We are the Friends of the Lower Suwannee & Cedar Keys National Wildlife Refuges, a nonprofit organization.
Our mission is to support the work of the Lower Suwannee & Cedar Keys Refuges protecting wildlife and the habitat needed for the wild to thrive.
Our mission is to support the work of the Lower Suwannee & Cedar Keys Refuges protecting wildlife and the habitat needed for the wild to thrive.
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A life member of Friends donated a Bass Tracker Pro 170 with 50 HP Mercury including trailer in excellent condition to be used for fundraising. This donation will surely provide added benefits to supporting the important work of protecting the Refuges. The boat is listed on Boat Trader and can be accessed here. |
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Our Blog
Read About What We Do
Refuge Updates, Wildlife, Activities, Advocacy
Board member Dr. Ginessa Mahar leading a tour at Shell Mound during the Summer Solstice Gathering 2021
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Ibises bringing fish to nestlings at Cedar Key NWR. Photo by Larry Woodward.
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Youth Conservation Corps 2021 members
taking a work breaking to pose at sign on Seahorse Key.
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How to Connect with Us
Suwannee, the Swallow-tailed Kite is Back
Suwannee, showing off his tracker in a photo taken last year before he flew to Brazil for the winter. Photo credit to Larry Woodward.
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Researcher Gina Kent brings good news. After 5 months, Suwannee uploaded data. He is safely back on the Lower Suwannee NWR. The Avian Research and Conservation Institute had a lot of challenges with tracking this year because the GSM/cell technology is changing rapidly and the birds are not able to upload data to the new technology. But they still are able to do so on the Lower Suwannee Refuge. We thought his tracker had died, but not so. He is here. |
Spring Gallery of Featured Refuge Photos
Photo credit to Larry Woodward
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Photo credit to Ann Kamzelski
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Got a Butterfly Life List?
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Many of us have Birding or Butterfly Life Lists to document all the birds and butterflies we've seen. The Lower Suwannee National Wildlife Refuge now has its own Butterfly Life List. Here you can find pictures of every butterfly documented to have been found on the Refuge, with all the details you need to find every one of them. We even have a challenge group of butterflies that are probably there but haven't been seen yet. Click the title or photo to begin your butterfly adventure. |
Visit our Refuges
The Lower Suwannee Refuge is open daily from dawn to dusk for appropriate recreational uses including boating, hiking, fishing, biking, and birding. Visitors are required to follow the CDC guidelines for social distancing and not gathering in groups. FWS Lower Suwannee Information Brochure.
The Cedar Keys Refuge is made up of 13 small islands offshore from the city of Cedar Key. Atsena Island is open to visitors. It must be accessed by personal boat. All the other islands are closed to visitors in order to protect the resident and transient birds nesting on them. FWS Cedar Keys Information Brochure.
All staff are working as usual. However due to the coronavirus, the headquarters building for the Refuges remains closed to visitors.
The Cedar Keys Refuge is made up of 13 small islands offshore from the city of Cedar Key. Atsena Island is open to visitors. It must be accessed by personal boat. All the other islands are closed to visitors in order to protect the resident and transient birds nesting on them. FWS Cedar Keys Information Brochure.
All staff are working as usual. However due to the coronavirus, the headquarters building for the Refuges remains closed to visitors.
Seahorse Key
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River Trail
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Tram Ridge Trail
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Suwannee River seen from the River Trail
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Vista
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Shell Mound
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Vista: With a grant from the Florida Division of Historical Resources, Friends commissioned historical research and a structural assessment on the Vista property, which will eventually become part of the refuge but is still closed to the public. This almost 400 page report describes the unique location.
Shell Mound is a large shell-bearing archaeological site that was once the location of special gatherings for Native American groups across the broader region. This 10-page booklet tells the Shell Mound story.
Lower Suwannee National Wildlife Refuge official government website
Cedar Keys National Wildlife Refuge official government website
Cedar Keys National Wildlife Refuge official government website
Special Message from the Refuge Manager
Entry to/on the Cedar Keys NWR islands
Open areas: All of Atsena Otie Key and the sand beaches of the other islands.
Closed areas: All interior and/or vegetated areas of North Key, Snake Key, Deadmans Key, Live Oak Key, Scale Key, Cedar Point, and Seahorse Key.
Waters around Snake Key (~100m) are closed to all entry March through June.
Should the birds nest again on Seahorse, then we would need to close some waters there again. Entry to the closed areas is by permit only.
Closed areas: All interior and/or vegetated areas of North Key, Snake Key, Deadmans Key, Live Oak Key, Scale Key, Cedar Point, and Seahorse Key.
Waters around Snake Key (~100m) are closed to all entry March through June.
Should the birds nest again on Seahorse, then we would need to close some waters there again. Entry to the closed areas is by permit only.
Friends of the Lower Suwannee & Cedar Keys National Wildlife Refuges
P. O. Box 532 Cedar Key, FL 32625 friends@friendsofrefuges.org We are a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. |
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