ORCA donors celebrate grant, discuss lagoon at Quail Valley

VERO BEACH -- Indian River Lagoon advocates joined Ocean Research & Conservation Association scientists recently to celebrate receiving a Schooner Foundation grant and examine problems plaguing the waterway.

Attendees to the event at the Quail Valley Golf Club learned about the major land-based pollutants – faulty sewage treatment, widespread use of nutrient-laden reuse water, agriculture and bio-solids, fertilizers, septic systems and storm water runoff -- that are contributing to harmful algae growth in the lagoon.

ORCA board chairman, Wayne Mills, spoke about the organization’s plan to preserve the lagoon through research, monitoring and restoration, using school-based programs to educate the next generation of environmental stewards, demonstrating to Treasure Coast residents how their actions affect the lagoon, and advocating for legislation to bring funding to the state’s waterways.

“The Indian River Lagoon is an irreplaceable ecosystem,” said Mills. “We must make changes now before this valuable environmental and economic resource is completely destroyed.”

ORCA’s chief scientist and CEO Dr. Edith Widder shared the stark issues facing the lagoon.

“The chemicals we are finding in the Indian River Lagoon are not just harming the wildlife, they may lead to serious health issues in humans as well," she said. "There are credible links to liver disease as well as neurological diseases such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s. We’re not just hurting the animals, we’re harming ourselves.”

Widder explained how ORCA’s real-time monitoring device, the Kilroy, is designed to detect these harmful pollutants and notify authorities when levels are dangerously high.

The ORCA team also united with donors to acknowledge a recently awarded $300,000 Schooner Foundation matching grant from the Boston-based foundation.

“Saving the lagoon is going to take all of us,” Widder said. “Our donor’s support gives us the foundation we need to conduct meaningful science, monitor our waters, and implement solutions. However, we must have the backing of the entire Treasure Coast community in order to make these changes truly effective.”

The Ocean Research & Conservation Association (ORCA) endeavors to protect and restore aquatic ecosystems and the species they sustain through the development of innovative technologies, science-based conservation action, community education, outreach and advocacy. Visit teamorca.org to learn more about the organization or to become an ORCA donor.