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OCTOBER 2023

Park hours update -

Canaveral National Seashore operating hours are changing to the winter hours of 6:00 AM to 6:00 PM, beginning Saturday, October 14th.

Areas Closed Temporarily in Playalinda District

Alert 2, Severity closure, Playalinda Beach lots 9 - 13 are closed Monday through Thursday, until mid-October, for sand relocation from roadway.

Areas Closed Temporarily in Apollo District

Alert 1, Severity closure, Areas Closed Temporarily in Apollo District

*Apollo Beach boardwalk 1B is temporarily closed for beach access. *Apollo Beach parking area 6 on the lagoon side is closed due to erosion from hurricane damage.

Dear Friends,

Ahh…fall is in the air! Only 85 degrees at 6:00 in the evening instead of 98, right? While the smell of pumpkin spice may be in the air we are still sweating, hitting the beach and holding on to our sandbags. 

But we know that the summer is ending because the sea turtle nesting has slowed to a trickle but not without giving us the most record-breaking record year of them all, closing in on 17,000 nests. This is number that would not have even been imagined back in the 1980’s when our sea turtle conservation program began. HIP, HIP, HOORAY for endangered species protection, conservation, and most of all education.

Thank you to all the Friends and Volunteers-In-Parks for all you do. We couldn’t do it without you!

See you at the beach!

Laura Henning 

On September 23^rd, Canaveral National Seashore hosted a highly successful International Coastal Cleanup event. An impressive turnout of 87 participants collected hundreds of pounds of trash to preserve the park for future generations. Volunteers combed the park's trails, beaches, lagoon shorelines, and campgrounds to collect and properly dispose of debris. UCF participants ventured out by boat to retrieve trash from the waters and islands within the lagoon. 

Undergraduate students from the University of Central Florida's Service-Learning Marine Conservation and Restoration class taught by Dr. Linda Walters and the Indian River Lagoon National Estuary Program (Jessy Wayles) partnered with Canaveral National Seashore to assist with advertising, logistics, and t-shirt distribution, and to engage volunteers with a deeper understanding of biodiversity and issues facing Canaveral National Seashore, with a focus on microplastics.

This event was a very successful collaboration between multiple agencies, and the UCF students had the opportunity to see all aspects of running a community-based event. As always, Friends of Canaveral was an essential partner by contributing giveaways and funds to provide snacks for all participants. Bananas and apples pre-clean-up plus Gatorade, gummy bears, and chips post-cleaning made for a perfect morning of improving Canaveral National Seashore.

“PADDLE BOARD MOSQUITO LAGOON” – Friday, October 13 th – 8:00 AM to 10:00

AM - Join a guide as you explore this rich and diverse estuary up close. Some

experience is preferred. Participants must be at least 8 years old and able to swim.

Bring water, water shoes, sunscreen, and a hat. Dress to get wet. You must bring your

own paddleboard. There is no charge for this program. Call (321) 403-9334 to PLEASE RSVP.

Meet at the canoe launch at 7:45 a.m. We will leave promptly at 8:00 a.m. (210 River

Rd. Oak Hill, FL 32579).

The ACA Soundscape Field Station, a partnership between Atlantic Center for the Arts and Canaveral National Seashore, announces sound artists, Gordon Hempton and Perri Lynch Howard as its 2024 artists-in-residence.

From February 10 – March 16, 2024, Hempton and Howard will work at the Doris Leeper House at Canaveral National Seashore, a house that was recently added to the National Register of Historic Places. Gordon Hempton is an Emmy award-winning field recordist most famous for his project “One Square Inch,” an area of silence located within the Hoh Rainforest of Olympic National Park. He created the non-profit Quiet Parks International (QPI), which advocates saving quiet for the benefit of all life. Working together with Perri Lynch Howard and other collaborators, QPI promotes “a world that offers quiet within and without. A world where everyone has daily access to quiet and opportunities to listen to the sounds of nature. A world where the experience of quiet nature is directly linked to inner quiet, peace, and joy of being. When we save quiet, we save everything else.” During the artist’s time in residence, they will lead public outreach events, such as Howard’s “Sound & Story” workshop, which investigates the sense of place and how we can each attune our listening perception. (Read More)

“This exciting endeavor promises to strengthen the connection between science and art.” - Laura Henning, Chief of Interpretation at Canaveral National Seashore

2023 Sea Turtle Nest Counts

 • Loggerhead (Caretta caretta):

Apollo ( 2579 ) .......... Playalinda ( 3095 )

• Green Turtle (Chelonia mydas):

Apollo ( 4522 ) .......... Playalinda ( 6568 )

• Leatherback (Dermochelys coriacea):

Apollo ( 10 ) .......... Playalinda ( 18 )

• Kemps Ridley (Lepidochelys kempii): 

Apollo ( 0 ) .......... Playalinda ( 1 )

Total Sea Turtle Nest Count: 16793

2023 Wilson's Plover Nest Counts:  

Apollo ( 22 )..........Playalinda ( 15 )

Total nests: 37

#1 - VAQUITA - There are a mere 10 individuals remaining in the wild.

#2 - NORTH ATLANTIC RIGHT WHALES - The latest estimate suggests there are fewer than 350 remaining.

#3 - Yangtze Finless Porpoise - The Yangtze finless porpoise is considered critically endangered and it is estimated that only about 1,000 remain.

#4 - The Hawaiian monk seal population has only about 1,500 individuals, making it the most endangered seal or sea lion species in the United States. 

#5 - HAWKSBILL - Approximately 8,000 turtles in total with only 1,000 females nesting annually. KEMP'S RIDLEY - Making a steady comeback they have gone from a low of only 200 nesting individuals to an estimated 7-9,000 today.

# 6 - GIANT MANTA RAY - Though information on the global distribution of giant manta rays is lacking, regional population sizes are estimated to range from around 100 to 1,500 individuals. 

#7 - WHALE SHARK - There are estimated to be between 128, and 200,000 left, but the population can only be estimated.

#8 - NORTHERN FUR SEAL - The current population of northern fur seals is estimated at 1.1 million globally, but is declining.

#9 - SOUTHERN BLUEFIN TUNA - Listed as "critically endangered." If its population continues to decline, the species faces the possibility of extinction.

#10 - DUGONG - About 100,000 dugongs remain worldwide.

#11 CORAL REEFS - An urgent rescue operation is underway to save Florida coral species from extinction as a mass bleaching event and die-off from unprecedented water temperatures spreads across reefs in the Florida Keys.

Multiple reefs around the Florida Keys are now completely bleached or dead in a grim escalation that took place in as little as two weeks, coral experts said.