A group dedicated to preserving some of our rarest resources, is zeroing-in on the south Walton county coastline.
The “Coastal Dune Lake Advisory Board” of Walton county hosted a “Dune Lakes Tour” this morning, to show the public why the 15-lakes in south Walton are so rare.
Coastal lakes are permanent bodies of water within two miles of the coast.
The only other dune lakes in the United States are along the Oregon coast.
When the lakes reach a high water, or critical level, it creates an opening in the dune system, emptying into the Gulf.
That's known as outfall.
Outfall means those lakes are composed of both fresh and saltwater, creating a mixture of both fresh and saltwater plants and wildlife.
Two of the south Walton lakes feature outfalls.
The advisory board is trying to acquire a special designation to protect the fifteen dune lakes in south Walton.
Marsha Anderson is on the advisory board and thinks the dune lakes are a pristine treasure and wants to ensure they will be maintained and protected.
"They're just the most beautiful gem in Walton county. We just thought this was something we could do to help protect the lakes and to help them in their quest for a special designation.”
The only other occurrence of outfall in the world is in New Zealand.