Florida Tech to Host 25th Anniversary Indian River Lagoon Symposium

– The 25th Anniversary of “The Future of the Indian River System” Symposium will take place at Florida Institute of Technology’s Melbourne campus on March
10 and 11, 2006.

The conference hours will be 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the Gleason Performing Arts Center on Friday, March 10. The hours will be 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday, in
the Charles and Ruth Clemente Center for Sports and Recreation. A generous donation from Hubbs-Seaworld Research Institute allows limited admission of high
school students and their teachers, and senior citizens at no charge.

Twenty-five years ago, during a Florida Academy of Sciences symposium, Florida Tech hosted natural resource managers, scientists and environmentalists
concerned about the Indian River Lagoon. This was a first-ever lagoon-wide conference to take a comprehensive look at the lagoon ecosystem.

Participants asked three general questions during the 1981 symposium. They were: What effects will increased population pressures have on the ecology of
these waters ? What is the capacity of the Indian River system to absorb ecological assault ? What is the relationship and relative importance of
individual components of the lagoon’s food web ?

Symposium 2006 participants will review these questions and ask more. Many of the same participants from 25 years ago plan to participate. Making
presentations will be representatives of lagoon resource management agencies, lagoon scientists and researchers. Topics will cover the current state of the
lagoon and the many ongoing projects and programs underway to protect and restore this estuary of national significance.

For more information, contact the Indian River Lagoon Program Office at (321) 984-4950.