READER SUBMITTED

Learn more about toxic algae blooms at the Oxbow Sept. 21

Erick Gill
Special to TCPalm
The health effects of algae blooms on the people living, working and recreating in and around the Indian River lagoon is a growing concern with good reason. Join Ocean Research and Conservation Association (ORCA) Research Scientist Dr. Beth Falls at the Oxbow Eco-Center’s Health and Nature Lecture Series on Friday, Sept. 21 at 7 p.m. as she discusses this issue and shares the work that ORCA and others are doing to better understand the relationship between algae blooms and human health locally.

PORT ST. LUCIE — The health effects of algae blooms on the people living, working and recreating in and around the Indian River lagoon is a growing concern with good reason.

Join Ocean Research and Conservation Association (ORCA) Research Scientist Dr. Beth Falls at the Oxbow Eco-Center’s Health and Nature Lecture Series on Friday, Sept. 21 at 7 p.m. as she discusses this issue and shares the work that ORCA and others are doing to better understand the relationship between algae blooms and human health locally.

It is hard to turn on the news, look at the internet, or even watch a debate between candidates for governor without hearing about the toxic algae bloom that is plaguing the southern part of the Indian River Lagoon.

While the current crisis deserves the attention it is getting, the issue of algae blooms and how they impact human health is an ongoing, world-wide concern.

MORE:   What else is going on at Oxbow Eco-Center?

Algae blooms, which are not actually algae but cyanobacteria, are a natural occurrence. However, they are increasing is size, frequency and location and this is a direct result of human activities.

Dr. Falls received her Ph.D. in Human Nutrition from the University of Florida and has worked as a research scientist at the Ocean Research & Conservation Association since 2009. ORCA is an independent non-profit organization focused on solving problems caused by water pollution. ORCA takes a One Health approach to their work.

One Health – as defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - recognizes that the health of people is connected to the health of animals and the environment.

Dr. Falls is particularly interested in the overlap between environmental and human health. Oxbow’s Health and Nature Series lectures are free and open to the public. Registration is not required.

The Oxbow Eco-Center is located at 5400 NE St. James Drive, Port St. Lucie. For more information call the staff at 772-785-5833 or visit www.oxboweco.com.

The Oxbow is an environmental learning center situated on a 225-acre preserve on the North Fork of the St. Lucie River. The site is managed and operated by St. Lucie County’s Environmental Resources Department.

MORE: Have you read TCPalm's coverage of the algae bloom this summer?