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This will be a report of two day paddles to spoil islands in the Indian River off of Sebastian, Florida. The first was part of an outfitter’s trip when we visited three spoil islands (IR1, IR2, IR3 - I’ll explain the naming of spoil islands later). The second was a follow-up trip I did on my own when I revisited the three islands I had paddled to before, and checked out three more (IR4, IR5, IR6). But before I describe the two trips, let me give you some information about the Indian River Lagoon and its spoil islands.

The Indian River Lagoon

Its full length is 156 miles (251 km), extending from Ponce de Leon Inlet in Volusia County, Florida, to Jupiter Inlet in Palm Beach County, Florida, and includes Cape Canaveral. Lake Okeechobee is connected to the lagoon by the Okeechobee Waterway and the St. Lucie River meeting in Sewall's Point.

The Indian River Lagoon is North America’s most diverse estuary with more than 2,200 different species of animals and 2,100 species of plants. The Lagoon varies in width from .5 to 5 miles (0.80 to 8.0 km) and averages 3 feet (0.91 m) in depth. It serves as a spawning and nursery ground for many different species of oceanic and lagoon fish and shellfish. The lagoon also has one of the most diverse bird populations anywhere in America. Nearly 1/3 of the nation’s manatee population lives here or migrates through the Lagoon seasonally. In addition, its ocean beaches provide one of the densest sea turtle nesting areas found in the Western Hemisphere.

From Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_River_Lagoon

The Spoil Islands of the Indian River Lagoon

From 1953 to 1961, the Atlantic Inter-coastal Waterway was created by dredging a 12ft deep channel in the Indian River Lagoon. The spoil from the dredging created 137 spoil islands throughout the 156 miles and 4 counties of the Indian River Lagoon. Indian River County has the most islands (55), followed by Brevard (41), St. Lucie (34), and Martin (7) counties.

From Recovering The Past For Future Generations http://www.keepbrevardbeautiful.org/BC15 Trifold.doc

The Naming of Spoil Islands

Spoil islands are identified by the county they are in (IR for Indian River County, B for Brevard County, SL for St. Lucie County and M for Martin county). They are numbered consecutively within each county from north to south. Thus IR1 is the northern most spoil island in Indian River County, IR2 is south of IR1 and so forth. In Brevard County it’s B1, B2, B3, etc.

Use of the Spoil Islands: Spoil Island Designations

• Active (Recreation): Large islands with open areas that could support construction of permanent facilities (campsites, sanitary facilities, barbecue pits, docks, etc.). These islands are ideal spots for picnicking, sunbathing, swimming, and primitive overnight camping.

• Passive (Recreation): Small or densely vegetated islands that cannot support the development of structures. These islands should only be used for daytime recreation.

• Education: Islands: that possess diverse (mainly native) habitats and thus are of high value in education programs. These islands should not be used for camping or other recreational activities. These islands are ideal for school children, scout troops, and other groups desiring to learn more about the environment.

• Conservation: Islands which typically have the highest percentage of native resources both on and around the island. These fragile islands are not to be used for public recreation.

From The Spoil Islands Project: Indian River Lagoon website http://www.spoilislandproject.org/designation.htm

First Time on the Indian River

Because I am new to paddling in the area and because I have yet to find some other serious kayakers to paddle with, I have been signing up with local outfitters for short trips to familiarize myself with the area. This trip was with the Florida Outdoor Center, a.k.a. Kayaks, Etc. Kristen and Mike Beck own and operate this small business, which operates off the beach at Captain Hiram’s Resort on US 1 in Sebastian. Kristen, who is a trained marine biologist and outdoor enthusiast, was the guide of a mixed group of adventurers this day. There were two families with children ages 8 to 15, a middle aged couple, a very tall, fit Swiss woman who had spent several months traveling around Africa alone on a motorcycle, and me.

We launched from the beach and the two or three of us with kayaking experience waited patiently while the newbie’s got their se legs. Then we headed for the nearest island, IR3 as near as I can tell (not all the written information I have agrees with what I see on the river or on Google Earth). The three faster paddlers formed a small group out front with instructions to wait for the rest at a given point. This first island was interesting in that it has a relatively large protected bay with an entrance on the north side. At the very back of the bay sits a wrecked research vessel, a victim of one of the big hurricanes that hit the area six years ago.

It was a beautiful day, the kind of day I am getting used to as a new full time resident of the state. We paddled on to the next island, protected as a bird sanctuary. Because of its status, we had to keep our distance, paddling off shore and being careful not to spook the birds. On the sand spit at the western side of the island were many White Pelicans, an endangered species. They don’t look that big from a distance, but they are enormous. They seem to be twice the size of a Brown Pelican when on the ground. Kristen said that they can have a wingspan of up to fifteen feet. I was pretty skeptical until one flew low over a fifteen-foot kayak. We also saw Great Blue Heron, Night Heron, Anhinga and Osprey. Throughout the trip Mullet jumped making loud splashes as they cleared their gills of silt.

We rounded the back of this sanctuary island and headed for IR1. I heard one middle aged dad groan as we were directed there. He was hurting and apparently not having a good time. But he was the only one. The rest were really enjoying their time on the water and Kristen was doing a good job of accommodating the needs and interests of this diverse group. IR1 is designated as a recreational island. We landed on a protected beach to stretch our legs and explore. Kristen led a short nature walk pointing out various shells, hermit crabs and other sea creatures washed up on the beach. This is where her background in marine biology really showed itself.

Soon it was back in the kayaks for our trip back to Captain Hiram’s beach. We again paddled close by the bird island with the three “fast” paddlers in the lead. Half way to IR3 (or is it IR4?) we saw the water boiling with activity. Approaching close enough to see, but not so close as to scare them off, we watched a pod of dolphins in what appeared to be some sort of mating frolic. They were leaping and rolling over and under each other, throwing water everywhere. We watched for many minutes until they moved off and could be seen no more.

Too soon we were back on the beach, the trip over. Just a note on the outfitter, Florida Outdoor Center (FLOC), previously known as Kayaks, Etc.: If you are in the Sebastian – Vero Beach area and want to kayak, I would highly recommend this outfitter. Kristen Beck (the only FLOC guide I have had any experience with) was great at handling a variety of paddlers and keeping the trip interesting with pertinent information and a sunny disposition. She is especially good at keeping children interested and engaged. The FLOC runs trips daily from Captain Hiram’s and other locations, year round.

NOTE: Yackman forgot his camera this day. All photographs in this part of the trip report are curtsey of Kristen Beck. Click here to go to an album of Kristen’s photos.

Second Time on the Indian River

I launched from the public ramp at the foot of Main Street, where it intersects with US1. I got a somewhat late start, not arriving at the launch point until way past 10 AM. It was a glorious day with light winds and deep blue skies, and bright white clouds scattered here and there: A great day to be on the water.

I launched from one side of the boat ramp, trying to stay out of the way. The City of Sebastian, Indian River County and the state of Florida have done a great job of providing launch points for trailered powerboats, but not such a good job of creating simple and safe launch points for car topped paddle craft. Thankfully, the early busy launch hours that fishermen crave had passed and there was not too much competition for space.

Once on the water I headed south toward IR6. The paddle out was pleasant and uneventful. I went ashore at IR6. It is a lovely island and would be perfect for camping except that it has been designated an “educational” island, an island set aside for teaching purposes. I’m not sure if camping is prohibited, but it is definitely discouraged.

I pushed off of IR6 and paddled around its back side, heading for IR5. I landed and took a look around. This is also a decent camping island and is designated as a “recreational” island, which means it is definitely open for camping. However, there are signs that this island might be wave washed in high winds.

I paddled on past IR4 and IR3, circled IR2 (the “bird” island, and landed at IR1, another designated camping island with fire pits and picnic tables. I had a lot of time to poke around. I shadowed a stingray in the shallows at the island’s back and found the skeletal remains of a small sea turtle. After some time I headed back along the string of

islands, this time stopping at IR3. There is a deep, shallow bay in this island. A wrecked research vessel sits on the beach at the head of the bay. I spent some time exploring the wreck and found it had been pretty well stripped if anything interesting or useful.

Finally and reluctantly, I headed back to my launch point. A strong southwest wind had come up, so I got a good workout on my way back. I really enjoyed exploring these islands, all islands really. I’ll be out there again soon, I’m sure.

Click here to view an album of Yackman’s photos taken on this trip.

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Great White Pelicans on a conservation spoil island in the Indian River near Sebastian, Florida. Photos in this section are courtesy of Kristen Beck.

Thursday, December 9, 2010

Florida Day Paddles: On the Indian River Lagoon