. . . is one of the few remaining coastal rivers in East Florida which has not been heavily developed. It is home to a wide variety of wildlife, including several endangered species. Eagles, otters, dolphins, woodstorks, alligators, and several kinds of wading birds can be observed along the river. The upland area includes habitat for other rare creatures, including the Gopher Tortoise and Florida Scrub Jay. The river is home to many game fish such as tarpon and snook, and a few rare and endemic fish species.
    Endangered West Indian Manatees can be found here during any season, and the river is a year-round designated slow speed zone. At times, over one hundred manatees congregate in the St. Sebastian River. Recognizing the river's importance to the survival of the manatee as a species, the State of Florida has purchased large pieces of property with shoreline and uplands along the river.
    The winding river is perfect for canoeing and fishing. In some places, the untouched shoreline offers a view of wild Florida as it used to be. Guided tours are available by canoe, kayak or powerboat. There are public parks and boat ramps.
    As population increases, we will need to take special care of this beautiful resource. In spite of its beauty, there are problems. Water quality must be improved. Discharge of excess freshwater and nutrients from development and agricultural lands is a major concern. Manatees and other endangered species need better protection.
    The Friends of St. Sebastian River has become an effective voice for conservation. With broad community support, we hope to take good care of our river and protect it for future generations to enjoy.

    There has been a great deal of recent discussion about the name of our river. Most people when they arrive here are told that it is the Sebastian River. However, the official name of our river is the St. Sebastian River. George Keyes has researched this subject, and on December 21, 1988, the U.S. Board of Geographic Names approved "the names Saint Sebastian River, North Prong Saint Sebastian River and South Prong Saint Sebastian River." Here is the information he submitted to obtain this ruling:

    This historical name of our river is described by Bernard Romans, cartographer for King George III, in his book, A Concise Natural History of East and West Florida, "the shore stretches nearly south, to opposite the mouth of the Saint Sebastian River in lat. 27° 56"... in the lagoon and sound many streams of fine fresh water empty themselves; the principal are the rivers St. Sebastian and St. Lucia as the map showes (sic). Romans' 1774 map shows the river as the San Sebastian River."
    Don Andres Burgevin surveyed the 20,000 acres of the Fleming Grant for the Captain of the Spanish Militia, Don George Fleming, by decree of the Spanish Government, made June 8, 1819. The entrance to the grant is shown as the St. Sebastian River.

This image is of the survey done of Fleming's Grant by the King of Spain, c.1828. The diagonal line, from upper left to lower right, is the North compass alignment. At the bottom is the Indian River Lagoon, noted as "Rio de Ays." At the mouth of the St. Sebastian River, its name is noted as "Rio de S. Sebastian."

United States. Board of Land Commissioners. Fleming, Geo. . State Archives of Florida, Florida Memory. https://www.floridamemory.com/items/show/232645.

George Keyes, Sebastian Area Historical Society

What is a watershed?

It's a land area that channels rainfall and snowmelt to creeks, streams, and rivers, and eventually to outflow points such as reservoirs, bays, and the ocean.

While some watersheds (also called drainage basin or catchment) are relatively small, others encompass thousands of square miles and may contain streams, rivers, lakes, reservoirs, and underlying groundwater that are hundreds of miles inland.

The largest watershed in North America is the Mississippi River Watershed, which drains 1.15 million square miles, from all or parts of 31 U.S. states and two Canadian provinces. You will find a fun, animated graphical representation of this watershed on the NASA website at https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/4493.

Watersheds are important to both water quantity and quality, as they "shed" whatever is picked up in the process of draining stormwater to the nearest waterbody. As a result, buffers to the waterbody are one of the best ways of protecting water quality, by catching or absorbing pollutants.

In the United States, forests have historically been viewed to have a positive effect on water resources. This view is backed up by decades of research that confirms that forests (including managed forests) provide the highest-quality and most reliable freshwater supplies among all other land uses (Journal of Forestry, Volume 117, Issue 1, January 2019, pages 80-85). In addition, you may be interested in a great educational booklet from the USDA entitled Water & Forests - The role trees play in water quality

Streamside forests capture, absorb, and store amounts of rainfall up to 40 times greater than disturbed soils, like agricultural fields or construction sites, and 15 times more than turf grass (Keystone 10 Million Trees Partnership, Ten Million Trees for Pennsylvania).

For a more in-depth explanation of what a watershed is, you may be interested in the information on the U.S. Geological Service's website at www.usgs.gov/special-topics/water-science-school/science/watersheds-and-drainage-basins. In addition, the USGS provides specific water flow, discharge and gage height data, along with a map showing a crude representation of the watershed, for the St. Sebastian River here.

The US Geological Survey also has an interactive map called River Runner Visualization. The map allows you to click anywhere to drop a virtual raindrop, and a visualization of the watershed where that drop of rain will drain to.

The University of Florida, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences also has lots of information about Florida watersheds on their webpage at Watersheds - Functions and Management.

And here's 10 Simple Ways You Can Keep Watersheds Clean.

St. Sebastian River Watershed

The St. Sebastian River watershed has been greatly altered by canals, ditches and development, as well, thus it is hard to find an accurate representation of the extent of our River's watershed. A partial representation of it may be found on the EPA's "How's My Waterway?" web page. This website may also be accessed, with the zip code of your specific "waterway" entered, on the "How's My Waterway" widget on the home page of our website.

Just remember, wherever you live, you are in a watershed and, therefore, your choices and actions affect our waterways! Please take note and remember those signs we all see here and there - "only rain down the drain" and "all canals lead to the lagoon!"

What is a slough?

A slough is a swamp or shallow lake system, usually a backwater to a larger body of water. It is typically used to describe wetlands. Sloughs along the edges of rivers form where the old channel of the river once flowed. These areas are also referred to as oxbows because they tend to form at a bend in the old river bed, making them look like the U-shaped collar placed around the neck of an ox to which a plow is attached.

Did you know?

While this term is used differently across the country, on the West Coast a slough is referred to as a swamp or shallow lake system, usually a backwater to a larger body of water.

Slough is typically pronounced "slew" in most of the United States. In New England, you may hear it pronounced in a way that rhymes with "cow" – this is the preferred British pronunciation. You may also hear this word pronounced as "sluff." With this pronunciation, slough has a different meaning.

For a full description of what a slough is, visit the NOAA website here.