Volunteers planting mangroves, grasses along Indian River Lagoon shore

Volunteers are being called to action this weekend to help out with the Indian River Lagoon in Brevard County.

The Marine Resources Council and the Canaveral Port Authority are encouraging volunteers to help restore the shore along State Road 528 (the Martin B. Andersen Beachline Expressway).

So far this weekend, volunteers have been planting hundreds of mangroves and thousands of different grasses along the 500 feet of shoreline — on both the Banana River and the Indian River.

"It's the cornerstone to a healthy lagoon," said Nicholas Frank Sanzone, of the Marine Resources Council. "It creates habitat. The juvenile species of fish that we like in the ocean, they start in the lagoon. And they all grow up right here swimming in the roots for the red mangrove."

The plants also stabilize the shore.

Volunteers will be back from from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, and for a portion of Monday.

For more information, go to the Marine Resources Council's Facebook page or contact Nicholas Sanzone at 321-725-7775 or via email at nsanzone@mrcirl.org.