12/08/2020 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

"a � INDIAN RIVER COUNTY, FLORIDA BOARD MEMORANDUM TO: Jason E. Brown, County Administrator THROUGH: Richard B. Szpyrka, P.E., Public Works Director THROUGH: Eric Charest, Natural Resources Manager FROM: Molly Klinepeter, Lagoon Plan Environmental Specialist SUBJECT: Research Review Phase of the IRC Lagoon Management Plan: Update 2 DATE: November 24, 2020 BACKGROUND On July 16, 2019, the Indian River County Board of County Commissioners (BCC) adopted an outline for developing the County's Indian River Lagoon Management Plan for our portion of the Indian River Lagoon (Lagoon). Staff was approved to use a multi -phased approach to develop this plan over the timeline identified in Attachment A (Research Plan Timeline). The first phase -was the Research Review Phase, which identified 17 key factors that may be impacting the health of the Lagoon in our area. Staff has been working with numerous departments and stakeholders involved with the Lagoon to gather current scientific and data -based information about these outlined factors. Following collection of this information, staff have been: • consolidating available data • identifying informational gaps • preparing infographics to disseminate information learned Staff is to present four quarterly presentations to the BCC about information collected. This accompanying presentation is to inform the BCC about our findings during this second portion of our research phase which addresses the 5 items identified in the approved timeline, focusing on areas where more information may be needed in order to determine what impacts may be occurring. Supporting research on the summaries presented in this agenda is included as Attachment B to this agenda. DESCRIPTIONS AND CONDITIONS The scheduled topics addressed during the presentation are as follows: 1. Ecosystem Functions and Habitat Use (Part 2) The ecosystems, habitats, and organisms that make up the Indian River Lagoon all play a unique and important role in the health and sustainability of the Lagoon. All of these elements interconnect to create the biodiverse environment of the Lagoon. As human populations continue to grow and expand, this unique environment faces numerous challenges to its long- term sustainability. This update will focus on mangroves, spoil islands and their importance to bird populations, and species of concern within the County's portion of the Lagoon. C:\Users\legistar\AppData\Local\Temp\BCL Technologies\easyPDF 8\@BCL@900E27D4\@BC,L@900E27D4.docx 98