Advisory board highlights Coastal Dune Lake Week, mailers and community tours

The Coastal Dune Lakes Advisory Board on Thursday reviewed a weeklong slate of outreach events and community education tied to Coastal Dune Lake Week, including guided tours, paddles, community cleanups and a mass mailer to nearby property owners.

Staff member Melinda said the county produced and mailed a homeowner brochure to about 2,000 addresses in the Coastal Dune Lake Protection Zone as part of the week—s activities and encouraged board members to distribute materials to homeowners associations. "We did mail outs for almost 2,000 properties," Melinda said at the meeting (00:10:38). The board was briefed on tours at Deer Lake State Park and Topsail State Park, a planned tour at Great Beach State Park and a paddle/cleanup at Eastern Lake organized by the Choctawhatchee Basin Alliance.

The board and staff discussed ways to increase distribution and public reach. One member suggested making the brochure available at HOA meetings; another proposed pitching feature copy to local media during future Coastal Dune Lake Weeks. Staff also noted a small community-led effort at Oyster Lake where local volunteers staged shoreline cleanups and produced a short community video to encourage other neighborhoods to organize similar efforts.

Why it matters: Outreach and consistent education are part of the county—s strategy to keep shoreline residents and visitors informed about best practices for protecting dune lakes. The board asked staff to continue coordinating mail-outs and to explore further collaboration with HOAs, state park partners and media partners ahead of next year—s program.

Board action: None required; members were asked to help distribute materials and recruit volunteers for upcoming events.