The Bob Graham Center for Public Service provides a wide variety of programs for students and the larger public on topics related to public service, public leadership and civic engagement.
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UF Gulf Scholars Cohort Meeting: Rebuilding a Future on Apalachicola Bay
March 24 @ 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm
Once the heart of Florida’s oyster industry, Apalachicola Bay provided 90% of the state’s oysters—until it all collapsed. Water quality issues, rising temperatures, hurricanes, and invasive species pushed the fishery to the brink. By 2020, it was so depleted that the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission shut down wild oyster harvesting for five years, hoping for a comeback.
But the story doesn’t end there. Meet Kung Li Sun and Xochitl Bervera of Water is Life Oysters, two former city dwellers who left Atlanta to rebuild a future on the bay—one sustainable oyster at a time. Their work prioritizes the interdependence between cultivating sustainable and equitable seafood and restoring ecosystems and protecting coastlines.
This UF Gulf Scholars Cohort Meeting is presented in collaboration with the UF Rothman Family Chair in the Humanities and the UF Thompson Earth Systems Institute’s Environmental Leaders Network. All students are welcome, but registration is limited. Refreshments will be served!
Please sign up at the following link to reserve your spot: https://ufl.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_dnjR84yH0J0c6fY