View table: Organization

Banana River Aquatic Preserve is located in north central Brevard County, separating Merritt Island on the west and the beach barrier island on the east. The surface water area of the aquatic preserve is approximately 30,000 acres.

The preserve begins at State Road 528, extends almost to the southern tip of Merritt Island, and includes Newfound Harbor and Sykes Creek as far north as Hall Road.

The Natural Resources Management Department provides sound, cost effective management of environmental resources. This is accomplished by developing and implementing management plans, regulations, and outreach programs designed to preserve and protect Brevard County's natural resources to further their public utilization and enjoyment.

The Brevard County Natural Resources Department's Save Our Indian River Lagoon Citizen Oversight Committee (COC), chaired by a county commissioner, is composed of local business leaders and stakeholders. The committee receives consultation and support from the Florida Institute of Technology's Indian River Lagoon Research Institute (IRLRI), the St. Johns River Water Management District (SJRWMD), and local IRL advocacy groups. The committee holds monthly public meetings that are live streamed and archived for on-demand viewing.

The COC monitors the SOIRL program to:

• insure transparent implementation and funding of projects,
• modify project plans to reflect neccessary changes
• educate the public on the river's health problems,
• inform the public on the program's progress.

The Department of the Interior (DOI) conserves and manages the Nation’s natural resources and cultural heritage for the benefit and enjoyment of the American people, provides scientific and other information about natural resources and natural hazards to address societal challenges and create opportunities for the American people, and honors the Nation’s trust responsibilities or special commitments to American Indians, Alaska Natives, and affiliated island communities to help them prosper.

EPA works to ensure that:*Americans have clean air, land and water;*National efforts to reduce environmental risks are based on the best available scientific information;*Federal laws protecting human health and the environment are administered and enforced fairly, effectively and as Congress intended;*Environmental stewardship is integral to U.S. policies concerning natural resources, human health, economic growth, energy, transportation, agriculture, industry, and international trade, and these factors are similarly considered in establishing environmental policy;*All parts of society--communities, individuals, businesses, and state, local and tribal governments--have access to accurate information sufficient to effectively participate in managing human health and environmental risks;*Contaminated lands and toxic sites are cleaned up by potentially responsible parties and revitalized; and*Chemicals in the marketplace are reviewed for safety.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) consists of 1,947 fulltime employees working together to protect and manage more than 575 species of wildlife, 200 species of freshwater fish and 500 species of saltwater fish.The FWC works to balance the needs of these fish and wildlife species and the habitats that support them with the needs of Florida's nearly 19 million residents and the millions of people who visit the state each year.

The Indian River Lagoon National Estuary Program is sponsored by the IRL Council, which was established in February 2015 as a special district of Florida.

The IRL Council includes representatives of five counties bordering the lagoon (Volusia, Brevard, the Indian River County Lagoon Coalition, St. Lucie and Martin counties), the St. Johns River and South Florida Water Management Districts, and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP).

In 1983, a group of Florida Tech professors convened to determine what could be done to reverse the negative impacts that were happening to the Indian River Lagoon through citizen science and engagement. They decided to create a 501 c (3) organization devoted entirely to protecting and restoring the Indian River Lagoon through sound science. This organization became the Marine Resources Council (MRC).

The EPA's National Estuary Program (NEP) is a very successful community-based program designed to restore and maintain the ecological integrity of estuaries of national significance. The NEP is a non-regulatory program established by Congress and authorized by section 320 of the Clean Water Act in 1987. It is a unique voluntary program that operates through partnerships among EPA and other Federal, State, and local organizations; industry; academia; environmental and business groups; and community residents. Currently, there are 28 NEPs located along the Atlantic, Gulf, and Pacific coasts and in Puerto Rico each with a director and staff, working with local stakeholders to improve the health of their estuary - it’s waters, habitats, and living resources. Each NEP has a Management Conference (MC) that consists of diverse stakeholders and uses a collaborative, consensus-building approach. The MCs develop and implement Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plans (CCMP), long-term plans that contain actions to address water quality and living resource challenges and priorities. The EPA provides annual funding, national guidance and technical assistance to the local NEPs.The Indian River Lagoon was nominated as an Estuary of National Significance and joined the NEP under the management of the St. Johns River and South Florida Water Management Districts in 1990. Today, the Indian River Lagoon NEP Management Conference is the IRL Council, a special district of Florida.

Brevard County's Environmentally Endangered Land program and the St. Johns River Water Management District co-manage the 880 acre Pine Island Conservation Area in Merritt Island, Florida. Pine Island provides a canoe and kayak launch area and paddling trails thru Indian River lagoon salt marsh habitat. Pine Island also offers over 7 miles of moderate hiking trails thru pine covered uplands, palm hammocks, and salt marsh habitats.

Brevard County's Save Our Indian River Lagoon Project researches, plans and implements local projects to improve water quality and the health, productivity, aesthetic appeal, and economic value of the Indian River lagoon. The SOIRL is funded by a ½ cent sales tax approved by Brevard voters on November 8, 2016.

The St. Johns River Water Management District is an environmental regulatory agency of the state of Florida whose work is focused on ensuring a long-term supply of drinking water, and to protect and restore the health of water bodies in the district’s 18 counties in northeast and east-central Florida. While the district works closely with utilities on water supply issues, the district is not a water supplier.