February happenings & events at the Canaveral National Seashore

FEBRUARY 2022

Dear Friends,

To help us celebrate “Black History Month”, the National Park Service is using the theme of “Wellness” to highlight this special emphasis month this year. We are again partnering with the powerful civil rights site, Harry T & Harriett V Moore Cultural Center in Mims, Florida, on February 5^th, 11:00 to 1:00. Dr. Tyreese R McAllister will speak on how to overcome through resilience. There will be health screenings, food trucks, and other family activities.

Please still take this time to follow CDC (Center for Disease Control) guidelines when visiting your National Parks and all other sites for your own safety and that of the staff.

And we invite you to join our social media network with the Friends of Canaveral Facebook and the official NPS Canaveral National Seashore Facebook and our Instagram @canaveralnatlseashore. We are always posting great photos and videos, and if you can’t make it to the seashore every day, this is the next best thing!

Thanks as always to the Friends of Canaveral for all they do.

Stay safe & see you at the beach!

Laura Henning

FEBRUARY ACTIVITIES AT THE SEASHORE

From canoeing the Mosquito Lagoon to Plant Walks check out what activities you may be interested in! Don't miss our "Brown Bag Lunch" on Monday, Feb. 21 with the Conservation Science Coordinator at Marine Discovery Center, Tes Sailor-Tynes, who will focus on the conservation of the Indian River Lagoon. Click on the link below:

APOLLO DISTRICT FEBRUARY 2022 ACTIVITIES

The Life of Plants in the Park Program

Plants of Canaveral National Seashore

By Sonya Guidry

Way back…in 2015, some new Volunteer-In-Park plant lovers started a mission to document as many plants as possible in Canaveral National Seashore. This group was headed by Dr. Wayne Sherman (Ret. Professor from the University of Florida) and Mickey Haag (Landscape planner and noted botanist); I was to join this group and add my assistance as an amateur botanist and loyal member of Florida Native Plant Society/PawPaw Chapter. The idea emerged to conduct educational plant walks for visitors, as we noted more interest in our field trips. We began presenting our programs to the winter visitors on the Eldora Trail and have now expanded to other areas of the seashore.

Dr. Sherman led us through many areas in the park to establish a photo file of all the plants (preferably in bloom or fruit) we could identify and photograph within the Apollo district of Canaveral National Seashore.

The Plants of the Park programs attracted the attention of Dr. J Cho and Dr. Don Spence of Bethune-Cookman University; both had botanized in the seashore before. They envisioned publishing a Plants of the Canaveral National Seashore book. The plant walk team grew to include other Native Plant Society members, Warren Reynolds and Dorothy Backes (an artist whose representation of a hammock graced the cover at the request of Dr. Cho).

With the prospect of publishing a book, the team expanded to include park employees Eric Heribacka and Ray Jarrett of Florida Dept. of Agriculture. Dr. Spence spent many hours writing and preparing the edited format for the book "Plants of Canaveral National Seashore." The Friends of Canaveral took on the task of getting the book printed and for sale in their online store and the Apollo Visitor Center.

The first printing of the book also included the donation of many books to educational institutions and libraries of environmental partners. The Friends of Canaveral have just had their second printing of the book, so there are over 400 of these books in circulation now.

The Plants of the Park walks rotate through four trail sites:

Turtle Mound
Eldora House Trail
Eldora Rd (parking lot #9) Hammock Loop trail.
Castle Windy Trail

Thanks to Ed Carlson for scheduling programs and Florida Master Naturalist helpers Warren Reynolds, Marcia Hafner, and Mike Hafner.

Please join us on Wednesdays at 10:00 am for a look at botany in Canaveral National Seashore. We can't wait to meet you.

If you are interested in purchasing this book it can be found on the Friends of Canaveral website at www.friendsofcanaveral.com or just click the button below.

Our Bookstore

DID YOU KNOW?

About the North Atlantic Right Whale

PROTECTED STATUS - The North Atlantic Right Whale is one of the world's most endangered large whale species. The latest statistics suggest that there are fewer than 350 remaining with fewer than 100 breeding females.

By the early 1890s, commercial whalers had hunted right whales in the Atlantic to the brink of extinction. Now the greatest danger is from man.

These whales primarily occur in Atlantic coastal waters on the continental shelf. Each fall, some Right Whales migrate more than 1,000 miles to the coastal waters of their calving grounds off of South Carolina, Georgia, and Northeastern Florida.

THREATS:

Climate Change - Over the past decade, these whales have changed their distribution patterns, probably in response to changes in prey location and availability due to warming oceans. A dip in births and calving intervals indicates that the females are struggling to find sufficient food to support pregnancy.
Vessel Strikes - Their migration journey often puts them in shipping lanes, making them vulnerable to collisions with vessels. These strikes can lead to massive internal injuries and death
Entanglements - Entanglement in fishing gear is one of the greatest threats. NOAA Fisheries estimated that over 85 percent of right whales have been entangled in fishing gear at least once. Entanglement can cause cuts, infections, and stress leading to death.
Ocean Noise - ocean noise from human activities such as shipping, boating, construction, and energy exploration has increased in the NW Atlantic. This noise can interrupt their normal behavior and interfere with their communication, interfere with their communication, and may reduce their ability to avoid predators and human hazards.

WHAT WE CAN DO:

Report a Right Whale sighting
888-979-4253
Stay 500 yards away - 500 yards is the length of about 5 football fields. This applies to not only vessels but to drones, surfboards, kayaks, and jet skis as well.
Report a sick, injured, entangled, stranded, or dead animal. Never approach or try to save an injured or entangled animal yourself. Here is the link for reporting: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/report

BECOME A FRIEND - 2022 Membership

2022 MEMBERSHIP FORM

Friends of Canaveral consists of a small, but mighty, group of members and volunteers who participate in the tradition of private philanthropy that is designed to enhance Canaveral’s’ federal support. This 2021, we hope to accomplish even more towards our stewardship of America’s National Parks. With your support we have:

Secured grants for restoration and maintenance of historic buildings within the Park
Partnered with and provided funding for research and coastal estuarine restorations
Provided thousands of volunteer hours for endangered sea turtle conservation, shorebird and beach mouse surveys, educational outreach to surrounding communities, and numerous interpretive programs within the Park
Participated and funded annual summer camps at the Park for schools through: A day at the beach, hands on environmental education, Junior anglers, art in the park classes
Sponsored and hosted the Canaveral Seashore Plein Air Paint Out
Sponsored summer interns
Help fund the Artist in Residency – Sound Ecology program
Published the field guide to Plants of Canaveral National Seashore
Provided advocacy for current and ongoing threats to Park and adjacent lands