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United States
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Forty-eight of the fifty states and the federal district are contiguous and located in North America between Canada and Mexico. The state of Alaska is in the northwest corner of North America, bordered by Canada to the east, the state of Hawaii is an archipelago in the mid-Pacific Ocean. The U. S. territories are scattered about the Pacific Ocean, the geography, climate and wildlife of the country are extremely diverse. At 3.8 million square miles and with over 324 million people, the United States is the worlds third- or fourth-largest country by area, third-largest by land area. It is one of the worlds most ethnically diverse and multicultural nations, paleo-Indians migrated from Asia to the North American mainland at least 15,000 years ago. European colonization began in the 16th century, the United States emerged from 13 British colonies along the East Coast. Numerous disputes between Great Britain and the following the Seven Years War led to the American Revolution. On July 4,1776, during the course of the American Revolutionary War, the war ended in 1783 with recognition of the independence of the United States by Great Britain, representing the first successful war of independence against a European power. The current constitution was adopted in 1788, after the Articles of Confederation, the first ten amendments, collectively named the Bill of Rights, were ratified in 1791 and designed to guarantee many fundamental civil liberties. During the second half of the 19th century, the American Civil War led to the end of slavery in the country. By the end of century, the United States extended into the Pacific Ocean. The Spanish–American War and World War I confirmed the status as a global military power. The end of the Cold War and the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 left the United States as the sole superpower. The U. S. is a member of the United Nations, World Bank, International Monetary Fund, Organization of American States. The United States is a developed country, with the worlds largest economy by nominal GDP. It ranks highly in several measures of performance, including average wage, human development, per capita GDP. While the U. S. economy is considered post-industrial, characterized by the dominance of services and knowledge economy, the United States is a prominent political and cultural force internationally, and a leader in scientific research and technological innovations. In 1507, the German cartographer Martin Waldseemüller produced a map on which he named the lands of the Western Hemisphere America after the Italian explorer and cartographer Amerigo Vespucci
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Florida
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Florida /ˈflɒrᵻdə/ is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, Florida is the 22nd-most extensive, the 3rd-most populous, and the 8th-most densely populated of the U. S. states. Jacksonville is the most populous municipality in the state and is the largest city by area in the contiguous United States, the Miami metropolitan area is Floridas most populous urban area. The city of Tallahassee is the state capital, much of the state is at or near sea level and is characterized by sedimentary soil. The climate varies from subtropical in the north to tropical in the south, the American alligator, American crocodile, Florida panther, and manatee can be found in the Everglades National Park. It was a location of the Seminole Wars against the Native Americans. Today, Florida is distinctive for its large Cuban expatriate community and high population growth, the states economy relies mainly on tourism, agriculture, and transportation, which developed in the late 19th century. Florida is also renowned for amusement parks, orange crops, the Kennedy Space Center, Florida has attracted many writers such as Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, Ernest Hemingway and Tennessee Williams, and continues to attract celebrities and athletes. It is internationally known for golf, tennis, auto racing, by the 16th century, the earliest time for which there is a historical record, major Native American groups included the Apalachee, the Timucua, the Ais, the Tocobaga, the Calusa and the Tequesta. Florida was the first part of the continental United States to be visited and settled by Europeans, the earliest known European explorers came with the Spanish conquistador Juan Ponce de León. Ponce de León spotted and landed on the peninsula on April 2,1513 and he named the region La Florida. The story that he was searching for the Fountain of Youth is a myth, in May 1539, Conquistador Hernando de Soto skirted the coast of Florida, searching for a deep harbor to land. He described seeing a wall of red mangroves spread mile after mile, some reaching as high as 70 feet. Very soon, many smokes appeared along the whole coast, billowing against the sky, the Spanish introduced Christianity, cattle, horses, sheep, the Spanish language, and more to Florida. Both the Spanish and French established settlements in Florida, with varying degrees of success, in 1559, Don Tristán de Luna y Arellano established a settlement at present-day Pensacola, making it the first attempted settlement in Florida, but it was abandoned by 1561. Spain maintained tenuous control over the region by converting the tribes to Christianity. The area of Spanish Florida diminished with the establishment of English settlements to the north, the English attacked St. Augustine, burning the city and its cathedral to the ground several times. Florida attracted numerous Africans and African-Americans from adjacent British colonies who sought freedom from slavery, in 1738, Governor Manuel de Montiano established Fort Gracia Real de Santa Teresa de Mose near St
3.
Tributary
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A tributary or affluent is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream or main stem river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean, tributaries and the main stem river drain the surrounding drainage basin of its surface water and groundwater, leading the water out into an ocean. A confluence, where two or more bodies of water together, usually refers to the joining of tributaries. The opposite to a tributary is a distributary, a river or stream that branches off from, distributaries are most often found in river deltas. Right tributary and left tributary are terms stating the orientation of the relative to the flow of the main stem river. These terms are defined from the perspective of looking downstream, where tributaries have the same name as the river into which they feed, they are called forks. These are typically designated by compass direction, for example, the American River receives flow from its North, Middle, and South forks. The Chicago Rivers North Branch has the East, West, and Middle Fork, the South Branch has its South Fork, forks are sometimes designated as right or left. Here, the handedness is from the point of view of an observer facing upstream, for instance, Steer Creek has a left tributary which is called Right Fork Steer Creek. Tributaries are sometimes listed starting with those nearest to the source of the river, the Strahler Stream Order examines the arrangement of tributaries in a hierarchy of first, second, third, and higher orders, with the first-order tributary being typically the least in size. For example, a second-order tributary would be the result of two or more first-order tributaries combining to form the second-order tributary, another method is to list tributaries from mouth to source, in the form of a tree structure, stored as a tree data structure
4.
Sebastian, Florida
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Sebastian is a city in Indian River County, Florida, United States, with a small portion in Brevard County. In 2010, the population recorded by the U. S. Census Bureau was 21,929, Sebastian is a principal city of the Sebastian−Vero Beach Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Indian River County. In 1715, several Spanish ships loaded with treasure encountered a storm off the shores of the Treasure Coast and were lost and it is estimated that only a portion of the sunken treasure has been found. The value placed on the treasure lost from the 1715 fleet has been estimated at over $500 million USD, the town of Sebastian was a fishing village as early as the 1870s. In the early 1880s David Peter Gibson, and Thomas New settled in the area, New filed to start a post office under the name New Haven. However, New got into trouble for misuse of his position as postmaster and was removed. Sebastian was officially founded in 1882 and named St. Sebastian, later, “St. ” was removed from the name of the town, but not from the river. Sebastian was incorporated as a city in 1923, nearby Pelican Island was declared the United States’ first National Wildlife refuge in 1903. At the 2010 census, there were 21,921 people,9,508 households and 6.462 families residing within the city in 10,815 housing units. The racial make-up of the city was 90. 5% White,5. 3% African American,0. 20% Native American,1. 10% Asian,1. 2% from other races, hispanic or Latino of any race were 7. 00% of the population. 21. 5% of households had children under the age of 16 living with them,54. 1% were married couples living together,10. 1% had a householder with no husband present. 32. 00% consisted of families or unrelated individuals. 25. 2% of all households were made up of individuals and 3. 9% had someone living alone who was 85 years of age or older, the average household size was 2.30 and the average family size was 2.75. 52. 4% of the population were female and 47. 6% male. 15. 8% were under the age of 16,6. 0% from 15 to 19,3. 7% from 20 to 24,3. 8% from 25 to 29, the median age was 50.1 years. The per capita income for the city was $24,959 in 2010. About 4. 8% of families and 6. 3% of the population were below the poverty line, the Government of the City of Sebastian follows a council-manager government model with a five-member city council as the elected governing body and a city manager as the chief operating officer. Members of the city council serve two-year terms with staggered elections, the School District of Indian River County operates public schools
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Alapaha River
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The Alapaha River /əˈlæpəhɑː/ is a 202-mile-long river in southern Georgia and northern Florida in the United States. It is a tributary of the Suwannee River, which flows to the Gulf of Mexico, the Hernando de Soto expedition narrative records mention a Yupaha village they encountered after they left Apalachee, the sound of which is suggestive of the Alapaha, a tributary of the Suwanee. Another reference to a village of Atapaha so closely resembles Alapaha that it is reasonable to suppose they are the same, augustine, Florida, probably on the Alapaha River. In the 1840s a German travel writer, Friedrich Gerstäcker wrote a novel called Alapaha, or the Renegades of the Border. A translation of this novel was published in the 1870s as #67 in a series of American narratives published by Beadle. During the American Civil War, the swamps along the Alapaha River in Berrien, Irwin, along its course it passes the Georgia towns of Rebecca, Alapaha, Willacoochee, Lakeland, and Statenville. Near Willacoochee, Georgia, the Alapaha collects the Willacoochee River, in Florida, it collects the Alapahoochee River and the short Little Alapaha River, which rises in Echols County, Georgia, and flows southwestward. The Alapaha River is an intermittent river for part of its course, during periods of low volume, the river disappears underground and becomes a subterranean river. At approximately 2.3 miles downstream from Jennings, Florida is a river sinkhole variously known as the Alapaha River Sink, Suck Hole and it is located at 30. 5855009°N83. 0528016°W /30.5855009, -83.0528016. A short distance away from the Devils Dens, the Dead River enters into the Alapaha River and it is a usually dry river bed with a number of sinkholes, including the Dead River Sink. A few more miles downstream is a sinkhole known as the Dead River Sink or the Siphon. At the latter point during the periods of low water flow, the Alapaha River later reappears at the Alapaha River Rise, which is about a half mile upstream from the confluence of the Alapaha River and the Suwanee River. During a period of low rainfall over 11 miles of the riverbed can be dry as the river goes underground, the United States Board on Geographic Names settled on Alapaha River as the streams name in 1891. According to the Geographic Names Information System, it has also known as
6.
Apalachicola River
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The Apalachicola River /æpəlætʃᵻˈkoʊlə/ is a river, approximately 112 mi long in the State of Florida. This rivers large watershed, known as the ACF River Basin for short, the distance to its farthest headstream in northeast Georgia is approximately 500 miles. Its name comes from the Apalachicola tribe, which used to live along the river, the actual confluence is submerged in the Lake Seminole reservoir formed by the Jim Woodruff Dam. It flows generally south through the forests of the Florida Panhandle, in northern Gulf County, it receives the Chipola River from the west. It flows into Apalachicola Bay, an inlet of the Gulf of Mexico, the lower 30 mi of the river is surrounded by extensive swamps and wetlands except at the coast. The watershed contains nationally significant forests, with some of the highest biological diversity east of the Mississippi River and it has significant areas of temperate deciduous forest as well as longleaf pine landscapes and flatwoods. Flooded areas have significant tracts of floodplain forest, all these southeastern forest types were devastated by logging between 1880 and 1920 and the Apalachiola contains some of the finest remaining examples in the southeast. The endangered tree species Florida Torreya is endemic to the region, it clings to forested slopes, the highest point within the watershed is Blood Mountain at 4,458 ft, near the headwaters of the Chattahoochee River. Where the river enters the Gulf of Mexico it creates an array of wetlands varying in salinity. These include tidal marshes and seagrass meadows, over 200,000 acres of this diverse delta complex are included within the Apalachicola National Estuarine Research Reserve. There are also dunes with coastal grasslands and interdunal swales, the basin of the Apalachicola River is also noted for its tupelo honey, a high-quality monofloral honey, which is produced wherever the tupelo trees bloom in the southeastern United States. In a good harvest year, the value of the tupelo honey produced by a group of specialized Florida beekeepers approaches $900,000 each spring. During Floridas British colonial period the river formed the boundary between East Florida and West Florida, geologically the river links the coastal plain and Gulf Coast with the Appalachian Mountains. During the last ice age, it provided a route for trees to move south from the Appalachians. It has been suggested that this watershed should be ranked and appreciated as being as significant as the Everglades or Great Smoky Mountains. To raise awareness about the importance of preserving the state of the river and its inhabitants. The river forms the boundary between the Eastern and Central time zones in Florida, list of Florida rivers South Atlantic-Gulf Water Resource Region Voices of the Apalachicola White, P. S. Pp. 255–314, In M. J. Mac, P. A, opler, C. E. Puckett Haecker, and P. D
7.
Aucilla River
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The Aucilla River rises close to Thomasville, Georgia, USA, and passes through the Big Bend region of Florida, emptying into the Gulf of Mexico at Apalachee Bay. Some early maps have it called the Ocilla River, the river is 89 miles long and has a drainage basin of 747 square miles. The Wacissa River is a tributary, in Florida, the Aucilla River forms the eastern border of Jefferson County, separating it from Madison County on the northern part, and from Taylor County to the south. The lower part of the river disappears underground and reappears several times, during the first Spanish period in Florida the Aucilla River was the boundary between the Apalachee people and the Timucua-speaking Yustaga people. Near Boston, Georgia the Aucilla River temporarily becomes a river at Howell Sinks. List of fossil sites South Atlantic-Gulf Water Resource Region Media related to Aucilla River at Wikimedia Commons Balfour, balsillie, J. H. G. H. Means, and J. S. Dunbar. The Ryan/Harley site, Sedimentology of an inundated Paleoindian site in north Florida, pleistocene-Holocene Climate Change, Chronostratigraphy and Geoclimate of the Southeast United States, Chapter 5. Pages 103-158 in S. D. Webb, ed, First Floridians and Last Mastodons, the Page-Ladson Site on the Aucilla River. Dunbar, J. S. C. A. Hemmings, P. K. Vojnovski, S. D. Webb, the Ryan/Harley Site 8Je1004, A Suwannee Point Site In The Wacissa River, North Florida. Pages 81–96 in R. Bonnichsen, B. T. Lepper, D. J. Stanford, center for the Study of the First Americans, Texas A&M University Press, College Station, TX. Dunbar, J. S. S. D. Webb, page/Ladson, An Underwater Paleo-Indian Site in Northwestern Florida. Fisher, D. C. and D. L. Fox, five Years in the Life of an Aucilla River Mastodon. Pages 343-377 in S. D. Webb, ed, First Floridians and Last Mastodons, the Page-Ladson Site on the Aucilla River. Hoppe, K. A. and P. Koch, the Biogeochemistry of the Aucilla River Fauna, Chapter 13. Pages 379-401 in S. D. Webb, ed, First Floridians and Last Mastodons, the Page-Ladson Site on the Aucilla River. Hoppe, K. A. and P. L. Koch, reconstructing the migration patterns of late Pleistocene mammals from northern Florida, USA. Newsom, L. A. and M. Mihlbachler, Mastodons Diet Foraging Patterns Based on Analysis of Dung Deposits, Chapter 10. Pages 263-331 in S. D. Webb, ed, First Floridians and Last Mastodons, the Page-Ladson Site on the Aucilla River
8.
Blackwater River (Florida)
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The Blackwater River of Florida is a 56. 6-mile-long river rising in southern Alabama and flowing through the Florida Panhandle to the Gulf of Mexico. The river enters Florida in Okaloosa County and flows through Santa Rosa County to Blackwater Bay, the river passes through Blackwater River State Forest and Blackwater River State Park. Milton, the county seat of Santa Rosa County, is located on the river, the Blackwaters sandy bottom, white beaches and large sandbars contrast with the dark tannic water that gives the river its name. Blackwater is a translation of the Choctaw word oka-lusa, which means water black,31 miles of the river are navigable by canoe, kayak or small boats. The rivers average flow rate is 2 to 3 miles per hour, depending on rainfall, water levels can fluctuate rapidly and low-lying areas are seasonally flooded by the river. This floodplain supports a variety of flora and fauna. Aquatic plants include water fern, water lily, coontail, bladderwort, oak, maple, sycamore, magnolia, holly, tupelo, mountain laurel and azaleas dominate the forest along the river and streams of the floodplain. Carnivorous plants such as pitcher plants, white-top pitcher plants. Upland pine forests are mixed with oak, sweetgum, flowering dogwood. Open canopy forests combine several types of pine and dense groundcovers that include gallberry, saw palmetto, wild blueberry, wax myrtle, atlantic white cedars line the river, and one of these was designated a Florida Champion in 1982, the largest of its species. Wildlife found nearby include white-tailed deer, turkeys and bobcats, River otters are occasionally seen and alligators are seen frequently. A variety of birds, including red-headed and pileated woodpeckers, hawks, crows, warblers, shorebirds such as plovers and sandpipers, as well as many types of heron and egret, can be found along the banks and sandbars. The river has spawned many oxbow lakes, some of which can be seen from the river, two hurricanes in 1995, Erin and Opal, changed the course of the river downstream from Deaton Bridge in Blackwater River State Park. The section of the river between Deaton Bridge and Milton, Florida is no longer navigable by boat, the navigable section of the river begins at Kennedy Bridge on State Forestry Road 24 east of Munson, Florida. The next access point is 6 miles downstream at Peaden Bridge on State Forestry Road 50, five more miles downstream, between Munson and Baker, Florida, is Cotton Bridge on State Road 4. Twelve more miles downstream is Bryant Bridge, on State Forestry Road 21 near Holt, the final access point, and the end of the Florida Canoe Trail, is eight more miles downstream at Deaton Bridge on State Forestry Road 23 in Blackwater River State Park. Marth, Del and Marty Marth, eds, Florida Park Service & Department of Environmental Protection brochure Blackwater River State Park,7720 Deaton Bridge Road, Holt, Florida 32564
9.
Caloosahatchee River
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The Caloosahatchee River is a river on the southwest Gulf Coast of Florida in the United States, approximately 67 miles long. It drains rural areas on the edge of the Everglades. The river issues from Lake Hicpochee, in southeastern Glades County and it flows west-southwest past LaBelle, where it becomes tidal, forming an estuary along its lower 25 mi. It broadens as it nears the gulf, passing Fort Myers and it enters the Gulf of Mexico 10 mi southwest of Fort Myers in San Carlos Bay, protected by Sanibel Island. Lucie River estuary to the east and the Caloosahatchee River estuary to the west, thus the normal mix of fresh and salt water in those estuaries was replaced by a flood of polluted fresh water resulting in ecological damage. As a result, both the magnitude and timing of delivery to the estuary have been substantially altered. Recent programs by the government have attempted to establish minimum flow levels in the river. A federal wildlife refuge for manatees has been established at the mouth of the river on San Carlos Bay near Fort Myers, in 2007, PBS Earth Edition produced 27 minute video titled, The Caloosahatchee. The video can be watched for free here, http, //video. wgcu. org/video/1576144404/, Earth Editions description of the video follows, There are really two Caloosahatchee Rivers
10.
Chattahoochee River
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The Chattahoochee River forms the southern half of the Alabama and Georgia border, as well as a portion of the Florida border. The Chattahoochee River is about 430 miles long, the Chattahoochee, Flint, and Apalachicola rivers together make up the Apalachiacola–Chattahoochee–Flint River Basin. The Chattahoochee makes up the largest part of the ACFs drainage basin and its headwaters flow south from ridges that form the Tennessee Valley Divide. The Appalachian Trail crosses the rivers uppermost headwaters, the Chattahoochees source and upper course lies within Chattahoochee National Forest. From its source in the Blue Ridge Mountains, the Chattahoochee River flows southwesterly to Atlanta and it eventually turns due south to form the southern half of the Georgia/Alabama state line. Flowing through a series of reservoirs and artificial lakes, it flows by Columbus, the second-largest city in Georgia, at Columbus, it crosses the Fall Line of the eastern United States. From Lake Oliver to Fort Benning, the Chattahoochee Riverwalk provides cycling, rollerblading, farther south, it merges with the Flint River and other tributaries at Lake Seminole near Bainbridge, to form the Apalachicola River that flows into the Florida Panhandle. Although the same river, this portion was given a different name by separated settlers in different regions during the colonial times, the name Chattahoochee is thought to come from a Muskogean word meaning rocks-marked, from chato plus huchi. This possibly refers to the many colorful granite outcroppings along the northeast-to-southwest segment of the river, much of that segment of the river runs through the Brevard fault zone. A local Georgia nickname for the Chattahoochee River is The Hooch, the vicinity of the Chattahoochee River was inhabited in prehistoric times by indigenous peoples since at least 1000 BC. Among the historical nations, the Chattahoochee served as a line between the Muscogee and the Cherokee territories in the Southeast. The Muscogee were first removed from the side of the river. The Chattahoochee River was of strategic importance during the Atlanta Campaign by Union General William Tecumseh Sherman of the American Civil War. A month prior to the Battle of Atlanta, Shoup talked with Johnston on June 18,1864 about building fortifications, Johnston agreed, and Shoup supervised the building of 36 small elevated earth and wooden triangular fortifications, arranged in a sawtooth pattern to maximize the crossfire of defenders. Sherman tried to avoid the Shoupade defenses by crossing the river to the northeast, the nine remaining Shoupades consist of the earthworks portion of the original earth and wooden structures, they are endangered by land development in the area. Since the nineteenth century, early improvements and alterations to the river were for the purposes of navigation, the river was important for carrying trade and passengers and was a major transportation route. Creating the manmade,46, 000-acre Walter F. George Lake required evacuating numerous communities, including the historically majority-Native American settlement of Oketeyeconne, the lakes were complete in 1963, covering over numerous historic and prehistoric sites of settlement. In 2010 a campaign to create a course was launched in the portion of the Chattahoochee River that runs through Columbus
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Chipola River
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The Chipola River is a tributary of the Apalachicola River in western Florida. It is part of the ACF River Basin watershed, the 92. 5-mile-long river crosses Jackson, Calhoun and Gulf counties. The river flows into the Dead Lakes State Recreation Area just before reaching the Apalachicola, the Dead Lakes were formed when the Apalachicola deposited sand bars blocking the mouth of the Chipola. The Chipola River now flows for miles south from the Dead Lakes parallel to the Apalachicola River before its confluence finally joining it. Look and Tremble Outstanding Florida Waters Marth, Del and Marty Marth, eds
12.
Choctawhatchee River
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The river, the bay and their adjacent watersheds collectively drain 5,350 square miles. The Choctawhatchee originates as two forks in Barbour County, Alabama, the East Fork flows through Henry County. It then flows south into Florida, terminating at Choctawhatchee Bay, other Alabama tributaries are Claybank Creek and Tight Eye Creek. Once in Florida, the river continues southwesterly through Holmes, Walton, major tributaries in Florida include Holmes, Wright, Sandy, Pine Log, Seven Run and Bruce creeks. Choctawhatchee Bay empties into the Gulf of Mexico at East Pass near Destin, the Choctawhatchee contains several species of fish, including several species of sunfish, channel catfish and spotted bass, other species include Redhorse Suckers and Carp Suckers. Scientists report sighting sturgeon as far upriver as Newton, they appear to prefer the limestone bottoms for laying their eggs, as recently as the 1920s, sturgeon fishing was a thriving industry in Geneva, with many large fish being caught, packed in barrels, and shipped north. Twenty-one Aquatic Snails and Freshwater Mussel species exist in the Choctawhatchee, with one of the former, researchers from Auburn University and the University of Windsor, Ontario, reported possible sightings in 2005 and 2006 of ivory-billed woodpeckers along the Choctawhatchee River. 70% of the Choctawhatchees watershed is forested, the remainder is mostly croplands, trees found along the Choctawhatchee include southern pine, beech, magnolia, laurel oak, basswood, Florida maple and American holly. The lower Choctawhatchee contains pitcher-plant bog and other habitat, including cypress trees draped with Spanish moss. Alligators have been seen in the lower reaches. The Choctawhatchee has little industry along its banks, consequently it has rather clean water, except for excess turbidity, the Choctawhatchee, Pea and Yellow Rivers Watershed Management District was instrumental in getting a grant to place gravel on many county roads, which reduced the average turbidity. This changes somewhat in the Florida section of the river, due to the presence of wastewater treatment plants, animal-waste sites. Three of the rivers Florida tributaries are described as polluted with waste water effluent, the Choctawhatchee has not always been on good behavior, having flooded Geneva in the so-called Lincoln Freshet of 1865, and the Hoover Flood of 1929. The Lincoln Freshet induced many of the townspeople to move to higher ground approximately a half-mile north, damage from subsequent floods has been limited by a WPA-project levee. Areas outside the levee did not fare so well, and were purchased by FEMA after three floods during the 1990s, the March 1990 flood caused over $88 million in damages. The river was a route and avenue of commerce for many years. The Bloomer, a 130-ton side-wheeler with high-pressure engines, navigated the route between Geneva and Pensacola in 1857, as did the Brooklyn, which was built in Geneva. In 1814 Andrew Jackson built a stockade called the Block House at the confluence of the East and West forks of the Chocktawhatchee, near Newton
13.
Econlockhatchee River
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The Econlockhatchee River is an 87. 7-kilometer-long north-flowing blackwater tributary of the St. Johns River, the longest river in the U. S. state of Florida. The Econ River flows through Osceola, Orange, and Seminole counties in Central Florida and its name means River of mounds, and it is a designated Outstanding Florida Waters. The river flows north from its source, Lake Conlin, through the Econlockhatchee River Swamp south of State Road 528, near the City of Oviedo, the tributary Little Econlockhatchee River joins, and the river turns east as it flows through the Little Big Econ State Forest. The Econlockhatchee joins the St. Johns River near Puzzle Lake, the rivers floodplain is forested for its entire length. The upper course of the river is called the Econlockhatchee River Swamp, located southeast of Orlando, the swamp is 21 kilometres long, from Lake Conlin to State Road 528. South of State Road 532, the swamp is known as Cat Island Swamp, the river is at its widest here, bordered by Lake Preston to the west. Seven miles downstream, the elevation is 19 metres. The Disston Canal joins Lake Mary Jane and Lake Hart to the swamp, Turkey Creek Bay is an arm of the swamp, through which the tributary Turkey Creek flows. North of Wewahootee Road, the Econlockhatchee River leaves the swamp, list of Florida rivers Hal Scott Preserve Oviedo, Florida Wedgefield, Florida formerly known as Rocket City Econlockhatchee River Canoe Trail
14.
Conecuh River
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The Conecuh River and Escambia River constitute a single 258-mile-long river in Alabama and Florida in the United States. The Conecuh River rises near Union Springs in the state and flows 198 miles in a southwesterly direction into Florida near Century. The rivers name changes from the Conecuh to the Escambia at the junction of Escambia Creek,1.2 miles downstream from the Florida-Alabama line, after this point, the Escambia River flows 60 miles south to Escambia Bay, an arm of Pensacola Bay. The river is dredged in the lower course, List of Alabama rivers List of Florida rivers South Atlantic-Gulf Water Resource Region Allrefer. com U. S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System, Escambia River
15.
Hillsborough River (Florida)
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The Hillsborough River is a river located in the state of Florida in the USA. It arises in the Green Swamp near the juncture of Hillsborough, Pasco and Polk counties, the name Hillsborough River first appeared on a British map in 1769. Geological data suggests that the Hillsborough River has been flowing for about 27,000 years, humans first made their way to this area 12,000 -15,000 years ago. In the late 18th century the watershed of the Hillsborough River was a covered by a rich. Majestic bald cypress, longleaf pine, and sand live oak were hundreds of years old, in the mid to late 19th century to about 1913 the watershed of this old growth forest began to be logged. As a result of this activity, most of the trees within the Hillsborough River basin are now less than one hundred years in age. The harvesting of the old growth trees altered the ecosystems they dominated, trees such as water ash and water locust were able to quickly grow in the sun-lit spaces created when bigger trees were removed. The riverine swamp forest as it today has a much different ecology than the ecosystem that had existed along the Hillsborough for the previous ten to fifteen thousand years. Pánfilo de Narváez, a Spanish explorer, lands near Tampa Bay and he and the four hundred men with him find the Tocobaga culture established in the area. Hernando de Soto, another Spaniard, comes to Tampa Bay, by the early 18th century the Tocobaga people, through disease and slavery, are nearly exterminated. A survey of the Hillsborough River is done by Don Francisco Maria Celi and he ventures up to the Temple Terrace area in search of longleaf pine to use as masts for his ships. He names the pine forest of the area El Pinal de la Cruz de Santa Teresa or The Pines of the Cross of Saint Teresa, there is a plaque commemorating his exploration at Riverhills Park in Temple Terrace. A map drawn and sent to the Earl of Hillsborough, English Governor of West Florida, during the mid and late 18th century, Native Americans from the north, mostly Creek, begin to migrate to Florida. These immigrants become known as Seminoles, Florida becomes a United States territory. Construction of Fort Brooke begins at the mouth of the Hillsborough River, the Fort King Military Road is built to connect Fort King in Ocala with Fort Brooke in what was then the settlement of Tampa. A bridge is built to cross the Hillsborough, congress passes the Indian Removal Act. The American government begins efforts to remove the Seminole from Tampa Bay, tensions between Seminole and Americans continue. Seminoles burn the bridge at the Fort King Road’s river crossing, Fort Foster is established at the Hillsborough River crossing to protect this strategically advantageous position
16.
Kissimmee River
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The Kissimmee River is a river in south-central Florida, United States. The Kissimmee River arises in Osceola County as the outflow from East Lake Tohopekaliga, passing through Lake Tohopekaliga, Lake Cypress, Lake Hatchineha, the river was originally 134 miles in length,103 miles of which was between Lake Kissimmee and Lake Okeechobee. It forms the headwaters of the Kissimmee River-Lake Okeechobee-Everglades ecosystem, the Kissimmee river is a kissammeee river. The floodplain of the river supports a community of waterfowl, wading birds, fish. Florida requested federal assistance in controlling floods, and in 1954 the United States Congress authorized the canalization of the Kissimmee River. From 1962 to 1970 the United States Army Corps of Engineers dredged the C-38 Canal down the Kissimmee valley and it has since been realized that this project damaged the river, with the faster water flow leading to major environmental problems in the Kissimmee Valley and Lake Okeechobee. Efforts are currently underway to reverse the process and re-introduce the many oxbows in the river slowed the water. Catches of largemouth bass in the river were consistently worse after the channelization, the river was mentioned in a lyric of Josh Turners song Alligator Stroll. Efforts to restore the Kissimmee River to its original flow were approved by Congress in 1992, the United States Army Corps of Engineers currently hopes to complete the project in 2015. In 2006, the South Florida Water Management District had acquired land along the river. In all,43 miles of the Kissimmee River will be restored, already, wildlife is returning to the restored sections of river. When flooding began again, muck and smothering aquatic weeds were flushed out, encroaching dry land trees began dying back. Once dormant plants began to reestablish themselves, the species included pink-tipped smartweed, horsetail, sedges, rushes, arrowhead, duck potato and pickerel weed. This, in turn, boosted fish populations and it led to a rise in bird and this is one reason that the Kissimmee River restoration is considered to be the largest true ecosystem restoration project in the world, attracting ecologists from other states and countries
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Myakka River
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The Myakka River is a river in southwestern Florida. It arises near the Hardee-Manatee county line and flows southwest and then southeast through Manatee, Sarasota and Charlotte counties to Charlotte Harbor, the river is 68 miles long and has a drainage basin of 235 square miles. The last twenty miles of the river is tidal and brackish, the Myakka River remains relatively undeveloped. A twelve-mile stretch of the river is preserved in Myakka River State Park, a thirty-four-mile portion of the river in Sarasota County was designated as a state Wild and Scenic River in 1985 by the Florida Legislature. Myakkahatchee Creek Deer Prairie Creek Preserve Dorsey, Tim and Barry, in Marth, Del and Marty Marth, eds. TheWild & Scenic Myakka River - URL retrieved September 24,2006
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Ochlockonee River
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The Ochlockonee River is a fast running river originating in Georgia and flowing for 206 miles before terminating in Florida. The Ochlockonee originates south of the town of Sylvester in Worth County in southwest Georgia emptying into Ochlockonee Bay, then into Apalachee Bay, in Florida. In Florida, the forms the western boundaries of Leon County and Wakulla County and eastern boundaries of Gadsden County, Liberty County. Old Spanish documents sometimes refer to the Ochlockonee River as the Rio Agna and in other instances as the Rio de Lagna, the names Lagna and Lana may be Spanish renditions of the Muskogean word LAHnee, which translates as yellow. The rich yellows and reds of Red Hills clay give the river a yellowish color, eighteenth century English maps give the name as Ogeelaganu or Ochloconee, which probably retains at least the flavor of its Hitchiti name. Variations of these continued into century with O-clock-ney being used in 1822, about 1840, Fort Stansbury was established on the river by placing a two story home that had been abandoned by its owner due to Seminole raids during the Second Seminole War. This fort was important in the removal of Indians from the area. Boats traveled upriver to collect and move Native Americans down to Gulf of Mexico ports for removal to Indian Territories, by 1844, Fort Stansbury had been abandoned. From 1839 to 1842, Fort Virginia Braden was established on the river located at Fort Braden in Florida, the fort was named after the commanders wife who died of yellow fever. The Ochlockonee River saw action during the Civil War, on 15 July 1863 the screw steamer gunboat USS Stars and Stripes and wooden side-wheel steam ferryboat USS Somerset attacked the salt works at Mashes Sands. On 29 December 1863 Stars and Stripes sank the blockade-running schooner Caroline Gertrude, Stars and Stripes also captured the blockade-running steamer Laura off the Ochlockonee on 18 January 1864. On 19 and 20 October 1864 Stars and Stripes destroyed an extensive Confederate fishery at Mashes Island, the Ochlockonee River corridor is home to many threatened fish, wildlife and plant species. Rare animals that can be found along the Ochlockonee include red-cockaded woodpecker, least tern, the river is especially rich in rare freshwater mussels, including three federally listed endangered species, the Ochlockonee moccasinshell, the Shinyrayed pocketbook, and the Oval pigtoe. The Florida maybell tree can be found only along the Ochlockonee, the Ochlockonee is connected to and a source of water for Lake Iamonia especially during flooding. Fishing for bass, perch, bream and catfish can be excellent on the Ochlockonee River, telogia Creek and the Little River near State Road 12 are also popular for canoeing. The Florida National Scenic Trail follows the river for two miles, the Ochlockonee is a vital link in the production of seafood to the southwest in Apalachicola Bay. A number of major highways cross the Ochlockonee River along its course, including Interstate 10 and U. S. highways 19,27, south Atlantic-Gulf Water Resource Region Florida Dept. of Transportation, Florida Bridge Information. Ochlockonee River Soil and Water Conservation District Ochlockonee River Watershed - Florida DEP U. S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System, Ochlockonee River
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Ocklawaha River
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The 74-mile-long Ocklawaha River flows north from central Florida until it joins the St. Johns River near Palatka. Its name is a corruption of ak-lowahe, Creek for muddy, the historical and original source of the Ocklawaha River is Lake Griffin, part of the Harris chain of lakes in Lake County, Florida. The addition of the canals has increased both the discharge flow and amount of runoff pollution carried into the river. The Ocklawaha River watershed includes parts of the Green Swamp, most of Lake County, the largest of several large lakes in the Ocklawahas watershed is the badly polluted Lake Apopka near Orlando. The Ocklawaha River is the tributary of the St. Johns River. The most important and well-known tributary of the Ocklawaha is the Silver River, another important tributary of the Ocklawaha is Orange Creek, which originates from Orange Lake, which is fed by Lochloosa Lake via Cross Creek and by Newnans Lake, via the Prairie Creek. From Prairie Creek, only half of its water is diverted towards Orange Lake via the Camps Canal. The river was used extensively in the 19th century and early 20th century for steamboat transportation, narrow steamboats were used to navigate the constrictive and winding river. In the 1870s, the route between Palatka and Silver Springs became very popular, and was travelled by prominent figures such as Harriet Beecher Stowe, Ulysses S. Grant, edison and Mary Todd Lincoln to visit Silver Springs. The scenic trip up the added a sense of adventure to a visit to Silver Springs. The popularity of the route to Silver Springs declined after the arrival of railroad service to Ocala in 1881. The river and its tributaries are navigable for most of their length. The Silver River is easily accessible and very popular with boaters, Orange Creek is navigable for most of its length by canoe. Aids to navigation along the river and its source tributaries include, Rodman Reservoir. The Cross Florida Barge Canal is navigable through the Buckman Lock with elevation changes of 19.2 feet, the Burrell Lock and Dam on Haynes Creek. Most non-canoe navigation ends with Lake Apopka, the river has suffered severe ecological damage in the 20th century from impoundment, fertilizer runoff, dredging, pollution and rerouting. Florida Defenders of the Environment, which Carr co-founded in 1969, the river is a popular place to canoe, kayak and fish. The river forms the boundary of the Ocala National Forest
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Peace River (Florida)
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The Peace River is a river in the southwestern part of the Florida peninsula, in the U. S. A. It is 106 miles long and has a basin of 1,367 square miles. U. S. Highway 17 runs near and somewhat parallel to the river for much of its course, the river was called Rio de la Paz on 16th century Spanish charts. It appeared as Peas Creek or Pease Creek on later maps, the Creek Indians call it Talakchopcohatchee, River of Long Peas. Other cities along the Peace River include Fort Meade, Wauchula, the river has always been a vital resource to the people in its watershed. Historically, the abundant fishery and wildlife of Charlotte Harbor supported large populations of people of the Caloosahatchee culture, today, the Peace River supplies over six million gallons per day of drinking water to the people in the region. The river is popular for canoeing. There were many Pleistocene and Miocene fossils found throughout the Peace River area, most of the northern watershed of the Peace River comprises an area known as the Bone Valley. The Peace River is a destination for fossil hunters who dig and sift the river gravel for fossilized shark teeth. Several campgrounds and canoe rental operations cater to hunters, with Wauchula, Zolfo Springs. Kissingen Springs South Atlantic-Gulf Water Resource Region ODonnell, Brian, Peace River, in Marth, Del and Marty Marth, eds. USGS Real-Time Water Data for Peace River at Zolfo Springs USGS Real-Time Water Data for Peace River at Arcadia Media related to Peace River at Wikimedia Commons
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Perdido River
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Perdido River, historically Rio Perdido, is a 65. 4-mile-long river in the U. S. During the early 19th century it played a role in a series of rotating boundary changes and disputes among France, Spain, Great Britain. It rises in southwestern Alabama in Escambia County approximately 8 miles northwest of Atmore and it flows south approximately 5 miles to latitude 31°N, south of which it forms the remainder of the Alabama/Florida border. It flows generally east-southeast in a course and enters the north end of Perdido Bay on the Gulf of Mexico. The word perdido is Spanish for lost, from 1682 to 1763, the Perdido formed the boundary between the French colony of Louisiana and the Spanish colony of Florida. The British divided their newly acquired colony into West Florida and East Florida at the Apalachicola River, twenty years later, as part of the Treaty of Paris, Britain returned all of Florida to Spain, at which point Spain controlled the entire coast of the Gulf of Mexico. In 1800, as part of the Treaty of San Ildefonso, Spain returned the Louisiana colony to France, in 1803, France sold Louisiana to the United States in the Louisiana Purchase. A boundary dispute erupted between the U. S. and Spain, with the U. S, the Gulf coast south of 31 degrees latitude, between the Mississippi and Perdido rivers, remained disputed between the two nations. In 1810, the Republic of West Florida successfully declared its independence from a weakened Spain, ninety days later, U. S. military forces entered its capital and effectively annexed the short-lived nation. However, this action did not extend all the way to the Perdido River, during the War of 1812, U. S. military forces entered Mobile to enforce the surrender of the Spanish officials there. A year or so later, U. S. garrisons were defending Gulf coast forts against British naval attacks and this coastal area, the land west of the Perdido River, was incorporated into the Mississippi Territory by the United States. In 1817 the Alabama Territory was carved out of the half of the Mississippi Territory. The dispute with Spain was finally resolved in 1819 with the Adams-Onís Treaty, the treaty wasnt ratified by the Spanish government until a couple of years later. In 1822 the Florida Territory was established, with the Perdido River as the boundary between it and the new state of Alabama, U. S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System, Perdido River Perdido River Watershed - Florida DEP
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Santa Fe River (Florida)
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The Santa Fe River is a 75-mile river in northern Florida. The headwaters of the river are Lake Santa Fe, near Keystone Heights, the Santa Fe River is usually a slow-flowing river. This slow speed, combined with the abundant leaf-drop from nearby trees, especially Bald Cypress, the Santa Fe River is unusual in that it completely disappears underground and then reappears 3 miles downstream. The river drops into a sinkhole in OLeno State Park. A map of the watershed clearly shows the gap in the river where it flows underground. Springs like Gilchrist Blue, Ginnie, Hornsby, Lily, Poe, the water temperature near the numerous springs is always around 72 °F. As with many rivers in Florida, plant and animal fossil remnants are plentiful along the Santa Fe, the tributaries of the Santa Fe include the New River, Olustee Creek, and Ichetucknee River, another spring-fed river. The Santa Fe empties into the Suwannee River near Branford, Florida, the river derives its name from a Franciscan mission named Santa Fé de Toloca formerly located near the river. The Santa Fe River, saveoursuwannee. org Paddling on Santa Fe River, adventureoutpost. net Our Santa Fe River, oursantaferiver. org Kayak The Santa Fe River, Florida, irishwaterdogs. com
