The Lake Worth Lagoon Drift Card Study depends on citizen scientists to observe the transport and accumulation of marine debris in our local waterways. Here are the results from our 14th experiment!
May 2026 Lagoon Drift After-Action Report Released
Since 2017, we have been working with partners, volunteers and thousands of citizen scientists across Palm Beach, Martin, St. Lucie, Indian River and Brevard Counties to study the transport and accumulation of marine debris in our regional waterways using eco-friendly wooden drift cards. On May 1, 2026 we deployed our 15th Lake Worth Lagoon (LWL) and the 7th Indian River Lagoon (IRL) Lagoon Drift experiments with the help of Cocoa Beach Jr/Sr High School, Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s Indian River Lagoon Aquatic Preserves, Friends of Manatee Lagoon, Friends of Palm Beach, Independence Middle School’s SciQuest Academy, Manatee Center, Manatee Lagoon, Ocean Research & Conservation Association, Somerset Academy Boca, The Benjamin School, UF IFAS Extension Martin County, UF IFAS Extension St. Lucie County and United States Coast Guard Auxiliary Flotilla 5-4. We’re excited to share our record-breaking results with you!
| May 2026 Experiment | |
| Lake Worth Lagoon | Indian River Lagoon |
| 577 citizen scientists involved | 297 citizen scientists involved |
| 320 eco-friendly drift cards deployed | 240 eco-friendly drift cards deployed |
| 8 inshore deployment locations around the LWL, the Intracoastal Waterway and Loxahatchee River |
6 inshore deployment locations around the Indian River Lagoon and its tributaries |
Each Lagoon Drift experiment provides further insights into where trash and pollution entering our waterways may go, while engaging our community in conversations about human impacts on the environment.
| May 2026 Experiment Results | |
| Lake Worth Lagoon | Indian River Lagoon |
| 29% drift cards found and reported | 24% drift cards found and reported |
| 84% of reported drift cards were found inshore, within the LWL, Intracoastal Waterway or Loxahatchee River | 65% of reported drift cards were found inshore, within the Indian River Lagoon or its tributaries |
| 16% of reported drift cards were found offshore in the Atlantic Ocean and on beaches |
35% of reported drift cards were found offshore in the Atlantic Ocean and on beaches |
Go to the Lagoon Drift Experimental Data & Reports webpage to learn more about this citizen science experiment, access the full after-action report and investigate the data on our interactive dashboard and map.
Thank you to the Great Charity Challenge for supporting this Lake Worth Lagoon Lagoon Drift experiment!
To everyone who participated in the creation, decoration, deployment and recovery of the cards, and helped make this another successful experiment – thank you!
If you find a drift card to report or would like to get involved in future Lagoon Drift experiments, please contact us at [email protected].
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