The solstice brought a big storm to Cedar Key and the Lower Suwannee. It did not keep about 25 Friends members and friends from their Winter Solstice gathering.  The temperatures weren't bad . . . about 55 degrees. The wind, on the other hand, was about 30mph and pretty hard to deal with on the fishing pier as we watched for the sun to set over the end of the parabolic dune and into the underworld.

The group walked the Shell Mound Trail, avoiding the plaza area which was under water from the storm. The new interpretive panels were in place, except for the last one on the fishing pier. After the walk, as the clouds rolled in, folks gathered in the only wind-sheltered spot . . . the entrance to the outhouse . . . for hot tea and cookies before going out on the windy pier and hoping, unsuccessfully, for the clouds to part.

Next year will be even better.

See more photos of the event by Libby Cagle and by Roger McDaniels on the Friends Facebook page.

The Refuge staff work regularly with other wildlife and naturalist professionals to maximize the impact of all agencies' smaller staffs and lesser resources. Annually, Friends of the Lower Suwannee and Cedar Keys Refuges supports a get together to celebrate this crucial professional cooperation. Friday, Dec 7. was the day. Thanks to Bob Lewis for the photos.

Every Thursday at 9 a.m. a group of Friends volunteers will work on the Refuges and in the area to control Brazilian Pepper plants. Last Thursday was the first work day. Seven volunteers and Vic Doig, their Refuge coordinator met at the West entrance to the Lukens Tract. The morning started out in the low 40's but the sun was out so things warmed up nicely for work out in the bush. The tide was also way out this morning. The crew could almost walk out to the surrounding islands.

Volunteers are needed every week. Call Roger at 352-543-5232 for information.

The new interpretive panels are in place on the Shell Mound trail. In celebration, the Friends will have a Winter Solstice Gathering on Friday December 21. All are welcome. At 4 p.m., we will meet at the parking area near the fishing pier. We will walk the trail, then go to the fishing pier to watch the sunset.

Last year, it was a cold and foggy Winter Solstice at Shell Mound. It was, nevertheless, rather mystical being there. We will hope for better weather this year, and even if we don't get it, we will celebrate the place, its heritage, and the joy of having a Refuge to protect it for us  and for the future.

The weather was perfect (as it usually is this time of year) when eight Friends members and one newcomer to the area did a major “clean, trim and repair” of the River Trail at the Refuge.

What a team!! All was accomplished in 3 hours and in parting, “Happy Thanksgiving” was common refrain along with comments that it was an enjoyable way to contribute to the Refuge. We were thankful for the chance. Come and share the beauty!

Thanks to Board member Ed DeHaan for the photos.

Vic Doig, Refuge fire specialist, is a member of the steering committee organizing this event. Should be fun. Mark you calendars!

Friends Board member Libby Cagle took these photos on the Nature Drive on the Levy county side of the river.

The Lower Suwannee & Cedar Keys Refuges will soon lose our only law enforcement officer, with little hope of getting a replacement. The whole National Wildlife Refuge System will lose one-fifth of its law enforcement officers at the end of the year.

The US Fish and Wildlife Service announced on September 21 that all “dual-function” law enforcement officers will be stripped of their badges. Our own Deputy Manager Larry Woodward is a dual-function officer, which means he has law enforcement authority as well as being a manager. Kenny McCain started as dual-function and then became full-time law enforcement. They are the models of dual-function officers.

As Friends of the Refuges, we are very concerned about being without a law enforcement officer. We are equally concerned that, without dual-function officers like Larry, the culture of enforcement on remote, rural refuges like ours will change. The change will move the Refuge and its community away from shared concern for the natural resources that drive our economy and way of life. This change in law enforcement structure is bad for the Refuges, our communities, and all the people who spend time on these public lands

Read more here and here.

It would be useful to voice your concerns and suggestions about Refuge law enforcement with those in the chain of responsibility for safety on these public lands. In addition to your federal representatives, you can let Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, Fish and Wildlife Service Director Jim Kurth,  Chief of the National Wildlife Refuge System Cynthia Martinez, and Regional Chief of the National Wildlife Refuge System David Viker know your thoughts. You may remember meeting David Viker and his family when they came to Friends 2016 Annual Meeting. David grew up in Bronson. His first experience on a refuge was as a volunteer at the Lower Suwannee. 

UPDATE: Two members who wrote to Secretary Zinke at the email address we provide report that it bounced. We are looking for one that does not and will update again soon.

As of October 8, we have three days not covered--

• Wednesday, October 10
• Tuesday, October 23
• Wednesday, October 31

If you could volunteer one of those days, email friends@friendsofrefuges.org

 Sam Shine, retired CEO of Samtec, has given the people of the Big Bend region an amazing gift --- 6,200 acres of pine land property that abuts St Mark's National Wildlife Refuge on its north side. All the water that flows across St Mark's comes through this property. The land has a market value of about $9 million, but to those of us who cherish the Big Bend as it is, this land is priceless.

Dan Frisk, our Complex Manager, said "It rarely happens that we get large tracts of land, especially land that’s already started to be restored. And, since it joins our property, we now own all the land from the gulf up to the coastal highway. So that’s pretty cool."

You can read more about it in this press release:
https://www.fws.gov/southeast/articles/a-shining-example/

Clint Wynns' wildlife murals on the bridges along the Dixie Mainline were defaced last weekend.  The Friends submitted an article to the Dixie County Advocate in an effort to catch the vandal(s).