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JANUARY 2026

Photos by Lisa D. Mickey

Photos by Dr. Linda Walters

Hot Topics Under Investigation by CEELAB Members

By Dr. Linda Walters

Pegasus Professor of Biology, University of Central Florida

As 2025 ends and a new year begins, I wanted to share some of the conservation research and restoration that was started, finished, or carried on during 2025 by members of CEELAB (Coastal and Estuarine Ecology Lab) at the University of Central Florida. Over the past year, there have been 6 graduate students and over 50 undergraduates directly involved in research in Mosquito Lagoon. Of these undergraduates, 30 were enrolled in high-impact classes that focus on research experiences rather than just book-learning. All of these individuals are now poised to become experts in field-based research, data analysis, and give professional presentations focused on bettering our understanding of the challenges and resilience of Mosquito Lagoon and organisms that call it home.

Here, I briefly share some of the topics under investigation by CEELAB members and thank all of our partners and the community for supporting these graduate students working tirelessly both in the cold of winter and the heat of summer.

ACTIVITIES AT THE SEASHORE

January 2026

APOLLO BEACH VISITORS CENTER HOURS

Open Daily * 9 am - 5 pm

For a full list of activities offered this month, click on the buttons below.

Photo credit: Clearwater Marine Aquarium Research Institute, taken under NOAA permit #26919.

Funded by the United States Army Corps of Engineers.

Right Whales To Be Discussed in MDC’s January Lecture

Julie Albert, director of the Blue World Research Institute’s Right Whale Sighting Network, will kick off the 2026 Discovery Lecture Series with her presentation, “Right Whale Threats: Past, Present and Future Solutions” at Marine Discovery Center.

Albert, along with Blue World Research Institute volunteer assistant Joel Cohen, will discuss the current status of the critically endangered North Atlantic Right Whales on Thursday, January 8, at 6 p.m.

Sightings of these whales are already occurring around coastal Central Florida. Albert trains and leads coastal volunteers to identify and report sightings of the whales, which migrate from Canada and New England to Georgia and Florida each winter to deliver their calves. Fewer than 400 North Atlantic Right Whales currently exist.

The presentation at MDC is designed to encourage individuals to engage in a volunteer contact system that alerts officials whenever the whales are present. Officials rely on volunteer observers in a coordinated effort to help alert commercial shipping and fishing vessels when the whales are spotted.

Albert earned a marine biology degree at Texas A&M in Galveston, Texas, volunteering for the Texas Marine Mammal Stranding Network and working in cephalopod aquaculture -- raising king penguins -- before moving to Florida in 1999 to work as the Marine Resources Council’s Right Whale Program Coordinator. That program moved to Blue World Research Institute in 2023.

Cohen assists Albert with documenting right whale sightings and conducts educational presentations and volunteer training sessions. He provides technical backup with still and video cameras, drone support in monitoring right whales and social media support for the program. A Florida Master Naturalist, Cohen also volunteers with sea turtle and bird conservation groups.

MDC’s Discovery Lecture Series is free, but donations to the center are always appreciated. Pre-registration is requested.

Marine Discovery Center is located off the North Causeway at 520 Barracuda Blvd., in New Smyrna Beach.

For more information about the lecture, contact the Marine Discovery Center at 386-428-4828.

Ranger Michell Woulard and Terry Bledsoe get ready for the Christmas parade.

By Terry Bledsoe

It all started one day when I was overworked and stressed out: I discovered Canaveral National Seashore at sunrise. The sun blossomed living color over the silver quiet morning ocean while the dunes supplied proof of life…mice, raccoons, shorebirds and crabs left their mark of who was the hunted and who the hunter. Fresh breezes, warming sunshine, the form fitting feel of wet sand on my feet – I was refreshed and grounded in nature, recreated. As I walked, I became one with this place, a visitor seeking refuge and given so much more. I was not alone; I was one with the sea, sand, living creatures and ancient spirits of those who lived here throughout the centuries. During my career, Canaveral National Seashore became my sanctuary, my happy place, and a secret that I shared with family and friends. When I retired, I signed up to be a Volunteer-in-Park, to give back to the special place that is the national seashore.  

We Collaborate with Florida’s Sea Turtle Conservation Program 

Members of Friends of Canaveral help monitor nesting sea turtles in Canaveral National Seashore between the months of April through early November. At least four different species of sea turtles nest on the 24 miles of beaches in the national park’s boundaries. Recording nest data, monitoring nests for predators and documenting incubation time requires volunteer assistance alongside park rangers. Sea turtle nesting data has been collected in Canaveral National Seashore since 1984, so volunteers help continue important conservation efforts in the park.

Friends of Canaveral support the National Park Service, and now, more than ever, your membership is vital in helping our mission to preserve, protect, and interpret the 57,000 acres of pristine shoreline, dunes, and wilderness that comprise Canaveral National Seashore.

Please renew your membership and purchase one for a friend this year. Protect what you love!

BENEFITS OF MEMBERSHIP

• Membership card that entitles you to 15% discount at the CANA gift shop
• Subscription to the monthly e-Newsletter
• Invitation to our annual meeting
• Volunteer opportunities
• Gifts included with all membership levels