Members of our Restore Our Shores team banded together to plant seagrass in the Indian River Lagoon for the very first time!

Our Restore Our Shores (ROS) team recently began using seagrass grown at its own nursery in restoration and research projects in the Indian River Lagoon! This nursery was built in partnership with Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute (HSWRI), located in Melbourne Beach in 2023. The funding for this nursery was entrusted to IRLNEP by the EPA thanks to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.   

Seagrass is the basis of a healthy lagoon ecosystem, so long-term, successful reestablishment of this critical resource will benefit the lagoon itself as well as the species that call it home like manatees. As seagrass restoration efforts continue in the lagoon, there was a need to increase available seagrass stock, making this nursery important.  

The nursery currently grows Halodule wrightii, or shoal grass under the care of our ROS team and volunteers. We’ll be using our nursery-grown seagrass for the first time in the lagoon in a research project investigating potential interactions between the macro algae Caulerpa prolifera and shoal grass.  

Conservation Restoration Coordinator Vonn Schneider holds seagrass.

“This project is important to better understand the relationship between Halodule wrightii and Caulerpa prolifera, so that we can more effectively choose sites for restoration efforts,” said Vonn Schneider, Conservation Restoration Coordinator with ROS.    

This project was funded through the Seagrass Restoration Technology Development Initiative administered by Mote Marine Laboratory and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and implemented by the zoo, University of Central Florida and the Florida Institute of Technology. 

The shoal grass shoots were planted in five experimental beds at a site in Palm Shores, the first of three sites selected for this 2025 project. All three sites will use seagrass grown at the zoo’s nursery. The ROS team along with a team from UCF will monitor these sites for the next year. 

Special thanks to Flammio Financial Group, Stifel-Garvin Wealth Management Group, Artemis IT, and Jim and Darleen Barfield. Their generosity makes our work possible! 

Brevard Zoo is an independent, not-for-profit organization that receives no recurring government funding for our operating costs. Your generous support enables us to continue to serve our community and continue our vital animal wellness, education and conservation programs.