Lagoon Loyal Neighborhood Competition
Thank You for Competing to Reduce Lagoon Pollution!
During the month-long July 2024 competition, 58 communities participated, 320 Lagoon Loyal actions were reported, and the following 3 neighborhoods were rewarded a community garden feature for their collective pollution-reducing efforts:
- Country Walk HOA, Suntree/Melbourne, FL
- River Groves Neighbors, Rockledge, FL
- Indian River City, Titusville, FL
Stay tuned for installation progress on the 3 Community Gardens in the coming months. We will share photos here.
Keep up the excellent teamwork Brevard!
Select from one of three Lagoon Loyal Neighborhood Features:
1
Butterfly Garden
Benefits for the Lagoon:
Your garden will be composed of Lagoon-friendly native flowering plants that will provide nectar and pollen to butterflies. Lagoon-friendly plants are hardy and drought-tolerant, don’t require fertilizers, and are disease and pest resistant. The deep root systems of certain plants can even increase the soil’s ability to store water. All which can significantly reduce water runoff and the amount of nutrient pollution entering the Lagoon.
What’s Included:
Lagoon Loyal has partnered with local native landscaping companies who will work with you to select a variety of Lagoon-friendly butterfly host plants, and install a butterfly garden. Installation includes soil, pine mulch, edging material, and irrigation redirection or drip line. Cost of garden will be capped at $1,000.
What You Need to Do:
Select a public space in your neighborhood for your butterfly garden. Make sure the space is cleared of debris, and installation is approved by your neighborhood board or city/town. Designate a garden lead to organize regular maintenance.
2
Shoreline Garden
Benefits for the Lagoon:
Your shoreline buffer area will separate the lawn from the water line with at least 10-feet of lagoon-loyal landscaping. The designated area will be composed of Lagoon-friendly native plants that won’t need fertilizers or pesticides to survive — meaning less Lagoon nutrient pollution after rainfall. Further, the buffer area will be an intentional low-maintenance design, requiring little or no trimming, which will prevent grass clippings from entering the waterway.
What’s Included:
Lagoon Loyal has partnered with local native landscaping companies who will work with you to select a variety of Lagoon-friendly plants, and install a buffer zone garden along your shoreline. Installation includes soil, pine mulch, edging material, and irrigation redirection or drip line. Cost of shoreline buffer garden will be capped at $1,000.
What You Need to Do:
Select a public space in your neighborhood for your shoreline buffer garden. Make sure the space is cleared of debris, and installation is approved by your neighborhood board or city/town. Designate a garden lead to organize regular maintenance.
3
Pond Garden
Benefits for the Lagoon:
Floating wetlands help to clean ponds by absorbing and reducing nutrient pollution before it enters the Lagoon. Your floating wetland will be composed of interlocking mats and aquatic plants that sit in aerated pots.
What’s Included:
Lagoon Loyal has partnered with a floating wetland environmental science company who will work with you to design and fabricate a their patented “Beemat” to fit your pond. Installation and one-year maintenance plant harvesting is included, up to $1,000.
What You Need to Do:
Select a pond in your neighborhood for your floating wetland. Make sure installation is approved by your neighborhood board or city/town. Designate a project lead to organize regular maintenance.
*No purchase necessary. To qualify, neighborhood teams must be composed of at least 3 people. Brevard County employees are not eligible to participate. The Lagoon Loyal program will fund up to $1,000 for each neighborhood feature. Only one feature can be awarded per neighborhood. The neighborhood must be in the Indian River Lagoon watershed to be eligible. The neighborhood is responsible for obtaining appropriate permissions or permits for the installation of the environmental feature. The selected space must be visible to the public, and be cleared of debris prior to installation. SOIRL funds will not be available to be used for the maintenance of the garden or wetland. The maintenance of garden/wetland is the sole responsibility of the neighborhood. Brevard County is not liable for any damage or injury that could occur during clearing, installing or maintaining the butterfly garden, shoreline buffer garden, or pond floating wetland. Participants do hereby release, absolve, indemnify, and agree to hold harmless Brevard County, Florida (Brevard County Board of County Commissioners), its officers, employees, and other agents, as well as the organizers and sponsors of Lagoon Loyal program, for any damages from injuries, medical expenses, and/or other costs caused to, or incurred by, participants or accompanying minors as a result of participation in the activity. Competition ends July 31, 2024. Winners will be alerted via email by August 16, 2024.
