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.

NOTICE - SEPTEMBER 16, 2021 ​
​Some Refuge roads, where flooding has subsided, will be re-opened to vehicles. See below. 

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​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
Board member Dr. Ginessa Mahar leading a tour at Shell Mound during the Summer Solstice Gathering 2021
Picture of Ibises bringing fish to nestlings at Cedar Key NWR. Photo by Larry Woodward.
Ibises bringing fish to nestlings at Cedar Key NWR. Photo by Larry Woodward.
Youth Conservation Corps 2021 taking a work breaking to pose at sign on Seahorse Key.
Youth Conservation Corps 2021 members taking a work breaking to pose at sign on Seahorse Key.

Got a Butterfly Life List?


​​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.

How to Connect with Us

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.

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.

All staff are working as usual.  However due to the coronavirus, the headquarters building for the Refuges remains closed to visitors.
Many Refuge roads are being reopened, but some are still too wet and will remain closed to vehicles. If the gates are closed, you are free to walk or bike in.    

The Dixie Mainline on the north side of the river is open, as is the Nature Drive/Loop Road on the river's south side.
​
Side roads off Dixie County Highway 349 are mostly open.
You can always call/text Andrew at 703.622.3896 before you come out to visit.
shore birds roosting at Seahorse Key
Seahorse Key
board walk leading to Suwannee River
River Trail
Long leaf pines along Tram Ridge Trail
Tram Ridge Trail
Suwannee river seen from end of River Trail
Suwannee River seen from the River Trail
Friends members visiting the private Vista property on a field trip during the 2020 Annual Meeting
Vista
View of Guld of Mexico from Shell Mound trail
Shell Mound
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.
Visitors sometimes ask what there is to see at the Refuges.
​Here are some amusing views of the biting insects at this time of year.