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Treasure Coast nonprofits that research, protect,\u00a0restore and advocate for clean water, especially the\u00a0Indian River Lagoon<\/a>, need more than holiday cheer to continue their missions.<\/p>\n TCPalm’s annual Giving Days fundraiser highlights how you can help these nonprofit organizations\u00a0continue their important environmental work. Today, we feature the:<\/p>\n St. Lucie County Reef Builders<\/p>\n The nonprofit creates artificial reefs that create new habitat for marine life \u2014 mainly fish, oysters and invertebrates \u2014 that pass from the Indian River Lagoon to the Atlantic Ocean as juveniles.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n Wish 1:\u00a0Landing craft for offshore artificial reef deployments<\/p>\n How it will help:\u00a0The nonprofit cannot afford an American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) barge, which are multimillion-dollar vessels that require multimillion-dollar maintenance. But a used landing craft could deploy up to 50 tons of material per deployment. The landing craft could be donated to St. Lucie County and then leased to either a nonprofit or a private firm that would create artificial reefs along the Florida east coast.<\/p>\n Cost:\u00a0Donating a used landing craft would cost nothing. Purchasing one could range $200,000-$300,000.<\/p>\n Wish 2:\u00a0Fort Pierce Inlet locations to place experimental artificial reefs<\/p>\n How it will help:\u00a0The nonprofit already has permits to deploy small artificial reef modules under docks at six locations. Now it needs agreements with property owners to place larger reefs under their docks or further offshore. The nonprofit will work with property owners to design inshore reefs that will not create navigational hazards.<\/p>\n GIVING DAYS: Read each Indian River Lagoon nonprofit’s article<\/p>\n Cheryl Smith<\/a> is TCPalm’s environment editor. Contact her at cheryl.smith@tcpalm.com. Tim O’Hara<\/a>\u00a0is TCPalm’s environment reporter. Contact him at tim.ohara@tcpalm.com.<\/p>\n