One Lagoon, One Voice: The Podcast

One Lagoon
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Welcome to One Lagoon – One Voice, where members of the Indian River Lagoon National Estuary Program sit down with scientists, researchers, and community leaders to discuss important issues facing the 156-mile-long estuary on Florida’s east coast. Learn more about hot topics like seagrass restoration, manatee populations, and much more on the only show that brings both the wondrous and worrisome aspects of the Indian River Lagoon into focus. To learn more about the IRL Council and our lagoon home, visit: onelagoon.org

  1. 1d ago

    Nature Pays: How Ecotourism is Benefitting Indian River Lagoon Counties

    In 2016, algae outbreaks hit Martin County hard here in Florida. Nerissa Okiye, the county’s tourism director, calls it the “lost summer.” National news crews arrived for the Fourth of July, and many outfitters couldn’t keep their businesses going due to toxic algae ruining outdoor recreation. Today, the county runs a free, award-winning ecotourism program that puts visitors and residents on its beaches, preserves and trails.  In this episode of One Lagoon, One Voice, host Caleta Scott sits down with Nerissa and Emily Dark, Martin County’s Senior Environmental Resources and Ecotourism Program Manager. They discuss how Explore Natural Martin works, who pays for it and whether getting more people outside is one of the best ways to protect the Indian River Lagoon (IRL). _________________________ 👉 DIVE DEEPER: From dolphin health to seagrass restoration, there's a lot more to discover. Browse the full episode archive here: https://onelagoon.org/resources/podcast/ _________________________ 👉 HELP US GROW: The best way to support One Lagoon, One Voice is simple. Subscribe on Youtube, Apple and Spotify. Share this episode with someone who cares about the lagoon. Every listen, follow, and share helps us reach more people who need to hear these conversations. ➜ Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/one-lagoon-one-voice-the-podcast/id1656092452 ➜ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5PhxxX6plfMOLQZpT1RdC9 ➜ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@IndianRiverLagoon _________________________ One Lagoon, One Voice is a podcast where members of the Indian River Lagoon National Estuary Program sit down with scientists, researchers, and community leaders to discuss important issues facing the 156-mile-long estuary on Florida’s east coast. Learn more about hot topics like seagrass restoration, manatee populations, and much more on the only show that brings both the wondrous and worrisome aspects of the Indian River Lagoon into focus.  #OneLagoon #ecotourism #IndianRiverLagoon To learn more about the IRL Council and our lagoon home, visit: https://onelagoon.org/ ➜ Indian River Lagoon vital signs: https://onelagoon.org/steps-to-success/ ➜ Volunteer: https://onelagoon.org/find-volunteer-event/ ➜ Help From Home: https://onelagoon.org/helping-from-home/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IRLNEP/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/onelagoon Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/onelagoon/

  2. Oct 14

    Reconnected: Reviving the Indian River Lagoon by Reconnecting Isolated Wetlands

    Florida's mosquito control districts built earthen dikes around coastal wetlands starting in the mid-1950s. Flooding marshes with water interrupted the breeding cycle of salt marsh mosquitoes, which lay eggs on moist — but not wet — mud.  Flooding impounded marshes worked … but it also cut those wetlands off from the Indian River Lagoon (IRL). Today, restoration scientists are reconnecting them, letting water move the way nature intended. In this episode of One Lagoon, One Voice, IRLNEP GIS Data Scientist KJ Ayres-Guerra speaks with Ron Brockmeyer, environmental scientist at the St. Johns River Water Management District (SJRWMD).  Ron’s a 2012 National Wetlands Awards winner, an honor the Environmental Law Institute in Washington, D.C. gives for exemplary efforts. He’s spent more than 30 years reconnecting and restoring lagoon wetlands. _________________________ 👉 DIVE DEEPER: From dolphin health to seagrass restoration, there's a lot more to discover. Browse the full episode archive here: https://onelagoon.org/resources/podcast/ _________________________ 👉 HELP US GROW: The best way to support One Lagoon, One Voice is simple. Subscribe on Youtube, Apple and Spotify. Share this episode with someone who cares about the lagoon. Every listen, follow, and share helps us reach more people who need to hear these conversations. ➜ Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/one-lagoon-one-voice-the-podcast/id1656092452 ➜ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5PhxxX6plfMOLQZpT1RdC9 ➜ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@IndianRiverLagoon _________________________ One Lagoon, One Voice is a podcast where members of the Indian River Lagoon National Estuary Program sit down with scientists, researchers, and community leaders to discuss important issues facing the 156-mile-long estuary on Florida’s east coast. Learn more about hot topics like seagrass restoration, manatee populations, and much more on the only show that brings both the wondrous and worrisome aspects of the Indian River Lagoon into focus.  #OneLagoon #wetlands #IndianRiverLagoon To learn more about the IRL Council and our lagoon home, visit: https://onelagoon.org/ ➜ Indian River Lagoon vital signs: https://onelagoon.org/steps-to-success/ ➜ Volunteer: https://onelagoon.org/find-volunteer-event/ ➜ Help From Home: https://onelagoon.org/helping-from-home/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IRLNEP/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/onelagoon Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/onelagoon/

  3. Oct 7

    Invisible Infrastructure: How Baffle Boxes Filter Stormwater Before It Reaches the Lagoon

    Every time it rains, stormwater carries trash, sediment, nitrogen and phosphorus into the Indian River Lagoon (IRL). But underground sits a growing network of concrete boxes that most Floridians will never notice. Those boxes are silently cleaning stormwater runoff before it arrives in the lagoon. In this episode of One Lagoon, One Voice, host Heather Stapleton chats with Dani Straub, Assistant City Engineer for the City of Melbourne, Florida. They cover how a technology invented decades ago evolved into one of the city's most effective stormwater tools.  They also discuss why Melbourne is now home to one of the largest baffle boxes in the world, once parties resolve construction delays. _________________________ 👉 DIVE DEEPER: From dolphin health to seagrass restoration, there's a lot more to discover. Browse the full episode archive here: https://onelagoon.org/resources/podcast/ _________________________ 👉 HELP US GROW: The best way to support One Lagoon, One Voice is simple. Subscribe on Youtube, Apple and Spotify. Share this episode with someone who cares about the lagoon. Every listen, follow, and share helps us reach more people who need to hear these conversations. ➜ Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/one-lagoon-one-voice-the-podcast/id1656092452 ➜ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5PhxxX6plfMOLQZpT1RdC9 ➜ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@IndianRiverLagoon _________________________ One Lagoon, One Voice is a podcast where members of the Indian River Lagoon National Estuary Program sit down with scientists, researchers, and community leaders to discuss important issues facing the 156-mile-long estuary on Florida’s east coast. Learn more about hot topics like seagrass restoration, manatee populations, and much more on the only show that brings both the wondrous and worrisome aspects of the Indian River Lagoon into focus.  #OneLagoon #stormwatermanagement #IndianRiverLagoon To learn more about the IRL Council and our lagoon home, visit: https://onelagoon.org/ ➜ Indian River Lagoon vital signs: https://onelagoon.org/steps-to-success/ ➜ Volunteer: https://onelagoon.org/find-volunteer-event/ ➜ Help From Home: https://onelagoon.org/helping-from-home/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IRLNEP/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/onelagoon Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/onelagoon/

  4. Sep 30

    What Fish Populations Are Telling Us About the IRL's Health

    Every fishing regulation in Florida (every bag limit, every closed season) traces back to data. Biologists at the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) have been collecting it in the Indian River Lagoon (IRL) for 36 years. They use the same standardized, rigorous methods, time after time. In this episode of One Lagoon, One Voice, IRLNEP Chief Operating Officer Dan Kolodny talks with Derek Tremain, research administrator for the FWC's Fisheries-Independent Monitoring Program at the Indian River Field Lab in Melbourne.  They cover how that long-term dataset influences fishing rules statewide and what it reveals about a question many anglers ask: Now that seagrass is bouncing back in parts of the IRL, are the fish returning with it? _________________________ 👉 HELP US GROW: The best way to support One Lagoon, One Voice is simple. Subscribe on Youtube, Apple and Spotify. Share this episode with someone who cares about the lagoon. Every listen, follow, and share helps us reach more people who need to hear these conversations. ➜ Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/one-lagoon-one-voice-the-podcast/id1656092452 ➜ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5PhxxX6plfMOLQZpT1RdC9 ➜ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@IndianRiverLagoon _________________________ One Lagoon, One Voice is a podcast where members of the Indian River Lagoon National Estuary Program sit down with scientists, researchers, and community leaders to discuss important issues facing the 156-mile-long estuary on Florida’s east coast. Learn more about hot topics like seagrass restoration, manatee populations, and much more on the only show that brings both the wondrous and worrisome aspects of the Indian River Lagoon into focus.  #OneLagoon #Fishing #IndianRiverLagoon To learn more about the IRL Council and our lagoon home, visit: https://onelagoon.org/ ➜ Indian River Lagoon vital signs: https://onelagoon.org/steps-to-success/ ➜ Volunteer: https://onelagoon.org/find-volunteer-event/ ➜ Help From Home: https://onelagoon.org/helping-from-home/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IRLNEP/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/onelagoon Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/onelagoon/

  5. Sep 23

    Seeds of Recovery: A Hidden Seed Bank Bringing Seagrass Back to the Indian River Lagoon

    For over a decade, persistent algal blooms clouded the Indian River Lagoon (IRL), blocking the sunlight seagrass needs to survive. Since 2011, that loss has rippled through the food web: fewer fish, fewer manatees, a lagoon under stress. The latest seagrass surveys tell a fresh tale. After years of decline, seagrass is rebounding in five of the six lagoon sub-basins. Part of the answer may have been sitting in the sediment all this time. In this episode of One Lagoon, One Voice, Deputy Director of the IRL National Estuary Program (IRLNEP) Kathy Hill talks to Lauren Hall, environmental scientist at the St. Johns River Water Management District (SJRWMD).  They discuss a discovery about the lagoon's dominant seagrass species, what today’s maps show and why one stretch of the lagoon still isn't recovering. _________________________ 👉 DIVE DEEPER: From dolphin health to seagrass restoration, there's a lot more to discover. Browse the full episode archive here: https://onelagoon.org/resources/podcast/ _________________________ 👉 HELP US GROW: The best way to support One Lagoon, One Voice is simple. Subscribe on Youtube, Apple and Spotify. Share this episode with someone who cares about the lagoon. Every listen, follow, and share helps us reach more people who need to hear these conversations. ➜ Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/one-lagoon-one-voice-the-podcast/id1656092452 ➜ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5PhxxX6plfMOLQZpT1RdC9 ➜ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@IndianRiverLagoon _________________________ One Lagoon, One Voice is a podcast where members of the Indian River Lagoon National Estuary Program sit down with scientists, researchers, and community leaders to discuss important issues facing the 156-mile-long estuary on Florida’s east coast. Learn more about hot topics like seagrass restoration, manatee populations, and much more on the only show that brings both the wondrous and worrisome aspects of the Indian River Lagoon into focus.  #OneLagoon #Seagrass #IndianRiverLagoon To learn more about the IRL Council and our lagoon home, visit: https://onelagoon.org/ ➜ Indian River Lagoon vital signs: https://onelagoon.org/steps-to-success/ ➜ Volunteer: https://onelagoon.org/find-volunteer-event/ ➜ Help From Home: https://onelagoon.org/helping-from-home/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IRLNEP/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/onelagoon Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/onelagoon/

  6. Sep 16

    What Dolphins Are Telling Us About the Indian River Lagoon's Recovery

    About 1,000 bottlenose dolphins call the Indian River Lagoon (IRL) home for most of their lives. Researchers have tracked this resident population for 18 years, photo-identifying around 2,000 individual dolphins, and know many by name. But research shows a disturbing pattern. Most dolphins are thin, some dangerously so. The reasons trace straight back to the lagoon’s health. In this episode of One Lagoon, One Voice, host Jessy Wayles talks with Wendy Noke, Senior Research Scientist at Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute. They discuss what nearly two decades of data reveal about IRL dolphins, why entanglement has become their primary cause of death and what gives Wendy hope after 13 years without a mass mortality event. _________________________ 👉 DIVE DEEPER: From dolphin health to seagrass restoration, there's a lot more to discover. Browse the full episode archive here: https://onelagoon.org/resources/podcast/ _________________________ 👉 HELP US GROW: The best way to support One Lagoon, One Voice is simple. Subscribe on Youtube, Apple and Spotify. Share this episode with someone who cares about the lagoon. Every listen, follow, and share helps us reach more people who need to hear these conversations. ➜ Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/one-lagoon-one-voice-the-podcast/id1656092452 ➜ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5PhxxX6plfMOLQZpT1RdC9 ➜ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@IndianRiverLagoon _________________________ About the Podcast: One Lagoon, One Voice is a podcast where members of the Indian River Lagoon National Estuary Program sit down with scientists, researchers, and community leaders to discuss important issues facing the 156-mile-long estuary on Florida’s east coast. Learn more about hot topics like seagrass restoration, manatee populations, and much more on the only show that brings both the wondrous and worrisome aspects of the Indian River Lagoon into focus.  #OneLagoon #Dolphins #IndianRiverLagoon To learn more about the IRL Council and our lagoon home, visit: https://onelagoon.org/ ➜ Indian River Lagoon vital signs: https://onelagoon.org/steps-to-success/ ➜ Volunteer: https://onelagoon.org/find-volunteer-event/ ➜ Help From Home: https://onelagoon.org/helping-from-home/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IRLNEP/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/onelagoon Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/onelagoon/

  7. 09/23/2025

    Florida Oyster Farming in the Indian River Lagoon

    In this episode of One Lagoon – One Voice, we dive into the fascinating world of oyster farming with Sam Walsh of SharkBite Oysters and Nicolette Mariano of Treasure Coast Shellfish. Jessy chats with the farmers about how they grow oysters in floating gear on the Indian River Lagoon, what makes Florida oysters unique, and why eating farmed oysters is actually good for the environment. You’ll learn how local genetics make oysters stronger and better suited for Florida’s hot, salty waters, how farms create habitat for crabs, fish, and other marine life, and what challenges farmers face from predators like stone crabs and barnacle overgrowth. Sam and Nicolette also share their favorite ways to enjoy fresh oysters and how consumers can support lagoon health—starting with what’s on their plate. 👉 Learn about Sharkbite Oysters and Treasure Coast Shellfish. To learn more about the IRL Council and our lagoon home, visit: https://onelagoon.org/ ➜ Indian River Lagoon vital signs: https://onelagoon.org/steps-to-success/ ➜ Volunteer: https://onelagoon.org/find-volunteer-event/ ➜ Help From Home: https://onelagoon.org/helping-from-home/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IRLNEP/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/onelagoon Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/onelagoon/

  8. 09/16/2025

    Art and Creativity Inspired by the Indian River Lagoon

    This episode of One Lagoon, One Voice explores how music, dance, and storytelling can turn environmental education into an unforgettable experience. Host Heather Stapleton is joined by Adam Schnell, Artistic Director of Ballet Vero Beach, and Daniel Flick, Senior Lecturer at Rollins College and Creative Mentor for the Indian River Lagoon Estuary In Concert.  Together, they share how their performances bring the lagoon to life — from dancing manatees and land crabs in Nutcracker on the Indian River to student-composed music and spoken word performances that give the lagoon its own voice. Their work shows how creative interpretation can reach audiences who might never attend a lecture or read a report, sparking curiosity and emotional connection to the estuary. When difficult topics like water quality and habitat loss are told through performance, they become more relatable and memorable. This episode is a reminder that protecting the Indian River Lagoon isn’t just about data — it’s also about storytelling, community, and inspiring the next generation to care for this unique ecosystem. 👉 Learn about Ballet Vero Beach and their upcoming performances. To learn more about the IRL Council and our lagoon home, visit: https://onelagoon.org/ ➜ Indian River Lagoon vital signs: https://onelagoon.org/steps-to-success/ ➜ Volunteer: https://onelagoon.org/find-volunteer-event/ ➜ Help From Home: https://onelagoon.org/helping-from-home/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IRLNEP/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/onelagoon Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/onelagoon/

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Welcome to One Lagoon – One Voice, where members of the Indian River Lagoon National Estuary Program sit down with scientists, researchers, and community leaders to discuss important issues facing the 156-mile-long estuary on Florida’s east coast. Learn more about hot topics like seagrass restoration, manatee populations, and much more on the only show that brings both the wondrous and worrisome aspects of the Indian River Lagoon into focus. To learn more about the IRL Council and our lagoon home, visit: onelagoon.org

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