Matanzas Riverkeeper

06/05/2026

Tiny plastic pellets. Big problem. 🔍

During our recent nurdle survey, volunteers counted 885 nurdles along the Matanzas River. Nurdles are pre-production plastic pellets which are the building blocks of countless plastic products. 🥤

Nurdles are often spilled during manufacturing and transport, eventually making their way into rivers, estuaries, and oceans. Once they’re in the environment, they’re incredibly difficult to remove. 🌊

These tiny pieces of plastic can persist in the environment for decades and be mistaken for food by wildlife. 🐢

Every nurdle counted helps us better understand the scope of plastic pollution in the Matanzas watershed and beyond. 🗺️

Thanks to Matanzas Riverkeeper intern Wylie for creating this video. 🎥

06/04/2026

🙌Throwback Thursday to last week's International Plastic Pellet Count aboard the Litter Gitter!

🌏Matanzas Riverkeeper, in collaboration with Waterkeeper Alliance, conducted the second annual International Plastic Pellet Count, a global effort to track and document the spread of pre-production plastic pellet pollution in waterways around the world.

🔍Eight dedicated Matanzas Riverkeeper volunteers took to the shorelines of the Matanzas River, completing 50 ten-minute Nurdle Patrols across three sites within the Matanzas River watershed. Their efforts resulted in 885 plastic pellets, also known as nurdles, being collected and removed from the environment.

🏭The Nurdle Patrol data collected by community scientists are showing high concentrations of pellets at beaches, riverbanks, at plastic manufacturing sites, along railroads used for transporting pellets, at distribution centers, and at processing plants. The problem of plastic pellet loss is wide-spread throughout the entire supply chain and solutions to remedy the problem can be imbedded in regulation, policy, and cooperation with industry and regulatory agencies.

06/01/2026

Protecting land protects water. 🌳💧
It is incredibly disappointing that the legislature has failed to allocate any new funding to the Florida Forever program. 👎

Florida Forever is an essential program used to acquire public conservation and recreation lands like some of your favorite Florida State Parks and state forests. But, just last week the Florida Legislature gutted the program and did not allocate any new funding to Florida Forever ‼️ Conserving natural lands is critical to protect and restore Florida's already polluted springs!

We need to hold our legislators accountable to protect our natural lands, water and wildlife!

06/01/2026

🎣 Attention Florida east coast anglers! Recreational snook harvest closes June 1 across the Northeast, Indian River Lagoon, and Southeast management regions — including all state, inland, and adjacent federal waters. The season will reopen September 1.

👉 For those fishing the Northeast region (Florida-Georgia border south to New Smyrna Beach, including St. Johns River waters), here's what you need to know when the season reopens:
📏 Slot limit: 28–32 inches total length
🐟 Bag limit: 1 fish per person per day
📅 Open seasons: Feb. 1–May 31 and Sept. 1–Dec. 14

📊These closures are part of FWC's snook management program, which uses seven regional metrics to evaluate the fishery by region, adding a holistic perspective to management decisions and allowing the FWC to be more responsive to regional concerns in regards to one of Florida's most popular and expanding inshore fisheries.

💻For full regulations across all regions, visit MyFWC.com/Snook.

05/28/2026

Historically, Florida Forever - the state's premier conservation land acquisition program - was funded at $300 million annually. 💵

This year the Legislature has opted to “zero out” Florida Forever, allocating nothing. 👎

Voters in Vero Beach, Stuart, elsewhere in Indian River, Martin and 22 other counties taxed themselves to preserve environmentally sensitive land.

05/28/2026

119 years ago today in Springdale, Pennsylvania, Rachel Carson was born.

Carson spent her entire career shaping the modern environmentalist movement, using her writing to ensure that the natural world was protected and able to thrive. While we at Audubon are grateful for her work every day, let's use today to reflect on the massive impact she had on the world of conservation.

05/27/2026

New episode of The Break Room

Jen Lomberk, Executive Director of Matanzas Riverkeeper, joins the conversation to discuss being named the inaugural Red Cedar Award recipient for environmental impact. She shares the inspiring story behind the community-led effort to save Fish Island from development, highlighting its ecological importance, rich history, and the grassroots activism that helped preserve it for future generations.

This episode is a reminder of what can happen when a community comes together to protect the places that matter most. From conservation victories to ongoing stewardship efforts, Jen’s passion for safeguarding our local natural resources shines throughout the conversation.

🎧 Tune in to hear how collective action continues to shape the future of our environment and community.

🔗 Listen here: https://www.spreaker.com/episode/jen-lomberk-the-matanzas-riverkeeper-part-1-may-26-2026--71413975

📻 Catch The Break Room on WFCF 88.5 FM
Tuesdays & Wednesdays at 5 p.m.
Saturdays & Sundays at 8 a.m.

05/27/2026

Check out the latest episode of the City of St. Augustine's 'The Break Room' featuring Jen Lomberk, Executive Director of Matanzas Riverkeeper, discussing her recognition as the inaugural Red Cedar Award recipient for environmental impact. 🎧

She highlights the community-driven effort to save Fish Island from development, emphasizing its ecological and historical significance and the power of grassroots activism. 🌳

May 26, 2026 | This episode of The Break Room features Jen Lomberk, Executive Director of Matanzas Riverkeeper, discussing her recognition as the inaugural

05/20/2026

👉The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) is seeking input on cownose ray (𝘙𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘰𝘱𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘢 𝘣𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘴𝘶𝘴) management. Researchers have documented population declines in some Florida estuaries, and FWC staff are exploring the need for new regulations, including size limits, harvest limits, gear restrictions, and more, to protect the long-term health of this species.

💻Join a free virtual public workshop to learn about cownose ray biology, fishery status, possible management changes, and to have any opportunity to share your thoughts. Feedback from these workshops will help develop staff’s recommendations to the Commission for rule changes.

📅 Workshop Dates:
🔹 Thursday, May 21 | 6–8 p.m. ET
🔹 Tuesday, June 2 | 6–8 p.m. ET

💻 Register & info: MyFWC.com/SaltwaterWorkshops
📧 Can't attend? Submit comments at [email protected]