Forever Explorers
Let Marine Discovery Center’s certified naturalists engage you in a fun and unique educational exploration of the Indian River Lagoon and the flora and fauna that thrive here.
Forever Explorers is designed for young-at-heart, lifelong learners and is geared to offer outdoor opportunities for adults who want to explore and better understand their surrounding coastal environment alongside certified naturalists and scientists!
Participants will explore the roles of salt marshes, mudflats and various saltwater plants and animals by visiting different spoil islands on MDC’s pontoon boat, Discovery, as well as through kayak excursions, land-based programs, and conservation activities! Each participant will receive an Adventure Guide binder and pen to document their experiences.
This program features a spring and fall session; each month focuses on a different theme, and each program explores a topic within that theme. Both sessions will conclude with an end-of-season gathering, slide show and prize drawing. There’s even wonderful Forever Explorers incentives for those attending multiple programs – 5 events earns a T-shirt; 10 earns a hat; 15 earns a water bottle; and 20 earns a pair of Costa del Mar sunglasses.
Forever Explorers is only for participants 18+.
Boat (price includes meal): $60 MDC Members | $65 Non-Members
Kayak (price includes snacks): $50 MDC Members | $55 Non-Members
Land: $8 MDC Members | $10 Non-Members
Conservation: Free (donations accepted)
DECEMBER
Kayak: Treasure in the Mangroves – Tuesday, December 3 at 10:00 am – 12:30 pm | There’s treasure in those mangroves! And you and your team of kayakers will be traveling through the waterway to find X marks the spot. Follow a string of clues hidden in the mangroves at Marine Discovery Center and an “ancient map” to unlock the treasure. While on the treasure hunt, guests will be able to explore the backwaters of the mangrove forest and the creatures who lurk in the muck.
CANCELLED Boat: Fisheries – Thursday, December 12 at 9:00 – 11:30 am | Let’s explore Florida’s rich fisheries history! We will be using a trawl net, seine net, and fishing poles to immerse ourselves in the most popular past time in Florida. Fish On!
Conservation: Oyster Volcanoes & End of Season Party – Friday, December 13 at 12:00 – 2:30 pm | It’s an end of season celebration! Join us for an MDC site clean-up, oyster volcano construction (12pm-1pm) and party (1pm-2:30pm) for our Forever Explorers! Lunch and dessert will be served followed by this season’s slideshow and a raffle! If you have participated in ANY one of the Forever Explorers events this Fall, bring your binder to the party. One journal page from an event is equal to one raffle ticket. Prizes include copies of Living Beaches and other exciting items . . . Come gather with fellow forever explorers and hear about what we will have in store for you in Spring 2025!
JANUARY
Boat: Migratory Species & Marine Mammals – Thursday, January 9 at 9:45 am – 12:15 pm | Join us on the Discovery as we venture to Disappearing Island to discuss a variety of migratory species and the threats facing marine mammals in the Atlantic. A late lunch is provided! (Want to learn even more? Our FREE public lecture on right whales is this evening at 6! Register online . . .)
Land: Ponce Preserve Hike – Thursday January 16 at 4:45 – 6:00 pm | Hike the wonderful trails of Ponce Preserve to learn about the variety of flora and fauna the preserve has to offer. Guests will get the opportunity to walk the boardwalk through the mangroves, hike the maritime forest to see large oaks and native American middens, and then head over to check out the dune and beach systems! Ponce Preserve is located at 4401 South Peninsula Drive in Ponce Inlet.
Kayak: Migratory Birds – Thursday, January 23 at 9:30 am – 12:30 pm | We are going on a duck hunt! It looks a little different than what you might think ….. We will paddle through Smyrna Creek, to J Hook Island, in search of migratory bird species that call the Lagoon home while the temperatures are low.
Conservation: Beach Cleanup – Sunday, January 26 at 7:15 – 8:30 am | MDC’s Forever Explorers is teaming up with Keep NSB Clean, a local organization dedicated to a debris free NSB, for a beach clean up at Grayce K. Barck Community Park in NSB for a beach clean up. Grayce K. Barck Community Park is located at 1100 N Atlantic Ave in New Smyrna Beach.
If you have any questions about this program,
please contact Carley Metcalf at [email protected] or 386.428.4828.
Our Mission:
"To protect our coastal ecosystems through education, conservation, and exploration"