Indian River County’s Debut of Lagoon Report Card

The long anticipated Indian River Lagoon Report Card is on the verge of being released after two years of compiling, summarizing and grading data, followed by an extensive peer review. The 156-mile long lagoon is suffering from years of nutrient pollution. From north to south, efforts are underway to pinpoint causes for the declining health and fix them. The Report Card presents a condensed view of the current health of the lagoon and is expected to be updated annually.

The first public presentation of the Report Card in Indian River County is Tues. May 22nd at a meeting of the Friends of St. Sebastian River. Guest speaker is Dr. Leesa Souto who is overseeing the development of the Lagoon Report Card as Executive Director of the non-profit Marine Resources Council. Dr. Souto holds a Bachelor’s degree in biology from Florida State Univ. and a Doctorate from the Univ. of Central Florida.

Tim Glover, President of the Friends of St. Sebastian River states “The report card will help the general public better understand what is at stake. Considering an economic assessment revealing the lagoon has an annual economic value of $7.6 billion, the health of the lagoon is important to all of us. We are delighted to host Dr. Souto’s first presentation in our county.”

The Tues. May 22 presentation begins at 6:00pm in the meeting room of the North Indian River County Library, 1001 Sebastian Blvd. in Sebastian. The public is encouraged to attend this free program.

The mission of the Friends of St. Sebastian River is to maintain and improve the health and beauty of the St. Sebastian River and its watershed. For further information, visit the Friends’ website: www.fssr.org.