Take advantage of a rare opportunity to own a piece of history. Friends grant from the Florida Division of Historic Resources, supporting the effort to make the Cook's House at Vista weather tight is now on the fast track.

Work on stabilizing the foundation may begin as early as Saturday, June 1st. Once the foundation work is complete, contractors will be replacing the roof. The current roof is covered with spectacular resurrection fern.

While it is not possible to save the Cook's House fern roof, it will be carefully removed in sections with shingles attached. The sections will vary in size depending upon the removal process. Uses for them are limited only by the talents and ideas of creative minds - roofs on bird houses or sheds, plant dish gardens, and craft projects. ​

Our grant from the Florida Division of Historic Resources, supporting the effort to make the Cook's House weather tight, is entering a new phase. Led by Friends' former president Debbie Meeks, work to restore the windows is almost complete. Over the next few months the building's foundation will be stabilized, the roof will be replaced, and walls will be weatherized. After that, Friends will probably be seeking volunteers to paint and do other finish work on the building, inside and out.

The Vista Master Plan Concept and drawings are being updated to reflect the reality that some buildings were too far gone to be saved, including a two-story garage, and that we have new ideas for landscaping, trails, the pollinator garden, and interpretive signage. Those are being added. You can review the first draft of the plan here.

Friends' former board member Bob McKinstry has a long, rich history with Vista. His father was the Land and Timber Manager for the Cummer Company which owned Vista. Bob was there many times as a boy. His family holds an extensive collection of photos from his father's era with the company and made them available for Friends to copy and curate. Board members Bill Dummitt and Debbie Meeks have recently completed scanning and digitizing this collection to preserve it for future displays onsite.

Refuge Manager Andrew Gude and Friends' board member Debbie Meeks met with Vista donors Sandra Roe Smith and Linda Roe Alexander for lunch a few weeks ago to review all that has happened since they first gave the property to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in 2011, and particularly since they ended their life tenancy of the property and turned it over to the Refuge in 2021.

Looking to the Main House, it is now clear that the foundation and the roof,  both need work soon. Friends is getting estimates for those projects and will need to find funding to support that work.

The Suwannee River has run high this spring. The Vista grounds between the river bank and the Main House have flooded, reminding us all of how beautiful this place is and how it reflects the amazing natural history of the Lower Suwannee National Wildlife Refuge of which it is a part. More photos are posted on the homepage.

April and May have kept your board members very busy. The regular April meeting was held in person, rather than by Zoom, for the first time since the January Board Retreat. The board met first at Vista to walk the grounds and buildings, review progress, and evaluate next steps. Completing the Cook's House project and addressing the need for roof and foundation repairs at the Main House both rose high on the priority list.

Secondly, a special meeting was held in Gainesville, hosted by former Board member Mark Gluckman, to discuss planning for the next phases of Friends' efforts at Vista.

A third meeting was held, this time by Zoom, to decide whether to apply for another grant from the Florida Division of Historic Restoration. The Board decided that this was not the right time to submit another application. The current grant work will continue and then volunteers can pick up the next phase.

The May meeting on Tuesday the 21st, the fourth in a month, will focus on Summer Solstice plans, Junior Ranger and Senior Ranger plans, and other typical summer activities including website and program updates. As usual, all members are welcome to join the board meetings. Email [email protected] for the Zoom link.

We're looking forward to another great Summer Solstice Celebration at Shell Mound on Saturday, June 22, 2024. Friends of Lower Suwannee & Cedar Keys will again partner with the Florida Public Archaeology Network (FPAN) and the Florida Paddling Trails Association (FPTA) to give guided archaeology walks, a guided and space-limited archaeo-kayak tour, and a seaside talk on the pier. This event is free to the public. Registration is required for the kayak tour. Register using this Eventbrite link.

Find a map of the Refuge here and of Shell Mound here.

Refer to this post for schedule changes as our plans develop.

10:00 - noon
Land talks and tours
Land-based events, held rain or shine.

Gather -- at the Shell Mound parking lot, Some may need to park at the Dennis Creek trailhead parking lot. Friends, FPAN, and FPTA will have information tables set up.
Walk -- Dr. Ginessa Mahar leads archaeology tours of Shell Mound.
Talk --Dr. Ken Sassaman speaks about early native settlers on the newly rebuilt fishing pier.

Bring your lunch to eat on the pier.

noon to 2:00pm
Paddle tour

Paddle Tour Update- as of mid-day on 6/21/24- winds are predicted to be light with a chance of thunderstorms mainly late in the day. We're on for Saturday! See you there.

Paddle-- a space-limited event
Paddle tour participants must register using this Eventbrite link. Bring you own canoe, kayak or SUP and related equipment. You must wear a PFD at all times while on the water.

Gather -- at the Shell Mound boat ramp with your boats and PFDs, which all paddlers are required to wear at all times on the water during the guided tour. FPTA board members Dorsey DeMaster and Steve Cournoyer will lead a 5 mile round-trip paddle to Richards Island along with FPAN archaeo-kayaker Nigel Rudolf.

If this tour must be cancelled for weather-related safety reasons, registered participants will be notified via Eventbrite.

To see photos and read about earlier Solstice events, visit this blog post re-capping Summer Solstice 2023.