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Many of the presentations at the Cedar Key Public Library are on topics of interest to Friends of the Lower Suwannee & Cedar Keys National Wildlife Refuges. Below is a list of those scheduled as of January 6, 2020.
Note the talks on Manatees on Jan. 9, Bats on Jan. 23, Brazilian Pepper control on Jan. 25, and GOMMAPS on Jan. 27. All are Refuge-related topics. The GOMMAPS presentation is sponsored by the Cedar Keys Audubon Chapter and presented by Jeff Gleason who is headquartered at the Refuge. During the upcoming, busy visitor months, we would like to have two shifts of volunteers at the Refuge headquarters Welcome Desk each day . . . from 10 to 1 and from 1 to 4. Could you help? The January calendar is below, updated as of 1/8/2020. Contact Bill Dummitt at [email protected] 
Vista is a 14-acre area remaining of the land where Cummer Industries had its headquarters, a sawmill, and an executive retreat. It is located near Refuge headquarters. Friends life members Sandra Smith and Linda Roe Alexander donated the property to the Refuge in 2011, with a life tenancy agreement. The property includes several iconic structures that the consultants are now evaluating for restoration potential and, possibly, for eventual public access. The history of the Lower Suwannee Refuge is integrally linked with the timber industry of our region. The Refuge was established in the late 1970s to protect the wild plants and animals that depend on the healthy habitat of the Suwannee watershed. Much of the land that is now the Refuge had previously been lumbered. With funding from a grant from the Florida Division of Historical Resources, Friends hired the architectural firm Bender and Associates to conduct historical research and perform a structural assessment on the Vista property. The consultant's historian has toured the residence, has been locating and reviewing pertinent materials, and has been meeting with people who have inside knowledge of the property. In January, Friends received its first report from the consultants, including the historical data and measured drawings of the site and buildings.
The family is making the Vista property available for Friends members to visit during the afternoon of the Annual Meeting on Saturday, February 29. |
Friends of the Lower Suwannee & Cedar Keys National Wildlife Refuges
P. O. Box 532 Cedar Key, FL 32625 [email protected] We are a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. |
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