ACF Basin – On the 25^th and 26^th of February Apalachicola, FL will host the second meeting of the Governing Board of the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint (ACF) Stakeholders, Inc (ACFS).  ACFS was founded by consensus Charter in 2009 to seek common ground and grassroots Stakeholder solutions among ACF interests basin-wide. As before, this meeting in Apalachicola, open to public observers, will be facilitated by a representative of the U.S. Institute for Environmental Conflict Resolution, an independent agency of the federal government.

The meetings will begin at 10:00 AM February 25th and end at 1:00 PM February 26th at the restored Old Cotton Warehouse on Water Street in Apalachicola FL. Quarterly Governing Board meetings are rotated  among the four sub-basins.

The Mission of the ACFS is to change the operation and management of the ACF Basin to achieve (1) equitable solutions among Stakeholders that balance economic, ecological, and social values, and (2) viable solutions that ensure that the entire ACF Basin is a sustainable resource for current and future generations.

The first Governing Board meeting of the ACF Stakeholders, Inc. was held in Albany, Ga on Thursday, December 10^th, 2009.  Over 50 representatives from diverse water users of the ACF watershed were in attendance , from Lake Lanier and Atlanta in the north, through downstream communities in GA and AL, and the rural and coastal communities of FL.  The Governing Board is comprised of 14 Stakeholder representatives from each of the Sub-Basins of the ACF – the Upper Chattahoochee, the Middle/Lower Chattahoochee, the Flint and the Apalachicola – for a total of 56 Governing Board members.

As called for in the Charter, the Governing Board at their first meeting formed 5 Standing Committees – Inter-governmental Affairs, Finance, Education and Outreach, Issues, and Membership – to organize and conduct the on-going business of the ACFS.  Over the two day meeting, each of the Standing Committees will propose a functional-area workplan for Governing Board discussion and approval for the way ahead.

According to Wilton Rooks, Chair of the ACFS Executive Committee and Vice President of the Lake Lanier Association, "This meeting will recommend specific work plans developed by each of the Standing Committees that contribute to the mission and goals as defined in the Charter. Volunteers throughout the ACF Basin have spent hundreds of hours developing these work plans. All ACFS members are welcome to attend. The meeting is open to the public."

Reflecting on the results of the first ever meeting of the ACFS in Albany, Betty Webb, City Administrator for Apalachicola, Fl and a Governing Board member said “My expectation of the ACF Stakeholders effort is simple: A group of intelligent, hard working, dedicated individuals working in harmony toward a common goal for the betterment of the ACF systems.  The members appointed can make this a winning organization with a multitude of positive outcomes.”