The pollution entering our beloved Indian River Lagoon is a complicated and critical issue that threatens the human and economic health of Florida’s Treasure Coast
In January 2021, two $25,000 matching grants from the Frances Langford Fund and The Community Foundation Martin-St. Lucie Environmental Action Fund launched a year-long research project to map the sources of pollution in the Indian River Lagoon. The grants put scientists and technology in the field under the direction of Dr. Beth Falls, Research Scientist at ORCA, the Ocean Research and Conservation Association, the nation’s first technology based marine conservation association. Headquartered on the Treasure Coast, ORCA was founded in 2005 by renowned ocean researcher and MacArthur Fellow, Dr. Edie Widder, whose work has been featured on PBS, BBC the Discovery Channel and National Geographic.