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 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
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.
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.
Lower Suwannee 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 are by permit only.