🌿 Conservation Academy

Why clean water matters and what makes it unhealthy.

The trees that live in saltwater and protect the shore.

The underwater meadows that feed manatees and shelter fish.

The living water filters that clean the lagoon.

How clams help the lagoon and how clam farming works.

Why natural shorelines are better than seawalls.

Plastic, fertilizer, and runoff — what harms the lagoon.

Ghost traps that keep fishing and how we remove them.

How we bring back oysters, seagrass, and shorelines.

Test water from a canal, the lagoon, or your tap and compare results.

Observe a shoreline and log what you find — natural, eroded, or armored.

Search a beach for microplastics and record your count.

See how oysters clean water using a jar, muddy water, and shells.

Simulate runoff and watch what happens to water clarity.

Explore how salinity changes affect seagrass and mangroves.

What the IRL looked like 500 years ago — and what changed.

How oyster reefs went from abundant to collapsed to recovering.

Wildlife decline and recovery tales from the lagoon.

How lawn fertilizer causes algae blooms and destroys seagrass.

How rain carries pollution from streets to the lagoon.

How aging septic systems leak nitrogen into the lagoon.

How rising CO₂ makes the ocean more acidic — and what it does to shells.

How sensors and citizen monitors track water health across Florida.

The science behind harmful algal blooms, cyanobacteria toxins, and red tide.

How dredging projects bring the IRL back to life.

Why shiny foil balloons never break down and how they pollute Florida's waterways forever.

Practical swaps for single-use plastics and a Florida plastic-free future.

Which native plants protect Florida's shorelines and how to restore your waterfront.

Emergent aquatics, floating plants, saltmarsh species, and seagrass varieties.

Where coral reefs are found, how they work, and Florida's reef restoration efforts.

How freshwater and saltwater mix to create the IRL's unique ecosystem.

Bees, Monarch butterflies, hummingbirds — the unsung heroes of Florida's ecosystems.

America's most biodiverse refuge — 15 endangered species and the science behind it.

Wetlands, coral reefs, longleaf pine savannas, and freshwater springs.

How snook, redfish, and tarpon spawn in the IRL and how restoration is rebuilding the fishery.

Organizations fighting to clean up Florida's waterways — including Ocean Aid 360.

How much debris is in our water, what it does to wildlife and water quality, and how the Space Coast Water Sweep is cleaning it up.

Step-by-step guide to organizing community restoration efforts in your area.

How everyday people collect real scientific data that drives conservation policy.

Oyster reef restoration, native plantings, water quality monitoring, and cleanups.

From marine biologists to environmental lawyers — your future in conservation.

How drones, GPS tracking, AI, eDNA, and data science are transforming conservation.

Step-by-step guide to real conservation missions — ghost gear, habitat, wildlife, and cleanups.

Florida-friendly landscaping, septic maintenance, plastic reduction, and energy choices.

Real-world challenges: trap reporting, debris cleanup, nest monitoring, and habitat restoration.

Mind-blowing facts about the ocean, Florida's waterways, and the creatures that call them home.

Florida's claw-only fishery — how traps work and FWC season rules.

Florida's most popular fishery and its ghost gear problem — reef damage and sea turtle entanglement.

Why wire fish traps are banned in Florida and why any sighting should be reported.

How discarded fishing line kills pelicans, sea turtles, manatees, and dolphins.

All trap types and how derelict gear keeps killing marine life for years.

Deep dive into ecosystem collapse, bycatch, nutrient disruption, and removal safety.

A pristine estuary of clear water, seagrass, oysters, and abundant life — the benchmark for restoration.

Vast underwater meadows, the four jobs seagrass does, and the great die-off.

Living breakwaters, nature's water filters, and the living shorelines bringing them back.

One open, free-flowing lagoon before the bridges — and how longer bridges are opening the flow again.

The great marsh sponge before canals — and restoring the slow, clean flow.

The astronomical mosquitoes, their role in the food web, and the old name that survives.

The green wall, the mangrove's four superpowers, the clearing, and the living shorelines bringing the forest back.

Wild shifting sand bars, the turtle-nesting cradle, and saving what's left of the dark beaches.