[0:18] Hey, Brad. We're good to go.

[0:20] >> Okay.

[0:21] » Okay.

[0:22] All right. Right. I'd like to call to

[0:23] order the Environmental Advisory

[0:25] Committee meeting August 12th, 2026 at 2

[0:28] p.m. Could we do a roll call, please?

[0:31] >> Brad Freeze

[0:32] » Brad Freeze

[0:32] >> here.

[0:32] » here.

[0:32] >> Thomas Bradford

[0:34] » Thomas Bradford

[0:34] >> here.

[0:34] » here.

[0:34] >> Shrauss

[0:35] » Shrauss

[0:35] >> here.

[0:36] » here.

[0:36] >> Joe Wenta

[0:36] » Joe Wenta

[0:36] >> here.

[0:37] » here.

[0:37] >> Barbara Gomez

[0:38] » Barbara Gomez

[0:38] >> here.

[0:38] » here.

[0:38] >> Brook Bonma.

[0:43] » Um, before we do the approval of agenda,

[0:46] I want to give our new EAC member Jim

[0:49] Ober Meyer. Is that right?

[0:52] um an opportunity to introduce himself

[0:54] and say whatever you'd like to say about

[0:57] yourself.

[0:58] >> Not not a whole lot to say. Uh

[1:02] » Not not a whole lot to say. Uh

[1:02] yesterday was the uh council meeting and

[1:05] you know I volunteered to be on the

[1:06] board. I'm a been a resident here in

[1:09] Tquesta for four years now and um just

[1:13] you know felt like it was time to start

[1:15] participating a little bit more in the

[1:17] community. this is uh this time for this

[1:21] board kind of works doesn't take away

[1:23] from any family time. So like I liked

[1:26] the timing of it and everything. Um my

[1:28] background is uh engineering and

[1:30] facilities of buildings, large campuses.

[1:33] Um before I was here, I was in Denver,

[1:36] Colorado for 20 years. So, I don't have

[1:38] a ton of background with um you know,

[1:42] waterways and shorelines and stuff like

[1:44] that, but definitely interested in

[1:46] learning and this would be a a way to do

[1:48] it as well. So, I'm just happy to be,

[1:52] you know, part of it and learn and

[1:54] anything I can provide as a subject

[1:56] matter expert as well from my field. So,

[1:59] >> great. Thank you very much.

[2:01] » great. Thank you very much.

[2:01] >> Welcome.

[2:01] » Welcome.

[2:01] >> Welcome. Yes.

[2:02] » Welcome. Yes.

[2:02] >> Welcome to the committee.

[2:04] » Welcome to the committee.

[2:04] There's no like swearing in or

[2:07] [laughter]

[2:07] >> no.

[2:08] » no.

[2:08] >> Does he have to recite something

[2:11] » Does he have to recite something

[2:11] >> or hazing

[2:12] » or hazing

[2:12] >> secret password?

[2:14] » secret password?

[2:14] >> Yeah, we'll save that for the next

[2:15] » Yeah, we'll save that for the next

[2:15] meeting. [laughter]

[2:16] >> We don't want to I I did block my

[2:19] » We don't want to I I did block my

[2:19] calendar. I won't be able to be at the

[2:21] next meeting.

[2:22] >> I've got the So, all the hazing should

[2:24] » I've got the So, all the hazing should

[2:24] be next meeting.

[2:25] >> Okay. [laughter]

[2:26] » Okay. [laughter]

[2:26] the rest of the year I won't be block my

[2:29] calendar for you know so next meeting I

[2:32] won't be here but from then on out I

[2:34] will

[2:35] >> thanks

[2:35] » thanks

[2:35] >> well again welcome

[2:36] » well again welcome

[2:36] >> we'll think of something good

[2:37] » we'll think of something good

[2:37] >> thank you very much for uh for

[2:39] » thank you very much for uh for

[2:39] volunteering

[2:41] >> um all right uh any additions deletions

[2:44] » um all right uh any additions deletions

[2:44] modifications to the agenda as written

[2:48] if not someone could make a motion so we

[2:51] could approve the agenda as written

[2:54] >> I make a motion to to approve the agenda

[2:57] » I make a motion to to approve the agenda

[2:57] as submitted.

[3:00] >> Is there a second?

[3:01] » Is there a second?

[3:01] >> I'll second it.

[3:02] » I'll second it.

[3:02] >> Sorry, I'm [laughter] a little slow

[3:04] » Sorry, I'm [laughter] a little slow

[3:04] today. [snorts]

[3:05] >> You're usually right on with the

[3:07] » You're usually right on with the

[3:07] seconds. Come on.

[3:08] >> Totally flow today.

[3:09] » Totally flow today.

[3:09] >> All those in favor?

[3:10] » All those in favor?

[3:10] >> I

[3:11] » I

[3:11] >> against.

[3:13] » against.

[3:13] Motion carries. Communication from

[3:15] citizens.

[3:18] No citizens here. So, we'll skip down to

[3:21] presentations.

[3:22] >> A lady

[3:24] » A lady

[3:24] present. She's giving the presentation.

[3:25] >> Oh, she's a presenter. Okay. [laughter]

[3:28] » Oh, she's a presenter. Okay. [laughter]

[3:28] >> Sorry.

[3:29] » Sorry.

[3:29] >> Um, so, uh, Christy Nelson, who heads up

[3:34] » Um, so, uh, Christy Nelson, who heads up

[3:34] the Eco Scouts, uh, would like to update

[3:38] us on current activities or maybe even

[3:41] future activities.

[3:43] >> Yeah. So, we are Is this Clicker?

[3:47] » Yeah. So, we are Is this Clicker?

[3:47] >> Yes.

[3:47] » Yes.

[3:47] >> Okay. So, we're an environmental

[3:50] » Okay. So, we're an environmental

[3:50] education um nonprofit that operates out

[3:53] of Tqua and Jupiter. Um we serve kids

[3:57] from unincorporated Martin County,

[3:59] Martin County, Palm Beach County um

[4:01] pretty much to Questa to Delray Beach is

[4:03] where our members are from. Um and what

[4:06] we do, we do all sorts of environmental

[4:10] education. We've been doing this since

[4:11] 2021

[4:13] and we have met with over 200 scientists

[4:16] locally um willing to engage our

[4:19] students in all sorts of cool

[4:22] scientists. We've met with even the

[4:24] chimpanzeee scientists up at Lion Safari

[4:26] to shark and dolphin scientists and

[4:29] obviously we work a lot with um Palm

[4:31] Beach County M because they are the

[4:33] experts in our local area. But that's

[4:35] just kind of how we started was kids

[4:37] that wanted to learn about um the

[4:40] environment. Um our most recent projects

[4:43] have turned into local restoration

[4:46] projects. Um we went ahead, we built a

[4:49] mangrove nursery at the Jupiter

[4:51] Lighthouse. We redid all the tables at

[4:53] the lighthouse for their native plant

[4:55] nursery. We've donated,

[4:57] it's getting close to a thousand native

[4:59] plants at the lighthouse in addition to

[5:02] the mangrove nursery that we grew. We

[5:04] grew 3,000 mangroves. Um they were in my

[5:06] front yard, but those have since been

[5:08] moved to the lighthouse and they're

[5:10] actually going to be planted along the

[5:11] shoreline this week. Um we're going over

[5:14] to Sarasota tomorrow to we're partnering

[5:17] with Pine Island Redfish. I don't know

[5:19] if you're familiar with them, but they

[5:20] do sustainable aquaculture. So they grow

[5:23] red fish, sell them to restaurants, and

[5:26] then they use the fish waste from their

[5:27] aquaculture labs to grow mangroves and

[5:29] sea purse lane and other edible plants.

[5:32] and they have been willing to donate um

[5:35] a bunch of trays of sea purse lane that

[5:37] we'll be able to use along the Toquesta

[5:39] and Jupiter shorelines um near the

[5:42] lighthouse. So, we're doing that

[5:43] tomorrow, which we're really excited

[5:44] about. Um we're also we've been

[5:48] handwatering the 5,000 native plants

[5:51] that have been planted along the

[5:52] shoreline. Some of them are being drip

[5:55] watered, but we're going over and

[5:57] spending hours every day watering the

[5:59] plants. So, if you see us while you're

[6:00] sailing by, say hello. But um it's been

[6:03] a lot of work. The kids are mostly my

[6:05] son is doing it, but it's been um a

[6:09] really good project. The other thing

[6:12] that we did this summer was we um

[6:15] completed our first round of native clam

[6:17] restoration. So um we have a neighbor

[6:20] across the street from us who's 98 years

[6:22] old and she said there used to be

[6:23] plentiful clam beds, plentiful oyster

[6:25] beds, and now you don't see them at low

[6:28] tide like you used to. A lot of the

[6:30] mangrove nurseries she not nurseries, a

[6:32] lot of the mangrove islands she used to

[6:34] see are gone. So, um, my son and I are

[6:37] trying to get it back to her baseline of

[6:39] what she remembers Jupiter and Tquesta

[6:42] being like. So, what we did was we went

[6:44] out and we found some live native clams

[6:47] in our local waters, which was really

[6:49] difficult to find because when was the

[6:51] last time you saw a live clam? I don't

[6:53] know. But we found them. We partnered

[6:55] with the um Whitney Lab of Marine and

[6:58] Bioscience up in St. Augustine. They

[7:00] were able to spawn, we had 30 broodstock

[7:03] of local clams. They were able to spawn

[7:05] them and turn that into 23,000 native

[7:08] clams, which we then brought down. Um

[7:11] and then using the permits with Dr.

[7:12] Osborne, we were able to release those

[7:14] clams back into our native waters.

[7:16] >> So, we've tried it a couple of different

[7:19] » So, we've tried it a couple of different

[7:19] ways. Um we have eight bagged locations

[7:21] that we're keeping the clams in mesh

[7:23] bags along um our waterways and they're

[7:27] all tagged so that way we can monitor um

[7:30] like bofouling like what's trying to eat

[7:32] the clams. It protects them from

[7:34] predation but then we can find out what

[7:36] our clams are facing in our native

[7:38] waters as far as like pollution and all

[7:41] the things that why are they

[7:42] disappearing. And then um the kids were

[7:46] able to release some not in the mesh

[7:48] bags, but they were able to just release

[7:49] some live and free. And um a lot of

[7:53] those got eaten right away, but we still

[7:56] have the ones in the bags and we're

[7:57] going to see how how they do over the

[8:00] next spawning season. So um that was a

[8:02] really fun project. Um we're also

[8:05] partnering with you guys, West Palm

[8:06] Beach Fishing Club, to do our vertical

[8:08] oyster gardens. Um, we have, I think,

[8:12] 120 that have been hung up by our Eco

[8:14] Scouts right now. So, when those are

[8:15] mature, that's like, um, over a million

[8:18] gallons of water a day that will be

[8:20] filtered locally. We are still looking

[8:22] to have local dock owners um,

[8:24] participate in that. We're always

[8:26] reaching out. So, if you ever talk to

[8:28] local dock owners that are willing to

[8:29] let us host the gardens on their docks,

[8:33] we're more than willing to come out and

[8:34] hang them for them.

[8:36] Um the other thing that we're doing is

[8:39] we um my son engineered a benthic camera

[8:43] that can be deployed in water for days

[8:47] at a time. And using a advanced AI

[8:50] modeling, what it will do is it will

[8:52] take all that video and we're going to

[8:54] be able to pull out just the pieces of

[8:57] film that have animals in them. So,

[9:00] we're going to start creating the very

[9:02] first benthic database of

[9:05] what animals, what sea life, what things

[9:08] are in our waterways here locally so

[9:09] that we can get greater protection to

[9:12] understand what's coming, what's going.

[9:14] Um, and so this has been in partnership

[9:17] with the um

[9:20] University of Miami. So, they've been

[9:22] kind of letting us use their maker lab

[9:24] to get a lot of this done. And

[9:26] >> um it's ready to go. We're we're going

[9:28] » um it's ready to go. We're we're going

[9:28] to be deploying it at um the lighthouse

[9:32] once the construction's done. We're

[9:34] going to be doing it in the Jupiter

[9:35] Narrows once their construction is done.

[9:37] And I would like to use it in other

[9:39] locations further up the river as well

[9:41] where it's murkier, harder to see, less

[9:43] studied. So that's something that's

[9:45] ready to go. We're just waiting for

[9:47] construction to be complete on the two

[9:48] projects where we know we're going to

[9:49] put the camera. But we're open to using

[9:52] that anywhere you need us to. So, if you

[9:54] have waterways you'd like to monitor,

[9:56] like Dover Ditch, for example, you just

[9:59] did a restoration there. What's living

[10:00] there? I don't know. We could put the

[10:01] camera in there and find out, you know.

[10:03] Um, oh, Pine Island Redfish, like I

[10:06] said, um, we're going to be creating a a

[10:09] sea pearlane nursery at the Jupiter

[10:11] Lighthouse. So, in addition to the

[10:12] mangrove nursery, we will now be growing

[10:14] separation

[10:17] pro projects across to Questa. So, um,

[10:20] happy to share our super person if

[10:22] there's restoration that's needed. The

[10:24] other thing we're doing is my son has

[10:25] partnered with another young person

[10:27] that's on the other side, um, closer to

[10:31] Sarasota and she's making reef balls.

[10:34] Um, she's using an a substrate that is

[10:38] an aggregate that is a lot lighter

[10:40] weight than what the traditional

[10:42] companies that you can buy the reef

[10:43] balls from are using. So, they're a lot

[10:46] more um easy to transport, easier to

[10:49] install because they're not as heavy as

[10:50] the ones that [clears throat] are simply

[10:51] made out of concrete. And she's donating

[10:54] these. These are going to go along the

[10:55] snorkel trail by KO's Bridge. Um we're

[10:58] going to use the existing lighouses

[10:59] permits because they're already

[11:00] installing reef balls. And those are

[11:02] going to be going in in September. So,

[11:04] we're really excited to see you can see

[11:06] down there the difference between just

[11:07] um one year of being in the water. You

[11:09] can see how much oyster and marine life

[11:12] that that will be habitat to. So, we're

[11:14] excited about that. Um,

[11:18] and oh, my son was invited to speak at

[11:21] the Explorers Club in New York. Um, Dr.

[11:24] Sylvia Earl invited him there. So, we

[11:26] were talking about all the restoration

[11:27] work that the eco scouts are doing

[11:29] there. And there my son met up with um,

[11:31] Phipe Kustoau, the grandson of Jacqu

[11:34] Kustoau, and he does a lot of um, marine

[11:38] conservation work with the youth. So,

[11:41] we're working with him to work on doing

[11:43] reef tiles, which I think this is where

[11:45] I we could use the village's help in

[11:48] we're so there's several versions that

[11:51] they're going through right now trying

[11:52] to decide what's the most effective way

[11:55] to do this. But what Philipe wants to do

[11:57] is instead of just like what they're

[11:59] doing in other places is they just put

[12:01] these tiles up on seaw walls and it

[12:03] collects marine life, it collects oyster

[12:06] spout, it coral grows on it, things like

[12:08] that. Philippe, what he does because

[12:10] he's been doing coral restoration around

[12:12] the world for decades is when he puts

[12:15] his coral reefs down in the bottom of

[12:18] the of the ocean, he's already preeding

[12:20] them with coral. So, he wants to preede

[12:26] our seaw wall living reefs with oyster,

[12:30] spat, coral. We're We're not sure what

[12:33] we're doing. Um, he has taken Isaac's

[12:36] designs, that's my son, and he's taken

[12:38] them to his engineers and they're trying

[12:41] to decide what would be the best for our

[12:42] local waterways because they haven't

[12:44] worked in Florida a lot. They're all

[12:46] over the globe, but this would be one of

[12:48] their first projects doing seaw walls in

[12:50] Florida. So, um, they're going to get

[12:52] back to us this month on what they think

[12:54] they can seed it with. They know we can

[12:55] do oysters, but I would like to seed it

[12:57] with other growing things like sea

[12:59] sponges and corals. Um, we're not sure

[13:03] what corals grow in the Jupiter inlet

[13:06] exactly. So, the lighthouse has given

[13:09] the eco scouts autonomous monitoring

[13:12] structures. So, autonomous reef

[13:14] monitoring structures, they're called

[13:15] arms. And the Smithsonian, what they do

[13:18] is you place these arms in the water and

[13:20] then you see what grows on them. Then

[13:22] you bring them up after they've been

[13:23] underwater for six months to a year. You

[13:25] scrape everything off, blend it in a

[13:28] blender, send it to the lab, and then

[13:29] you're making a baseline of this is what

[13:31] coral grows, this is what oysters grow,

[13:34] this is what clams, all the things that

[13:35] are growing in your local waterways. And

[13:37] it's a very standardized science way of

[13:40] making sure that we know what's growing

[13:42] in our waterways versus everyone else.

[13:45] And so, um, we already have six of these

[13:47] that we're ready to deploy again once

[13:49] the construction project is done. And

[13:51] then we'll be able to set a baseline of

[13:53] what is growing here and then we can put

[13:54] those on there. So I was hoping if there

[13:57] are blank seaw walls that are anywhere

[14:00] here in Tquesta that we could obviously

[14:02] use those seaw walls and put them up on

[14:04] the wall. The thing that um in talking

[14:07] to local dock owners the question is how

[14:09] do you install them? Right now all the

[14:10] companies that are doing this they are

[14:12] bolting them into the walls which

[14:13] requires permits and I don't think as a

[14:15] dock owner I want anyone drilling into

[14:17] my seaw wall. So, we are looking at

[14:20] doing something that would go in front

[14:22] of the dock. So, you drill a piling or

[14:24] just stakes that go in front of the

[14:26] dock. So, you're not having to actually

[14:28] touch the dock, but they're still si

[14:30] sitting in front of the dock, creating a

[14:31] living shoreline. So, again, this is all

[14:34] um in the works, but when we are

[14:37] complete with the the design, I'd love

[14:39] to talk to you, Jay, and figure out

[14:42] where in Tquesta we can test these out

[14:44] because they're doing them in Miami. I

[14:45] think they make a lot of sense to bring

[14:47] up our way. Um, last thing we're doing,

[14:51] this is our newest project, is we're

[14:53] going to take the water that comes from

[14:54] the Lockxahhatchee. I'm sure you've all

[14:56] seen it when the water the the brown

[14:59] tanninfield water that's coming from the

[15:01] canals meets the beautiful water of the

[15:03] inlet and you can physically see the

[15:05] change. Um, and that's every day with

[15:07] every tide, every tide cycle. So, um, my

[15:12] son is and I are working on these we're

[15:17] basically it's like cells that are these

[15:20] membranes that you can buy that take the

[15:22] change in salinity of water and convert

[15:25] it into electricity.

[15:27] So every day when the tide's coming down

[15:30] the lockahhatchee and it meets the inlet

[15:32] and that change is happening, if we put

[15:35] this right in the water there, it can

[15:37] generate electricity for us, which I

[15:39] think is a super cool idea. Um there are

[15:43] the researchers at Stanford are the ones

[15:46] that pioneered this idea. We reached out

[15:48] to them. Everybody loves helping kids.

[15:50] So, you know, a 13-year-old calls them

[15:52] and says, "Hey, can we make this?"

[15:54] They're more than willing to help. So,

[15:56] we are hoping to have this project done

[15:59] in by February is our timeline. So,

[16:04] that's what we've been working on.

[16:06] >> That's a lot.

[16:08] » That's a lot.

[16:08] [laughter]

[16:10] >> Gosh. Wow.

[16:11] » Gosh. Wow.

[16:11] >> So, um

[16:11] » So, um

[16:11] >> impressive. Amazing.

[16:13] » impressive. Amazing.

[16:13] >> Yeah. We we love um to Questa. We love

[16:15] » Yeah. We we love um to Questa. We love

[16:16] how open you guys have been with your

[16:17] environmental committee and willing to

[16:18] partner with us. So if we ever need help

[16:21] or if you ever need we the Eco Scouts,

[16:25] we meet every Thursday doing

[16:26] environmental projects. So if there's

[16:28] ever something you need extra hands for,

[16:30] we have 20 to 30 teenagers that always

[16:33] reserve Thursday mornings for us to do

[16:35] projects. So let us know if we can help

[16:37] you. We'd be more than happy to.

[16:41] >> That was a lot.

[16:42] » That was a lot.

[16:42] >> That was amazing.

[16:44] » That was amazing.

[16:44] >> Yeah.

[16:44] » Yeah.

[16:44] >> Are you open for questions?

[16:46] » Are you open for questions?

[16:46] >> Sure.

[16:47] » Sure.

[16:47] >> Does anyone have questions? Yeah, I do.

[16:50] » Does anyone have questions? Yeah, I do.

[16:50] Um I do remember you now from when we

[16:53] had the uh might have been a concert and

[16:56] we did the worst thing and you had your

[16:58] son and I think a daughter. So I I

[17:00] remember you now. Sorry.

[17:02] >> U

[17:04] » U

[17:04] do uh clams filter water similar to how

[17:08] oysters do?

[17:09] >> They do. And the cool thing about clams

[17:11] » They do. And the cool thing about clams

[17:11] is because they're on the bottom of the

[17:13] seabed, they bring more photosynthesis

[17:16] down, which will help our seaggrass

[17:19] nurseries. So, because they're on the

[17:21] bottom, oysters, because they hang up to

[17:23] mangrove roots, they can be higher up in

[17:26] the water column, whereas these are on

[17:27] the bottom. So, they're actually pretty

[17:29] important for seaggrass, which might be

[17:31] one of the reasons we're losing so much

[17:33] of our seaggrass. So, um, that's another

[17:36] thing that I didn't put on here, but

[17:37] we're also working at bringing a

[17:38] seaggrass nursery to the lighthouse,

[17:41] which they've said they have space for.

[17:43] They'd be happy to have us do that. Um,

[17:45] so we're going to work with the Florida

[17:46] Oceanographic Society, who has a really

[17:48] successful seaggrass program about

[17:50] bringing that down here to the further

[17:52] south part of the Indian River Lagoon.

[17:55] >> That's great. Thank you.

[17:58] » That's great. Thank you.

[17:58] >> Um, I do have a qu first question is off

[18:01] » Um, I do have a qu first question is off

[18:01] the clams. Um, are they not as

[18:03] susceptible to the um particulate and

[18:05] and pollution that's on the bottom like

[18:08] in the river like as the oysters are?

[18:11] Because the oysters don't proliferate at

[18:13] the bottom.

[18:14] >> Yeah. So, our clams are a little bit

[18:16] » Yeah. So, our clams are a little bit

[18:16] they use their um what's the muscle

[18:20] called? The abductor muscle to filter.

[18:23] So, we're not really sure how the

[18:26] pollution in the river is going to

[18:27] affect them. That's why we did several

[18:29] different locations.

[18:30] >> Yeah. Um, so I'm not sure. I'll I'll

[18:33] » Yeah. Um, so I'm not sure. I'll I'll

[18:33] know more in six months.

[18:35] >> Okay. And on the oysters, I still

[18:37] » Okay. And on the oysters, I still

[18:38] haven't got mine on my dock. How do I

[18:40] get that done?

[18:41] >> Oh, I found the list. But they the first

[18:43] » Oh, I found the list. But they the first

[18:43] installation they ran out and they were

[18:45] going to somebody's going to contact. So

[18:47] I just

[18:48] >> I'll follow up with my son and find out.

[18:49] » I'll follow up with my son and find out.

[18:49] [laughter]

[18:50] >> Okay.

[18:51] » Okay.

[18:52] >> Direct contact.

[18:53] » Direct contact.

[18:53] >> I've got her address, so I'll I'll send

[18:55] » I've got her address, so I'll I'll send

[18:55] it to you and

[18:56] >> Okay. Thank you.

[18:58] » Okay. Thank you.

[18:58] I just want to say I'm super impressed

[19:01] >> and I love everything that you brought

[19:02] » and I love everything that you brought

[19:02] up and excited to watch and see how it

[19:05] it grows and happens

[19:07] >> and where we can support it.

[19:09] » and where we can support it.

[19:09] >> Yes. Right. Yeah.

[19:11] » Yes. Right. Yeah.

[19:11] >> It's amazing.

[19:13] » It's amazing.

[19:13] >> Barbara, you have anything any

[19:15] » Barbara, you have anything any

[19:15] questions?

[19:15] >> No, just uh want to say thank you for

[19:17] » No, just uh want to say thank you for

[19:18] presenting this to us today. It's quite

[19:20] interesting. y'all are very busy with

[19:21] what you're doing and anything that we

[19:24] can do to assist um be happy to try to

[19:27] do that.

[19:27] >> Yeah, you guys have been great with the

[19:28] » Yeah, you guys have been great with the

[19:28] oyster gardens. It was it was awesome to

[19:31] have you guys get the word out for us.

[19:32] So, we we really appreciate you.

[19:35] >> Wonderful.

[19:35] » Wonderful.

[19:35] >> Thank you so much.

[19:36] » Thank you so much.

[19:36] >> Can you go back to that benthic camera

[19:38] » Can you go back to that benthic camera

[19:38] slide?

[19:39] >> Yeah.

[19:40] » Yeah.

[19:40] >> So cool.

[19:42] » So cool.

[19:42] >> Maybe

[19:51] just want to see.

[19:55] » Oh, um, if you're looking at the So,

[19:58] it's actually really affordable. It

[20:00] costs less than a GoPro to make.

[20:02] >> Wow.

[20:03] » Wow.

[20:03] >> So, we can easily reproduce this. Um,

[20:07] » So, we can easily reproduce this. Um,

[20:07] we've been very fortunate to have a lot

[20:09] of National Geographic photographers

[20:10] that have been willing, not

[20:11] photographers, but National Geographic

[20:13] explorers that have been willing to talk

[20:15] and teach with the Eco Scouts over the

[20:17] years.

[20:18] >> Um, there's one particular one who um is

[20:21] » Um, there's one particular one who um is

[20:22] doing something similar to this and so

[20:24] we uh talked to him like three or four

[20:27] weeks ago. So, he's going to be helping

[20:29] us to even refine our design further to

[20:32] make it more easily reproduced because

[20:34] he's doing the same thing in kind of

[20:36] freshwater environments. Um, but yeah,

[20:39] it costs like $500 to make these

[20:41] cameras. So, if they get stolen, it's

[20:42] not a big deal. Um, the coral scientist

[20:45] at the University of Miami that's using

[20:47] them places them like 200 meters deep

[20:50] and they're he says they're getting

[20:52] stolen, but I think they're getting

[20:54] washed away. We don't really know. Um,

[20:57] so I think in our more shallow waters,

[21:00] we're just going to put a tag on them

[21:02] that says, you know, this is a

[21:03] 13year-old kid science project. Don't be

[21:05] a jerk that steals it.

[21:07] >> Um, but again, it only being $500, it

[21:09] » Um, but again, it only being $500, it

[21:09] will be easy to replace and have

[21:11] multiple cameras. So,

[21:13] >> and this is your son that developed

[21:15] » and this is your son that developed

[21:15] this?

[21:16] >> That's amazing.

[21:17] » That's amazing.

[21:17] >> And how old is he?

[21:18] » And how old is he?

[21:18] >> He's 13. [laughter]

[21:20] » He's 13. [laughter]

[21:20] >> Like 12 or 13 or something like that.

[21:22] » Like 12 or 13 or something like that.

[21:22] That's incredible.

[21:23] >> Yeah.

[21:24] » Yeah.

[21:24] Um what life is uh what sea life or

[21:28] marine life um would be monitored? Just

[21:31] everything.

[21:32] >> We're gonna we're going for everything.

[21:33] » We're gonna we're going for everything.

[21:34] Um the thing that's the number one on

[21:35] his list is um a guitar fish because he

[21:39] he thinks that they're in our river. Um

[21:42] which is definitely possible. Um the you

[21:45] know the sawtooth ones.

[21:47] >> Um that's what he's hoping to find. Um,

[21:49] » Um that's what he's hoping to find. Um,

[21:49] but we're and the thing is with this

[21:52] database is we're going to make it

[21:53] public. So all of the scientists that

[21:56] monitor manatees and manity scars and

[21:59] dolphins and they want you to send them

[22:00] their photos of dolphin fins and we'll

[22:03] be able to send them actual photos of

[22:04] the dolphins instead of just the fins.

[22:06] Um, so there's a lot of scientists that

[22:08] are local that are already,

[22:10] you know, using all this information.

[22:13] Um, so we might as well share it because

[22:16] we're going to have it. So

[22:17] >> incredible. um the reef tile. Uh

[22:22] » incredible. um the reef tile. Uh

[22:22] so is there a place on the Tquesta

[22:24] bridge since there's a restoration going

[22:25] on right now and

[22:27] >> you probably wouldn't have to pull an

[22:29] » you probably wouldn't have to pull an

[22:29] extra permit to stick a few reef

[22:31] >> tiles? Yeah, it's possible. I'll I'll

[22:33] » tiles? Yeah, it's possible. I'll I'll

[22:33] definitely ask around and look for some

[22:35] spots. That's a good idea.

[22:36] >> Thank you.

[22:38] » Thank you.

[22:38] >> Awesome. Well, thank you so much

[22:40] » Awesome. Well, thank you so much

[22:40] >> very much. Appreciate it.

[22:41] » very much. Appreciate it.

[22:41] >> Brett, can I get Sorry. Um, on the the

[22:45] » Brett, can I get Sorry. Um, on the the

[22:45] benthic cameras, you said they'd be

[22:47] movable, so you'll be you can shift them

[22:49] around.

[22:50] >> Are they available now? Like if we did

[22:52] » Are they available now? Like if we did

[22:52] want to do a do ditch

[22:54] >> Yeah.

[22:54] » Yeah.

[22:54] >> thing.

[22:55] » thing.

[22:55] >> Mhm.

[22:55] » Mhm.

[22:55] >> Okay. I'm I'll touch base with you about

[22:57] » Okay. I'm I'll touch base with you about

[22:57] that. And then lastly, on the um I think

[23:00] it was the blue box, the energy thing.

[23:02] Have you guys talked to FPL at all about

[23:04] that?

[23:04] >> No, that's a great idea.

[23:06] » No, that's a great idea.

[23:06] >> So, yeah, I think we have some contacts

[23:08] » So, yeah, I think we have some contacts

[23:08] at FPL, so I wonder if they'd be

[23:10] supportive of it. Um,

[23:11] >> I have contacts at

[23:14] » I have contacts at

[23:14] >> Next.

[23:15] » Next.

[23:15] >> Next. Yeah.

[23:17] » Next. Yeah.

[23:17] >> So, I think maybe there's some synergy

[23:19] » So, I think maybe there's some synergy

[23:19] there.

[23:19] >> Yeah.

[23:20] » Yeah.

[23:20] >> Great idea.

[23:23] » Great idea.

[23:23] >> On their plate.

[23:23] » On their plate.

[23:24] >> That's it.

[23:24] » That's it.

[23:24] >> Yeah.

[23:25] » Yeah.

[23:25] >> Okay. Thank you very much.

[23:26] » Okay. Thank you very much.

[23:26] >> Thank you.

[23:29] » Okay. Next item on the agenda is the

[23:33] consent agenda, which includes the

[23:35] minutes from last month's meeting, July

[23:37] 8th.

[23:39] Um,

[23:41] this can be approved with a motion and a

[23:43] second.

[23:44] >> Yeah, I

[23:46] » Yeah, I

[23:46] um I read the minutes of July 8th and I

[23:51] thought they were perfect. So, I'll make

[23:53] a motion to approve the consent agenda,

[23:57] including the minutes of July 8, 2026.

[24:00] >> I second.

[24:01] » I second.

[24:02] >> All those in favor?

[24:03] » All those in favor?

[24:03] >> I

[24:04] » I

[24:04] >> against motion carries.

[24:07] » against motion carries.

[24:07] Um, so our regular agenda looks like Meg

[24:10] is going to give us an update on that

[24:12] River Beach permit that we discussed in

[24:15] our last meeting.

[24:17] >> Yes. Good afternoon. It is a very brief

[24:19] » Yes. Good afternoon. It is a very brief

[24:19] update. I just wanted to let you know

[24:21] that I did reach out to Linda K with the

[24:24] US Army Corps of Engineers. She's the

[24:26] project manager for the permit that you

[24:27] guys looked at previously. Basically,

[24:30] the feedback from them was that the

[24:32] application is currently under review.

[24:34] Public notice for the proposed um for

[24:37] the proposal went out and the project is

[24:40] in the early stages of review um

[24:42] currently in consultation with other

[24:45] federal resource agencies. So she didn't

[24:48] have any updates really. Uh, and then I

[24:50] spoke with Riviera Beach and they just

[24:53] wanted to let us know that the applicant

[24:55] had previously applied for variances at

[24:57] this property. Um, was denied twice and

[25:00] there was no new updates like from

[25:03] Riviera at this time. No new permit

[25:05] applications. [clears throat]

[25:06] >> Uh, they would let us know if anything

[25:08] » Uh, they would let us know if anything

[25:08] changed.

[25:10] >> Yeah,

[25:10] » Yeah,

[25:10] >> that is that's the update. So, it's

[25:13] » that is that's the update. So, it's

[25:13] being reviewed and probably will sit

[25:15] there for months and months and months

[25:18] >> and it's probably being processed. They

[25:20] » and it's probably being processed. They

[25:20] probably know it won't be approved, but

[25:22] they need it to go to get denied so they

[25:24] can get into litigation about it is my

[25:26] my guess.

[25:30] » Interesting.

[25:33] Okay.

[25:34] >> Hi, Christie. Thank you.

[25:35] » Hi, Christie. Thank you.

[25:35] >> Thank you.

[25:36] » Thank you.

[25:36] >> Thank you.

[25:37] » Thank you.

[25:37] >> All right. Um, so the only other item on

[25:40] » All right. Um, so the only other item on

[25:40] here is uh new business. Um, it looks

[25:44] like

[25:45] uh Jay was able to get us into the

[25:49] meeting in October, right? October 1st,

[25:52] is it?

[25:53] >> I think it's No, I think it's actually

[25:54] » I think it's No, I think it's actually

[25:54] late. I think it was October 29th.

[25:56] >> Oh, okay.

[25:59] » Oh, okay.

[25:59] >> It's confirmed.

[26:01] » It's confirmed.

[26:01] So we will be having a [snorts] joint

[26:04] meeting with them uh

[26:07] with the Jupiter environmental task

[26:09] force as we had discussed in our

[26:12] previous meetings uh the interest in

[26:15] doing that. So uh I tried to get in

[26:18] touch with someone there and their

[26:20] website is kind of lackluster in that

[26:22] there were no I couldn't find any uh

[26:25] email addresses. Uh so anyway um Jay had

[26:29] contacts there. So, we were able to um

[26:33] schedule a joint meeting.

[26:35] >> Uh what I wanted to do is and we have a

[26:39] » Uh what I wanted to do is and we have a

[26:39] couple months uh well this month and and

[26:42] our next meeting next month uh to come

[26:44] up with some things that we want to

[26:48] discuss with them or present to them.

[26:51] That could be anything from a review of

[26:53] what we've been doing over the past six

[26:55] months

[26:57] um andor

[26:59] uh what are some of the things they're

[27:01] doing andor what are the things that we

[27:05] have in common that we could work

[27:07] together on.

[27:08] >> Uh so this is kind of an open

[27:10] » Uh so this is kind of an open

[27:10] discussion. Um, I'll kick it off with

[27:15] um,

[27:17] Brooke had sent an email and Brooke was

[27:20] under the weather today, which is why

[27:22] she's not here.

[27:24] Um, these are some bullet points that

[27:26] she put together. Uh, does Jupiter have

[27:29] vertical oyster gardens? If not, we can

[27:32] walk them through what we've done to

[27:34] date so they can do something similar.

[27:38] um curious to understand what issues

[27:41] their task force has been working on and

[27:44] faced over the past year.

[27:47] Their website says they meet quarterly

[27:49] in light of the property tax bill and

[27:52] potential changes to EAC's meeting

[27:55] cadence. I'm curious their thoughts on

[27:57] the quarterly meetings.

[28:00] I'm also interested in how we can work

[28:02] together for marine restoration or

[28:04] multi-town public education campaigns

[28:07] for co-sponsored events. All good stuff.

[28:12] Um, does anyone have any ideas? Any This

[28:16] is kind of like brainstorm basically

[28:18] open discussion brainstorm.

[28:20] >> Kind of need that input of what the

[28:22] » Kind of need that input of what the

[28:22] review of what they are have done and

[28:24] what they're involved with to see where

[28:27] we have some commonality.

[28:29] >> Well, yeah. And we'll I don't know if

[28:30] » Well, yeah. And we'll I don't know if

[28:30] there's a way to do that beforehand

[28:32] before the actual meeting, but um

[28:35] >> I looked on their website and um it

[28:38] » I looked on their website and um it

[28:38] listed some items that they didn't seem

[28:42] to involve projects like we're involved

[28:44] with. They see the items that were on

[28:47] their website were beach cleanups and

[28:50] activities that they're involved with,

[28:52] but I didn't see programs like

[28:55] >> initiatives like we're taking. But

[28:57] » initiatives like we're taking. But

[28:57] that's just what's on their website and

[28:58] that might not be all-incclusive

[29:00] obviously.

[29:01] >> So I would if there was a way to kind of

[29:04] » So I would if there was a way to kind of

[29:04] get some more information so that we can

[29:07] see [clears throat]

[29:08] if we do have some similar things and

[29:11] then of course try to try and identify

[29:13] some of our projects that we're involved

[29:15] with.

[29:16] Do they go hand inand with extending it

[29:18] into the Jupiter waterways with

[29:20] shoreline and

[29:23] >> all that? I agree with maybe the areas

[29:26] » all that? I agree with maybe the areas

[29:26] that Jupiter and Tqua County lines cross

[29:30] over along our waterways. How we can

[29:32] work together

[29:33] >> uh on projects for those areas.

[29:37] » uh on projects for those areas.

[29:37] I think they blend and meld a lot all

[29:39] along right here

[29:40] >> along the inter Riverside Drive and

[29:43] » along the inter Riverside Drive and

[29:43] Inter Coastal. Yeah. And then eventually

[29:45] I guess with

[29:47] if that works out to be a good um

[29:51] program between the two if we can even

[29:53] get up the river into I believe that's

[29:55] unincorporated Palm Beach County.

[29:57] >> That's a good

[29:58] » That's a good

[29:58] >> because that whole side of the river is

[30:01] » because that whole side of the river is

[30:01] uh

[30:02] >> just

[30:03] » just

[30:03] >> integral part as well just a different

[30:05] » integral part as well just a different

[30:05] >> unincorporated

[30:06] » unincorporated

[30:06] >> legislative area. Yeah.

[30:07] » legislative area. Yeah.

[30:08] >> Some of it is in Martin County as well

[30:09] » Some of it is in Martin County as well

[30:09] as we go up the river. Yeah.

[30:12] I I was wondering if um

[30:17] I'm not sure how to word this so it

[30:19] makes sense, but if we are in a

[30:22] situation with our village where we're

[30:24] not in compliance with

[30:27] a state regulation on something,

[30:29] whatever it may be, fertilizers of

[30:32] runoff into into the locks ahead,

[30:34] whatever that may be that they may be

[30:36] looking at us to correct, if they have a

[30:39] similar situation that they're dealing

[30:41] with and how they're dealing with it.

[30:44] Um,

[30:46] I would think that

[30:48] perhaps they do have

[30:50] um some similar concerns and I'd like to

[30:54] know if if we cross over with them uh

[30:57] how they're dealing with these things.

[31:01] >> So basically local compliance with state

[31:04] » So basically local compliance with state

[31:04] laws.

[31:04] >> Correct. And are they facing if we may

[31:07] » Correct. And are they facing if we may

[31:07] be in total compliance? I don't know.

[31:09] I'm new to this committee. Yeah. But if

[31:11] not, do we have similar

[31:14] violations, I hate to use that word, as

[31:17] they have in Jupiter? And how are they

[31:21] >> processing that and making the remedies?

[31:25] » processing that and making the remedies?

[31:25] >> Maybe we could learn from each other.

[31:32] Is there any way that we would be able

[31:35] this committee would be able to know if

[31:38] were in compliance right now with all of

[31:40] those things? Any any red flags that

[31:42] have been

[31:45] >> I I don't think the village is

[31:48] » I I don't think the village is

[31:48] specifically in violation of anything. I

[31:51] I'd have to check with Allison, our uh

[31:54] water and utilities director, to see if

[31:56] there were any like nitrogen issues in

[31:58] the Lockxahhatchee.

[32:00] Um but I'm I'm not aware of any at the

[32:03] moment.

[32:04] >> I know at one point the the golf c the

[32:08] » I know at one point the the golf c the

[32:08] Questa Country Club golf course there

[32:11] was an issue. Probably that's been

[32:13] solved. I'm going back a couple of

[32:15] years. That's the kind of things that,

[32:17] you know, I wonder if if we need to be

[32:19] aware of if it if there are problems and

[32:22] there may not be hopefully

[32:25] the Lockxahhatchee River Coordinating

[32:28] Council that was created by well

[32:33] it was requested to be created by FD

[32:37] because of ongoing

[32:40] uh nitrogen and phosphorus u overloading

[32:43] in the river and to uh so all of the

[32:47] participants including Jupiter to Questa

[32:50] Lockache River District others

[32:54] uh the the the goal

[32:58] going back years ago when it first was

[33:01] created it was kind of like u uh I can't

[33:05] remember the old saying but it was

[33:08] either do this and make progress on

[33:11] these problems or we will site you and,

[33:15] you know, take you to court and all that

[33:17] other stuff to make you comply and force

[33:20] expensive

[33:22] things

[33:24] uh on the municipalities and the other

[33:26] districts so that they were in

[33:28] compliance and the courts would

[33:30] therefore dictate you must do this that

[33:33] and the other by day certain regardless

[33:37] of what it cost. So

[33:41] [snorts]

[33:41] there is that

[33:44] Apparently there's been progress because

[33:46] they haven't done anything to sue

[33:48] anybody in that are uh contributing to

[33:52] the high levels of nitrogen and

[33:54] phosphorus.

[33:56] Uh, so I guess what I'm saying is

[34:00] in regard to the Lock Hatche River

[34:02] Coordinating Council, do they does

[34:05] Jupiter and their environmental uh

[34:08] board, do they feel like the group is

[34:13] making adequate progress? Um I I

[34:18] remember years ago they had a Jupiter

[34:22] had a program where they you might have

[34:24] been working there where they were uh

[34:28] imple they were in uh installing in

[34:31] drainage uh inlet uh culverts or

[34:34] whatever you want to call it. They were

[34:36] putting in filter bags and and leaf

[34:39] catchers and things like that.

[34:41] >> Baff boxes

[34:42] » Baff boxes

[34:42] >> and pardon

[34:43] » and pardon

[34:43] >> baffle boxes I think.

[34:44] » baffle boxes I think.

[34:44] >> Yeah, I think that's what it's called.

[34:45] » Yeah, I think that's what it's called.

[34:46] Yes. and um but I haven't heard anything

[34:49] since and it's been you know like

[34:51] five to 10 years ago I guess. Um but so

[34:56] that's one thing and then the other is

[34:58] if I keep hearing bits and pieces that

[35:03] on the do ditch the uh there may be a

[35:07] phase two and a phase three. And so if

[35:11] that's true because I mean you remember

[35:13] now we're on the

[35:16] what we what we saw last month was just

[35:20] phase one. If you go, I don't know, to

[35:23] the east, then uh we would want I I

[35:28] would assume that Tquesta would love for

[35:30] Jupiter to participate at least uh

[35:33] financially the way they did in phase

[35:36] one. And so that would be something that

[35:39] I would be interested in knowing and

[35:42] hopefully there that environmental

[35:44] committee could let it be known if

[35:48] that's if if in fact we're going to have

[35:50] a phase two and three or whatever. The

[35:53] last thing I can think of is you

[35:55] remember you know we had the uh

[35:57] shoreline u

[36:00] uh the natural shoreline thing that we

[36:03] >> living shoreline.

[36:04] » living shoreline.

[36:04] >> Yeah. The living shoreline. So we sort

[36:07] » Yeah. The living shoreline. So we sort

[36:07] of modeled what we did after Jupiter,

[36:10] right? So the question I would have for

[36:11] them in regard to that that issue is do

[36:16] they have any successful projects that

[36:18] have been constructed and if so uh what

[36:22] are some of the things that they learned

[36:24] from that that we could know and maybe

[36:27] use that data to help uh uh waterfront

[36:31] property owners in Tquesta consider that

[36:34] as an alternative when the day comes

[36:36] that they need to do something about

[36:38] their seaw

[36:44] Those are the only things I can think

[36:46] of.

[36:46] >> Yeah, including seaw wall because some

[36:48] » Yeah, including seaw wall because some

[36:48] seaw walls are never coming down. So,

[36:51] are they coming up? Do they have any

[36:53] plans for just seaw walls? Like when she

[36:55] gave us the information about the seaw

[36:58] wall um

[36:59] >> tiles.

[36:59] » tiles.

[36:59] >> Tiles. Yeah. Something like see what

[37:02] » Tiles. Yeah. Something like see what

[37:02] they're involved with. Some seaw walls

[37:05] are never going to be able to come down

[37:06] because property won't

[37:09] allow it

[37:10] >> right

[37:12] » right

[37:12] >> due to the construction that's on it.

[37:18] One thought I had was to see if they'd

[37:20] be open to doing like a yearly or

[37:22] bianual meeting together to make it a

[37:25] recurring thing,

[37:26] >> but also perhaps as a way to to invite

[37:29] » but also perhaps as a way to to invite

[37:29] people like like Joe Chason from the

[37:31] Jupiter Inlet District or you know Peter

[37:33] Dwit from Jona to give an an you to give

[37:37] kind of an annual or bannual update so

[37:39] they're not having to go to both groups.

[37:40] great communication piece

[37:42] >> and so that we could kind of just

[37:43] » and so that we could kind of just

[37:43] jointly do that and then maybe maybe if

[37:45] we did it as an annual meeting or a

[37:47] bianual meeting um we could kind of line

[37:49] up a good group of speakers like also

[37:51] Keith Rosson at Mang and people that you

[37:53] know we know that people want to see and

[37:56] then invite kind of invite the public

[37:58] and make it make it kind of a public

[37:59] education forum too.

[38:01] >> So

[38:01] » So

[38:02] >> I like that. That's a thought.

[38:03] » I like that. That's a thought.

[38:03] >> You know, you know, long term, I have a

[38:06] » You know, you know, long term, I have a

[38:06] hunch, and it I may totally be wrong,

[38:09] but I have a feeling that the North Palm

[38:12] Environmental Committee is much more

[38:16] active than the Jupiter one. And if

[38:18] that's the case, then maybe that should

[38:20] be something we try to meet with them at

[38:23] some point in time and see, you know,

[38:25] >> didn't know they had

[38:27] » didn't know they had

[38:27] >> comparative analysis, see what they're

[38:29] » comparative analysis, see what they're

[38:29] doing, what, you know, what works, what

[38:30] doesn't work.

[38:31] >> Best practice. sharing.

[38:32] » Best practice. sharing.

[38:32] >> I I did send a mass email out to that

[38:35] » I I did send a mass email out to that

[38:35] whole to their whole committee. Um but I

[38:39] haven't heard back from anybody yet, but

[38:40] I think they possibly needed to get

[38:42] together and meet to determine if they

[38:44] want to even have a meeting with us

[38:46] before getting back to me. So, if I

[38:48] don't hear anything for a little while,

[38:49] I'll reach out to Dodie, who's their uh

[38:52] my counterpart over there, and maybe see

[38:53] if she could help coordinate that, too.

[38:55] Um because yeah, maybe if we're going to

[38:57] do that educational piece, maybe we make

[38:59] it all of North County and we really get

[39:02] get a great speaker series. North Palm

[39:04] does do their own speaker series at the

[39:07] North Palm Country Club from time to

[39:08] time um with environmental based. Um I

[39:12] don't think it's hugely attended. Um but

[39:15] they do get some good speakers there

[39:17] from time to time.

[39:17] >> Does Juno Beach have a

[39:20] » Does Juno Beach have a

[39:20] >> I don't think they do. Didn't Tom didn't

[39:22] » I don't think they do. Didn't Tom didn't

[39:22] you say they have some sort of like Juno

[39:24] beach like they have like a beach

[39:26] committee or

[39:27] >> they have an they call it the ecology

[39:29] » they have an they call it the ecology

[39:29] group and it's citizens and it's not

[39:33] >> it's not

[39:34] » it's not

[39:34] >> it's active it's active and and their

[39:36] » it's active it's active and and their

[39:36] main focus is on beach issues and

[39:39] Pelican Lake

[39:40] >> the lake

[39:41] » the lake

[39:41] >> but uh they're real they're just not

[39:45] » but uh they're real they're just not

[39:46] >> part of the municipality.

[39:47] » part of the municipality.

[39:47] >> Yeah. Yeah. But it I I think one of

[39:50] » Yeah. Yeah. But it I I think one of

[39:50] their council members, what's her name?

[39:52] Uh

[39:55] Judy Judy Davis or something like that.

[39:57] I forgot her name. She's very big into

[40:00] it and she regularly reports at Juno

[40:02] Beach Town Council meetings about things

[40:05] that the their ecology group does. So

[40:08] she would be a good contact

[40:10] to see if they want to have their

[40:13] ecology group people attend some sort of

[40:15] educational thing that whatever we do in

[40:18] the future.

[40:21] >> Jupiter inlet colony.

[40:23] » Jupiter inlet colony.

[40:23] >> All right. But I don't know that they

[40:25] » All right. But I don't know that they

[40:25] have anything.

[40:27] I know that Mr. Chip Block the current

[40:30] mayor is very into all of this

[40:33] environmental stuff. I think he

[40:35] >> at least invite him.

[40:36] » at least invite him.

[40:36] >> Yeah.

[40:36] » Yeah.

[40:36] >> Yeah. I think he spoke to us one time

[40:38] » Yeah. I think he spoke to us one time

[40:38] about something that they did.

[40:43] >> I think if we were to do a joint

[40:44] » I think if we were to do a joint

[40:44] educational thing, we could So Jeremy

[40:47] and I know Heidi, their city manager

[40:49] well and we talk to her all the time. So

[40:51] we could just invite their entire, you

[40:54] know, through their city council and

[40:56] through the city manager just invite

[40:57] everyone there to come.

[41:01] Uh last comment, uh Jupiter, do they

[41:04] meet in their community center? The EA

[41:06] their EAC?

[41:07] >> I believe they meet in council chambers.

[41:09] » I believe they meet in council chambers.

[41:10] Okay.

[41:10] >> And so that's where this the meeting

[41:11] » And so that's where this the meeting

[41:12] it's it's actually it's October 26th. Um

[41:15] and that I believe is supposed to be in

[41:17] their council chambers, but I will I

[41:19] will confirm that with them.

[41:20] >> So this team's call on the 1 of October

[41:23] » So this team's call on the 1 of October

[41:23] is to like discuss the agenda, correct?

[41:28] >> Yes.

[41:28] » Yes.

[41:28] >> Okay.

[41:31] So,

[41:33] I'll summarize or write out everything

[41:36] that um we spoke about and uh at the

[41:40] next meeting we can go through it. If I

[41:43] missed anything, add it. if I didn't uh

[41:46] or it we don't think it's worthwhile, we

[41:49] can strike it and that way I have

[41:51] something

[41:53] meaningful to say that the committee has

[41:55] approved to discuss with the uh Jupiter

[41:58] environmental task force on October 1st

[42:02] when they put together their agenda.

[42:06] >> Thank you.

[42:08] » Thank you.

[42:08] >> Good.

[42:09] » Good.

[42:09] >> Sounds great. Yeah.

[42:10] » Sounds great. Yeah.

[42:10] >> Um what else? There was one other

[42:14] » Um what else? There was one other

[42:14] >> [snorts]

[42:16] » I think everybody received an email from

[42:19] Sue

[42:21] um

[42:22] from the Jupiter Narrows Conservation

[42:26] Alliance.

[42:28] >> I saw it, but I didn't read it. So, you

[42:30] » I saw it, but I didn't read it. So, you

[42:30] want to tell me?

[42:31] >> Yeah. [laughter] Yeah. I'm just going to

[42:32] » Yeah. [laughter] Yeah. I'm just going to

[42:32] read it. Um, on behalf of Jupiter

[42:34] Narrows Ocean Conservancy and the Andrew

[42:37] Red Harris Foundation, we are excited to

[42:39] invite you to join us as we celebrate an

[42:42] important milestone for the Jupiter

[42:44] Narrows. After years of planning and

[42:45] collaboration, we're officially breaking

[42:47] ground on a major effort to restore the

[42:49] mangrove islands in the Jupiter Narrows.

[42:52] This project represents an important

[42:54] step toward reversing decades of

[42:55] erosion, rebuilding critical coastal

[42:57] habitat, and preser preserving this

[42:59] treasured waterway for future

[43:00] generations. We would be honored to have

[43:03] you with us as we celebrate the

[43:05] beginning of this work. The date is on

[43:08] Wednesday, August 19th at 11 a.m. The

[43:11] location is behind Island House

[43:14] Southwest at 3:25 South Beach Road into

[43:18] Questa.

[43:20] Um, she says, "Please go to 375 South

[43:23] Beach Road and use walkway on south side

[43:25] of property to get to waterfront, then

[43:27] turn left. Parking is very limited.

[43:30] Please carpool.

[43:32] Um, there are some guest parking spots

[43:34] available.

[43:37] Please let us know if you'll be able to

[43:39] attend RSVP

[43:42] to info@ Jupiter Narrowsconervation.org.

[43:47] Thank you for your partnership and

[43:48] support and helping make this project a

[43:51] reality. We hope to celebrate with you

[43:52] best. Supernella,

[43:54] >> what time was it at? Right.

[43:55] » what time was it at? Right.

[43:55] >> It is at 11 a.m. on August 19th.

[44:00] » It is at 11 a.m. on August 19th.

[44:00] Unfortunately, I will not be available

[44:02] on that day, but

[44:04] I was hoping someone from the committee

[44:07] might be able to go.

[44:08] >> I might be. I have like I have to check.

[44:13] » I might be. I have like I have to check.

[44:13] >> If you do go, please remember to RSVP.

[44:17] » If you do go, please remember to RSVP.

[44:17] >> If you if you plan to go, please RSVP to

[44:21] » If you if you plan to go, please RSVP to

[44:21] Jupiter.

[44:21] >> Okay.

[44:22] » Okay.

[44:22] >> And I think everybody on committee here

[44:25] » And I think everybody on committee here

[44:25] should have gotten this. It was an email

[44:27] to all EAC members.

[44:29] >> I And I believe I forwarded to everyone

[44:31] » I And I believe I forwarded to everyone

[44:31] as well.

[44:32] >> You did? Okay.

[44:33] » You did? Okay.

[44:33] >> To to your personal email addresses.

[44:35] » To to your personal email addresses.

[44:35] >> All right.

[44:38] » All right.

[44:38] Okay.

[44:41] » That lady Sue uh Panella,

[44:45] >> she's a bulldog.

[44:45] » she's a bulldog.

[44:45] >> Amazing.

[44:46] » Amazing.

[44:46] >> She's a bulldog.

[44:47] » She's a bulldog.

[44:47] >> She She never gave up. Yeah, it just it

[44:51] » She She never gave up. Yeah, it just it

[44:51] was just like another uh step on a

[44:53] ladder if she had anybody to cause her

[44:57] delays.

[44:57] >> It's impressive.

[44:58] » It's impressive.

[44:58] >> Amazing.

[44:59] » Amazing.

[44:59] >> That's impressive.

[45:01] » That's impressive.

[45:01] >> Um are there any other various comments

[45:04] » Um are there any other various comments

[45:04] from committee members?

[45:07] >> No.

[45:10] » Just a just a real quick staff update.

[45:12] when when we were doing the Dover Ditch

[45:14] tour and when I did my prep for that

[45:15] Dover Ditch tour, I noticed that some of

[45:17] the mangroves really weren't growing in

[45:19] as well as we probably would have hoped.

[45:22] So, um Allison and I are going to have

[45:24] Keith Rosson from Mang go out with us

[45:26] next week to see if he what his thoughts

[45:29] are on if if we need to put some more

[45:31] mangroves in. I think it's actually

[45:32] still under warranty, so we're going to

[45:35] possibly see if um Keith um or our

[45:39] contractor will put more mangroves in

[45:41] there. So, that's a good out possibly a

[45:44] good outcome from our our tour.

[45:46] >> Um, I'll give an update at the next

[45:47] » Um, I'll give an update at the next

[45:47] meeting uh about what we figure out.

[45:50] >> Awesome.

[45:51] » Awesome.

[45:51] >> But otherwise, I mean, do I thought

[45:53] » But otherwise, I mean, do I thought

[45:53] looked great. Just thought the mangroves

[45:55] were a little

[45:56] >> Yeah,

[45:56] » Yeah,

[45:56] >> a little thin.

[45:57] » a little thin.

[45:58] >> Are they um able to survive in where

[46:01] » Are they um able to survive in where

[46:01] they are?

[46:01] >> That's what I wanted to have Keith look

[46:03] » That's what I wanted to have Keith look

[46:03] at. We're going to go at low tide um

[46:05] peak low tide just so he can make sure

[46:07] that that they were installed in the

[46:09] right place.

[46:11] um and that they're, you know, in a in a

[46:14] good environment to to thrive. And then

[46:16] we also kind of noticed that that there

[46:18] was maybe an opportunity to put even

[46:20] more in because there's an existing

[46:21] strand of mangroves that are kind of out

[46:23] in the river and then they planted them

[46:25] here and then there's still a whole

[46:26] another bank. So, I'm going to ask Keith

[46:28] like why not why not just make them make

[46:30] them the whole way.

[46:32] >> Um and of course we've got Keith who can

[46:34] » Um and of course we've got Keith who can

[46:34] do mangroves, the Eco Scouts can do

[46:36] mangroves. So

[46:38] >> yeah,

[46:39] » yeah,

[46:39] >> we might we might be able to

[46:41] » we might we might be able to

[46:41] >> put more in.

[46:43] » put more in.

[46:43] >> Will is it possible uh for me to tag

[46:46] » Will is it possible uh for me to tag

[46:46] along if available?

[46:48] >> Just let me know when.

[46:50] » Just let me know when.

[46:50] >> Yeah. 9 o'clock on Monday. I'll send you

[46:51] » Yeah. 9 o'clock on Monday. I'll send you

[46:51] an invite.

[46:52] >> It's coming.

[46:53] » It's coming.

[46:53] >> Yeah, Monday.

[46:53] » Yeah, Monday.

[46:53] >> That'd be cool.

[46:55] » That'd be cool.

[46:55] >> Um the Dover Ditch phase two and perhaps

[46:59] » Um the Dover Ditch phase two and perhaps

[46:59] phase three. Is that something online?

[47:01] Do you know?

[47:03] >> No, we don't we don't have design for

[47:05] » No, we don't we don't have design for

[47:05] it. It's just something that's been

[47:06] talked about that there's an opportunity

[47:08] to extend it to on the other side of

[47:10] Riverside in the future.

[47:12] >> Um,

[47:13] » Um,

[47:13] >> and just for my information, that other

[47:15] » and just for my information, that other

[47:15] side of of River or Riverside, um,

[47:19] that's still toquest on one side and

[47:21] Jupiter on the other. Okay.

[47:25] >> All right. Um, any other future agenda

[47:29] » All right. Um, any other future agenda

[47:29] items?

[47:32] » I ask it every time.

[47:35] Um, anything else?

[47:38] All right. Well, that is all on the

[47:40] agenda. So, if you um would like to end

[47:45] the meeting, I think we need a motion,

[47:47] don't we?

[47:48] >> Let's go.

[47:49] » Let's go.

[47:49] >> Or do I just call it? I I forget.

[47:53] » Or do I just call it? I I forget.

[47:53] >> Motion to end.

[47:55] » Motion to end.

[47:56] >> Motion to adjurnn.

[47:56] » Motion to adjurnn.

[47:56] >> Motion to adjurnn. That was a nicer way

[47:58] » Motion to adjurnn. That was a nicer way

[47:58] to put it.

[47:59] >> Motion to adjurnn. Is there a second?

[48:01] » Motion to adjurnn. Is there a second?

[48:02] All those in favor? I

[48:04] >> against

[48:06] » against

[48:06] motion carries.

[48:08] >> Meeting is adjourned.

[48:13] [laughter]

[48:14] >> I'm looking forward to the Jupiter

[48:15] » I'm looking forward to the Jupiter

[48:15] Alliance.

[48:17] >> It'll be fun. Nice to meet you.

Environmental Advisory Committee (EAC) - Aug 12 2026

Transcript