MRC Earth Day Celebration!

Celebrate Earth Day with the Marine Resources Council!

Date/Time: Saturday, April 21, 2018 from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Location: MRC Ted Moorhead Lagoon House at 3275 Dixie Hwy NE Palm Bay, Florida, FL 32905.

Attendance: Open and Free to the Public. (Attendees must register.)

Please join the MRC for a day of lagoon learning and giving in celebration of Earth Day at the Ted Moorhead Lagoon House on Saturday, April 21, 2018. You can give back by helping clean up the shoreline and grounds of the Lagoon House, or register to build and take home a water saving rain barrel to help prevent polluted storm water from entering our lagoon. MRC has assembled leading experts, to speak and answer questions from attendees about lagoon research and restoration plans, local Coast Guard Initiatives & whale monitoring. The speakers include MRC’s Executive Director Dr. Leesa Souto, Brevard County Save our Lagoon Citizen Oversight Committee Member Dr. John Windsor, Bill Cox of the Coast Guard Auxiliary, and MRC’s Lead Scientist Caity Savoia. The event will also feature live Caribbean music and food catered by the Coastal Crab Co.

Event Lineup:

9 a.m. – 10:45 a.m. – Lagoon House Shoreline & Grounds Cleanup. (Involves picking up trash and litter among the event site’s fields, shoreline, and pond.)

10 a.m. – 10:45 a.m. – Rain Barrel Workshop: One rain barrel used properly can reduce 50,000 gallons of polluted storm water from entering our lagoon! Do your part, help save our lagoon by installing a rain barrel into the gutter system at your house! Register now! (Workshop is free to audit. There is a $55 fee if you would like to construct your very own 55 gallon water saving rain barrel at the event to take home!)

10:45 a.m. – Caribbean music begins and continues throughout the lunch and presentation breaks

11 a.m. – Dr. John Windsor, Professor Emeritus Oceanography and Environmental Science at Florida Institute of Technology: Save the Lagoon Citizen Oversight Committee Presentation

11:40 a.m. – Bill Cox, Coast Guard Auxiliary: Local Coast Guard Auxiliary Initiatives & Whale Monitoring Update Presentation

12:15 a.m. – Lunch by Coastal Crab Co. featuring shrimp, sausage, crab rice, potatoes, & corn on the cob with a beverage. (1/2 serving $9 / full serving $14)

12:45 p.m. – Dr Leesa Souto, Marine Resources Council Executive Director & Florida Institute of Technology Professor: State of the Indian River Lagoon Report Card Update, The Lagoon is Dying But There Is Hope Presentation

1:30 p.m. – Caity Savoia, Marine Resources Council Lead Scientist: MRC Groundwater Study / Muck Mapping / Mangrove Restoration / & Water Quality Programs Update Presentation

We hope you can join MRC to Celebrate Earth Day with these experts and fellow lagoon loving attendees. The MRC has decades of scientific research experience related to the Indian River Lagoon and invites you to bring the questions you might have concerning lagoon health issues. This is a fantastic community outreach and education event, to help lagoon stakeholders understand the problems of the lagoon, and the community’s role in creating solutions to reverse the negative impact we have on our water. If you have questions and concerns about improving the lagoon’s ecosystem, don’t miss this event!

The event is free and open to the public but attendees must register. Rain Barrel Workshop attendees can register to build and take home their very own water saving barrel at the event for $55.00. General admission attendees can audit the workshop for free but cannot construct nor take home a rain barrel. Lunch menu includes shrimp, sausage, crab rice, potatoes, & corn on the cob, with beverage (1/2 serving $9, full serving $14).

For more information on MRC’s Earth Day Celebration please visit SaveTheIRL.org, or contact MRC’s Education Coordinator Shannon @ [email protected], or call 321-725-7775. For vending booth space, sponsorship, silent auction and raffle submissions, or musician submissions please contact Steve at [email protected]

Thank You To All Guest Speakers, Contributors, MRC Members & Volunteers For Making This Event Possible! The Lagoon Loves You!

The Marine Resources Council is a multi-faceted charitable organization, committed to engaging the community in actions to save the Indian River Lagoon.

A COPY OF THE OFFICIAL REGISTRATION AND FINANCIAL INFORMATION MAY BE OBTAINED FROM THE DIVISION OF CONSUMER SERVICES BY CALLING TOLL-FREE WITHIN THE STATE. REGISTRATION DOES NOT IMPLY ENDORSEMENT, APPROVAL, OR RECOMMENDATION BY THE STATE.” The toll-free number of the department is 1-800-HELP-FLA (435-7352) – calling from within the state of Florida, or (850) 410-3800 – calling from outside of Florida. The department’s website is http://www.800helpfla.com. [s. 496.412(1)(c), F.S.].