Plankton algae blooms have long plagued the lagoon, but now benthic algae in the Indian River Lagoon is beyond being out of control. The Indian River Lagoon is now in a vicious cycle, dominated by nutrient-enabled algal growth year-round preventing vital seagrasses from growing. The crisis has been years in the making and the process to…
Florida wildlife officials are due to receive another $8 million in funding this year to help manatees recover from a year on pace to be the deadliest on record for the threatened species. Research shows the sea cows are starving across from a shortage of native seagrasses. State biologists are working to figure out how…
(Florida Today, Jim Waymer, May 5, 2021) Manatees are dying en masse up and down the coasts of Florida. The manatees are starving to death. Mangrove coves and canals that once were havens for the creatures are increasingly empty of them. Decades of conservation success and progress have given way to decaying carcasses and bones…
(vieravoice.com, May 2021) The fifth year of the Save Our Indian River Lagoon (SOIRL) Project Plan was approved by the Brevard County Commission on Feb 9th. The same plan? No! Each year the Plan is carefully revised to account for progress and for new information and approaches that make it more effective. However, the core…
(Florida Today, Laurilee Thompson, 04/15/2021) Aging infrastructure and changing weather patterns demand climate-smart solutions to mitigate the impact of rising seas and increased flooding on existing infrastructure, public lands, and private property. New technology is available that incorporates natural systems to combat flooding and erosion and should be used to help save the Lagoon. Click…
(WPTV, Jay Cashmere, 04/13/2021) An alarming spike in manatee deaths has both state and federal investigators probing the case. In all of 2020, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission report 637 deaths for the year. In just the first four months of 2021, at least 613 manatees died. Dr. Edith Widder, co-founder of ORCA, Ocean…
(WFIT, Jane Clary, March 23, 2021) Researchers at the Florida Institute of Technology developed a novel approach to promote the growth of good bacteria in order to help clean the water of the Indian River Lagoon. This water treatment involves strategically placing mesh bags filled with recycled bottle caps to act as a habitat for…
(Florida Today news, Jim Waymer, March 9, 2021) Manatees are slowing starving to death in the Indian River Lagoon. Biologists suspect that the lack of sea grass in the Indian River Lagoon may be the cause. Recently, 13 carcasses were counted by an observer along the shores of the Manatee Cove Park. Florida Wildlife officials…
(Floridatoday.com, Jim Waymer, March 8, 2021) Florida Atlantic University’s marine biologists have studied the white spotted eagle ray in the Indian River Lagoon uncovering very interesting insights into the ‘sounds’ the rays make. The research is “first to characterize up close what habitat white spotted rays use in Florida while also identifying areas of potential…
(CityofCapeCanaveral.org, Feb. 21, 2021) “At the February 16, 2021 City Council Meeting, Resolution 2021-03 unanimously passed, which henceforth bans all applications of glyphosate-based herbicides in favor of less impactful non-glyphosate alternatives at all City of Cape Canaveral-owned facilities and properties by both Staff and contractors. This amounts to about 50 acres of land area, much of…
