Monthly Meeting: Aquatic Preserves and Florida Wildlife

**Aquatic Preserves and Florida Wildlife**
Emily Surmont from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection
Office of Resilience and Coastal Protection Indian River Lagoon Aquatic Preserves team will discuss the relationship between our local aquatic preserves and wildlife. She will share highlights about:

* Who is Florida Department of Environmental Protection Indian River Lagoon Aquatic Preserve organization and what do they do?
* Overview of the Indian River Lagoon and the issues it faces
* FDEP Titusville Field Station Native Plant Pollinator Garden Project
* Bee and Butterfly Monitoring community science program
* Preliminary data and program results

**Doors Open: 6:15pm**
Birder Social Time: 6:15-6:45pm
Chapter meeting starts at 6:45pm, followed by Emily’s presentation

**Speaker Bio:**
Emily has been with the Indian River Lagoon Aquatic Preserves for almost 3 years, after an internship with FDEP at MacArthur Beach State Park. Originally from Palm Beach County, Emily is a Florida native with a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science from Broward College in Davie, FL. Her work with Indian River Lagoon Aquatic Preserves currently focuses on estuarine ecology including upland and lagoon connectivity, horseshoe crab and diamondback terrapin population studies, as well as restoring and promoting the importance of shoreline habitat. Her career is devoted to coastal habitat health with experience in mangrove fringe and oyster reef restoration, water quality monitoring, sea turtle nesting surveys, coral husbandry and micro-fragmentation, reef fish surveys, seagrass monitoring, as well as developing and delivering outreach and citizen science programs to a wide variety of audience. Emily spends most of her free time surfing, but also enjoys freediving, sailing, hiking and being outdoors.