Suwannee Community Center, 23465 SE Hwy 349 (opposite the Salt Creek Restaurant)
Wednesday, October 18 at 8:30 am 

As we know, the number of staff members at our Refuges has been cut over the past several years. One unfortunate result is that visitors to the headquarters compound often have less personal interaction with the people who know the Refuges well and can share information about their history, where interesting sites can be found, the fishing and hunting opportunities, or the best wildlife viewing spots.

Over the same few years, Friends has developed many walking and paddling trails, making information about them available in print and online for free. But a brochure never quite does what a conversation could do.

So, we are considering the establishment of a Friends Visitor Contact Program. If there are Friends members interested, we plan a get-together to talk through plans and possibly set up a pilot project starting as early as November.

One thought is that Friends volunteers would spend time at the front desk greeting walk-in visitors and chatting with them about the Refuges. The volunteers would need to be knowledgeable and able to work independently of the Refuge staff. We would provide  training and information.

Each Friends member will receive an email soon about this idea. If such a program might interest you, email [email protected] to be on the contact list for the initial discussion. 

Be in Cedar Key the weekend of October 21 and 22! The Seafood Festival will be in full swing on both Saturday and Sunday. Friends will have an information booth at the City Park. We will be telling visitors where, why, and how to visit the refuges by car, on foot, or in boats. We will also have Friends merchandise for sale to help raise awareness of the importance of our Refuges to the community and its economy. If you could help out for a couple of hours either day at the booth, it would be great! Email [email protected].

Double benefit -- On Saturday, the Refuge, in partnership with the Nature Coast Biological Station, will hold on Open House at Seahorse Key. The island is only open a few times a year. The Open House is free. You need to find your own way out there, either by personal boat or by taking one of the private, fee-based shuttle services that leaving from the Cedar Key dock.

The Refuges, in partnership with the Nature Coast Biological Station, engaged William Wolfson a summer intern to initiate work on a series of kayak-fishing guides. The Friends will continue the project this fall and work to develop them into user-friendly brochures. 

In the interim, we have posted the draft documents, knowing that interest in kayak-fishing in this area is high. Please use them knowing that refinement may be needed. We would appreciate your providing comments here or sending them to us a [email protected]. Find them under the Maps/Trails tab above.

Summer is HOT. Refuge work goes on apace.

• International Coastal Cleanup in Cedar Key in September -- The Refuge provided boats and volunteers.
• Archery season -- Currently open and will continue until October 15.
• Providing assistance at other refuges -- Vic Doig, Refuge Fire Specialist and Biologist, was asked to help out at a refuge in Puerto Rico in September. He was evacuated before Hurricane Maria.
• Oyster Management -- Refuge staff members have been meeting with community leaders and partners at the Nature Coast Biological Station to discuss oyster harvest management issues.
• Youth Conservation Corps -- Several local high schoolers participated in the  Youth Conservation Corps program and worked at the Refuge all through hot months. Among their many accomplishments, they helped build bridges along hiking trails both on the Lower Suwannee Refuge and the Crystal River Refuge and a pole barn in the Dixie County compound. If you have a student who might be interested in this opportunity for next summer, email friends@friendsofrefuges and we will be sure the Refuge knows about your interest.

Dr. Ken Sassaman, the Hyatt and Cici Brown Professor of Florida Archaeology at the University of Florida, and his students have been working with the Lower Suwannee Refuge to understand the history of Shell Mound, and what it can tell us about our present and future. Changes have been made to the Shell Mound Trail to better highlight the newest information from their investigations. With some assistance from the Friends, Dr. Sassaman will soon have a new trail guide available to the public. For a sneak peek, you can look at the draft version of the guide in the Maps/Trails section of this website.