"I am the mangrove" — a visual love letter to the Indian River Lagoon

SIGN YOUR NAME TO RESCUE THE RIVER OF GRASS

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Dear Friend,

I am the mangrove.

I build.

Quietly, quietly, through the blazing days,

Through the breathing nights, I thrust my grey roots,

Building.

I have spent this spring documenting segments of the Indian River Lagoon, building a story of the estuary using my cameras.

The story is as spectacular as the river is resilient. There is rich Indigenous history, which I learned more about while reading Indian River Lagoon: An Environmental History.

There is my own history with this waterway — having told its stories throughout my career, having made my own glorious memories swimming, boating and kayaking its waters.

There is your experience, if you have been so lucky to spend any time at all exploring these waters.

But the most important story belongs to the river itself. Humanity grew and settled in around its banks, and with it came detrimental changes to the biodiverse waterway that stretches 156 miles along Florida’s east coast.

The winds move, But I move not.

I buttress myself with toughness,

I reach my roots down into the roots of things,

Foundations.

Mangroves shape a makeshift skyline in the flat Florida horizon, protecting the lagoon from rising seas, working overtime to clean the polluted waters that assault it.

There is solace to be found in that natural safety net. I know, because I found it. While seeking shelter from a rain storm in a mangrove tunnel, I found it. Through shoreline explorations, passing time while waiting for the sky to explode with the setting sun, I found it.

Now, I share with you the fruits of my discoveries — still photographs examining the intricacies of the Indian River. The winding roots of the mangrove trees, skies reflecting in the river in all shades of color, the majesty of the vessels who glide across the water.

Some moments are seared only in my memory, passing by too quickly to be captured. A neon eel skimming the sandy bottom of the river. An osprey nest built atop a channel marker with hungry nestlings crying out for food. The sunsoaked, smiling face in a vehicle crossing the Stuart Causeway, windows down and breathing in the view of the lagoon’s expanse.

These moments are the foundations of a bigger story, one I will share later this month with the debut of a video.

‘

I am the pioneer, I am the forerunner, I am the adventurer.

After me comes earth.

I am the mangrove.

Look.

I build.

The Indian River Lagoon is our backyard and we feel called to protect it.

Stick with us as we offer solutions to protect this natural treasure. Become a pioneer, a forerunner, an adventurer. Help us Rescue the River of Grass and save the Indian River Lagoon.

*Excerpts from “I Am The Mangrove” by Marjory Stoneman Douglas

With love for the lagoon,