Marine Resources Council's Monthly Email Newsletter |
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LETTER FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR |
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Dear Patricia, One of my goals for 2026 is to explore more of Florida with my family. Because my son (3rd grade) is currently going through an Egyptology phase, we took a road trip to Stuart where there is currently a King Tut exhibit at the Elliott Museum. My son's other love is sharks, so we walked across the street to check out the Florida Oceanographic Society after touring the museum. At the end of their Ocean EcoCenter gallery the is a display that challenges visitors to “Put Your Thoughts Into Actions” and choose one of five ways you can take action to protect coastal ecosystems. My son chose (1) I pledge to write a “letter to the editor” or blog post sharing what I’ve learned about keeping our coastal ecosystems healthy. I told him he could write my Letter from the Executive Director this month. |
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First, it’s important to point out that my kid comes by his spelling naturally—I’m a horrible speller (but please note he did not split his infinitive!). Second, this activity emphasized to me that neither education nor solutions for environmental problems are one-size-fits-all. While information needs to be customized to the audience, so do actions. William understands why it’s important to have a healthy Lagoon (he wrote me a veritable thesis on how dead seagrass leads to dead sharks), but connecting the dots to how to keep the Lagoon healthy wasn't quite as straight forward. Nitrogen, phosphorus, and chlorophyll-a are a bit abstract, and he has limited control on infrastructure and policy decisions at this point. However, reusing, recycling, and developing an appreciation for nature are understandable and actionable ways to make a positive impact in a way he recognizes. |
Ultimately, everyone has a role to play in keeping the Lagoon healthy, and when solutions are matched to people’s ability to act, more individuals are empowered to be part of the solution. If you have a kid in your life, be sure to check out our Low Impact Living for kids action items! With hope in our next generation, |
Dr. Laura Wilson Executive Director |
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Indialantic Elementary School Garden Club |
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During the third week of January, Executive Director Dr. Laura Wilson and Science Outreach & Communication Coordinator Brooke Blosser joined forces with the Indialantic Elementary School Garden Club for a semester-long mangrove foster program! The Garden Club at IES focuses on nature-based education for elementary-aged students interested in horticulture. Marine Resources Council supplied 25 mangroves for students to "foster" for the semester. During our Garden Club visit, students heard from Dr. Wilson about mangroves in the Indian River Lagoon, had the opportunity to ask questions, and even planted their own mangrove propagules to care for throughout the remainder of the school year. Over the course of Spring, Garden Club members will ensure the 25 mangroves in their care remain properly watered, weeded, and free of pests. In April, students will take a field trip to the Ted Moorhead Lagoon House in Palm Bay to return their mangroves to MRC's nursery. There, they'll also participate in a mangrove workshop to learn about other kinds of care mangroves require! We're excited to offer hands-on educational opportunities on-site or on campus at the Lagoon House. Partnering with organizations like the Indialantic Elementary School Garden Club helps further our reach to engaged community members. Does this sound like something you might be interested in replicating at your school, office, or community organization? Reach out to brooke@mrcirl.org to learn more about how Marine Resources Council can bring the wonderful world of the Indian River Lagoon to you! |
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Blue Origin Permit Renewal |
Florida DEP Public Comment Period Open Through 2/6 |
Florida's Department of Environmental Protection's Public Meeting was held in Cocoa, Florida, on January 30 from 4:00 PM to 7:00 PM. If you were unable to attend the meeting, there is still an opportunity for you to submit a public comment. You can email your comment for the permit renewal to DEP_CD@FloridaDEP.gov. Not sure where to start? Check out our advocacy resources page for tips & tricks to submitting written public comment. You can read MRC's letter or visit IRL Round Table's Blog to view other letters submitted to DEP. |
| Act now to submit your comment! |
The SOIRL Sales Tax Renewal Public Meeting, held in early January, was well attended, informative, and featured robust environmental voices providing input. If you were unable to attend the meeting, you can watch the recording on Brevard County Commission's YouTube page. There is also still time to provide input on what projects should be included in the renewal of the 2026 SOIRL Sales Tax. Email IRLProject@brevardFL.gov with what you would like to see included as a part of the sales tax renewal! |
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STEPHEN E. CHALMERS MEMORIAL FUND |
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Steve Chalmers, a long-time board member, volunteer, and LagoonWatch monitor, passed away last year in April. During Steve's 36-year tenure on the Marine Resources Council's Board of Directors, he served as Chair, Vice Chair, and Secretary at various points. Steve remained steadfast in his belief in a better future for the Indian River Lagoon. With his passing, his brother, Geoffrey Chalmers, established the Stephen E. Chalmers Memorial Fund at Marine Resources Council. Through the Chalmers Memorial Fund, Marine Resources Council continues to offer volunteer opportunities to engaged citizens of every age throughout the Indian River Lagoon. To further solidify Steve's legacy to Marine Resources Council, the Stephen E. Chalmer's Volunteer of the Year Award was created to honor the efforts of dedicated volunteers. The inaugural award was presented at the Volunteer Appreciation Night in December to Kaci Beckett. The Chalmers Memorial Fund is accepting donations to expand volunteerism with Marine Resources Council. If you would like to donate in honor of Steve, we invite you to do so at the button here. |
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Marine Resources Council's Science Team assesses the water quality of our on-campus stormwater pond quarterly. The stormwater pond collects runoff from US Highway 1. To ensure the water quality of the pond remains healthy, Marine Resources Council partnered with Beemats Floating Wetlands to place four floating wetlands on the pond. These floating wetlands are anchored to the pond bed and have plants growing on top. The plants take up water from the pond, and since they need phosphate and nitrate to survive, they help remove excess nutrients from the pond water. As such, there was no nitrogen or phosphorus detected in January's sampling. In addition to water quality sampling, Beemats analyzes the nitrogen and phosphorus uptake of the plants. From August through December, the floating wetlands harvested 0.78 pounds of phosphorus and 4.23 lbs of nitrogen. In our quarterly pond sampling report, you can read more about the results of water quality sampling and nitrogen and phosphorus removal from our winter sampling period! |
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| LagoonWatch Monthly Report |
December's 2025 LagoonWatch Monthly Report is live, and can be viewed in its entirety at the button below. This month's featured map is surface phosphate concentrations. While phosphates are essential nutrients to plant life, excessive phosphates from fertilizer, wastewater, or detergent runoff can cause harmful algal blooms. With the exception of one outlier, most samples showed very low or no detectable phosphate concentrations. This pattern is consistent with the drought conditions we’re currently experiencing. Less rainfall means reduced wastewater and stormwater runoff, and fertilizer use also tends to be lower during the winter months. |
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LOW IMPACT LIVING TIP OF THE MONTH |
All counties in the Indian River Lagoon are in drought conditions, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. As we move into spring, consider investing in drought-tolerant native plants for your garden. Visit the Florida Association of Native Nurseries website to find your closest native nursery. |
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Fall in Love with Birding Beginner Birding Workshop Event |
Join Marine Resources Council and ornithologist Matthew Anderson for a Valentine's Day Beginner Birding Workshop! If you've been wondering what all the hype around birds is and are curious about how to get involved, then this event is for you. On February 14, from 9:00 AM - 11:30 AM, join us at the Ted Moorhead Lagoon House in Palm Bay to learn all about native bird species in the Indian River Lagoon, technologies to record your bird observations, and how to use ID tools. Workshop attendees will also have the opportunity to contribute to the Great Backyard Bird Count, one of the largest citizen science birding events in the world! The workshop will be beginner-friendly, and no experience is required to join us. We'll have bird ID guides and binoculars on hand, and there'll be light coffee and snacks provided. If you're interested in joining us, you can find more information on our Fall in Love with Birding Registration Page. There are limited spots available for this limited event. Click the button below to reserve your tickets! |
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| Where in the Lagoon is MRC? |
Click on the links below to learn more information! |
February 16 - Presidents' Day |
February 4 - 6 - National Conference on Beach Preservation Technology, Jessica Cline February 19 - Indian River Lagoon Symposium, Dr. Laura Wilson
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Each month, we'll share TV specials and news articles that feature Marine Resources Council staff. Find January's media features linked below. |
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Thank you for supporting the Marine Resources Council! |
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3275 Dixie Hwy NE, Palm Bay, FL 32905, USA |
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