Banana River Facts: Difference between revisions

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{{IRL header estuary}}
{{IRL header estuary|cat=Banana River}}
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<big>'''Banana River Lagoon Quick Facts and Statistics'''</big>
==Banana River Lagoon Facts and Statistics==
* Banana River lagoon is recognized as an "Outstanding Florida Water" by the Florida Legislature under FL Rule 62-302.700(9).




* Banana River lagoon lies entirely within Brevard County
* Banana River was recognized by the [[Unit:Environmental Protection Agency|Environmental Protection Agency]] as an ''"Estuary of National Significance"'' and placed in the [[Unit:National Estuary Program|National Estuary Program]] in 1990. The [[:Category:Indian_River_Lagoon_National_Estuary_Program|Indian River Lagoon National Estuary Program]] is managed by [[Unit:Indian River Lagoon Council|Indian River Lagoon Council]], a special district of the State of Florida.




* Smallest lagoon in the National Estuary
* [[Banana River|Banana River lagoon]] spans 31 miles from Banana Creek in Titusville, Florida to Dragon's Point in Indian Harbour Beach. Merritt Island is on the west shore and Brevard County's beach barrier island is on the east.




* Northern portion lies within Kennedy Space Center and is not open to the public.
* 30,000 acre Banana River is the smallest of three brackish water lagoons in the [[Indian River Lagoon Estuary|Indian River Lagoon National Estuary]].




* Banana River north of SR528 is a No-Motor Zone manatee preserve.
* Northern Banana River Lagoon lies within NASA's Kennedy Space Center and is managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as part of the [[Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge]].




* Home to Annie the Dragon
* The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service maintains a 10,600-acre No-Motor Zone in the Banana River between Kennedy Space Center property and the Beachline Expressway (SR528) for protection of the West Indian Manatee.<ref name="fwsfish" />




* Florida Department of Environmental Protection maintains the [[Unit:Banana River Aquatic Preserve|Banana River Aquatic Preserve]] from the Beachline (SR528) southward to the tip of Merritt Island. <ref name="FDEPBananaAquaticPreserve" />
* Brevard County's [[Unit:Brevard County Environmentally Endangered Lands Program|Environmentally Endangered Lands (EEL) Program]] preserves 600-acre [[Unit:Ulumay Sanctuary|Ulumay Sanctuary]] in Merritt island's Sykes Creek and the 300-acre [[Unit:Thousand Islands Conservation Area|Thousand Islands Conservation Area]] in Cocoa Beach.<ref name="BrevardUlumay" />
* In spite of its name, the Banana River is not actually a river with a directional current, but a still lagoon where the water's movement is provided by wind.<ref name="SJRWMDIRLfacts" />
* Banana River has many resident West Indian manatees living in the lagoon year-round. During spring their survey count may reach 300-500 per day.<ref name="FDEPBananaAquaticPreserve" />
* Banana River lagoon supports the largest pelican rookery on the Atlantic Coast.<ref name="FDEPBananaAquaticPreserve" />
* The southern tip of Merritt Island in the Banana River is locally known as "Dragon's Point" because a concrete sculpture named "Annie the Dragon" was located there until it crumbled into the lagoon during a storm in 2002.<ref name="FLTodayAnnie" />
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==See Also==
==See Also==
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==Web Links==
==Web Links==
* [https://www.sjrwmd.com/waterways/indian-river-lagoon/facts/ St. Johns River Water Management District - Fast facts about the Indian River Lagoon]
* [https://www.fws.gov/refuge/Merritt_Island/Fishing.html. FWS - Merritt Island Refuge Fishing]
* [https://floridadep.gov/rcp/aquatic-preserve/locations/banana-river-aquatic-preserve FDEP - Banana River Aquatic Preserve]
* [https://www.brevardfl.gov/EELProgram/Sanctuaries/UlumaySanctuary Brevard EEL - Ulumay Sanctuary]


==Documents==
==Documents==
* [https://indianriverlagoonnews.org/guide/documents/Indian_River_Lagoon_An_Introduction_To_A_Natural_Treasure.pdf Indian River Lagoon - An Introduction to a National Treasure (PDF 40pp 4.09MB)]
* [https://floridadep.gov/sites/default/files/banana-river-lagoon-bmap.pdf FDEP - Banana River Lagoon Basin Management Action Plan 2013 (PDF 90pp 1.5MB)]
* [http://publicfiles.dep.state.fl.us/CAMA/plans/aquatic/Indian-River-Lagoon-AP-System-Management-Plan.pdf FDEP - Indian River Lagoon Aquatic Preserve Management Plan 2016 (PDF 262pp 25MB)]
 
==References==
==References==
<references>
<references>
 
<ref name="SJRWMDIRLfacts">[https://www.sjrwmd.com/waterways/indian-river-lagoon/facts/ SJRWMD - IRL Fast Facts], retrieved: October 11, 2020</ref>
<ref name="fwsfish">[https://www.fws.gov/refuge/Merritt_Island/Fishing.html.aspx FWS Merritt Island Refuge Fishing]</ref>
<ref name="FDEPBananaAquaticPreserve">[https://floridadep.gov/rcp/aquatic-preserve/locations/banana-river-aquatic-preserve Florida Department of Environmental Protection - Banana River Aquatic Preserve], retrieved: October 11, 2020</ref>
<ref name="FLTodayAnnie">[https://www.floridatoday.com/story/news/local/2017/03/29/dragon-point-demolition-project-begins-merritt-island/99464212/ Florida Today - Dragon Point demolition project begins on Merritt Island], retrieved: October 11, 2020</ref>
<ref name="BrevardUlumay">[https://www.brevardfl.gov/EELProgram/Sanctuaries/UlumaySanctuary Brevard - Ulumay Sanctuary].retrieved: October 11, 2020</ref>
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{{IRL footer estuary|cat=Banana River}}
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[[Category:Banana River]]
[[Category:Banana River]]

Latest revision as of 06:59, April 8, 2023

Banana River Lagoon Facts and Statistics

  • Banana River lagoon is recognized as an "Outstanding Florida Water" by the Florida Legislature under FL Rule 62-302.700(9).



  • Banana River lagoon spans 31 miles from Banana Creek in Titusville, Florida to Dragon's Point in Indian Harbour Beach. Merritt Island is on the west shore and Brevard County's beach barrier island is on the east.




  • The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service maintains a 10,600-acre No-Motor Zone in the Banana River between Kennedy Space Center property and the Beachline Expressway (SR528) for protection of the West Indian Manatee.[1]


  • Florida Department of Environmental Protection maintains the Banana River Aquatic Preserve from the Beachline (SR528) southward to the tip of Merritt Island. [2]



  • In spite of its name, the Banana River is not actually a river with a directional current, but a still lagoon where the water's movement is provided by wind.[4]


  • Banana River has many resident West Indian manatees living in the lagoon year-round. During spring their survey count may reach 300-500 per day.[2]


  • Banana River lagoon supports the largest pelican rookery on the Atlantic Coast.[2]


  • The southern tip of Merritt Island in the Banana River is locally known as "Dragon's Point" because a concrete sculpture named "Annie the Dragon" was located there until it crumbled into the lagoon during a storm in 2002.[5]
Indian River Lagoon Encyclopedia Article - Banana River Facts