Riverside Conservancy

Calm lagoon afternoon. Lots of fish visiting RCC’s enhanced oyster reef.

Riverside Conservancy was on stage at the national level at last week’s Restore America’s Estuaries conference in San Francisco.

Specifically, the NOAA/IRLNEP panel discussion about scaling estuary restoration (funded by NOAA) was very well received. Many thanks to our moderators, Erin McDevitt (NOAA) and Jessy Wayles (IRLNEP) and panelists Kiara Cuevas-Gutierrez (UCF Student), Ron Brockmeyer (St. John’s River Water Management District), Dr. Duane De Freeze (IRLNEP), Tyler Provoncha (Brevard Zoo) and Kelli McGee (Riverside Conservancy).

Many Florida Universities, students, agencies, and nonprofits including UCF, B-CU, FWS, FAU Harbor Branch, Florida Oceanographic Society, MDC, and many others, represented us well by presenting research findings and technological advancements.

The nation’s top estuary experts discussed broad topics from manatee and seagrass recovery to the effects and potential synergies with the growing space launch industry.

Riverside Conservancy pitched in to help collect trash at Canaveral National Seashore during this year's International Coastal Cleanup at Apollo Beach. Seen here are (from left) Cathy Owen, Sarah Gaudreault and Alicia Dyer, who were among some 100 volunteers collecting debris in both the Apollo and Playalinda districts of the national park.

Team Riverside Conservancy at Run Daytona weekend. ~ “Run? I thought they said rum!”

The City of Edgewater and the Riverside Conservancy launched the first phase of an oyster restoration and seagrass project at Veterans Memorial Park in August. This project will reinvigorate the Indian River Lagoon’s ecosystems while protecting its shoreline.

Read the article for free using the link in the comments.

Thank you CCA for donating tons of oyster shell to Riverside Conservancy for our lagoon enhancement projects! Some of these shells will be used to anchor planted seagrass. Others will be used for oyster modules and vertical oyster gardens. 🦪

The next session of the Florida Master Naturalist Program's Coastal Systems class will start Oct. 2 at Marine Discovery Center. This is a great class for adults (18+) to learn more about the coastal environment around you. Class size is limited to 25 and enrollment fills up fast. Click on the link below to learn more.

Registration is now open for the next Coastal Module of the Florida Master Naturalist Program at MDC! This fun, immersive 6-day certification course is kinda like "summer camp for adults" and is a great way to learn about our local ecology while having a fun time and meeting fellow nature-lovers.

The Fall 2026 course takes place Fridays* from October 2 through November 6. This popular program fills quickly, so learn more and grab your spot today at https://conference.ifas.ufl.edu/fmnp/cs26-15inperson.php

*The third class is on a Thursday

We planted 3.7 million clams in a Ponce Inlet bay today! Thank you Paul & Diane Caron, NOAA, IRLNEP, Earth Focus Initiative, Dr. Art Litowitz, IDEAS for US, and our many friends and volunteers who help us save the lagoon one shoreline at a time. Special thanks to Bob Chew who captained the boat today! ❤️