Imagine standing knee-deep in a stream as clear as glass, so clear you can count the pebbles under your feet. But there’s a story beyond these waters you can’t see. It’s a story of conservation, preservation, human health, and the legacy of these waters on Tribal lands.

To tell the story of protecting the watershed and headwaters of Perdido Creek and the Perdido River, meet Chris Head, Manager of Environmental Protection of the Poarch Creek Indians.

But first, a few key definitions:

Headwaters: The uppermost source of a water system.

Wetlands: Nature’s filter, absorbing pollutants, and slowing floodwaters.

Watershed: It encompasses the entire landscape that drains into a common body of water, including headwaters, streams, rivers, and the surrounding land and vegetation.

The environmental protection team has been watching over these waters for nearly a decade. Currently, they are managing the design of the largest stream restoration project in the Southeast for the Tribe, encompassing the headwaters of Perdido Creek. The project was funded by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) via the National Coastal Resilience Fund. for $708,000.

Through this program, wetlands preservation is a critical part of protecting the watershed because wetlands provide buffer zones to mitigate against sediment runoff from ever-present logging, mining, construction, and agricultural operations.

“We already sample for pathogens and other parameters in both the Perdido and Escambia watersheds. So why not work together on this project and do a little extra collection to get a better and broader picture of the entire watershed and headwaters to the bay,” said Chris. 

Through the Pensacola and Perdido Bays Estuary Program (PPBEP), the team  is doing work that is vital to:

• Restoring and protecting these watersheds and identifying any issues that could impact water quality
• Protecting the important species that inhabit these waters
• Ensuring the Tribe and the community know the health of these waterways is being cared for in a clear and meaningful way

Over the next three years, the project team representing the City of Orange Beach, PPBEP, and Escambia, Santa Rosa, and Okaloosa Counties, will collect monthly water quality data at approximately 30 sites across the Perdido and Pensacola Bay Watersheds, critical information that will be publicly available and displayed on a dashboard to help visualize water quality information; educating, informing, and connecting communities to the bays they care about. It’s a promise that extends through the comprehensive work of its Environmental and Natural Resources department, including environmental stewardship, sustainable waste management, and habitat protection. 

The Poarch Creek Indian’s focus and commitment to conservation ensures the waters on Tribal lands are protected and preserved now, and as a promise for generations to come.