Fort Pierce - Friday August 18, 2023: This Week on In Focus, with IRSC Public Media, International Coastal Cleanup Day is coming up on September 16th and the Sea Turtle Conservation group 'Coastal Connections' is organizing the local cleanup effort in Indian River County.
Coastal Connections founder and Executive Director Kendra Bergman joins us to talk about the importance of this event and how her organization got involved. And Cristina Marani the Senior Conservation and Sustainability Assistant for Coastal Connections will explain how you can sign up and take part in protecting our precious coastal resources.
Sign up for International Coastal Cleanup Day on the 'Coastal Connections' website at: https://coastal-connections.org/.
Then we'll speak with John Maehl, the Ecosystem Restoration and Management Manager for Martin County Public Works.
The County was recently faced with what the Florida Department of Environmental Protection found to be a serious toxic algae bloom in the C-44 canal along Timer Powers Park in Indiatown. But as John explains a contractor, hired by the South Florida Water Management District, was able to treat that outbreak with a chemical application that proved surprisingly effective.
He'll tell us about the chemical and why it worked, although he emphasizes that the cure to toxic algae blooms is not a chemical, its stopping the runoff of nutrients into Florida's waterways.
Learn more about the Martin County Ecosystem Restoration and Management Department on their website at: https://www.martin.fl.us/EcoRestoration.