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State
of the Lagoon
by Fielding Cooley
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR,
MARINE DISCOVERY CENTER
The Indian River Lagoon is North America’s most diverse
estuary, a narrow body of water and wetlands that supports more than
4,000 species and stretches 156 miles from Ponce de Leon Inlet in
the north to Jupiter Inlet in the south. While this estuary forms
an entire ecosystem for Volusia County residents and visitors, the
portion of the lagoon that impacts us most directly is the 40 miles
between Ponce Inlet and Cape Canaveral.
The short-term state of this 40 mile northern portion of the Indian
River Lagoon looks stable and there are promising improvements being
made. The long-range danger signals, however, give cause for concern.
Over the 11 plus years since the Marine Discovery Center began monitoring
the health of the Volusia County portion of the lagoon, we have witnessed
many improvements wrought by scientific, social and political efforts.
In the 1990’s the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency designated
the Indian River Lagoon as “an estuary of national significance”
and established it as part of its National Estuary Program operated
locally by the St Johns River Water Management District (District).
The District has funded significant work to improve water quality,
habitat, and public education regarding the importance of maintaining
a healthy estuarine ecosystem. The District, working with the Merritt
Island National Wildlife Refuge, Cape Kennedy (NASA), the Department
of Environmental Protection’s Mosquito Lagoon Aquatic Preserve,
and Volusia County’s Environmental Management Department have
well established plans for improving the lagoon including wetlands,
water circulation and point source pollution from stormwater runoff.
Adding to those agency efforts, the City of New Smyrna Beach established
the 192 acre Indian River Lagoon Preserve Park with the help of funds
from Florida Forever. The Marine Discovery Center received grants
from St Johns River Water Management District to provide public education
projects, and grants from Volusia County, The Nature Conservancy and
NOAA, and The Department of Environmental Protection to provide habitat
restoration projects in the lagoon. The Florida Fish and Wildlife
Commission has established laws to protect endangered species, including
fishing line recovery programs; and has plans to establish an Ecocenter
and fish hatchery on its New Smyrna Beach North Causeway site.
There are two areas of concern, however, looming on the horizon. Increasing
population growth will continue to exert pressure to curb pollution
and other destructive behaviors. The challenge here is to educate
the public on the importance of investing in our precious aquatic
resource which feeds our tourist, fishing and retirement industries.
The second cause for concern, climate change, will not likely have
visible effects on our aquatic ecosystem for 10 to 50 years. The results,
however, could be devastating. If, as predicted, increased severe
weather, especially hurricanes, could rip apart the fragile outer-islands
surrounding the estuary, greatly altering habitat and the capacity
to support its present measure of species. A predicted one-foot or
greater sea level rise could likewise add to the destruction and disruption
of existing habitat. Increased temperatures are already bringing an
increasing disruption from invasive species common to warmer climates.
It is true that climate change is a planet-wide problem, but all of
us must do our part to contribute to the solutions. But for now, the
health of the northern portion of the Indian River Lagoon remains
remarkably stable; a bright spot among Florida’s challenged
environmental assets. More about the Indian River Lagoon at www.MarineDiscoveryCenter.org.
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Directory od Merchant Sponsors |GOTO|
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