Community
Science you can join
Restoring Florida's canals and coasts takes more than scientists. It takes the people who live, work and fish along them.
Free water quality testing · Marco Island
Free testing at your Marco Island dock
Marco Island's canals have been on Florida's impaired waters list since 2019, and residents have been asking why for just as long. We work with independent university researchers to answer that question with data.
Testing happens right at your dock and takes about 15 minutes. You don't need any equipment or experience. Your reading becomes part of the record for Marco Island's canals.
Book your testing visitFree testing is open to Marco Island residents only.
The results so far
What residents' docks are telling us
Every testing visit adds a point to our Marco Island water quality map. Select any point to see oxygen, temperature and salinity from the surface to the canal floor, and how healthy that water is for fish and marine life.
Open the water quality mapThe map opens in a new tab, full screen.
Watch the recording
Canal Science Symposium
Held August 28 at the Marco Island Public Library. Four researchers presented what the data shows about Marco Island's canals: where the nitrogen is coming from, what the monitoring shows, and which options the science supports.
Watch it and judge the evidence for yourself.
Held in collaboration with the University of Florida and the University of South Florida. The Collier County Public Library does not sponsor or endorse this program.
Conferences and events
Where you can find us
We share our research at conferences across Florida and host events for the communities we work with. Come say hello.
Coming up
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Nov 19, 2026
Midnight Tavern Fundraiser
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Dec 5, 2026
Swamp Heritage Festival
Big Cypress National Preserve
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Mar 4, 2027
Ankrolab Brewing Fundraiser
New events are posted here as they're scheduled.
Where we've been
2026 17 events
- Nov 6–8 HERPETON: Florida Herpetological Conference · Naples
- Oct 22–23 Marine Resources Council Low Impact Development Conference · Cocoa Beach
- Oct 4 Lagoon Family Fun Day · Palm Bay
- Sep 23–25 Florida Resilience Conference
- Aug 28 Canal Science Symposium · Marco Island
- Jul 21–24 Environmental Permitting Summer School · Marco Island
- Jul 16 North American Congress for Conservation & Restoration (NACCR) · Milwaukee, WI
- May 27–30 Florida City and County Management Association (FCCMA) Annual Conference · Orlando
- May 4–5 Southeast Sustainability Directors Network (SSDN) Annual Meeting · Tampa
- Apr 29 – May 1 Florida Association of Environmental Professionals (FAEP) Conference · Stuart
- Apr 26–29 Florida Water Resources Conference · Daytona Beach
- Apr 25 Collier Mosquito Control District Open House · Naples
- Apr 15–17 The Wildlife Society Florida Chapter Spring Conference · Cocoa Beach
- Mar 8 Earth Day Celebration, Sierra Club Broward Chapter · Hollywood
- Mar 4 International Erosion Control Association (IECA) Annual Conference and Expo · Fort Worth, TX
- Mar 4–5 Disaster Expo Miami · Miami Beach
- Jan 28–30 Everglades Coalition Conference
2025 3 events
- Dec 5 Swamp Heritage Festival · Big Cypress National Preserve
- Sep 17–19 Florida Resilience Conference
- Jan 30 – Feb 1 Everglades Coalition Conference
2024 1 event
- Sep 11–13 Florida Resilience Conference