Virtual Education Programs

MDC Virtual Education Programs

Join the MDC staff for a variety of online virtual programming all about the Indian River Lagoon!  From animals and plants to conservation science research and beyond, we’ve got programs that the whole family will enjoy.

Virtual Public Lectures

Each month we highlight a different topic and invite an expert guest speaker as a way to educate our community. In 2020-21 we held our monthly public lectures in a virtual setting. In 2022 we are moving back to an in-person format but will continue to film the lectures and post them here as an archive.

Public Lectures

Invasive Species of Florida

April 16, 2020

Coyotes

August 20, 2020

Right Whales

January 21, 2021

Bird Migration

April 15, 2021

Florida's Springs

July 15, 2021

Sea Turtle Conservation

October 21, 2021

Migratory Birds

February 17, 2022

Timucua of Volusia County

May 19, 2022

Bird Walks at MDC

May 21, 2020

Florida Weather Myths

September 17, 2020

Horseshoe Crabs and Human Health

February 18, 2021

Honey Bees

May 20, 2021

Diamondback Terrapins

August 19, 2021

2021: A Year in Review at MDC

November 18, 2021

NSB Coastal History

March 17, 2022

Giant Ground Sloth

July 21, 2022

Public Lecture: Climate Change & Coastal Resilience

July 16, 2020

Seahorse Research

October 15, 2020

Microplastics in the IRL

March 18, 2021

Manatees in the IRL

June 17, 2021

Seagrass

September 16, 2021

Right Whales

January 20, 2022

Otters

April 21, 2022

Florida Master Naturalist

Virtual Florida Master Naturalist Program

The Florida Master Naturalist Program (FMNP) is an adult education UF/IFAS Extension program developed by the University of Florida and provided by many Extension offices and participating organizations throughout the state of Florida. FMNP training will benefit persons interested in learning more about Florida’s environment or wishing to increase their knowledge for use in education programs as volunteers, employees, ecotourism guides, and others.

Marine Discovery Center teaches the core Coastal module twice a year as well as several special topics throughout the year.

Traditionally these courses are taught in-person, but due to the restrictions brought about by COVID-19 we are implementing online-only and hybrid versions of our core and special topics.

Coming soon…

There are no online or hybrid courses available for registration at this time.
There are no online or hybrid courses available for registration at this time.

Please check back soon!

Past Webinars

In Spring of 2020 MDC began a series of webinars to help engage the community while we all physically distanced and quarantined. Our Little Lessons were geared towards children in Pre-K – 2nd grade and were a combination of Facebook Live storytime sessions and webinars. Our Coastal Connections series showed viewers what MDC staff and volunteers do to protect and restore the vital habitats of the Indian River Lagoon and included topics that ranged from creature features and microplastics research to the plants and animals of shoreline restoration work and more.

While we no longer offer our Little Lessons and Coastal Connections webinars, we hope you will enjoy the recordings of these past programs.

Little Lessons

Marvelous Mollusks

April 8, 2020

Splendid Spinies

April 29, 2020

Jazzy Jellies

April 15, 2020

Stupendous Sea Turtles

May 13, 2020

Extraordinary Earth Day

April 22, 2020

Coastal Connections

All About Ecotones

April 9, 2020

Discover Estuaries

April 28, 2020

Virtual Marsh Walk

May 14, 2020

Horseshoe Crabs

May 21, 2020

Microplastics Galore!

April 10, 2020

Birds of the Salt Marsh

April 30, 2020

Mangrove Madness

April 16, 2020

Oh C.R.A.P.

April 14, 2020

Marsh Succulents

April 23, 2020

Oysters

May 7, 2020

Virtual Boat Tour

May 28, 2020

Our Mission:

"To protect and restore Florida's coastal and Indian River Lagoon ecosystems
through education, research and community stewardship."