Duffers have been hitting the links at courses throughout Indian River County for nearly 100 years, and for the past 24 years golfers have teed off to protect our environment at the Environmental Learning Center’s annual Golfin’ for the Lagoon Tournament at Bent Pine Golf Club.
The tournament has always been a successful fundraiser, and this year co-chairs Don Barr and Dave Morgan opted to raise the bar by adding a pre-tournament dinner Thursday evening in addition to golf the following day. On Thursday guests enjoyed cocktails, dinner and a live auction for trips to Europe, cases of wine, custom golf clubs and even a private luxury river cruise in France on a 143-foot barge.
The two-day affair perfectly combined golf, camaraderie and environmental awareness, strengthening the mission of the ELC, which is to educate, inspire and empower all people, including those with minimal access to nature, to become active stewards of the environment.
“When players tee off this year, they play for much higher stakes than the players who teed off at our inaugural charity golf tournament in 1992,” said Molly Steinwald, ELC executive director.
“Back then, the human population along the shores of our Indian River Lagoon was about 750,000. Now it is in excess of 1.65 million. Such significant human-made changes have greatly altered the relationship between humanity and the lagoon and upped the stakes for both. This region’s future depends on the health of the lagoon and how well we individually and collectively respond to the dramatic environmental changes that have taken place over the past several decades.”
That the ELC is making headway in its efforts to create an eco-friendly society through the education of the next generation was abundantly clear when two young speakers took the podium. Avid environmentalist Quinn Hiaasen and Bryce Hauser, a Vero Beach High School golf standout, are two of the founding members of Lines in the Lagoon, a local nonprofit founded by area youth to encourage their peers to become environmental ambassadors.
The boys use the annual fishing tournament to raise awareness among young anglers about the decline of the Indian River Lagoon and have included information about the damage that can be triggered by golf courses as part of their message.
“There are golf courses in Indian River County that are environmentally friendly, but we need them all to do what it takes to protect the environment,” said Hiaasen.
“At ELC we work to deepen people’s knowledge of our collective dependence upon the lagoon and our stewardship responsibility for protecting it,” said Steinwald. “We are deeply grateful for the support we receive through our golf tournament. It allows us, through a myriad of multidisciplinary programs, to educate and empower the citizens of our region and beyond – people from all ages, walks of life, and communities – to address the crucial role the lagoon plays in people’s everyday lives.”
