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Page 2 Attachment B: Supporting Research November 24, 2020 Update 2 — Research Review Phase of IRL Plan The County should continue its measures to protect and sustain its mangrove fringed shorelines of the Lagoon through education and following regulation. FDEP regulates the trimming of mangroves. They have mangrove trimming guidance which explains what is allowed without a permit, and anything beyond that requires a permit for major trimming activities, with fines in place for property owners who do not follow these regulations. Residents should continue to be educated on the importance of mangroves not only for the environment, but also for the protection of shorelines and adjacent property. The County should discourage the placement of hardened structures along the Lagoon's shoreline in order to provide these mangroves with areas to encroach on in order to combat rising water levels. The County should also continue to use mangroves in their living shoreline projects as a method of protecting the shoreline, and encourage and educate Lagoon -front homeowners to do the same as well. Mangrove fringes contribute to the uniqueness of the County, and we should continue to set an example for other areas about the benefits of our unique characteristics. Compared to other estuaries around Florida, the Lagoon is also unique because of its spoil islands. Spoil islands were created in the 1940s and 1950s by the dredging of the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) through the Lagoon. The excess materials dredged, known as spoil, was used to supplement natural islands and/or used to create new islands. These islands created out of "waste" material are now important habitat for native species. The Lagoon has numerous spoil islands in its entirety, most of which are owned by the state and managed by the Indian River Lagoon Aquatic Preserves Office (IRLAP) of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP). The County has 104 spoil islands in its portion of the Lagoon. These spoil islands are designated as public or private, and are further designated for conservation or recreational use. Conservation islands are islands with special protection because of the benefits they serve to the conservation of important Lagoon species. Boaters should honor the no access signs posted on these islands. People trampling nests and dogs are major threats for bird populations using these conservation islands. Recreation islands are islands used for human recreation, such as picnicking or camping, and boaters are encouraged to clean up afterthemselves aftervisiting and enjoying these islands in the Lagoon. Spoil islands serve as important ecological communities for the Lagoon. They are utilized by various types of invertebrates, reptiles, birds, and mammals, with a cover of vegetation. Spoil islands also support the majority of bird rookeries in the Lagoon system. Within the County, there are various islands with associated productive bird rookeries. One is located at the mouth of the North Relief Canal, one is located at the mouth of the South Relief Canal, and the others are located within the Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge. It is believed these are not random selections, and that the mouths of the relief canals provide a source of food for the birds. These rookeries are utilized by different state and federally protected bird species. Bird surveys are conducted by the IRLAP office monthly during breeding season, which ranges from March 1st to August 31St. Surveys continue to confirm the productivity of these two canal -based islands as rookeries. Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1903 with over 10,000 pelicans counted during peak nesting season. To this day, more than a dozen species nest on Pelican Island with approximately 100 nesting pairs of pelicans present. However, spoil islands across the Lagoon are facing numerous threats that are harming bird populations. Spoil islands are prone to erosion because of boat activity and strong storms across the 103