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Navarre Beach Marine Science Station highlights student programs, community events
Summary
Charlene Morrow, director of the Navarre Beach Marine Science Station, updated the Santa Rosa County commissioners on education, monitoring and community outreach programs, including dual-enrollment classes, an autism-focused family event and grant-funded oyster and water‑quality work.
Charlene Morrow, director and founder of the Navarre Beach Marine Science Station and a teacher on special assignment with the Santa Rosa County School District, told the Board of County Commissioners on July 21 that the station serves students, residents and visiting groups with hands-on marine science education and coastal monitoring.
The update emphasized the station’s dual-enrollment classes (marine biology and oceanography) offered through Pensacola State College to local high‑school students, community education programs for grades 1–5, and recurring public events such as the Autism Odyssey and Science Spooktacular. "We are going on 17 years at the science station," Morrow said, adding that the program had secured about $1 million in grant funding since it began.
Why it matters: The station provides career-oriented training and community outreach that county officials say helps build local workforce skills, supports water‑quality monitoring and contributes to ecosystem work in Santa Rosa Sound. Commissioners and school district leaders praised the station as a long‑running partnership between the county and the Santa Rosa County School District.
Morrow gave specific program examples and measurable activities: the station teaches dual‑enrollment college credit on site, served about 3,000 Santa Rosa County students in 2024, and expects roughly 140 families for the Autism Odyssey on Aug. 23, a rescheduled event tailored to families with special‑needs children. She described an estuary monitoring program supported by two consecutive grants of nearly $70,000 to expand water‑quality monitoring and an oyster feasibility project on the dock that tracks spat settlement and growth.
Former student Emma, who spoke after Morrow, described how she used station experience to pursue higher education and conservation work. "I got to do some really invaluable work with Miss Morrow," Emma said, noting partnerships with state and university researchers and later employment in education and wildlife refuge work.
Santa Rosa County School District Superintendent Dr. Karen Barber thanked the commission for leasing the Navarre site to the district and praised the station’s contributions to student research, public education and regional partnerships. Commissioners from multiple districts echoed praise and said the station has produced students who continue in STEM fields.
Clarifying details from the presentation: Morrow said students perform monthly water sampling (including dissolved oxygen and nutrient testing), use lab equipment comparable to DEP facilities, participate in oyster spat monitoring on PVC structures, and work with partners such as the University of West Florida and the Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation. She added that roughly 60% of surveyed former students were working or studying in STEM‑related fields.
The update concluded with an invitation for commissioners to visit the station and with thanks from the commission and district leadership for the station’s long‑term community service.
Ending: Commissioners said they will continue to support the district’s lease and related partnerships and encouraged other board members to tour the station.
