ECO-Boat cruise & Navy UDT-Seal Museum tour

Man critical after being struck by vehicle Friday in Sebastian

SEBASTIAN — A 70-year-old Brevard County man was critically injured after being struck by a pickup truck while walking across U.S. 1 last week, fire rescue crews and sheriff's officials said. An update on his condition was not immediately available on Monday. "All indications are that the pedestrian was crossing the roadway improperly," said Sgt. Kevin Jaworski, a spokesperson with the Indian River County Sheriff's Office. "Impairment is suspected for the pedestrian." The driver of the pickup and two passengers were not hurt, Jaworski said. The crash involving the Indian Harbour Beach man and the pickup happened at 9:30 p.m. Friday in the 1400 block of U.S. 1, north of Main Street and just west of Mo Bay Grill in ...

Harbor Branch scientist gets lagoon monitoring grant

Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute's network of Indian River Lagoon water quality monitoring stations is about to expand and generate more data than ever before – thanks to a grant of more than $865,000 from the institute's fundraising foundation. According to Dr. Dennis Hanisak, a research professor and director of the Indian River Lagoon Observatory, the grant will fund construction and maintenance of three new LOBO stations in Brevard County to augment the 10 already dotting the lagoon between the St. Lucie Estuary and Sebastian Inlet. The stations produce real-time info on factors that influence lagoon health, such as salinity, temperature, depth, turbidity and dissolved oxygen. The grant will also pay for new sensors at existing stations that, for the first ...

Environmental groups continue lagoon cleanup and education efforts

Even as much of Florida and the world have come to pretty much of a standstill due to COVID-19, local environmental and conservation organizations are still working to clean up the troubled Indian River Lagoon and educate school children and other members of the public about lagoon issues – all while maintaining social distancing. Ocean Research and Conservation Association is conducting its usual suite of environmental monitoring programs – maintaining its Kilroy network of water quality stations around the lagoon and doing other field work. ORCA chief scientist Dr. Edie Widder said it’s not difficult for the organization’s 13 fulltime employees to maintain a safe distance from each other in the field. ORCA has postponed all its citizen science training ...