LECTURE SERIES
SCIENCE, SOLUTIONS & STEWARDSHIP FOR THE INDIAN RIVER LAGOON
Join us on the second Tuesday of each month (Oct-April) at 3PM for ORCA’s Lecture Series. Dive into the latest research, innovative projects, and community science efforts helping restore and protect the Indian River Lagoon. Each lecture is free, open to the public, and designed to educate and inspire action.
Location: ORCA’s DJ Rainone Research & Science Center, 1235 16th Street, Vero Beach
October 14, 2025 Real-Time Insights: ORCA’s Kilroy Water Monitoring Network
Join Research Assistant Christie Freseman to learn about ORCA’s Kilroy network—a fleet of high-tech, real-time water quality monitoring stations. Discover how these data powerhouses provide critical information 24/7 and drive science-based solutions for the Indian River Lagoon.
November 11, 2025 Water Quality 101: Why it Matters for the Indian River Lagoon
Education Specialist Courtney Brooks will explore why clean water is essential to the health of the Indian River Lagoon—and the communities that depend on it. Learn how water quality affects everything from seagrass to public health, and how ORCA is tackling pollution at its source.
REGISTER HERE
December 9, 2025 Making the Invisible Visible: Pollution Mapping & Monitoring
Pollution often hides beneath the surface. In this session, ORCA Co-Founder and renowned deep-sea explorer Dr. Edie Widder reveals how our scientists use advanced sampling and mapping techniques to identify and track pollution hotspots—helping target solutions where they’re needed most.
January 13, 2026 Restoring Resilience: Habitat Projects that Heal the Lagoon
Join Natalie Stephens to learn how ORCA and partners are rebuilding nature’s defenses. From living shorelines to native plantings and oyster reef creation, discover how habitat restoration supports biodiversity and stabilizes fragile coastal ecosystems.
REGISTER HERE
February 10, 2026 Pollution Hotspots: Findings from Queens Cove & St. Sebastian River
Go behind the scenes of ORCA’s ecotoxicology projects with Dr. Lauren Kleiman. Hear what our team has uncovered in Queens Cove and the St. Sebastian River and how these findings are helping guide smarter restoration and protection strategies.
REGISTER HERE
March 10, 2026 Fish as Biological Indicators: ORCA’s One Health Fish Monitoring Project
What can fish tell us about the health of the Lagoon—and ourselves? Join ORCA’s Director of Citizen Science Education Missy Weiss to learn how our One Health Fish Monitoring Citizen Science Project is using fish sampling and tissue analysis to better understand pollution entering our waterways and the environmental and human health connections.
REGISTER HERE
April 14, 2026 Empowered by Data: Citizen Science in Action
GApril is Citizen Science Month — a time to celebrate the power of community-driven research! Missy Weiss will guide us through how ORCA turns data collected by scientists and citizens into action. Learn how our research informs restoration, shapes policy, and empowers everyday people to protect and restore the Indian River Lagoon. Discover how you can be part of the solution through citizen science.
REGISTER HERE
