Photo Credit -Robbyn Spratt |
|
The 2020 IRL Report Card is here! |
|
On Tuesday, December 8th, MRC released the 2020 Indian River Lagoon Report Card! This release, done via two zoom presentations, was attended by over 500 guests.
The Report Card is a visual representation of the Lagoon's condition through data collected as part of the state's monitoring program to determine if state regulatory standards are being met. This year's Report Card was expanded to include 12 tributaries that feed into the Lagoon, as well as 25 years of seagrass and water quality monitoring data.
So, how is the Lagoon faring, you ask? Overall we are seeing water quality improving, but habitat quality continuing to decline. Click below to explore the data through our interactive story maps!
|
|
Tis the season of giving! But what do you give that special someone who already has everything they need? How about a gift that gives back to the Lagoon? Here are a few ideas from the MRC Holiday Gift Guide:
-
Commemorate a loved one on the Mangrove Giving Tree - select a leaf to be engraved and displayed in the Lagoon House Education Center as well as on the MRC website.
-
Honor that special someone on the MRC Naming Boardwalk - your board will be custom engraved with a message of your choice and incorporated into our boardwalk here at the Lagoon House.
-
Show your support for the Lagoon on your sleeve - shop various apparel options in our online Gift Shop!
-
Want to make the MRC staff's day? Purchase an item off our Amazon Wishlist and help support our programs!
|
|
Thank you for generously supporting MRC and the Indian River Lagoon on GivingTuesday! We raised over $5,000 for Lagoon restoration and protection on this International Day of Giving. If you missed Giving Tuesday, it's not too late to make an end of year gift. You can designate if you want your gift to go to children's education, LagoonWatch monitoring, restoration, or wherever MRC needs it.
It is our greatest hope that one day the Lagoon will be the thriving ecosystem it once was, complete with extensive seagrass beds, thriving wildlife, and clean water. We all share a vision of a lagoon safe for our children to swim in, teaming with fish and shrimp to eat - a lagoon that will help our community grow into the future. We can achieve this vision when we stand together to protect and restore this incredible ecosystem.
|
|
MRC Volunteers Get a Great Shot of the
1st Right Whale of the Season!
|
|
Mike and Dotty Collins, MRC right whale volunteers for nearly 24 years, reported their first right whale sighting on December 9th! Off their oceanfront condo in Fernandina Beach was a female known as Chiminea (Catalog #4040) with her first calf. Mike's great photography skills awarded us with ID-quality photos. He and Dotty were quick to get us the information we needed to notify shipping interests in northeast Florida to reduce the risk of a vessel strike with her and her calf.
Another right whale mother named Millipede cruised through Flagler Beach heading south on Monday, Dec. 7th with her second calf. So, keep your eyes on the water during this cooler weather and report whale sightings to 888-97-WHALE (888-979-4253).
Photo credit: Mike Collins from land
|
|
2021 IRL Calendars... They're Coming |
|
We have had an outpouring of inquiries about the 2021 Indian River Lagoon calendars. We recently reached out to the IRL National Estuary Program, who creates and distributes the calendars, and they assured us that they would be here soon! They expect to be getting them from the print shop just before Christmas and distributing them to partners soon after. Check back with us in a few weeks!
As the wise Yoda once said, "Patience you must have, my young Padawan."
|
|
Registration Open for our January Lunch and Learn |
|
January 5th, 2021
12pm - 1pm
Held via Zoom Webinar
Registration for Zoom Required!
|
|
Join us for our Lunch & Learn Webinar, "The Florida Trail Association: Building More Than Trails" with the Florida Trail Association (FTA)'s Jenna Taylor. Jenna will talk about the Florida National Scenic Trail and the work that the Florida Trail Association does with volunteers and partner groups to promote, protect and maintain this 1,500 mile hiking trail throughout Florida. The Florida Trail stretches from Big Cypress National Preserve to Gulf Islands National Seashore in the panhandle.
The seminar will end with a live Q&A session, but we also recommend that participants email any relevant questions to MRC's Nicole Broquet at [email protected] by January 4th.
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!
|
|
FWC to host Florida State Fish Art Contest |
|
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), in partnership with Wildlife Forever, is eager to announce they will host the Florida State Fish Art Contest. Students in K-12th grade can compete in this free contest for a chance to win state and national honors and prizes.
Florida winners will be selected by the FWC in four grade categories, kindergarten through 3rd grade, 4th through 6th grade, 7th through 9th grade, and 10th through 12th grade. State winners will advance to the National Competition to be judged for top prizes such as the Best of Show.
The deadline to enter is March 31, 2021, so start designing today!
To enter, students from Florida should submit their entry consisting of the following:
-
An original horizontal 9”x12” piece of artwork featuring any fish from the Official Fish List.
- A piece of creative writing, no longer than one page, about the chosen species (required for grades 4-12).
-
A Florida State-Fish Art Contest entry form.
Participants may choose to mail their entry to:
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
ATTN: Laura Rambo, Florida Fish Art Contest
620 S Meridian Street
Tallahassee, FL 32301
Participants also have the option to submit photos or a scanned copy of their entry to [email protected].
|
|
Events
The Lagoon House will remain closed to the public through 2020, however we are still here doing the hard work of saving the Lagoon.
Call us at 321-725-7775 to schedule an appointment.
|
|
Dec. 24-25th: Merry Christmas! MRC on vacation
Jan. 1st: Happy New Year! MRC on vacation. Goodbye 2020!
Jan. 5th: January Lunch and Learn 12pm-1pm
February 2nd: February Lunch and Learn 12pm-1pm
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
