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From the Field

Latest articles

In-depth field guides, conservation updates, and ecosystem profiles from the Treasure Coast.

Aerial view of a rock jetty at an inlet beside the built-up tip of a barrier island, with calm water and small islands beyond
Lagoon

The water quality crisis threatening the Indian River Lagoon

Decades of nutrient pollution have pushed one of America's most biodiverse estuaries to the brink.

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Field guides & deep dives

Illustration of a salt marsh with rain pools at sunset beside a small frame cottage, a mosquito net hanging over a bed on its screened porch
Lagoon

Mosquito season on the Indian River, 1905 to 1911

When the mosquitoes came and went along the river, and how people lived with them before mosquito control.

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Painted illustration of a floating dredge cutting a straight drainage canal across wet prairie toward a calm lagoon
Lagoon

Early drainage canals at Fort Pierce, 1904 to 1911

How the prairie west of town was ditched to the Indian River, and the four feet of fall that made it work.

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Watercolor illustration of a sailing skiff tied to wooden stakes that mark a low oyster bar in shallow lagoon water
Wildlife

Indian River oysters, 1905 to 1911

The winter oyster trade on the river, the beds the county let people stake out, and a supper that ran out of oysters.

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Watercolor illustration of brown pelicans nesting in coarse grass on a small lagoon island
Wildlife

Pelican Island, 1906 to 1911

The pelican rookery up the river, the protection that saved it, and the launch parties that went out to see it.

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Sparse seagrass shoots on pale sand in clear water
Lagoon

The seagrass die-off: what happened

How the lagoon lost its underwater prairies, year by year, and what bringing them back takes.

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Aerial view of a rock jetty at an inlet beside the built-up tip of a barrier island, with calm water and small islands beyond
Lagoon

Why 4,300 species live in the Indian River Lagoon

How the Indian River Lagoon became home to over 4,300 species of plants and animals.

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A large manatee swimming with a smaller manatee alongside in clear blue water
Wildlife

Florida manatees: gentle giants of the lagoon

The Indian River Lagoon hosts one of the largest manatee populations in the state.

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Sea turtle swimming up toward the surface in deep blue water
Wildlife

Sea turtle nesting on the Treasure Coast

One of the densest sea turtle nesting areas in the Western Hemisphere.

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Arching mangrove prop roots crusted with oyster shells, standing over murky water
Habitats

Mangrove forests: the living shoreline

Three species of mangroves form the Treasure Coast's most important coastal defense.

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Sparse seagrass shoots on pale sand in clear water
Habitats

Seagrass meadows: underwater prairies of the lagoon

The seagrass beds that feed manatees, shelter fish, and hold the lagoon together.

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Brown pelican in flight against a clear blue sky
Conservation

Algal blooms: causes, impacts, and solutions

Understanding the toxic blooms threatening the Indian River Lagoon's ecosystem.

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Arching mangrove prop roots crusted with oyster shells, standing over murky water
Conservation

Restoring the Indian River Lagoon

The multi-billion dollar fight to save one of Florida's most biodiverse estuaries.

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Aerial view of a rock jetty at an inlet beside the built-up tip of a barrier island, with calm water and small islands beyond
Lagoon

The water quality crisis

Nutrient pollution, algal blooms, and the fight to restore the lagoon's health.

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