt solid windowtext;background: red;padding: 0cm 5.4pt;height: 13.5pt;vertical-align: top;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin:0cm;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;line-height:150%;'\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size:13px;line-height:150%;\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 112.5pt;border-top: none;border-left: none;border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext;border-right: 1pt solid windowtext;padding: 0cm 5.4pt;height: 13.5pt;vertical-align: top;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin:0cm;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;line-height:150%;'\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size:13px;line-height:150%;\"\u003eDestroyed/Submerged\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 53.5pt;border-right: 1pt solid windowtext;border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext;border-left: 1pt solid windowtext;border-image: initial;border-top: none;padding: 0cm 5.4pt;height: 13.5pt;vertical-align: top;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin:0cm;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;line-height:150%;'\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size:13px;line-height:150%;\"\u003e23\u0026nbsp;\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 139.5pt;border-top: none;border-left: none;border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext;border-right: 1pt solid windowtext;padding: 0cm 5.4pt;height: 13.5pt;vertical-align: top;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin:0cm;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;line-height:150%;'\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size:13px;line-height:150%;\"\u003eTidal Swamp\u0026nbsp;\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 63pt;border-top: none;border-left: none;border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext;border-right: 1pt solid windowtext;background: red;padding: 0cm 5.4pt;height: 13.5pt;vertical-align: top;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin:0cm;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;line-height:150%;'\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size:13px;line-height:150%;\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 112.5pt;border-top: none;border-left: none;border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext;border-right: 1pt solid windowtext;padding: 0cm 5.4pt;height: 13.5pt;vertical-align: top;\"\u003e\n \u003cp style='margin:0cm;font-size:16px;font-family:\"Times New Roman\",serif;line-height:150%;'\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size:13px;line-height:150%;\"\u003eDestroyed/Submerged\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003c/tbody\u003e\n\u003c/table\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eCommunity Engagement\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThree \u0026ldquo;Community Conversations on Heritage at Risk (CCHAR)\u0026rdquo; workshops were held in Apalachicola, Eastpoint, and at the ANERR Visitor Center in early 2024. Each workshop followed a semi-structured discussion format with seven guiding questions:\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003col\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhat is your favorite thing about living in the Apalachicola area?\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cp\u003eHow do you define cultural heritage?\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhat is significant about the Apalachicola area\u0026rsquo;s cultural heritage resources?\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhat are the threats facing Apalachicola-area cultural heritage resources?\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cp\u003eIf we can\u0026rsquo;t do further research at or take action to preserve every cultural heritage site, how should we decide which sites to prioritize?\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhat are your aspirations for Apalachicola-area cultural heritage by 2030? What needs to happen to get there?\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn order to achieve aspirations, where do roles and responsibilities lie? If work to preserve sites is required, who should pay for this work? Local community, local authority, national heritage agencies, other?\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/ol\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSessions were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and redacted to remove personal identifiers. The transcripts were imported into QDA Miner Lite for qualitative data analysis through coding. The project team developed a project-specific codebook, incorporating both deductive codes (e.g., \u0026ldquo;heritage definition,\u0026rdquo; \u0026ldquo;threats,\u0026rdquo; \u0026ldquo;prioritization\u0026rdquo;) and inductive codes that emerged from the data. Coding was conducted independently by two team members and then discussed together to reduce discrepancies.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn parallel, a 23-question online Qualtrics survey was hosted for community members between January and September 2024. These online surveys were developed to capture and engage individuals who were otherwise unable to attend the CCHAR workshops. Although CCHAR attendees may have also filled out the survey, they were not encouraged to do so to prevent data overlap. Questions probed basic demographic information, perceptions of ecosystem services, threats to heritage, and aspirations for the future. The questions in the survey mirrored those asked in the CCHAR workshops but were formatted differently to account for the differences between digital and in-person engagement. Survey data were de-identified and analyzed using the same codebook as the CCHAR workshop transcripts, allowing for thematic comparison across datasets.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cdiv id=\"Sec8\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\u003ch2\u003eCompliance and Consultation\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eAs this project constituted a federal undertaking due to its funding source, its design was subject to compliance review under Section 106 and Section 110 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA), the Endangered Species Act, the Magnuson-Stevens Act, and the Coastal Barrier Resources Act. Consultation letters were sent to affiliated Tribal Nations, including the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, the Choctaw Nation, the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians, the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians, the Coushatta Tribe of Louisiana, and the Seminole Tribe of Florida. Of those Tribal Nations, the Seminole Tribe of Florida\u0026rsquo;s Tribal Historic Preservation Office emphasized the potential presence of burial resources and requested that monitoring be conducted exclusively by professional archaeologists meeting Secretary of the Interior standards.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e Additionally, all ethnographic components received Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval at the University of West Florida and underwent ethics review at the University of St Andrews prior to the beginning of fieldwork. Written informed consent was obtained from all participants in workshops and surveys. Participants also had the option of removing any responses to either the CCHAR workshops or online surveys before the end of the project period (December 31, 2024).\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eData Management and Sharing\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAll datasets produced by the project were version-controlled and archived in a project Open Science Framework (OSF) repository (Bucchino Grinnan et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR3\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2025\u003c/span\u003e).\u003csup\u003e2\u003c/sup\u003e Spatial data were preserved in open formats (.shp, .geojson), imagery in TIFF and JPEG formats, and transcripts in PDF format. Metadata adhered to Dublin Core standards and included information on the creator, date, spatial coverage, and methodological notes. Sensitive data, including archaeological site locations and unredacted community transcripts, was restricted to vetted users. Publicly available datasets include SLAMM and ATA outputs, shoreline change analyses, de-identified HMS reports, redacted transcripts, and survey results.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Results","content":"\u003cdiv id=\"Sec11\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\u003ch2\u003eArchaeological Site Monitoring\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eUtilizing non-disturbance recording methods standardized by the HMS Florida program, archaeological site assessments of the 15 priority sites within the ANERR indicated important patterns for ongoing site management. In particular, the project team found that a site\u0026rsquo;s geographic location within the ANERR had important implications for its stability at the time of assessment. Those sites located along the shorelines of Apalachicola Bay and the Gulf of Mexico were generally in poorer condition, with the highest frequencies of observed negative impacts like active erosion, flooding, storm surge, wind, and wave action. The sites include 8FR00001, 8FR00009, 8FR00024, 8FR00079, 8FR00745, 8FR00747, 8FR00749, 8FR00845, 8FR01300, 8FR01380. Due to their visibility, many of these sites were also prone to foot traffic from visitors to places like Little St. George Island or the beaches along the northern shore of Apalachicola Bay. Many of the shell midden sites in these shoreline locations also had observed eroding shell components (e.g., oyster and scallop) and precontact Indigenous ceramics (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e). The visibility of these materials often depended on the presence of low or high tides during assessment periods (i.e., materials were more likely to be visible during low tide). Due to the presence of visible material culture and observed negative impacts at these sites, the project team placed a \u0026ldquo;medium\u0026rdquo; or \u0026ldquo;high\u0026rdquo; priority management classification on these sites. In all cases, recommendations for land managers include repeat visits annually or following large storm events.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOf those sites along the shorelines of Apalachicola Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, only two were classified as \u0026ldquo;low\u0026rdquo; priority: 8FR01300 and 8FR01380. The first low-priority site, 8FR01300, is the Marshall House Field Station Main House, an early 20th-century homestead that is actively used and maintained by the ANERR to support field operations on Little St. George Island. This historic structure sits on the island\u0026rsquo;s northwest, along the southern shore of Apalachicola Bay. The second low-priority site, 8FR01380, is the Lewis Leland Headstone. While the standalone marble grave marker sits on the western tip of Little St. George Island, it is situated on relatively high ground at least 200m from the shoreline in any direction. The most significant observed negative impact on the site was vegetative growth, which had almost completely obscured the headstone at the time of the project\u0026rsquo;s first site assessment visit in January 2024.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe project team assessed four additional sites in areas inland from Apalachicola Bay and the Gulf of Mexico: 8FR00064, 8FR00744, 8FR00863, and 8FR00952. Of these sites, only 8FR00064 was classified as a \u0026ldquo;high\u0026rdquo; management priority site due to the multiple events of unauthorized visitation and looting during the project period. This site, also known as \u0026ldquo;Fort Gadsden Historic Memorial\u0026rdquo; or \u0026ldquo;Prospect Bluff Historic Sites,\u0026rdquo; is a well-maintained and interpreted heritage tourism location in the Apalachicola National Forest. Damage to the site's volunteer host infrastructure during Hurricane Michael in 2018 has meant that this site has been inaccessible to visitors outside of special events. With little regular, on-site oversight and no regular visitors, this extremely well-known fortification site is at tremendous risk of opportunistic metal detecting and looting. The project team classified one site, 8FR00744, as a \u0026ldquo;medium\u0026rdquo; management priority. Known also as \u0026ldquo;Van Horn Creek Shell Mound,\u0026rdquo; this site is relatively inaccessible to most visitors to the Reserve. The project team did note modern refuse (i.e., soda cans and beer bottles), however, which means that it is subject to occasional visitors. The unexpected discovery of archaeological human remains at the site in June 2024 \u0026ndash; the third visit to the site \u0026ndash; also indicates that some disturbance has occurred (whether human or animal). While all established protocols were followed to report the human remains to consulting Tribes and the State of Florida, 8FR00744 should be regularly monitored for potential disturbance of additional human burials in the shell mound. The final two sites, 8FR00863 and 8FR00952, were classified as \u0026ldquo;low\u0026rdquo; management priorities due to their overall stability in non-coastal areas. Both sites were observed as being prone to occasional flooding due to their proximity to riverine environments but were generally stable.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFinally, one site location, 8FR00359, could not be verified by the project team. The existing Florida Master Site File polygon places the site, a Civil War-era earthworks fortification referred to as \u0026ldquo;Fort Mallory,\u0026rdquo; in a low-lying, swampy area along West Pass Road Trail on St. Vincent Island, facing the West Pass entrance into Apalachicola Bay. As no nearby material culture was identified and it is unlikely that armed fortifications would have been located in a perpetually waterlogged environment, the project team believes that the Fort Mallory location is elsewhere on the island. A land manager for the St. Vincent National Wildlife Refuge noted that many people often confuse the locations of the pedestrian/ATV roads; he believes that the Fort Mallory site may actually be farther west, along another road/trail.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eArchaeological site monitoring also yielded critical data that contributed to answering the project\u0026rsquo;s primary research question. At all sites, the project team found evidence in site location, structure, and associated material culture that directly connects human populations to the long-term formation of the Apalachicola system and its numerous natural resources. For example, all of the precontact Indigenous sites within the 15 priority sites (8FR00001, 8FR00009, 8FR00024, 8FR00079, 8FR00744, 8FR00745, and 8FR00845) show evidence of intensive harvest of edible shellfish resources like oyster (\u003cem\u003eCrassostrea virginica\u003c/em\u003e), bay scallop (\u003cem\u003eArgopecten irradians\u003c/em\u003e), and Atlantic rangia clam (\u003cem\u003eRangia cuneata\u003c/em\u003e). That these shell mounds and midden sites are primarily composed of these resources indicates that the diets of many precontact communities had adapted to suit the environment. The Van Horn Creek Shell Mound site (8FR00744), in particular, showcases the development of the Apalachicola system over several thousand years and human adaptation to those changes. Previous archaeological excavation has shown how the mound\u0026rsquo;s earliest deposits were primarily composed of more saltwater-reliant brackish species like oyster, while later deposits indicate decreasing salinity at the site with an increased presence in Atlantic rangia clam (Donoghue and White \u003cspan citationid=\"CR7\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1995\u003c/span\u003e; White 1991). Site monitoring noted the surface exposure of shells from several species, including oyster and rangia, which likewise suggests the long-term exploitation of multiple habitat types.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHistorical period sites (8FR00064, 8FR00747, 8FR00749, 8FR00863, 8FR00952, 8FR01300, and 8FR01380) also exemplify the continued importance of ecosystem services to human communities in the Apalachicola system. Some of these sites represent strategic construction to access waterways for various reasons. Fort Gadsden Historic Memorial/Prospect Bluff Historic Sites (8FR00064) is located approximately 15 miles upriver from the mouth of the Apalachicola River, serving as a defensive mechanism to protect the maroon and Indigenous communities seeking refuge there during the early 19th century. Turpentine Camp (8FR00749), Creels (8FR00863), and Bluff Road Landing (8FR00952) all represent late 19th- to early 20th-century sites of timber-related commerce that defined natural resource exploitation in the Florida Panhandle during that period. The ability to float timber, sawn lumber, or naval stores on various riverine waterways to the port of Apalachicola, where it could be shipped internationally, fed demand and brought financial resources to Apalachicola area communities. Other sites, like the Cape St. George Lighthouse Keepers Quarters (8FR00747), associated with the now-fallen Cape St. George Lighthouse, and the Marshall Field House Station Main House (8FR01300), a 20th-century homestead also on Little St. George Island, were constructed to facilitate the movement of people and goods within the Apalachicola system.\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv id=\"Sec12\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\u003ch2\u003eShoreline Mapping\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eShoreline mapping efforts established high-resolution baselines for understanding erosional processes. Although the project year was too short to register a statistically significant retreat across all sites, mapping still produced valuable insights. At 8FR00009 (Nine Mile Point), for example, mapping revealed that the site extended far beyond the previously recorded site boundary. This finding expanded the documented extent of the site and demonstrated the utility of pedestrian survey in correcting and updating site records.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTo quantify change, the project applied the U.S. Geological Survey\u0026rsquo;s Digital Shoreline Analysis System (DSAS v6.0) to three of the mapped shorelines. Using 100m offshore baselines and transects spaced every 10m, DSAS calculated Net Shoreline Movement (NSM) between the oldest and most recent shoreline records. While the short project duration limited long-term statistical significance, the DSAS results provided early quantitative measures of shoreline retreat. DSAS figures are not included here to protect sensitive archaeological site locational information.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTogether, quantitative mapping, DSAS analysis, and qualitative field observation datasets demonstrated how high-accuracy mapping can be integrated with archaeological monitoring to produce a more nuanced picture of shoreline change. Most importantly, the collected datasets established a baseline against which future years of monitoring can be compared. With sub-centimeter accuracy and systematic DSAS transect analysis, future fieldwork will be able to quantify erosion rates with a high degree of precision, creating one of the most detailed shoreline monitoring datasets for cultural heritage along the northern Gulf Coast.\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv id=\"Sec13\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\u003ch2\u003ePredictive Modeling and Archaeological Triage Assessment\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe results of the Sea Levels Affecting Marshes Model (SLAMM) outputs have important implications for the work undertaken by this project, as they seem to indicate that, even in the most conservative estimate of global sea level rise (SLR) resulting in a 1m local SLR by 2100, the vast majority of the ANERR will be a regularly flooded marsh by 2050 (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig3\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e). In more extreme scenarios that reflect the current Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP) estimates from the International Panel on Climate Change \u0026ndash; 1.5m or 2m in local SLR \u0026ndash; the majority of the ANERR will be some sort of transitional marsh by 2050 and open water by 2100. These results correspond to the NOAA Sea Level Rise map viewer for 1, 1.5, and 2m SLR projections, as well as SLOSH inundation patterns and trajectories in Alizad et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR1\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e) and Garwood et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR11\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2023\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAfter SLAMM outputs were calculated, Cochran conducted an Archaeological Triage Assessment (ATA) to determine which known cultural resource sites were likely to be \u0026ldquo;destroyed/submerged,\u0026rdquo; \u0026ldquo;threatened,\u0026rdquo; \u0026ldquo;damaged,\u0026rdquo; or experience \u0026ldquo;no impacts\u0026rdquo; from climate change (see OSF-archived project data for site-specific assessments). These calculations are estimates and only account for gradual changes over time, rather than punctuated events such as storm surge, extreme tides, or storm events. Threat assessments are also based on the anticipated damage to cultural resource sites that lie in each of the 23 National Wetlands Inventory categories present within the ANERR. Sites on dry land are expected to sustain minimal impacts or \u0026ldquo;no damage\u0026rdquo; from that wetland category type (gray color); a site adjacent to an area susceptible to flooding or significant storm surge is considered \u0026ldquo;threatened\u0026rdquo; (yellow color); a site within an area susceptible to flooding or significant storm surge is considered \u0026ldquo;damaged\u0026rdquo; (orange color); and, once a site is fully underwater, it is assumed \u0026ldquo;destroyed/submerged\u0026rdquo; (red color).\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe major changes illustrated in the project\u0026rsquo;s SLAMM between 2025 and 2100 include the drastic increase in open water moving north up the Apalachicola River and washing into existing marshes. According to SLAMM outputs, the majority of the ANERR will transition to regularly flooded salt marsh by 2050, tidal flats by 2075, and estuarine open water by 2100 with a 1m SLR. This scenario would mean the destruction or submersion of at least 13 of the 15 selected priority cultural resource sites in this study by 2100. The ATA results (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig4\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003e) also indicate that few of the 145 total archaeological sites within the ANERR are unlikely to be threatened, damaged, or destroyed by 2100 due to these shifting wetland categories.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAlthough rising sea levels pose a threat to archaeological sites and other above-ground cultural resources, most negative impacts on archaeological sites within the ANERR stem from wetland reallocation and shoreline erosion. Considering the longer course of the region\u0026rsquo;s environmental history, changes wrought by human interactions with the environment (like shoreline development and overly exploitative resource harvesting practices) are the most deleterious to fragile resources. These factors, coupled with archaeological site monitoring observations and the speed of wetland reallocation and shoreline erosion in the SLAMM outputs, even under a 1m SLR scenario, suggest that land managers in and around the ANERR should prioritize efforts to fully document these cultural resources. The timeline of site-specific climate impacts offered by the ATA can be a crucial tool for developing an effective planning system.\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv id=\"Sec14\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\u003ch2\u003eCommunity Engagement\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe project\u0026rsquo;s archaeological site monitoring activities, SLAMM, and companion ATA provide insight into the current condition of cultural resources within the ANERR and predicted environmental change to those sites over time. While these datasets can help prioritize management efforts into the future, cultural resources like archaeological sites are a product of the communities of people that have passed through a particular place over time. For this reason, the material remains of archaeological sites and any cultural traditions associated with those sites may also hold significance for people living in the present.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTo answer this project\u0026rsquo;s research question about how local communities value ecosystem services within the ANERR, qualitative data analysis of the CCHAR audio transcriptions and the Qualtrics surveys reveals an essential connection between people and the environment through the repetition of certain themes or concepts (referred to here as \u0026ldquo;codes\u0026rdquo;). The second-most frequently occurring code was \u0026ldquo;water\u0026rdquo; (3.9%), with variations of that code relating to the waterfront (1.3%) and outdoor recreation (0.7%). Ecosystem services tied to the commercial exploitation of natural resources, both in the past and present, were also an important part of how participants identified with the local environment. The frequency of code occurrences related to the seafood industry (3.6%), the lumber industry (1.1%), the turpentine industry (1.1%), beekeeping (i.e., for tupelo honey), (0.2%), and the cotton industry (0.2%) suggests that the Apalachicola area community has closely tied economic success to natural resources. The seafood industry, likely because of its more recent significance to the community in the 20th and 21st centuries, was the third most frequently occurring code. Other code occurrences related to ecosystem services included food consumption (1.9%), the general value of natural resources (1.5%), natural resource preservation (0.9%), outdoor recreation (0.7%), hunting (0.6%), and ecotourism (0.4%).\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe CCHAR focus group workshops and Qualtrics survey responses collected during the project period also revealed a great deal about the Apalachicola area community\u0026rsquo;s concerns for its future. As a result of the shift away from a seafood industry-focused economy and toward a more modern Florida tourism/service economy, many people expressed a desire to retain the small town, working waterfront lifestyle that characterizes much of the area\u0026rsquo;s recent history. Indeed, \u0026ldquo;loss of connection to history\u0026rdquo; (4.1%) and \u0026ldquo;historic preservation\u0026rdquo; (4.1%) were the most frequently occurring codes in the CCHAR qualitative data analysis. With the introduction of new residents in Apalachicola, many seeking to retire in a beautiful location with a low cost of living, the existing community has begun to feel the pressures of tourism (3.2%), the flight of young people to bigger cities (2.4%), gentrification (1.7%), lack of employment opportunities suited to the existing workforce (1.5%), and higher prices overall (1.1%).\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},{"header":"Discussion","content":"\u003cdiv id=\"Sec16\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\u003ch2\u003eIntegrating Archaeological, Environmental, and Community Data\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eOne of the principal contributions of the \u0026ldquo;People of the Apalachicola System\u0026rdquo; project lies in its integrated methodology. Archaeological monitoring generated site-specific data on erosion, disturbance, and exposure; shoreline mapping created high-resolution quantitative baselines; and predictive modeling projected long-term trajectories under various climate change scenarios. These technical methods alone provided a rich body of evidence regarding the vulnerability of cultural heritage in the ANERR. Yet, they also risk reducing heritage to measurable \u0026ldquo;units\u0026rdquo; of risk, stripping it of the values that communities attach.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eCommunity engagement, through focus groups and surveys, shifted the project\u0026rsquo;s framework. Residents emphasized that burial grounds and sites linked to African American and Indigenous heritage must be prioritized, regardless of whether they face immediate physical destruction. They also defined heritage as encompassing not only tangible sites but living practices such as foodways, waterfront labor, and recreation. In this sense, heritage was seen as deeply embedded in daily life and identity. As one participant stated, \u0026ldquo;\u0026hellip;coastal towns that have survived the longest [have] a working shore, where people who live here work the water and make their living doing so, and bringing that food back to the community, which then feeds what we eat\u0026hellip;that is disappearing.\u0026rdquo; These perspectives complicate triage systems based solely on environmental vulnerability.\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv id=\"Sec17\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\u003ch2\u003eImplications for Management and Policy\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe project\u0026rsquo;s findings also have clear implications for cultural resource management within and around the ANERR. Proactive professional documentation emerges as an urgent priority, especially as the vast majority of monitored sites are projected to be impacted by the effects of a changing climate within decades. Baseline recording through high-accuracy shoreline mapping will also serve both future researchers and community members seeking to remember landscapes that may be physically altered. Most importantly, the project highlights the need for dual prioritization systems. While predictive models can identify which sites are most vulnerable to climate-driven impacts, community perspectives reveal which sites and traditions hold local significance. Effective adaptation must consider both dimensions. The project likewise benefited from cross-sector collaboration (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig5\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003e). Resource managers in the ANERR often lacked in-depth training in cultural heritage; conversely, the project\u0026rsquo;s archaeologists relied on land managers\u0026rsquo; knowledge of ecological datasets. By treating ecological and cultural adaptation as interdependent processes, the project ultimately demonstrated the benefits of bringing these sectors together through collaboration and knowledge co-production.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWith limited resources, the most accessible and least invasive mitigation strategy remains continued site monitoring and documentation. Recordation and mapping tools, such as the high-accuracy shoreline surveys employed in this project, offer opportunities to study cultural resources and their impacts without further disturbance. When consistently repeated once or twice each year, these methods can generate robust longitudinal datasets while simultaneously creating digital archives of places that may not survive physical loss. At the same time, the project made clear that documentation alone is insufficient. Through CCHAR workshops, Qualtrics surveys, and other public engagement event opportunities, the project fostered stronger connections with key communities reliant on the Apalachicola system. Community members provided invaluable perspectives on heritage preservation priorities, which shaped the project\u0026rsquo;s interpretive and ethical dimensions. Ongoing dialogue has also helped build trust and mutual investment in long-term heritage stewardship. The project team continues to participate in public outreach, such as ANERR\u0026rsquo;s annual Estuaries Day, and is planning future projects to support community-led heritage initiatives among groups like the North Florida African American Corridor Project and the Hillside Coalition of Laborers for Apalachicola (H\u0026rsquo;Cola). These collaborative activities lay the groundwork for future co-created projects, including community-led conservation initiatives and expanded oral history collection.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe relationship between archaeology and heritage is a complex one. Archaeological resources represent the tangible remains of the past, while heritage is an ongoing process through which communities select aspects of the past to incorporate into their present identities (B. Graham et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR12\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2000\u003c/span\u003e; Howard, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR15\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2003\u003c/span\u003e; Little \u0026amp; Shackel, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR17\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2014\u003c/span\u003e; L. Smith, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR25\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2006\u003c/span\u003e). Land managers and researchers must therefore weigh preservation decisions carefully. The data produced in this project may suggest straightforward strategies for prioritizing mitigation, but these sites are not simply research opportunities. As many participants emphasized, they are integral to cultural identity and collective memory in the Apalachicola system. The imperative moving forward is to ensure that these sites and traditions, shaped by people over thousands of years, remain part of an evolving heritage landscape, interpreted and stewarded in partnership with the people who continue to live there.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe project also demonstrated that cultural data can be mobilized for decision-making frameworks in adaptation planning. By integrating SLAMM projections into an ATA, the project refined the evaluation of at-risk cultural heritage sites. SLAMM outputs indicate that even under a conservative 1-m SLR scenario, most of ANERR will transition to regularly flooded marsh by 2050, and to open water by 2100 under higher scenarios. The ATA classified sites into categories of anticipated impact, revealing that at least 13 of the 15 priority sites will be destroyed by the end of the century and that most of the recorded archaeological sites in ANERR face a significant risk. This finding provides urgency to proactive documentation efforts and the incorporation of heritage into climate adaptation planning. Importantly, the decision-making process developed here is not static: as site conditions change and climate models evolve, the ATA framework can be continuously updated to support proactive management strategies.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn addition to monitoring and modeling, the project has already begun to shape interpretive and educational programming at the ANERR. Input from CCHAR workshops, survey responses, and archival research has deepened understanding of how past and present resource users interact with the Apalachicola system. This information has been incorporated into preliminary interpretive materials and is likely to continue informing exhibits, digital resources, and educational programming. While full integration of findings into the ANERR\u0026rsquo;s operations will evolve over time, the project has demonstrated how cultural resource data can enrich visitor education and public awareness, even when Reserve staff themselves are not heritage specialists.\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv id=\"Sec18\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\u003ch2\u003eEthical Dimensions\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe ethics of cultural resource management emerged as a recurring theme throughout the project. The discovery of human remains at the Van Horn Creek Shell Mound highlighted the vulnerability of Indigenous burial resources, but also the benefits of including Indigenous Knowledge in project planning. Consultation with the Seminole Tribe of Florida\u0026rsquo;s Tribal Historic Preservation Office emphasized the need for professional oversight in such contexts, ensuring that burial resources and human remains are treated with respect and in accordance with the expectations of the descendant community. CCHAR workshop and survey participants echoed this concern differently, emphasizing burial places as a top priority for preservation and impact mitigation. Climate-driven heritage loss is thus not only a technical or managerial issue, but also a deeply moral one. Decisions about which sites to document, preserve, or allow to disappear carry ethical weight, particularly when burial grounds, sacred sites, and places of memory are at stake. Equitable adaptation requires centering the voices of descendants and local communities in decision-making processes.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eShared responsibility was another important theme related to preservation ethics. CCHAR workshop and survey participants expressed diverse views on who should bear responsibility for heritage preservation. Some emphasized local stewardship, while others stressed the need for state and federal agencies to allocate resources. The multiplicity of views reflects the complex governance environment of state- and federally protected reserves, where authority is distributed across agencies, local governments, and community groups.\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv id=\"Sec19\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\u003ch2\u003eLimitations\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis project faced several limitations, one of which was the significant constraint on its duration. As a result of funding availability through the National Estuarine Research Reserve System Science Collaborative, priority site monitoring and mapping spanned only a single year and were insufficient to capture long-term changes. Survey data was also limited. The online Qualtrics survey yielded only 15 responses, restricting statistical representativeness. While the data provided valuable qualitative insights, sustained outreach is necessary in the future to capture a wide range of community views. Future surveys would also benefit from incorporating the perspectives of youth and groups underrepresented in the existing survey data. Modeling constraints were another limitation. SLAMM provides useful projections of gradual sea level rise but cannot model sudden storm events, storm surge, or other catastrophic processes that are often the most destructive forces in Gulf Coast environments. Ultimately, the project\u0026rsquo;s ATA may underestimate near-term impacts from extreme events.\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv id=\"Sec20\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\u003ch2\u003eFuture Directions\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eLooking forward, the project team has identified several avenues for continued research and engagement. Some of this work will deepen scientific understanding of the region\u0026rsquo;s archaeological and geological landscape. Sediment coring and geophysical surveys can reconstruct the ecological history of Apalachicola Bay and refine our understanding of past human habitation patterns. GIS modeling would build on these datasets to further examine how people moved through and adapted to the system over time. Targeted geophysics at high-risk midden sites could also assess erosion patterns and material redistribution, answering a key question raised during monitoring: whether archaeological integrity remains beneath dispersed shell deposits along eroding shorelines. Long-term monitoring is also critical. Continued shoreline mapping of priority sites will provide insight into future changes within the ANERR, refining the ATA and informing management responses. These datasets, when accumulated across years, will serve both scientific and heritage needs by providing measurable evidence of change while potentially preserving digital surrogates of sites that may not endure.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eCommunity engagement and collaboration will continue to be a critical component of the project team\u0026rsquo;s future work in the Apalachicola area. CCHAR workshops revealed that residents are deeply concerned not only about archaeological sites but also about intangible cultural resources, practices such as oystering, boatbuilding, and tupelo honey production, that are tied to the natural environment. Participants also emphasized the importance of recording oral histories with elders and tradition bearers before these voices are lost. Priorities include documenting memories from residents of Apalachicola\u0026rsquo;s historic \u0026ldquo;The Hill\u0026rdquo; neighborhood, seafood industry workers, beekeepers, recreational sportsmen, and multi-generational families. These oral histories would complement archaeological data by capturing the lived experiences that animate heritage in the Apalachicola system.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFinally, project outcomes stress the need for a synthesized interpretive plan that explicitly incorporates tangible and intangible cultural heritage into the ANERR\u0026rsquo;s public engagement initiatives. Reserve staff have already expressed interest in enhancing public education on heritage, and project findings demonstrate both the demand and the resources to do so. A plan that directly ties cultural heritage to ecosystem services, such as provisioning, regulating, supporting, and culture-informing, would be a valuable tool for interpretation and community outreach. Such efforts would also strengthen the ANERR\u0026rsquo;s position in integrated resource management.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFuture directions reflect the collaborative spirit at the heart of the \u0026ldquo;People of the Apalachicola System\u0026rdquo; project. This research was never envisioned as a one-off study, but as a launching point for deeper exploration, stronger partnerships, and long-term stewardship. The project succeeded not only in generating data but also in fostering relationships among researchers, land managers, and communities. It demonstrated that effective adaptation is not simply about technical capacity, but about co-creation, trust, and shared responsibility. The Apalachicola system, as a case study, also offers lessons with wider resonance. Climate-driven heritage loss is not unique to Florida; it is a global challenge. This project demonstrates how integrative and collaborative approaches can create actionable pathways forward. Documentation, modeling, and monitoring provide the evidence base; community dialogue provides the values system.\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},{"header":"Conclusion","content":"\u003cp\u003eThe findings of the \u0026ldquo;People of the Apalachicola System\u0026rdquo; project are striking, though not unexpected. Coastal archaeological sites in the ANERR are experiencing ongoing impact from climate and cultural pressure, a trend that is likely to persist well beyond 2100. Multiple lines of evidence support this reality: repeat site monitoring has revealed visible erosion and exposure, predictive modeling projects widespread inundation, shoreline mapping has documented several areas of retreat, and dialogue with residents has underscored community concern for both tangible and intangible heritage. Together, these datasets establish a clear directive for action on behalf of land managers and researchers. They also underscore that effective adaptation requires dual prioritization systems: one based on environmental vulnerability and another rooted in community-defined significance. Cultural heritage can and must be integrated into adaptation planning, both as a resource in its own right and as a contributor to the resilience of human communities.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe results of this work matter because they establish a reproducible framework for cultural resource management within climate adaptation planning. By balancing technical assessments with community valuation, the project shows how preservation strategies can address both physical risk and community identity. Participants in the project repeatedly articulated that the loss of heritage is not only the loss of archaeological data but also the erosion of cultural continuity. As sea levels rise, storms intensify, and people shift across the global landscape, much will inevitably be lost. A great deal can be carried forward, however. The imperative now is to decide, in partnership with communities, what stories and places must be preserved, how they should be remembered, and how they can contribute to resilient futures. The Apalachicola system has been home to various human populations for over 12,000 years. As one CCHAR participant remarked, \u0026ldquo;Apalachicola is a place of powerful history.\u0026rdquo; Ensuring that descendants and modern communities remain active participants in documenting, interpreting, and shaping their evolving heritage is critically important.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Declarations","content":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eEthics approval and consent to participate\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis study involved human participants in its Community Conversations on Heritage at Risk (CCHAR) workshops and online Qualtrics surveys. It was reviewed and approved by the University of West Florida Institutional Review Board (No. 2121961-1), as well as the University of St Andrews University Teaching and Research Ethics Committee (No. HI17435). Written informed consent was obtained from all participants prior to participation in focus groups and surveys.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eConsent for publication\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNot applicable.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eAvailability of data and materials\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe datasets generated during the study are available via an Open Science Framework repository at https://osf.io/wsvgk/ or DOI 10.17605/OSF.IO/WSVGK. Due to the sensitive nature of archaeological site locational data and participant privacy, some materials cannot be made publicly available. Redacted data and metadata are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eCompeting interests\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe authors declare that they have no competing interests.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eFunding\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis work was sponsored by the National Estuarine Research Reserve System Science Collaborative, which supports collaborative research that addresses coastal management problems important to the reserves. The NERRS Science Collaborative is funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and managed by the University of Michigan Water Center (NA19NOS4190058). The funding body provided support for project implementation but had no role in data collection, analysis, interpretation of results, or the writing of this manuscript.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eAuthors\u0026rsquo; contributions\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNBG conceived the project, served as Principal Investigator, led implementation, conducted archaeological monitoring and analysis, directed community engagement, and drafted the manuscript. MT conducted archaeological monitoring and analysis, served as the primary community liaison, transcribed community engagement audio files, and acted as the project photographer. BB conducted archaeological monitoring and analysis, assisted with community engagement, and helped interpret transcribed engagement files. LC established the predictive modeling method used in this project, producing the data, images, and reporting related to the Sea Levels Affecting Marshes Model (SLAMM) and Archaeological Triage Assessment. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eAcknowledgments\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe authors thank the staff of the Apalachicola National Estuarine Research Reserve, as well as local representatives from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Florida State Parks, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the U.S. Forest Service for their collaboration and logistical support. We acknowledge and thank the Tribal Nations consulted for this project and value their guidance. The project is also grateful to Tom Dawson and Katie Eagleton at the University of St Andrews for providing expertise and supervision as part of Nicole Bucchino Grinnan\u0026rsquo;s doctoral program. The Florida Public Archaeology Network\u0026rsquo;s Kassie Kemp facilitated project data management, and Sarah Miller and Emily Jane Murray provided critical insight at all project stages. Finally, we are appreciative of the residents of the Apalachicola area whose participation shaped the outcomes and future directions of this work. We also extend our thanks to the volume editors for their thoughtful feedback and support throughout the publication process.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"References","content":"\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAlizad, K., Medeiros, S. C., Foster-Martinez, M. R., \u0026amp; Hagen, S. C. (2020). Model Sensitivity to Topographic Uncertainty in Meso- and Microtidal Marshes. \u003cem\u003eIEEE Journal of Selected Topics in Applied Earth Observations and Remote Sensing\u003c/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003e13\u003c/em\u003e, 807\u0026ndash;814. IEEE Journal of Selected Topics in Applied Earth Observations and Remote Sensing. https://doi.org/10.1109/JSTARS.2020.2973490\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBeven II, J. L., Berg, R., \u0026amp; Hagen, A. (2019). \u003cem\u003eHurricane Michael (AL142019)\u003c/em\u003e [National Hurricane Center Tropical Cyclone Report]. National Hurricane Center, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/data/tcr/AL142018_Michael.pdf\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBucchino Grinnan, N., Dawson, T., Thomin, M., Brooks, B., Cochran, L., Kemp, K., \u0026amp; Marten, M. (2025). \u003cem\u003ePeople of the Apalachicola System: Exploring Cultural Heritage to Support Ecosystem Planning, Management, and Adaptation\u003c/em\u003e [Dataset]. OSF. https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/WSVGK\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCochran, L. (2024). \u003cem\u003eSea Level Affecting Marshes Model of the Apalachicola National Estuarine Research Reserve, Florida\u003c/em\u003e. Report to the University of West Florida.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDawson, T. (2015). Eroding Archaeology at the Coast: How a Global Problem is being Managed in Scotland, with Examples from the Western Isles. \u003cem\u003eJournal of the North Atlantic\u003c/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003e9\u003c/em\u003e, 83\u0026ndash;98.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDawson, T., Hambly, J., \u0026amp; Graham, E. (2017). A central role for communities: Climate change and coastal heritage management in Scotland. In \u003cem\u003ePublic Archaeology and Climate Change\u003c/em\u003e (pp. 23\u0026ndash;33). Oxbow Books.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDonoghue, J. F., \u0026amp; White, N. M. (1995). Late Holocene Sea-Level Change and Delta Migration, Apalachicola River Region, Northwest Florida, U.S.A. \u003cem\u003eJournal of Coastal Research\u003c/em\u003e, 11(3), 651\u0026ndash;663.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDunbar, J. S., \u0026amp; Waller, B. I. (1983). A Distribution Analysis of the Clovis/Suwannee Paleo-Indian Sites of Florida-A Geographic Approach. \u003cem\u003eFlorida Anthropologist\u003c/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003e36\u003c/em\u003e(1\u0026ndash;2), 18\u0026ndash;30.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFang, B., Kam, J., Elliott, E., Tootle, G., Therrell, M., \u0026amp; Lakshmi, V. (2022). The Recent Decline of Apalachicola\u0026ndash;Chattahoochee\u0026ndash;Flint (ACF) River Basin Streamflow. \u003cem\u003eHydrology\u003c/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003e9\u003c/em\u003e(8). http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/hydrology9080140\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFlorida Office of Resilience and Coastal Protection. (2025). \u003cem\u003eApalachicola National Estuarine Research Reserve Management Plan\u003c/em\u003e. Florida Department of Environmental Protection. https://floridadep.gov/rcp/nerr-apalachicola/documents/apalachicola-nerr-management-plan\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eGarwood, J. A., Allen, K., Lamb, M. S., Lewis, K. A., Harper, J., \u0026amp; Edmiston, L. (2023). Using long-term ecological monitoring to evaluate how climate and human-induced disturbances impact nekton communities in a Northern Gulf of Mexico estuary. \u003cem\u003eHydrobiologia\u003c/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003e850\u003c/em\u003e(20), 4479\u0026ndash;4496. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-023-05206-6\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eGraham, B., Ashworth, G., \u0026amp; Tunbridge, J. (2000). \u003cem\u003eA Geography of Heritage\u003c/em\u003e. Oxford University Press.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eGraham, E., Hambly, J., \u0026amp; Dawson, T. (2017). Learning from Loss: Eroding Coastal Heritage in Scotland. \u003cem\u003eHumanities\u003c/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003e6\u003c/em\u003e(4), 87. https://doi.org/10.3390/h6040087\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHambly, J., Boyd, S., \u0026amp; Dawson, T. (2024). Community Coastal Zone Assessment Surveys: Methods and Experiences from Scotland. \u003cem\u003eAdvances in Archaeological Practice\u003c/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003e12\u003c/em\u003e(3), 233\u0026ndash;244. https://doi.org/10.1017/aap.2024.21\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHoward, P. (2003). \u003cem\u003eHeritage: Management, interpretation, identity\u003c/em\u003e. Continuum.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eLees, W. B., Scott-Ireton, D. A., \u0026amp; Miller, S. E. (2015). Lessons Learned Along the Way: The Florida Public Archaeology Network after Ten Years. \u003cem\u003ePublic Archaeology\u003c/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003e14\u003c/em\u003e(2), 92\u0026ndash;114. https://doi.org/10.1080/14655187.2015.1112690\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eLittle, B. J., \u0026amp; Shackel, P. A. (2014). \u003cem\u003eArchaeology, Heritage, and Civic Engagement: Working toward the Public Good\u003c/em\u003e. Left Coast Press.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMaine Geological Survey. (2024, September). \u003cem\u003eBeach Mapping Shoreline Change\u0026mdash;FAQ: Maine\u0026rsquo;s Geologic Hazards: Maine Geological Survey: Maine ACF\u003c/em\u003e. Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation, and Forestry. https://www.maine.gov/dacf/mgs/hazards/beach_mapping/faq.htm#q5\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMiller, S. E., Kemp, K., \u0026amp; Murray, E. J. (2021). \u003cem\u003eHeritage Monitoring Scouts: Assessing Archaeological Sites at Risk\u003c/em\u003e. Florida Division of Historical Resources.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMiller, S. E., \u0026amp; Murray, E. J. (2018). Heritage Monitoring Scouts: Engaging the Public to Monitor Sites at Risk Across Florida. \u003cem\u003eConservation \u0026amp; Management of Archaeological Sites\u003c/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003e20\u003c/em\u003e(4), 234\u0026ndash;260. https://doi.org/10.1080/13505033.2018.1516455\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMiller, S. E., Murray, E. J., Kemp, K., Lee, L., Simmons-Jenkins, G., Cochran, L., \u0026amp; Gaillard, M. (2024). North American Heritage at Risk (NAHAR) Research Pipeline and Collaborative Community. \u003cem\u003eAdvances in Archaeological Practice\u003c/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003e12\u003c/em\u003e(3), 202\u0026ndash;218. https://doi.org/10.1017/aap.2024.14\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMurray, E. J., Miller, S. E., \u0026amp; Kemp, K. (2025). Collaborative Science and Digital Tools: Monitoring Heritage at Risk during the People of Guana Project. \u003cem\u003eJournal of Field Archaeology\u003c/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003e50\u003c/em\u003e(1), 81\u0026ndash;94. https://doi.org/10.1080/00934690.2024.2439218\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eOffice for Coastal Management. (2025). \u003cem\u003eNOAA Digital Coast Sea Level Rise and Coastal Flooding Impacts Viewer\u003c/em\u003e [Dataset]. https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inport/item/48241\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSmith, K. E. L., Terrano, J. F., Pitchford, J. L., \u0026amp; Archer, M. J. (2021). Coastal Wetland Shoreline Change Monitoring: A Comparison of Shorelines from High-Resolution WorldView Satellite Imagery, Aerial Imagery, and Field Surveys. \u003cem\u003eRemote Sensing\u003c/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003e13\u003c/em\u003e(15), Article 15. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs13153030\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSmith, L. (2006). \u003cem\u003eUses of Heritage\u003c/em\u003e. Routledge.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eTyler, W. D. (2008). \u003cem\u003eThe Paleoindian Chipola: A Site Distribution Analysis and Review of Collector Contributions in the Apalachicola River Valley, Northwest Florida\u003c/em\u003e [University of South Florida]. https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/etd/541\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWhite, N. M. (2024a). \u003cem\u003eApalachicola Valley Archaeology, Volume 1: Prehistory Through the Middle Woodland Period\u003c/em\u003e. University of Alabama Press.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWhite, N. M. (2024b). \u003cem\u003eApalachicola Valley Archaeology, Volume 2: The Late Woodland Period Through Recent History\u003c/em\u003e. University of Alabama Press.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e"},{"header":"Footnotes","content":"\u003col\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ExternalRef\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"RefSource\"\u003ehttps://fpan.us/hmsflorida\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan address=\"https://fpan.us/hmsflorida\" targettype=\"URL\" class=\"RefTarget\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ExternalRef\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"RefSource\"\u003ehttps://osf.io/wsvgk/\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan address=\"https://osf.io/wsvgk/\" targettype=\"URL\" class=\"RefTarget\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003c/ol\u003e"}],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":true,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":false,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":false,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":false,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"estuaries-and-coasts","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"esco","sideBox":"Learn more about [Estuaries and Coasts](https://www.springer.com/journal/12237)","snPcode":"12237","submissionUrl":"https://www.editorialmanager.com/esco/","title":"Estuaries and Coasts","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"em","reportingPortfolio":"Springer Hybrid","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":false},"keywords":"Cultural heritage, Coastal Archaeology, Climate, Ecosystem services, Community engagement, Apalachicola, Florida","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7753414/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-7753414/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eThe Apalachicola National Estuarine Research Reserve (ANERR) represents one of the most ecologically and culturally significant landscapes along Florida\u0026rsquo;s Gulf Coast. The \u0026ldquo;People of the Apalachicola System\u0026rdquo; project, funded by a 2023 National Estuarine Research Reserve System Science Collaborative Catalyst Grant, incorporated technical and collaborative methodologies to examine cultural heritage under threat from climate and human pressures. Archival research, archaeological monitoring, and high-accuracy shoreline mapping revealed that many sites included in the project are already experiencing erosional degradation, with predictive modeling indicating that nearly all project sites will be destroyed by 2100. Community conversations and surveys highlighted that residents place the highest value on burial grounds, Indigenous and African American heritage sites, and living traditions such as shellfish harvesting and fishing. Together, these findings underscore the need for dual prioritization frameworks that balance technical assessments of environmental risk with ethnographic and participatory insights into heritage value. This article provides an overview of the project\u0026rsquo;s results, demonstrating how the integration of quantitative and qualitative approaches yields management strategies that are both evidence-based and grounded within the community. Integrated approaches like these can provide significant benefits for both cultural resource management and broader coastal resiliency planning.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"\"People of the Apalachicola System:\" Assessing Risk and Value through Integrated Cultural Heritage Management Prioritization Frameworks","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2025-10-18 14:21:07","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7753414/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"","date":"2025-10-06T15:35:01+00:00","index":0,"fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvited","content":"Estuaries and Coasts","date":"2025-10-01T15:44:08+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorAssigned","content":"","date":"2025-09-30T17:57:11+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"submitted","content":"Estuaries and Coasts","date":"2025-09-30T13:33:32+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"estuaries-and-coasts","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"esco","sideBox":"Learn more about [Estuaries and Coasts](https://www.springer.com/journal/12237)","snPcode":"12237","submissionUrl":"https://www.editorialmanager.com/esco/","title":"Estuaries and Coasts","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"em","reportingPortfolio":"Springer Hybrid","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":false}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"ed619d0f-6f1e-4e24-a864-dad6b1ae1fc8","owner":[],"postedDate":"October 18th, 2025","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"under-review","subjectAreas":[],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2025-10-18T14:21:08+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2025-10-18 14:21:07","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-7753414","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-7753414","identity":"rs-7753414","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"8U1c8b4HqxoKbykW_rLl7","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}