Coastal Connections has made it to social media! You can now follow us on Twitter using our handle @IRL_Connections or visit us on Facebook.

In addition to our continuing focus groups, we are also hoping to reach even more people through our online community mapping activity. Please click here or on the Community Map tab to add places that are meaningful to you. We’re trying to learn as much as we can about the places that matter most to you as we think about the future of IRL restoration.

Other updates: As of May 31, we’ve completed 10 focus groups, speaking with nearly 60 people! Next week, the Marine Discovery Center in New Smyrna has agreed to host another group. Please contact us for more details if you’re interested in attending. Focus groups last about 90 minutes.

The Coastal Connections team has been fortunate to have so many enthusiastic people willing to share their insights about the places in the Indian River Lagoon that are meaningful to them. To date, we’ve held 7 focus groups, speaking with a total of 45 people. We would love you hear from YOU, too! If you’re interested in sharing why the Indian River Lagoon (Mosquito Lagoon, in particular) is meaningful to you, please see the “Focus Groups” tab above for more information, and then call or email us to schedule a group. No special knowledge or expertise is necessary to participate, you just need to be 18 or older and have a connection to Mosquito Lagoon.

The Coastal Connections team wants to send out a big “Thank you!” to those who have shared their voices and insights about the Indian River Lagoon during one of our focus group/mapping activities to this point. So far, we have held four focus groups in New Smyrna Beach, Orlando, and beyond, and four more are on the calendar. Our goal is to hold at least 20 focus groups in all, with up to seven people in each group. We’re on our way! If the Indian River Lagoon is meaningful to you, please consider gathering a small group to participate in a focus group and share your own perspectives. We’d like to learn from as many people as we can. Click the “Focus Groups” tab at the top to see a flyer with more information, including how to contact us.