Join us for National Estuaries Day! |
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Saturday, September 26th, 2020
10am - 12pm
Held via Zoom Webinar
Registration required!
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National Estuaries Day is a nationwide celebration of our bays and estuaries and the many benefits they provide to local communities. In celebration of this day, we invite you to join us for an engaging and dynamic panel, discussing various topic around Lagoon health.
Speakers include:
- Captain Rodney Smith, a celebrated photographer and journalist, to read an excerpt from his upcoming book, Pura Agua.
- Dr. Leesa Souto, Executive Director of MRC, to give an update on the IRL Report Card.
- Dr. Dennis Hanisak, of FAU-Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, to give an update on Indian River Lagoon Observatory Network of Environmental Sensors (IRLON).
- The event will conclude with an open forum discussion and Q&A
Click the button below for more information or to register!
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Photo credit: Florida Sea Grant, King Tide Flooding in Coconut Grove, Miami |
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IRLClimate.org Now Available! |
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The health of the our Indian River Lagoon and coastal ocean is linked to climate change. The good news is that local, state, and national actions can be taken to improve the prospects for our unique coastal resources. IRLClimate.org is a new web resource on Environmental Issues, Economics, and What We Can Do, with 15 subsections and over 80 technical citations. IRLClimate.org is a product of the Marine Resources Council’s Climate Committee and the Citizens Climate Lobby’s Space Coast Chapter.
The increasing effects of ocean heating, extreme weather, and rising seas can offset efforts to restore and maintain the economic and environmental health of our unique region and many others. East Florida's Indian River Lagoon and coastal ocean are models to better understand the influence of climate change on estuarine and ocean resources, and how these economic and environmental engines can be sustained. Learn more at IRLClimate.org.
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Pumpkin Spice and Mangrove Propagules... Happy Fall! |
It's the most wonderful time of the year! Cooler weather is ushered in, pumpkin spice flavored everything can be found in the grocery store, and best of all... mangrove propagules are washing ashore!
Grab a bag and hit the beach or lagoon to collect red, black, and white mangrove propagules. These progagules can be dropped off at the Lagoon House to be reared in our nursery and then planted along the shores of the lagoon in restoration projects. Please call before you come to make sure someone is available to accept them!
Not sure what you are looking for? Take a look at the photo below to see the difference between all 3 types.
And remember, don't remove any propagules that are still on the tree, or any that have rooted into the sediment.
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Tee off for the Lagoon at MRC's 2nd annual golf tournament! |
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Join us for this year's 2nd annual charity golf tournament hosted at Aquarina Beach and Country Club. Come play on this one of a kind course, which follows FDEP's Golf Industry Best Management Practices, and help protect the Indian River Lagoon at the same time. Our goal is to double the funds raised last year!
Date: Saturday, October 10th, 2020
Time: 9 am tee off
Location: Aquarina Beach and Country Club
We can't wait to see you out on the green!
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October Lunch & Learn Virtual Seminar
"Florida Horseshoe Crab Watch - Linked with Limulus"
with Holly Abeels
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October 6th, 2020
12pm - 1pm
Held via Zoom Webinar
Registration required!
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Join us for our Lunch & Learn Webinar, "Florida Horseshoe Crab Watch – Linked with Limulus" with Holly Abeels. In 2015, FWC FWRI and the University of Florida launched a citizen science initiative which trained volunteers to assist biologists in surveying, tagging and resighting Florida’s nesting horseshoe crab populations using a standardized scientific protocol. The program has been so successful that FWC expanded their efforts to a statewide level, which included Brevard County in 2019. This presentation will talk about the importance of the program, what kinds of data citizen scientists collect for this program, and how you can get involved.
The seminar will end with a live Q&A session, but we also recommend that participants to please email any questions you might have that relate to this topic to the MRC's Nicole Broquet at [email protected] by October 2nd.
This is a free virtual event, but you must register to receive the zoom link and login information. If you are unable to register, we will be live streaming it through the MRC's Facebook page!
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FWC announces new way to report gopher tortoise sightings |
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The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) is launching a new web application designed to provide biologists with thorough and reliable data, and promote science-based gopher tortoise conservation efforts. The new system will replace the Florida Gopher Tortoise smartphone app, which will be decommissioned Sept. 8.
The new web application is user-friendly and is designed to function on any device. To report a tortoise sighting or notify the FWC of a sick, injured or dead tortoise, simply visit MyFWC.com/GopherTortoise and click on the button that reads “Report Gopher Tortoise Sightings.” There, you can also view an interactive map, which features user-submitted photos and locations of tortoise sightings throughout the state.
“We appreciate the thousands of citizen scientists who have reported gopher tortoise sightings using our original Florida Gopher Tortoise app over the years,” said Michelina Dziadzio, monitoring coordinator for the Wildlife Diversity Conservation Section of the FWC. “These citizen scientists have helped the FWC enhance gopher tortoise conservation and we’re excited for their continued participation using the new web app.”
The gopher tortoise is a protected species that occurs in all 67 Florida counties. The tortoise is known as a keystone species, and its burrows serve as important refuges for 350 native species including threatened species such as the Eastern indigo snake, the burrowing owl and the gopher frog.
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Events
More events may be added/removed as we follow CDC guidelines.
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Nov. 3: Election Day! Don't forget to vote!
Nov. 10: Lunch and Learn Seminar - Ropeless Fishing Gear
Nov. 11th: Lagoon House Closed for Veterans' Day
Nov. 25th-26th: Lagoon House Closed for Thanksgiving
Dec. 1: Lunch and Learn Seminar - North Atlantic right whale Update
Dec. 24-25th: Lagoon House Closed for Christmas
Jan. 1st: Lagoon House Closed for New Year's Day. Goodbye 2020!
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