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As reported earlier when Representative Kat Cammack visited the Refuge in February, the Lower Suwannee and Cedar Keys NWRs have not had a law enforcement officer on site for more than a year now. Recently, the refuge managers received news that one may be assigned to us in the foreseeable future. That would be a most welcome change in status!  Representative Cammack visiting the Lower Suwannee NWR The Refuge staff members and Friends members have been actively participating in the clean-up after Hurricane Helene. The Refuge is part of the official Incident Response System and staff members can therefore be sent where they are most needed. Deputy Refuge Manager John Stark and Heavy Equipment Specialist Jason Coates have been helping individual residents with clearing debris and the city and state workers with re-enforcing the shoreline. We all appreciate having our Refuges right next door when we want to spend time in nature. But it is also good to know that the Refuge leadership and staff members appreciate and value the communities and are there for us when we need them in a crisis. Thanks, Lower Suwannee National Wildlife Refuge.
On October 7, the Avian Research and Conservation Institute posted this on Facebook: As the southeast reels between hurricanes, we hope to bring a little distraction with news of migrating Swallow-tailed Kites, many of which have safely reached their winter destinations in South America. More detail is presented on ARCI blog page.  Below is Update #1, which we posted on September 9: Suwannee 22's Journey - Update #1 As reported below, our Swallow-tailed Kite Suwannee 22 survived her harrowing encounter with Hurricane Debby and returned to our area to recover from the ordeal. Apparently, she did a fine job of building up her strength again. Our friends at Avian Research and Conservation Institute (ARCI) have tracked her new flight across the Gulf of Mexico. She is now resting up to complete her migration to Brazil. Friends is proud to be part of this research. Thanks to all Friends members who have contributed to helping sponsor Suwannee's tracker. The ARCI blog has fascinating additional information. This photo is from their blog post entitled The Hurricane Swallow-tailed Kite: the sequel.  Below is our original post from August 8: Suwannee 22's Incredible Hurricane Debby Adventure Following her instincts rather than the news reports, Suwannee 22 took off on her migration to Brazil just days before Hurricane Debby developed. She bumped into the storm before reaching Cuba and turned back north, just as Debby intensified. Somehow she ended up in the eye and arrived safely in Steinhatchee. Read all about it in this blog from the Avian Research & Conservation Institute. Now our brave and exhausted bird will need to build up her strength and fuel up on lots of food all over again. Friends are cheering for her and very glad to be part of the research that documented such amazing flight. USA Today covered the story and used a cool animated track. 
All Remaining 2024 Open Houses are Canceled because of Hurricane Helene's damage to the docks, buildings. The Refuge does not yet know if it will be able to hold Open Houses at Seahorse Key in 2025.Visitors can climb to the Light Station and walk around the building. They cannot climb up to the light. The trail to the beach, on the back side of the island, was destroyed by a hurricane. Refuge staff have built a longer new trail to avoid the erosion caused by the hurricane. It is not as easy as it was to get to the beach, but hardy souls can explore the beach as they have at previous Open Houses. It is a lovely boat ride out to the island and a delightful way to spend a day on the Cedar Keys Refuge. Visitors can arrive at the island in their personal boats or pay for a shuttle service from the dock in Cedar Key. The shuttle is a good way to help the tour operators in their hurricane recovery. Refuge Manager Andrew Gude points out that it is important for visitors to note that Seahorse Key is an island almost three miles from Cedar Key. Access is only by boat. There are no amenities, such as food or water on the island. Restroom facilities are limited.
Should there be a medical or other emergency requiring professional assistance or evacuation, response times could be lengthy. Please plan with this in mind. Seahorse Key is wonderful, but it is not a walk in the proverbial park. 
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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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