Friends of the Lower Suwannee & Cedar Keys National Wildlife Refuges
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Winter Solstice Without Rain!

12/22/2022

 
Picture of Donna Thalacker leading the Dennis Creek walk.
Donna Thalacker leads the Dennis Creek walk
Picture Friends members and visitors on the Shell Mound walk.
Friends members and visitors on the Shell Mound walk
Photos by Joe Hand
Picture Dr. ginessa Mahar leading the Shell Mound walk
Ginessa Mahar leading the Shell Mound walk
Picture of the group Walking up onto the pier
Walking up onto the pier
About 50 participants gathered at Shell Mound to celebrate the Winter Solstice. It was Friends 6th annual Winter Solstice celebration, and the first with no rain. On the other hand, we shall have to try again next year for one where we can actually see the sun setting. For this year, we were happy for less blustery wind and warmer temperatures.
Both guided walks were successful. The Dennis Creek walk, led by Friends member Donna Thalacker, crossed through not-quite-upland, not-quite-marsh scrubby woods, a tidal flat with unique plants such as glass wort,  a tidal pool ringed with both cordgrass and black needlerush, trees scarred by early  commercial turpentining, and a maritime hammock canopied by oaks, redbay, and yaupon holly. A short side trail led to Dennis Creek itself, flowing into the Gulf and visible from the Shell Mound pier.

Along the way, despite the cold weather, they also saw animal life, including a pygmy rattlesnake, tricolor heron, great blue heron, little blue, great white egret, snowy egret, and a palm warbler.
The Shell Mound walk, led by Friends president-elect Dr. Ginessa Mahar, was a trip through the history of the people, geology, and culture of the civic-ceremonial site. It crossed time from the Ice Age to the present, lingering especially over what archaeologists have found about this particular location at the peak of its activity about 1,500 years ago. The dune on which Shell Mound is built provided high land for dwellings. The sea waters, mixed with the fresh water of the Suwannee River, provided food in abundance. The alignment of the dune with the annual cycle of the sun, setting off the open arms of the dune  at 240 degrees on Winter Solstice and rising above the closed end of the dune at 60 degrees on Summer Solstice provided a sacred reminder of the cycle of daily, seasonal, and generational transitions.
After the walks, we all gathered for conversation, hot  herbal teas, and cookies before we went out to the pier to imagine the sun setting near the former burial ground on the dune arm. A good time was had by all.
Picture Friends president Debbie Meeks, with board member Jeri Treat in the background
Friends president Debbie Meeks, with board member Jeri Treat in the background

Photos by Joe Hand

Picture of Friends board member Barbara Woodmansee with camera along the Dennis Creek walk.
Friends board member Barbara Woodmansee capturing images along the Dennis Creek walk
Picture of Visitor and dog on the Dennis Creek walk.
Visitor and dog on the Dennis Creek walk
Photos by Michael Miller
Picture of visitors walking Along the Shell Mound walk.
Along the Shell Mound walk
Picture of Ginessa Mahar explaining the archaeology along Shell Mound walk.
Ginessa Mahar explaining the archaeology along Shell Mound walk
Picture of visitors enjoying Hot tea, cookies, and socializing after the guided walks and before the talk on the pier
Hot tea, cookies, and socializing after the guided walks and before the talk on the pier
Picture of Peg Hall, immediate past president of Friends, talking about the story of Winter and Summer  solstices at Shell Mound.
Peg Hall, immediate past president of Friends, talking about the story of Winter and Summer solstices at Shell Mound
Picture of Ginessa Mahar explaining fishing capture tactics
Ginessa Mahar explaining fishing capture tactics
Picture Ginessa Mahar and visitors walking up onto the pier
Ginessa Mahar and visitors walking up onto the pier. Photo by Joe Hand
Picture visitors on the pier
Enjoying the pier and socializing. Photo by Debbie Meeks
Picture of the group on the pier, Watching for the sun to set.
Watching for the sun to set. Photo by Jeri Treat
Picture of the Scene off the pier, where the sun must be setting behind the clouds.
Scene off the pier, where the sun must be setting behind the clouds. Photo by Peg Hall

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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.


  • Home
    • Our Blog
  • About
    • About Friends >
      • Who We Are
      • What We Do
      • Current News
      • Contact Us
    • About the Refuges >
      • Our Refuges
      • Places of Interest
      • Hunting Brochure
    • Members
  • Join
    • Donate
  • Maps
    • Paddling Guides
    • Refuge Maps
    • Trail Brochures
    • Places of Interest
  • Vista
    • What is Vista
    • Friends' role
    • The Future
    • Cooks General Restoration
    • Window Restoration
    • Lumbering
  • Wildlife
    • Wildlife Gallery
  • Hunting
    • Overview
    • Maps
    • FWS Hunting Brochure
    • Alternative Mobility Permits
    • Hunter SignUp
  • Fishing
  • Junior Ranger
  • Search
  • Store