Photo Credit: Sue DeWerff
Have you been enjoying our changing headers? Showcase one of your Floridian nature photos by submitting them to MRC by email!
Please send only landscape orientation (horizontal) photos that are uncropped/unedited.
October 2022
MRC's 2nd Low Impact Development Conference, 10/20-21
Changing the Codes
To address the needs of our community leaders who are poised to implement innovative stormwater solutions, MRC is conducting our 2nd Low Impact Development (LID) Conference on October 20-21 at the Center for Collaboration in Rockledge, FL. County and municipal coastal community development leaders, engineers, planners, builders, public works and stormwater personnel, environmental professionals, and advocates will benefit from two days of reviewing and prioritizing local land development regulations to accommodate LID and Green Infrastructure (GI).

Our coastal community is challenged with managing tremendous development pressure while preventing pollution and attaining coastal resiliency. We must reduce the amount of polluted stormwater that is entering our coastal estuaries, especially the Indian River Lagoon. LID and GI provide an expanded toolbox of stormwater best management practices that manage stormwater where it falls, reducing flooding and polluted runoff. In some cases, local land development regulations and processes effectively prevent the use of these innovative solutions. As requested by the attendees at last years conference, MRC has partnered with the University of Florida and The Nature Conservancy to work through an auditing process to help guide local incentives and mechanisms to promote LID/GI. Bring your entire team to get the biggest benefit!

Watch a short video featuring Suzanne Sherman, City Manager for the City of Palm Bay, who attended last year's conference. Register today by clicking on the button below!
Legends of the IRL and Awards Nominations Celebration
Join MRC for our annual awards celebration at the Hilton on the Beach in Melbourne on November 4. Finalists for our regular annual conservation awards, as well as inductees into our new hall of fame, have been announced! Click the links below to learn more!
For a Lagoon as Blue as Sapphires and Clear as Diamonds...
A vintage diamond and sapphire ring newly appraised at $2,500 will be auctioned at the Love Our Lagoon Celebration, along with custom lagoon photography by Rand McGrath Photography; a custom lagoon inspired paper collage creation by artist Deb McPherson, and other treasures donated by various benefactors of Marine Resources Council. The event is sponsored by Four Seasons Nursery; Surfer's Evolution & Preservation Foundation, Inc. and Dan and Jo Faden. Sponsors and guests are welcome; register for the November 4th event here.
Brevard County Residents Love our
Environmentally Endangered Lands
Since 1990, Brevard County's Environmentally Endangered Lands (EEL) program has been protecting natural areas for wildlife conservation, recreation, and environmental education, thanks to our community resident voting to support what it loves. Funding to continue the EEL program will be once again be on the ballot in November. Please consider voting to protect our nature for current and future residents to enjoy.
If you’ve visited scrub jays at Cruickshank Sanctuary in Rockledge, explored the Enchanted Forest in Titusville, kayaked the Thousand Islands in Cocoa Beach, enjoyed the history at Sam's House on Merritt Island, or visited the Sea Turtle/Barrier Island Sanctuary, you’ve experienced one of Brevard’s Environmentally Endangered Lands. EEL lands aren't just good for wildlife, fish, and birds - humans benefit too through increased property values, tourism, passive recreation and quality of life.

To read more about the success of the Brevard County EEL program and review the 30-year Anniversary Report, click here.
PFOS and PFOA Recognized Under Superfund Act
The EPA has moved to designate PFOS and PFOA as "hazardous substances" under the Superfund Act, the nation's premier cleanup law. These two "forever chemicals" are found in some of the highest concentrations in the nation on Patrick Space Force Base. If the designation is successful, organized cleanups will soon follow. Public comment is open at epa.gov until November 7th, if you would like your voice to be heard.
Ditch the Lawn
Did you know there's more lawn than any other crop in America, even corn? American lawns use up precious fresh water resources, promote the use of fertilizers, and pollute our environment. Watch this fun, NY Times Opinion video on why you should fall out of love with your lawn.
Changing the World, One Mangrove at a Time
Mangroves are supertrees - they sequester carbon, reduce erosion, and provide critical nursery habitat for many different species of fish. Twins Kyle and Keith Rossin were inspired by these trees to create Mang Gear, a fishing apparel company which plants a mangrove with each purchase. Read more about their efforts, including their innovative tennis court nursery, at the link below.
What is Red Tide (and How do I Avoid it)?
Florida Fish and Wildlife Research Institute recently released an informative video on red tide to educate Floridians and visitors alike. In this video, learn what red tide is, how it's dangerous to humans, and how these harmful algal blooms are tracked. Click below to watch!
Pinders Nursery Blackbird Festival 2022
Come and see MRC Board members Jim Moir and Paul Laura at the Blackbird Festival. Worth a road trip to check out this awesome nursery!

Pinders Nursery in Martin County is a Be Floridian Now Notable Nursery, dedicated to landscaping to protect fun. Their team of professionals go above and beyond to educate residents about native plants and using natural soil amendments instead of chemical fertilizers. Thank you Pinders for making it fun to Be Floridian Now!  
Snow Cone Entangled Again, Situation Dire
Snow Cone has been spotted south of Massachusetts entangled in new, very heavy fishing gear. New England Aquarium's Aerial survey team noticed a drastic decline in her condition since her last sighting, including her inability to dive. Hope for her survival is very slim. For more information and pictures, click the button below.
International Sawfish Day
October 17th is International Sawfish Day! These unique rays can be found right in our own Indian River Lagoon, and are classified worldwide as endangered. In fact, Florida is one of the last two remaining sawfish strongholds worldwide. For this reason, it's incredibly important to be aware while recreating in the lagoon!

Sawfish populations have declined due to unintentional overfishing. Because these fish produce few young, it has been a challenge for their population to recover. If you accidentally catch a sawfish, be safe! Do not try to pull it out of the water or handle it - rather, cut the line as close to the hook as you can, and release immediately. Then, report the encounter to FWC to aid in their Sawfish Survey!
Dennis
Dennis escaped Iowa's long, cold winters, to sunny Indian Harbour Beach in 1983, to work for an importer of Italian bicycle frames and components. In addition to riding bikes around the lagoon, he loves kayaking on the lagoon during the Fall while the temperature is just right, to watch the wildlife that call it home.

After he retired in 2016, Dennis signed up for a volunteer opportunity to clean the Lagoon House prior to a Board of Directors meeting. After finishing that task, he inquired about other things he could do and was given the task of potting mangroves. (Fun fact: the image above is from that day!) It was love at first propagule! It became Dennis' mission to learn about mangroves and the role they play in the environment, and he chose to continue volunteering with MRC due to the science-based approach to restoring health to the IRL. 

In addition to volunteerism at our mangrove nursery, Dennis has also dabbled in shoreline restoration, Muck Finders, spoil island surveys, educational tabling, International Coastal Cleanup Day, invasive plant removals, creating rain barrels, marking storm drains, and working special events. MRC thanks you for your amazing dedication, Dennis!
Low Impact Development & Green Infrastructure Facts
Share the Science!
  • Stormwater pollution is the #1 source of water pollution in the United States, according to the US EPA. 80-95% of heavy metals entering Florida waters are the result of untreated stormwater runoff.
  • Permeable pavements reduce 25-100% of stormwater, depending on substrate.
  • Trees can eliminate 40-60% of stormwater by intercepting the rain before it hits the ground.
  • Green infrastructure provides multiple benefits from reducing stormwater run-off to reducing inner-city crime and violence, a stronger sense of community, improved academic performance, and reductions in the symptoms associated with ADD and ADHD.
The Lagoon House is open to the public by appointment only

Call us at 321-725-7775 to schedule an appointment
Events Calendar
October 1 - Mangrove Workshop
October 4 - Lunch & Learn - Margaret Livermore
October 10 - Columbus/Indigenous People's Day
October 17 - International Sawfish Day
October 19 - Lagoon House Closed
October 20-21 - MRCs 2nd Low Impact Development/Green Infrastructure Conference
October 31 - Halloween
November 4 - Love Our Lagoon Celebration
Marine Resources Council
3275 Dixie Hwy NE, Palm Bay, FL 3905 | (321) 725-7775 | www.SaveTheIRL.org