Coastal & Estuarine Ecology Lab

05/25/2026

Hi folks, We are making extremely good progress on our oyster reef restoration deployments in the Indian River Lagoon, and thus need to host another oyster restoration ring making day on UCF main campus. Event will occur on Monday, June 1 from 8 AM - 11 AM behind the Biology Field Research Building. Anyone 16+ is welcome to help (if 16-17 years old, parent must be present). Please contact Linda Walters if interested at [email protected] for details. UCF waiver must be completed prior to participating. Thanks!

05/24/2026

More photos from week 1 of oyster reef restoration in the Indian River Lagoon, focused on some of our great team (and our favorite bird!)

05/24/2026

Oyster reef restoration in Mosquito Lagoon, week 1! There was a year of prep work to get ready for this week - permits, making materials, pre-monitoring, and recruiting a great team plus some partners with boats. Over 5 days, we transported a lot of biodegradable restoration units, raked down some permitted dead reef areas, added these units to the reefs, and had a great time! These are the photos from camera 1. Camera 2 photos will be posted sometime soon. Note that we photographed an unusual fish near a reef - anyone know who it is?

05/18/2026

Yeah!

05/17/2026

Pre-monitoring for upcoming oyster reef restoration in Mosquito Lagoon (northern Indian River Lagoon) is now complete and the fun soon begins! This marks the start of UCF CEELAB's 21st year of oyster restoration! Also, probably the 10,000th photo of oystercatchers and their chicks and neighbors.

05/14/2026

New peer-reviewed publication! These data were collected as the focus of Luciana's pre-MS gap year research funded by NSF. It is available to all via open access at https://doi.org/10.3390/microplastics5020091
Congrats all!

05/14/2026

It's that time of the year again to congratulate our CEELAB students who became alumni this past weekend. All have done great things at UCF, and I am confident will continue to do so into the future! So, best wishes to Luciana (MS degree) and BS undergraduates Emma, Otis, Natalia, Dani, Jordyn, and Lee. You all have a special place in our hearts!

05/06/2026

Thanks all!

Congratulations to UCF Department of Biology's Dr. Linda Walters for being honored as one of the 2026 Women of the Year by Orlando magazine 🙌✨

With 29 years of experience teaching, researching, and improving coastal environments as director of the UCF Coastal & Estuarine Ecology Lab, Dr. Walters has demonstrated her dedication to making an impact both in the classroom and in the field.

🔗 Learn more about Linda Walters’ work in environmental education and conservation here: https://www.orlandomagazine.com/orlando-women-of-the-year-2026-honorees-dr-linda-walters-dr-sherry-paramore-and-marsha-lorenz/