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This will be my last letter written as the outgoing president of Friends of Canaveral. That doesn’t mean I’m disappearing from participating on our board of directors. I will remain active. I also will remain highly involved with the production of this newsletter, which is second nature for someone like me who has worked in journalism and publishing as a career for many years.
Moving forward, this section of the monthly newsletter will feature many future voices, including Friends of Canaveral acting president Rod Rich, who has served as vice president for the last several years. We also want our members and readers to learn more about the staff at Canaveral National Seashore, so we hope to have contributions by Superintendent Carmen Thomson, chief interpretative ranger Laura Henning and others. Our feeling is, the more you know about the park and the dedicated people who operate and maintain it, the more you will want to engage with both Canaveral National Seashore and Friends of Canaveral.
Our small nonprofit also has big future plans. We are actively engaging with our neighbors from the Brevard County and Titusville southern range of Canaveral National Seashore, which spans 24 miles of natural beaches from Volusia to Brevard County. We already are meeting with our friends from Merritt Island Wildlife Refuge to establish synergy for combined efforts – all with a focus on the beautiful natural resources we share.
And we are looking for new ways to help our park enhance its presence in surrounding gateway communities, such as New Smyrna Beach, Edgewater, Oak Hill and Titusville. We believe that not only does a higher profile in a community attract visitors to Canaveral National Seashore, but the park itself, can enhance and benefit the businesses outside of its gates. It’s a win-win for everybody.
We also are sending a representative from Friends of Canaveral to attend this year’s National Park Friends Alliance Fall Conference in Colorado. This will give us an opportunity to learn new ideas and best practices from other National Park Friends groups around the nation. Some of these groups are giant Yellowstone National Park level, while others are small, like us, focused on how we can best serve our smaller park in the communities where we live.
I’ve learned a lot working with this board over the years. And I can’t wait to see the new ideas and energy we can generate as we bring onboard new Friends of Canaveral board members, volunteers and members. We hope you, too, will want to get involved. If you really, really love your national park, roll up your sleeves and join us! You will see Canaveral National Seashore in a way you have never seen it before and you will find yourself thinking about ways to make it better.
Of course, one thing that will never change is where I go when I want a quiet, peaceful place to get away from busyness, deadlines and robocalls. My phone goes on SILENT when I enter the gates of Canaveral National Seashore and a big smile comes across my face as I cruise past grazing gopher tortoises, tippling armadillos and the occasional flashing streak of a bobcat plunging deep into the palmettos.
This is why we love national parks. This is where we can find a gentle nudge to disconnect. And this is a place of peace and natural wonder that must be protected by those who care enough to invest in its future.
Lisa D. Mickey
Past President, Friends of Canaveral
Lisa D. Mickey is a Florida Master Naturalist / Florida Land Steward
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