April 15, 2018
More Mangrove Plantings to Come!
The Save Our Indian River Lagoon Project Plan (SOIRLPP) is a multi-faceted, long-term effort by Brevard County focusing on four R’s: Reduce pollutant and nutrient inputs, Remove the accumulation of muck, Restore filtration ecosystems, and Respond to changes by monitoring progress. 

The Marine Resources Council is excited to announce that Brevard County recently approved two mangrove projects that will contribute to the Restore section of the SOIRLPP. One mangrove planting project will be located in Cocoa Beach and one will be at MRC’s home base, the Ted Moorhead Lagoon House in Palm Bay. 

Mangroves are key to a healthy, biodiverse estuary as they provide critical nutrient absorption in addition to other benefits such as enhanced fishery habitat and storm/erosion protection. In total, our two projects will produce 2,500 linear feet of mangroves with a Total Nitrogen (TN) reduction of 500 lbs/year and a Total Phosphorous (TP) reduction of 170 lbs/year.

Stay tuned for more information on these SOIRLPP mangrove plantings and how you can help by planting your own little nutrient absorber!
MRC Spring Membership Drive is Underway!
Become a member of the MRC family during our spring membership drive and demonstrate your commitment to protecting our treasure: The Indian River Lagoon! Your financial contributions go directly to helping us Turn Science into Action and keeping you informed and up to date through newsletters such as this!

On top of that, if you sign up to become a member during the spring drive, you'll receive your own reusable metal straw. Join the MRC family and take this first step with us in lowering plastic impact on the waterways around us!
Make Your Dock Come Alive!
Living Docks
Ted Moorhead Lagoon House
Tuesday, May 1, 2018
12 p.m. to 1 p.m.

Do you have a dock on the Lagoon? If so, you could take an active role in saving the Indian River Lagoon by outfitting your dock with oysters! A single oyster can filter up to 50 gallons of water per day. A healthy Living Dock community can filter up to 57,000 gallons of water per day or about 21 million gallons of water per year per dock! That's enough water to fill 420,000 bathtubs! Learn how you can do your part with the Indian River Lagoon Research Institute's Living Dock program.

To register for this May Brown Bag Lunch, click here.
Volunteer Spotlight: Kirk Barnes
Kirk has been a dedicated volunteer for MRC since 2017. He is a familiar face at nearly all of our events and is involved in just about every program we have. Kirk has a go-getter attitude that helps us tackle almost any job that comes up here at the Lagoon House. He is an active fisherman and is currently taking the course to become a Florida Master Naturalist. Thank you, Kirk!
Explore with Us at MRC's Lagoon Castaway Summer Camp
Join us in our discovery of the Indian River Lagoon!

Open to children ages 8 to 11.

Session 1: June 4-8 from 9 a.m to 1 p.m.
Session 2: June 18-22 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

The Lagoon Castaway Summer Camp is designed to immerse campers in a Lagoon experience that includes a variety of hands-on learning activities, including:

  • Testing water quality
  • Building ROVs
  • Planting mangroves
  • Meeting some of the local wildlife
  • Making a shelter and tools using Ais Indian techniques
  • Learning about bees as pollinators
  • Releasing butterflies
  • And much more!

Click here to register!
MRC Summer Camp Internships and Volunteer Positions Available!
Do you love working with kids and have a passion for science? We need enthusiastic leaders to help guide our campers through our MRC Summer Camp from June 4th to 8th and from June 18th to 22nd. Help us inspire the next generation to become stewards of the environment!

Contact Kate Zehnder for more information.
MRC Spotlight: Sondee Lima, Deputy Director
Sondee was born in Milwaukee, WI and grew up in South Florida. She has lived in many places but settled in Brevard County 6 years ago for its beautiful beaches, perfect weather, friendly people and relaxed pace. Sondee is a steadfast animal lover who has always found peace in nature. As a child, she was often found climbing trees and making shoebox homes for insects and reptiles. As a firm believer in the connection between all living things, she is a strong advocate for doing our part to care for the environment. As Gandhi once said, "Be the change you wish to see in the world."
Lucky's Bags For Change
From now until May 26th, use your reusable shopping bags next time you shop at Lucky's, and they'll give you a wooden dime to donate towards MRC. At the end of the quarter, they'll double the amount raised!
Looking for Ways to Get Involved?
Earth Week is upon us and we have a jam-packed lineup of events here at MRC. None of which we can pull off without the help of our awesome Volunteers!

If you are available to help out at any of the following events, please email kate@mrcirl.org.

  • April 16th: Center for Coastal Studies Presentation at the Lagoon House from 6pm-9pm
  • April 17th: AUVSI Drone Event at Lagoon House from 5:30pm - 7:30pm
  • April 21st: MRC Earth Day Celebration at the Lagoon House, 9am-3pm
  • April 28th and 29th: Uncorked Cocoa Beach at Alan Shepard Park, 11am-4pm
  • The more volunteers we provide for the event, the more they will donate to our efforts to protect and restore the Indian River Lagoon!
Upcoming Events
Visit us at www.SaveTheIRL.org