Port Canaveral OKs $100,000 lagoon outreach plan

Indian River Lagoon Council and Port Canaveral officials have devised a strategy for using a $100,000 grant from the port targeted at public education related to the lagoon's environmental problems.

The strategy will include holding workshops to develop a "Top 10 list" of personal behaviors and household habits that, when undertaken, will have a positive effect on the lagoon's water quality.

Lagoon advocates will use websites, social media and more traditional printed material like brochures and posters to encourage the public to take individual action to help the lagoon. Such actions could include such things as reducing fertilizer use, using native and Florida-friendly plants in gardens, and volunteering to be part of cleanup campaigns.

Some of the money also will go toward surveying the public in the five-county lagoon region that includes 45 cities and towns about their knowledge of lagoon-related issues; their attitudes toward the environment in general and the lagoon in particular; and their views on what they can do to help improve the health of the lagoon.

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The Indian River Lagoon National Estuary Program will hold 10 public talks — two in each lagoon county — to promote the Top 10 list. And the program will coordinate a lagoon-wide effort to enlist volunteers to participate in such lagoon-focused activities as shoreline restoration, waterway cleanups and oyster gardening.

The plan was presented to port commissioners on Wednesday by Duane De Freese, executive director of the Indian River Lagoon National Estuary Program.

"I think we have not just momentum, but a pathway for success here that would not have been even available to us at the National Estuary Program, had it not been for your bold leadership and investment," De Freese told port commissioners. "We look forward to working with you."

Port commissioners then unanimously approved the plan for use of the $100,000 from the port's environmental department operating budget. In May, they unanimously approved the funding, but wanted to see the plan before they would release the money. The projects detailed in the plan will take place over the next 12 months.

The funding initially was proposed by Canaveral Port Authority Commissioner Bruce Deardoff.

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The overriding idea is to connect people, places and organization throughout the lagoon region "to form a regional network for community-based Indian River Lagoon conservation and stewardship."

A report De Freese presented to port commissioners indicated that, currently, "there is no coherent coordination of these educational and outreach efforts lagoonwide, nor does the general public fully understand the scope and complexity of the problems impacting the Indian River Lagoon. There is currently neither a consistent way to measure the effectiveness of different approaches, nor a way to track overall changes in terms of stakeholder knowledge, attitudes and behaviors."

In March, the lagoon suffered its worst fish kill in years, with fish dying from Titusville to Malabar. The die-off followed five years of algae blooms that have killed more than half of the lagoon's seagrass, more than 130 manatees, about 80 dolphins and up to 300 pelicans. The algae are fueled by nitrogen and phosphorus from fertilizers, leaky septic tanks and sewer systems, sewage sludge spread on rural lands, air pollution and other sources.

De Freese said the work that will be done with the port's $100,000 commitment is designed to help make the public more aware of the lagoon's condition, as will the Indian River Lagoon National Estuary Program's plan to fund out of its own budget development of a new website and branding effort.

De Freese says the combined efforts also are designed to get the word out about the value of the lagoon to the region "socially, environmentally and economically."

Port commissioners said they are excited about the plan for the lagoon public awareness effort.

"I'm looking forward to moving it forward," Canaveral Port Authority Vice Chairman Wayne Justice said.

"Make it happen," Canaveral Port Authority Secretary/Treasurer Tom Weinberg told De Freese, while also thanking Deardoff for his leadership in bring up the idea of the port making a financial commitment to the effort.

Port Authority Chairman Jerry Allender said the project "shows the public that the Canaveral Port Authority is environmentally sensitive," not only in the port area, but in the county in general.

In a separate presentation to port commissioners, Port Canaveral Environmental Director Bob Musser detailed some of the other efforts the port has undertaken in the area of environmental stewardship. These included:

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• Ongoing monthly or quarterly water-quality monitoring at seven harbor sites, six Barge Canal sites and three beach sites.

• Coastal cleanup efforts in partnership with Keep Brevard Beautiful.

• Inlet management and beach renourishment programs.

• Removal of invasive and exotic vegetation.

• Mangrove planting.

• Environmental training for port tenants.

In addition to the $100,000 for the lagoon programs, port commissioners on Wednesday unanimously approved spending for these environmental programs for the budget year that begins Saturday:

• $124,000 to Environmental Research and Design Inc. of Belle Isle for Port Canaveral's harbor, Barge Canal and beach water-quality monitoring.

• $52,155 to Keep Brevard Beautiful of Cocoa for removal of invasive species, litter and debris in the inner harbor and around port property.

• $46,400 to TetraTech Inc. of Orlando and $17,237 to Daley Environmental Services Inc. of Merritt Island for National Pollution Discharge Elimination System permit support; spill prevention control and countermeasures training; and stormwater sampling services.

• $22,429 to Daley Environmental Services for reclaimed water groundwater sampling, analysis and reporting, as well as on-call environmental property management services.

"I think we're putting everything that we can into it," Weinberg said. "We want to make sure we are good stewards of the environment."

Contact Berman at 321-242-3649 or dberman@floridatoday. com, on Twitter at @bydaveberman and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/dave.berman.54