Message From The Manager

Each of the aquatic preserves within the Indian River Lagoon Aquatic Preserves offers a unique visit of protected submerged state lands. The Indian River Lagoon is a lagoonal estuary with several small freshwater tributaries and a limited connection to the ocean through broadly spaced inlets. The Indian River Lagoon region, which comprises more than a third of Florida’s east coast, includes three major water bodies: Mosquito Lagoon, Banana River and the Indian River. The combination of water bodies results in a long narrow lagoonal estuary system approximately 156 miles in length. Within the Indian River Lagoon region, a broad variety of natural community types, watershed and drainage features, connections to the Atlantic Ocean and complex hydrodynamics combine to create a complex landscape unique among Florida’s estuaries.  A visit to one of the seven managed aquatic preserves and you may see healthy mangroves, seagrass beds, spoil islands, mudflats, oyster bars and freshwater river system. 

Sincerely,

Matthew Anderson