MARCH 2026 Newsletter

MARCH 2026

Volunteers at the VIP Luncheon

Superintendent Carmen Thomson speaks with the volunteers

A LETTER FROM OUR PRESIDENT

Volunteers are the heartbeat of many organizations, especially nonprofits, state and national parks, nature centers, museums and galleries. Volunteers allow organizations to expand their reach beyond paid employees while giving capable and willing individuals an opportunity to contribute to the objectives of the organization on their own schedules.

Each year, some 70 volunteers fill the tables for Canaveral National Seashore’s Volunteers in Parks Picnic. They bring dishes of their own to go with the main course provided by Friends of Canaveral and served by their supervising national park staff. It’s a day for them to gather when there is not work to be done. And it’s a day for the park to say thank you.

As park staff acknowledged the massive number of hours contributed by so many individuals at this annual event, the volunteers patted each other on the back, clapped for their friends and saluted the efforts made in a place they all love. For a few hours, the heat, the cold, the bug bites, the tidal surge, the rocket-launch scrubs, the skin-ripping work of the “Tuesday Crew” clearing the rough-camping sites or repairing picnic tables all were forgotten. The celebration was real.

Tracy Dunkel was named Volunteer of the Year for contributing 341 hours of her time (see full story below). And folks such as Paul Bodnar (229.5 hours) in his first year of volunteering, along with Laurie Knowlton (227 hours), Friends of Canaveral Vice President Rod Rich (221 hours) and Jayne Gross (220 hours) led the count with most volunteer hours in 2025.

Think about that. Two hundred plus hours of giving time, energy, enthusiasm and interest to engage others to better understand the beauty and mission of Canaveral National Seashore.

And for most of these folks, there was something that first sparked their own interest to get involved. For some, it was a love of history; for others, it was a love of nature, or a sea turtle, or even the intrigue of volunteering in a national park.

Volunteers are special people who don’t give to receive. They give because there is an opportunity to apply their own knowledge, curiosity or skillset and share it with others. They reach out to others because it’s what they feel in their own hearts and believe enhances quality of life in our part of the world.

They are passionate. They don’t watch the clock. They don’t mind getting dirty or sweaty. They get the job done. And then, in their next volunteer rotation, they ask what more can they do?

On behalf of Friends of Canaveral, thank you to every volunteer in our park. And yes, it is our park – one you make better every day with every smile, every welcoming word and every helping hand.

Lisa D. Mickey

President, Friends of Canaveral

Lisa D. Mickey is a Florida Master Naturalist / Florida Land Steward

Thanking Jane Peirson for Service on Friends’ Board

Friends of Canaveral would like to thank Jane Peirson for her many years and contributions as a member of the Friends of Canaveral Board. Jane began serving on the board more than a decade ago when Friends of Canaveral first launched its involvement with the New Smyrna Beach Plein Air Paint Out. She has remained highly involved over the years recruiting volunteers to help with the Friends’ group projects, as well as encouraging local merchants to support the nonprofit’s various park-related initiatives.

Jane’s feisty determination to get things done and her unabashed love of cookies will always be treasured. And with more time to spend on pickleball, we hope this tenacious nonagenarian wins all of her matches and is not a stranger at future Friends of Canaveral events.

Volunteer Opportunities Available with Friends of Canaveral

Friends of Canaveral is always looking for volunteers to help with our various initiatives, ranging from community events, public outreach at the local farmer’s market and a variety of activities in Canaveral National Seashore.

Our next important date in March is at Oak Hill Community Garden. This “Lunch & Learn” event will be held on March 28, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., at 126 Flamingo Road in Oak Hill. It is free and open to the public.

This community outreach event will share information with representation by various organizations, such as Blue Crab Farm of Oak Hill, a local Audubon Society chapter, Tomoka Recycling, Marine Discovery Center, Friends of Canaveral and others.

Bring a picnic lunch or purchase food from a neighborhood vendor.

To volunteer with Friends of Canaveral, contact friendsofcanaveral.members@gmail.com. To volunteer in the national park, contact Ashley_Lord@nps.gov.

Friends of Canaveral Annual Members’

Meeting Set for April 29

Friends of Canaveral will hold its annual members’ meeting on Wednesday, April 29, at The Hub, located at 132 Canal Street in New Smyrna Beach. The meeting will be held from 5:30-7:30 p.m., in the main gallery.

There will be an election of the Friends of Canaveral’s board of directors for 2026, followed by a special presentation by guest speaker Annie Morgan Roddenberry, a biological scientist from Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC). Roddenberry will discuss “Protecting and Restoring Aquatic Resources in Canaveral National Seashore.”

All Friends of Canaveral members are encouraged to attend. The annual meeting is open to the public and guests will have an opportunity to learn about Friends of Canaveral membership.

Public Lands Alliance members in front of Eldora House.

Photo credit: Lisa D. Mickey

Public Lands Alliance Members Visit Canaveral National Seashore

Public Lands Alliance members visited Canaveral National Seashore and met Friends of Canaveral board members during its recent annual convention and trade show, held Feb. 22-26, in Daytona Beach.

One of the field trips offered during the convention brought members to visit Turtle Mound, the Apollo District’s Visitor Center and Eldora House within the park. Members learned about Canaveral National Seashore programs and had an opportunity to tour park grounds during their visit.

The Public Lands Alliance is a national organization dedicated to the protection and enjoyment of America’s public lands. Members serve over 675 public lands sites nationwide in cooperation with their land management agency partners, and raise $250 million annually to support those lands.

CONSERVATION CORNER

Megan Gannon

Estuarine Restoration: From Reproductive Biology to Applied Ecology of Ruppia maritima

By Megan Gannon and Hyun J. Cho, Ph.D.

Bethune-Cookman University

Seagrass meadows are disappearing at an alarming rate. Scientists estimate that nearly 30 percent of the world’s seagrass coverage has been lost since the late 1800s. The Indian River Lagoon has lost more than half of its seagrass coverage since 2011, raising concerns about the future of one of Florida’s most important estuaries.

While many seagrass restoration projects are underway, achieving long-term recovery has proven challenging. Traditional approaches typically involve transplanting mature plants and anchoring them with slow-to-biodegrade materials. This method can be expensive, time-consuming and often fails within the first year.

Ruppia maritima (widgeon grass) growing in a tank for restoration.

ACTIVITIES AT THE SEASHORE

March 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.

APOLLO PROGRAMS

PLAYALINDA PROGRAMS

... AND BEYOND

Learn About Local Bird Hospital at MDC's March Lecture

Have you ever wondered what happens after you take a sick or wounded wild bird to the Marine Science Center’s Bird Hospital in Ponce Inlet? What kind of care is provided there to birds and what happens before these birds are released back into nature?

Learn the answers to those questions on Thursday, March 5, at the Marine Discovery Center’s March Discovery Lecture Series. Katie Hellman, manager of bird rehabilitation at Volusia County’s Marine Science Center, will deliver the presentation, “An Inside Look at Bird Rehabilitation at Marine Science Center.” The presentation will begin at 6 p.m.

Hellman has worked at the Marine Science Center’s bird hospital for about 1½ years. She has a bachelor’s degree in marine biology and is a certified veterinary technician.

She began working at Palm Beach Zoo right out of college and entered veterinary tech school, later working in small animal clinics, emergency clinics and in education for Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

After graduating from veterinary tech school, she worked for three years at SeaWorld Orlando as a vet tech before taking her current role at the Marine Science Center.

The Marine Science Center’s Bird Hospital treats around 1,000 birds each year. The Volusia County-supported hospital treats any native birds, including wading birds, shorebirds, oceanic birds, songbirds and raptors.

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.

March Lagoon Lecture Series:

Aquatic Habitat Conservation and Restoration

Savanna Mathis of Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) will be the guest speaker for Riverside Conservancy’s Lagoon Lecture series on Thursday, March 19. The presentation will be held at 1 p.m., at the Edgewater Public Library.

FWC’s Outreach Specialist, Mathis will present on “Aquatic Habitat Conservation and Restoration in Florida. She will discuss projects being undertaken in the local area, as well as the objectives of those projects and types of techniques used for the work.

Mathis is the outreach biologist in FWC’s Aquatic Habitat Conservation and Restoration division of Habitat and Species Conservation. Her position entails a mix of public outreach, habitat monitoring, drone work and prescribed burning.

The Florida native earned a degree in coastal environmental science at Flagler College and worked for the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) for five years in both education and stewardship before moving to FWC in her current role. It was also at the FDEP that she became a drone pilot to create habitat maps.

The library is located at 103 West Indian River Road, Edgewater. Admission is free and open to the public.

VOLUNTEER VOICES

Tracy Dunkel

Tracy Dunkel Honored as Canaveral’s

Volunteer of the Year

Tracy Dunkel of Scottsmoor was honored on Feb. 28, at the Volunteers in Parks Picnic as Canaveral National Seashore’s Volunteer of the Year. The native of Hershey, Pa., logged 341 volunteer hours in 2025, participating in a variety of roles at the National Seashore. Get to know Tracy and what she does in the park:

Where do you volunteer?

I volunteer in all districts. I help with Turtle Watch in both the Apollo and Playalinda districts, work at the desk at Seminole Rest and volunteer with beach cleanups and at rocket launches, as well as out-of-district things.

PROTECT WHAT YOU LOVE