21st Indian River Lagoon Action Assembly

By R. Stephen Mahoney

As a member of the Sierra Club Loxahatchee group and the Sierra Club National Marine Team and a resident of Stuart on the Indian river Lagoon in Martin County I attended the above named event, where150 Delegates volunteered 2,500 hours of their brain power and time at the 21st Indian River Lagoon Community Action Assembly hosted by the Marine Resources Council. 

The Assembly was presented by Marine Resources Council LagoonWATCH: Citizens + Science at the Florida Institute of Technology July 24th and 25th 2024.

The purpose of the Assembly was for the Delegation to consider current science and reach consensus regarding seven questions related to returning balance to east central Florida and its globally significant Lagoon:

• As a region, what is needed to elect the best leaders?
• How can we improve collaboration among organizations in the region?
• How can we improve communication among organizations?
• What needs to be communicated to the public?
• How can we improve communication to the public?
• How do we implement Low Impact Development + Green Stormwater Infrastructure?
• What new technologies and policies are needed to restore balance to the Lagoon?

I was particularly interested in the implementation of low impact development and green stormwater infrastructure. The responses are to be reported at a later date.