Coastal Connections, Inc

Coastal Connections, Inc (CCinc) is located in Vero Beach, Florida and was incorporated in 2017 to provide opportunities for people to connect with coastal wildlife through educational and engaging programs. Studies have shown that people who interact with charismatic protected species, for example, nighttime Turtle Walks in Florida, are more likely to feel connected to wildlife and will react by changing their behaviors to more educated and conservation-minded habits. In addition, ecotourism programs like daytime Turtle Digs focused around protected species impel an increase in travel, attract more responsible visitors, and infuse more funds into the local economy surrounding wildlife than traditional tourism, thus, benefiting the entire community. CCinc strategically utilizes this knowledge and approach to benefit wildlife, people, and the local economy in all of our programs. This is what makes CCinc truly unique among Florida sea turtle conservation organizations.

Once a connection is made, messages about conservation and human-related impacts coastal wildlife are more easily received. We integrate information about how people can make a difference for sea turtles and our environment into every presentation or activity we lead. This way people leave with recommendations on how to minimize their impact to the environment through their daily routines. Examples may include using single-use plastic alternatives, reusing materials, recycling effectively, choosing sustainably harvest seafood, picking up debris from the beach when you leave, knocking down sandcastles and filling in holes for a more natural beach profile, and using red lights to reduce the intensity and brightness of developed area near nesting beaches.

To meet our mission of protecting coastal habitats, CCinc has three core initiatives: Turtle Connections - Which provides educational experiences to see a sea turtle, Vero Goes Zero - Which is our grassroots community-driven sustainability effort, and Turtle Travels - Which is our newest initiative designed to develop eco-minded travelers and reward Florida's hospitality industry for being leaders in conservation. Each initiative has a number of quantifiable goals to reach over 3 year periods and to accomplish these goals CCinc hosts numerous popular programs. Examples include Turtle Digs, Sea Turtle Rescue, Blue Beach Baskets, Coastal Cleanups, and more. We do our best to serve the Indian River County community including both residents and visitors of the area.

We have a dedicated founder who serves as our executive leader with experience in program development and management, fundraising and budgeting, we have a small family-like group of dedicated board members who each hold leadership roles in programs directly working with our community, and we have 80+ dedicated and passionate volunteers who will make sure we provide the best guest experience during our programs to ensure their connection with wildlife is secure and we are successful at meeting our strategic goals over the next 3 years. We believe our good reputation and the trail of positive impacts we leave behind in the Indian River community will overcome any growing pains we may experience. The organization also has big plans to continue developing and growing, expanding its staff experience and expertise to only enhance our reach and diversify our impact in the community.

Major accomplishments we have celebrated in our first three years include building a Christmas Float made out of 90% debris which was awarded the very first Environmental Awareness award in the Vero Holiday Parade, removing 500+ lbs of debris each year from coastal parks and beaches, we opened a small boutique store in partnership with local businesses, educated approximately 10,000 people during 2020 Turtle Digs and established relationship with the County and City of Vero to install and manage the new free Blue Beach Baskets at public beach parks to encourage our community to clean up the beach every time they visit.