Dusty and Kathy Dusterwinkle have been seasonal Camper Volunteers, on the Lower Suwannee NWR for years. Recently, they have been working with Refuge staff member Jason Coates to repair some of the Idalia caused damage at the Tall Pine Trail in Dixie County. This gem of a trail skirts two serene ponds and ends with a sweeping view over the salt marsh looking toward Shired Island. Jason, using the Refuge skid steer and other equipment, was able to shred many of the encroaching palmettos, the fallen trees, and other storm debris and push them off the main trail. Dusty and Kathy then cleared the rest by hand!
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UF's Nature Coast Biological Station and the Refuge hosted about 120 people on a picture perfect day on 20 March. No small children or lap dogs were lost to dragons, snakes, Swamp Apes or other mythical or real creatures. The Seahorse Key Dune sand monster also stayed hidden as in nearly all past open houses. All participants behaved nicely and were rewarded with gold stars... The next Open House is July 3rd. Barbara Woodmansee has been surveying the butterflies of the Lower Suwannee National Wildlife Refuge for more than a decade. Recently she was awarded a small grant to support the volunteer work and to help document the surveys so they can become part of the management database for the Refuges. The spectacular photos below are included in the Survey Report. Enjoy!
Near perfect weather in Cedar Key brought out the crowds for this year's Arts Festival, and we were able to share Friends' Refuge information with many, many festival attendees.
We sold a variety of shirts and a selection of other merchandise. More importantly we had many discussions with interested folks regarding activities available on the Refuges. The Friends' Refuge Rover was a hit again, bringing lots of attention to our messages about the Refuges. |
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April 2024
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