EVOLVE Business and Entrepreneur Magazine Greater Daytona Region - May 2022 | Page 26

• With a special focus on restoring Mosquito Lagoon and the inland natural springs , Volusia governments have enacted fertilizer restrictions and a ‘ storm drain marking ’ program – and are working to upgrade their wastewater treatment plants and convert more septic tanks to sewer . Oak Hill issued a press release in January 2022 on breaking ground on a Septic-to-Sewer project .
• And in Brevard County , a half-cent sales tax ( approved by voters in 2016 ) is raising millions of dollars to help restore the lagoon . “ Everything we do has a water quality message to it ,” sums up Volusia County Environmental Management Director Ginger Adair .
Education and Conservation
Volusia County ’ s Marine Science Center ( MSC ) in Ponce Inlet is a valuable learning resource and attraction . In the exhibition gallery are impressive displays – many of them real life – of East Volusia ’ s varied marine life and aquatic ecosystems , including a 5,000-gallon artificial reef habitat aquarium . MSC provides daily presentations , as well as classroom / laboratory programs for a firsthand learning experience about sea life and habitats .
“ Our ultimate goal is not only to educate but also to change behaviors ,” comments Chad Macfie , MSC manager . Now celebrating its 20th anniversary , MSC has educated 1.2 million visitors about East Volusia ’ s marine ecosystems – and ways they can play a role in maintaining them .
MSC is also a central station for rescue operations of distressed animals from both land and sea . Since its inception , the center ’ s hospital has rehabilitated 25,000 reptiles ( mostly sea turtles ) and 19,000 birds , representing more than 200 different species . MSC staff and volunteers see “ first hand ” the human impacts to marine life , Macfie notes . “ A lot of them have ingested plastics , balloons and other marine debris ,” he says , adding that plastics almost always are found inside sea turtles when the MSC hospital performs necropsies .
“ Many of the birds we see are entangled in ( or have ingested ) some amount of fishing line ,” comments Tracy Dawson , MSC ’ s Seabird Hospital manager , and sometimes the birds are found hanging from trees .
“ If visitors come to MSC , where the hospitals provide this visual impact , it really begins to set in ,” Macfie adds . “ People want to know why this happened .”
Seagrass and Crustaceans
Macfie emphasizes the importance of habitat protection and the food chain connection , beginning with small crustaceans . “ This is so important because all these fish start out as larvae and crustaceans are a large part of their food .” The crustaceans rely on seagrass habitats , making them a primary – yet unseen – victim of seagrass destruction in Mosquito Lagoon , largely from chemical and nutrient pollution – septic tanks , fertilizers , fast food wrappers , contaminated stormwater runoff and sewage discharge . “ If you look at the food chain , including thousands of organisms - with seagrass being the foundation - it means that everything relies on it ... and many of the ones we don ’ t see ( such as crustaceans ) are extremely important to our future .”
Despite the problems , Macfie is optimistic about steps being taken . “ My thought is anything is better than nothing ,” he says . “ By taking these steps to eliminate nutrients and chemicals , it certainly is not harmful .”
And with regard to public awareness , Captain Rotne expresses some optimism as well , “ the whole culture has changed for the better . Very few people throw trash or fishing line in the water .
And if you do , you ’ re going to get an earful .”
Chad Macfie
David Castagnacci worked at the Daytona Regional Chamber of Commerce for 31 years where he served as executive director of the Volusia County Association for Responsible Development ( VCARD ) and its Flagler County chapter ( FCARD ), a non-profit association of planning and development professionals .