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JANUARY 2025

A Hundred Year Old House


Written and performed by Marc to the tune of A Hundred Pounds of Clay. The music was presented in 1999 at a ceremony to celebrate the restoration of the Eldora State House


(From left to right): Marc Monteson, Carmen Thomson, Superintendent of Canaveral National Seashore & Laura Henning, Chief of Interpretation & Visitor Services)

Canaveral National Seashore invites you to their 50th Anniversary Celebration. RSVP by January 1, 2025.

Dear Friends,

Happy New Year!

 

Let me start out this year with a story some of you may not know. On January 3, 1975, Canaveral National Seashore was authorized by President Gerald R. Ford as a unit of the National Park Service. President Ford is the only United States President to serve as a National Park Ranger and he did so as a summer seasonal ranger at Yellowstone National Park in 1936. While his tenure was not long, he often said it was one of the greatest summers of his life. The official part of the story of Canaveral National Seashore goes something like this:

 

"Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, that in order to preserve and protect the outstanding natural, scenic, scientific, ecologic, and historic values of certain lands, shoreline, and waters of the State of Florida, and to provide for public outdoor recreation use and enjoyment of the same, there is hereby established the Canaveral National Seashore..."

 

As the Chief of Interpretation and Visitor Services and a National Park Service seashore employee, I am proud to have been a part of this story for over 30 years. It started with one of the greatest summers of my life.

 

Happy 50th Anniversary to Canaveral National Seashore.

See You at the Beach!

Laura Henning

ELDORA HOLIDAY OPEN HOUSE

ART RAFFLE WINNERS

Our 25th Anniversary Art Raffle was a huge success. We wish to thank everyone for their support. Congratulations go to the winners Julie Strickland and Michell Woulard.

Julie Strickland was the winner of Ruth Squiteri's plein air painting.

Avia “Michell” Woulard was the winner of Cathy Berse's plein air painting.

ELDORA HOLIDAY OPEN HOUSE

We had an amazing turnout at our annual Eldora Holiday Open House. A heartfelt thank you to each and every one of you for your continued support of the Friends of Canaveral. Your enthusiasm and involvement play a crucial role in our conservation efforts to help maintain and protect the Canaveral National Seashore.


A thank you also goes to the Friends of Canaveral board members and volunteers for making this happen each and every holiday season.

Listen & Learn Training Helps with

Park Nature Interpretation

Canaveral National Seashore rangers, as well as National Park Service (NPS) staff from other parts of Florida and some invited guests, participated in a special Listen & Learn training in December.

 

Hosted by Canaveral National Seashore, the day-long workshop was conducted by the NPS Natural Sounds and Night Skies Division and was designed to help nature educators and park rangers become more comfortable with incorporating outdoor sounds in their interpretation programs.

 

Workshop participants learned how soundscapes are the human perception of physical sound resources and also how unwanted sounds may affect wildlife residing within a park.


In addition, they learned about the science of sound and how sounds in different environments are a key component of a landscape, as well as how the character and quality of a park’s soundscape influence visitors’ perceptions and overall park experience.

 

Acoustic scientist Dr. Nathan Wolek of Stetson University and Eve Payor of Atlantic Center for the Arts led the group of 18 participants on a silent walk from the Canaveral Visitors Center to Turtle Mound and back to the beach. Participants were encouraged to focus on the sounds around them as they took the contemplative walk.

Stetson University professor Dr. Nathan Wolek leads a discussion with class participants at Canaveral National Seashore.

They also were encouraged to identify the types of sounds heard during the walk into three categories: biophony – sounds of wildlife or anything living (call of birds, etc.); geophony – sounds of the earth (crashing waves); and anthropophony – sounds made by humans (airplane engines).

 

Workshop participants also learned the importance of accessibility to park guests with hearing and visual impairments and how to engage those visitors in meaningful ways for a quality park experience.


-Lisa D. Mickey

Class participants walk in silence to the top of Turtle Mound.

(Rangers from left to right): Ashley Lord, Michell Woulard, Jennifer Sanders, and Jabez Coggan IV. 

Friends of Canaveral board member Meghan Martin viewed the park’s archives during a recent trip to the Canaveral Curatorial Storage Building.

National Park Archives:

Why Are They Important?

By Dan Cone

Project Archivist, National Park Service in Atlanta 

Regular readers know that the staff at Canaveral National Seashore work hard (with the help of volunteers!) to preserve and protect the seashore, but what happens to their original hand-written notes about sea turtle sightings, photos of cleanup projects, or reports about renovations on the Eldora State House? 

Read entire article...

Introducing Sonya Guidry


Sonya Guidry is a plant-walk volunteer at Canaveral National Seashore. She is a second-generation Florida native (born in Daytona Beach) with memories of running the shell-path trails at Turtle Mound long before it became a national park.

 

Here’s how Sonya describes her decades of life exploring nature in Florida:

Sonya Guidry continued...

APOLLO BEACH VISITOR CENTER HOURS

9AM - 5PM - Open Every Day

JANUARY ACTIVITIES AT THE SEASHORE

Apollo Programs January 2025
Playalinda Programs January 2025

Our national parks host millions of people a year, sustain countless species, and safeguard some of the most breathtaking landscapes on the planet. They preserve natural and cultural resources “for the enjoyment, education, and inspiration of this and future generations.” 

Fun Facts About All 59 U.S. National Parks

Uncover lesser-known secrets about these iconic landscapes.

Read More

We appreciate your support of Canaveral National Seashore and wish to thank you for renewing your 2025 Membership.

  • DISCOUNTS - 15% discount at the Canaveral Seashore Gift Shop
  • SUBSCRIPTION - Subscription to the Friends of Canaveral eNewsletter
  • INVITES - Notification and invites to special events sponsored by the Friends of Canaveral or Canaveral National Seashore
  • OPPORTUNITIES: Learn about or volunteer for projects supporting sea turtle conservation, plant and sound ecology, environmental education, and endangered species.
Renew Your Membership for 2025
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REPORT VIOLATIONS

If you suspect a fish, wildlife, boating, or environmental law violation, report it to the FWC's Wildlife Alert Reward Program:

888-404-FWCC (3922).