About 7,000 years ago, the last glaciers retreated, sea level increased, and the barrier island and lagoons that now form Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge were created. Just inland from the barrier island, these Paleo-Indians were the earliest inhabitants of the Indian River Lagoon region.
When was the Indian River Lagoon founded?
Johns River Water Management District has worked with federal, state and local agencies to: Designate the lagoon as a Surface Water Improvement and Management Act basin in 1987. Create the Indian River Lagoon National Estuary Program (NEP) in 1990, which the district sponsored until 2015.
What lives in the Indian River Lagoon?
What wildlife will you see in the Indian River lagoon?
- Dolphins. Dolphins are common and easy to spot around the river estuary, coast, and lagoon. …
- Nurse Sharks. …
- Sea Turtles. …
- Snowy Egrets. …
- Great Blue Herons. …
- Roseate Spoonbills. …
- Brown Pelicans. …
- Tarpon.
Is the Indian River Lagoon man made?
How deep is the Indian River Lagoon National Estuary? The brackish water lagoons within the national estuary average 4ft in depth with large seagrass flats running 2ft and less in depth. Man-made adaptations such as dredged canals, marinas, and navigation channels are maintained at deeper depths.
How did the Indian River Lagoon get its name?
The Indian River is a 121-mile (195 km) long brackish lagoon in Florida. … It was originally named Rio de Ais after the Ais Indian tribe, who lived along the east coast of Florida, but was later given its current name.
Can you swim in the Indian River Lagoon?
Bacteria warning: Don’t go swimming in Indian River Lagoon at Jaycee Park in Fort Pierce. … Enteric bacteria inhabit the intestinal tract of humans and animals. Potential health risks for people who ingest or come in contact with the water include upset stomach, diarrhea, eye irritation and skin rashes.
How deep is the Indian River Lagoon?
The lagoon is unique among Florida estuaries because of its limited exchange of water with the open ocean. There are only five inlets along the lagoon’s 156-mile length, and the inlets are broadly spaced along the lagoon’s length. The lagoon’s depth averages only 4 feet.
Do sharks live in lagoons?
While no sharks are in the business of regularly eating humans, at least part of this scene is realistic: sharks do make use of inshore, estuarine environments like lagoons, bays, and the lower portions of rivers.
What is wrong with the Indian River Lagoon?
As more people have made the Space Coast their home and increased development and pressure on the lagoon, marine life has been decimated by a deadly chain reaction started from fertilizer run-off and waste water. … Now, the lagoon is afflicted with massive die-offs fish, sea turtles, manatees and dolphins.
Are there sharks in Indian River?
The Indian River Lagoon is a bull shark nursery, according to the University of Florida. Young bull sharks typically use the area until they are about 9 years old, and then move into an adult habitat offshore, George Burgess, Florida Program for Shark Research director, said in an article.
Why is the Indian River Lagoon Green?
The Indian River Lagoon algae are species of brown and red algae that are called ‘drift algae’. They are called drift algae because they drift along the bottom, moved by wind and currents, like tumbleweeds. These species of drift algae have always been relatively common in winter months.
Why is the Indian River so green?
There is an ecological crisis in Indian River Lagoon. Large quantities of water with high levels of nutrient pollution from Lake Okeechobee and the St. Lucie Basin are being discharged to tide, leading to toxic algae blooms in the Lagoon’s waters.
What fish are in the Indian River?
The Indian River lagoon system is a fantastic place to fish year round. Several of the most sought after game fish can be caught here, including Snook, Trout, Redfish, Tarpon, Flounder and Sharks.
Why is Cocoa Beach water brown?
3. Re: What is the beach water like at Cocoa Beach? The water may “look” brown because the sand, which is brown, is constantly being churned up by the non-stop rolling waves that come ashore. If you go behind where the waves are “breaking” the water has decent clarity.
Are there alligators in the Indian River?
The Indian River is not actually a river at all.
You get a mix of salt and fresh-water birds and wildlife in the lagoon. Dolphins, pelicans and manta rays stay in the saltier water, and manatees, alligators and otters stay mostly in the fresh water.
Where is the Indian River Lagoon located?
Located on a barrier island south of Melbourne, this preserve protects the watershed of the Indian River Lagoon. The most biologically diverse estuary in North America, the lagoon has been designated an Outstanding Florida Water and an Estuary of National Significance.