IN THE NEWS

Canaveral National Seashore invites the public to join the International Coastal Cleanup. Once a year, all over the world, millions of volunteers, who love the ocean and want to protect it, take this day to really make a difference. Come join Canaveral National Seashore and its many visitors in the annual international event to help clean up marine debris that washes ashore with the tides. The first 100 visitors (to each location) will receive a T-shirt. Bring water in a reus

Celebrate National Park Week with us August 22–30! Throughout the week, the Playalinda and Seminole Rest districts will host Junior Ranger Day activities on August 22 and August 30, offering fun, learning opportunities for young explorers to connect with nature. You can also make a difference by joining our Seashore Cleanup at Apollo Beach on Saturday, August 22. We hope you'll come celebrate, learn, and help protect this special place! SATURDAY, AUGUST 22 at PLAYALINDA 9 AM

By Lisa D. Mickey Pictured (L to R) Jack Dunkerton, James “LJ” Friel, Skylar Schley and Connor Graham Student interns once again provided helping hands in Canaveral National Seashore’s Junior Angler program. Paid internships were offered for the fifth summer in the park through grant funding made available by the National Park Foundation. Summer fishing clinics designed to instruct junior anglers in the basics of fishing were offered during the months of June and July to you

By Jimi Sadle Canaveral National Seashore, Biologist Sand hammertail (Efferia albibarbis) munching on a Tabanid fly on the beach. Photo credit: Jimi Sadle, Canaveral National Seashore When I think of flies, at best, I think of a picnic with an open tub of potato salad and the familiar, annoying buzz. This stereotype, however, does nothing but underestimate this large, important and diverse order of insects. Flies are much more than lowly rubbish rangers. They disassemble roa

By Heather L. Pastor Among the treasured artifacts preserved at Canaveral National Seashore is a historic brass bell with a story that spans more than a century. Originally believed to have been used at the Eldora Schoolhouse as early as 1882, the bell was donated to Canaveral National Seashore in 1981 by Anita Backe-Mandarino, helping ensure that this important piece of local history would be preserved for future generations. The initials "J.G.P." peened into the bell's uppe

Janet Law awaiting the launch Meet Canaveral National Seashore Volunteer Janet Law A North Carolina native, Janet Law moved to Titusville in 1964 when her father’s job in the space industry transferred him to the Sunshine State. She later met her husband Barry, who grew up in St. Augustine. Get to know Janet and learn how she currently serves as a Canaveral National Seashore volunteer: What did you do in your career? We both had careers in the environmental field. I worked fo

Boys and Girls Club in Canaveral National Seashore Canaveral National Seashore welcomed the Boys & Girls Club of Volusia and Flagler Counties on June 25 for a fun-filled day of learning and outdoor adventure. Thanks to the generosity of Jason McGuirk from Dairy Queen New Smyrna Beach, the group enjoyed a delicious lunch of hot dogs and chips, with volunteer chef Dan Triska serving as grill master to cook hot dogs for everyone. The day was packed with hands-on activities that

By Giavanna Harrington and Dr. Linda Walters University of Central Florida Adult red mangroves on an open oyster reef showing freeze damage. Over the past few decades, mangroves have steadily expanded northward throughout the Indian River Lagoon and up into Georgia and South Carolina. Why? Mangroves are tropical trees, historically limited to central and south Florida. With warming winters and no subfreezing temperatures, however, mangroves are successfully establishing them

By Hyun J. Cho, Ph.D. Professor, Department of Integrated Environmental Science Bethune-Cookman University Habitat classification satellite images of CANA To most visitors, Canaveral National Seashore, or CANA, is experienced at ground level: beaches, dunes, sea oats, coastal scrub, hammocks, salt marshes, mangroves, open sky, and long stretches of shoreline. But from a satellite view, the Seashore is seen from a different perspective. A study published in 2024 used high-res

Roxanne Shook (far right) with Ranger Jabez Coggan and another volunteer on the beach at Canaveral National Seashore. Photo credit Tracy Dunkel Meet Canaveral National Seashore Volunteer Roxanne Shook Roxanne Shook moved to Titusville from south Florida in 2009 and began volunteering with the National Park Service in 2009. Get to know Roxanne and learn about her duties as a park volunteer. What kind of volunteer duties have you had at Canaveral National Seashore? My main duti

Sometimes I’m asked, “What does Friends of Canaveral do?” And, “What is the purpose of a Friends group in the first place?” In a word, it’s about stewardship -- and stewardship has many faces. It can come in the form of volunteerism, including meeting and guiding the public at National Park Service sites, participating in public outreach at municipal events on behalf of parks, engaging in citizen participation in the preservation of trails and waterbodies, or simply to help f

By Jimi Sadle Biologist, Canaveral National Seashore A rare glimpse of a Kemps ridley sea turtle in the Apollo District of the Seashore. Photo credit - Josh Bailey, National Park Service Sea turtle nesting season is off to a solid start this year with leatherback nests already in both the Apollo and Playalinda Districts at Canaveral National Seashore. In mid-April, a Kemps ridley turtle nested in the Apollo District, marking what is believed to be the first of this species de

Beth Manring at the Apollo Beach Visitor’s Center - Photo credit Lisa D. Mickey Meet Canaveral National Seashore Volunteer Beth Manring Beth Manring lived and worked in Columbus, Ohio before moving to Florida to retire and volunteer at Canaveral National Seashore. Get to know Beth and learn about her duties as a park volunteer. As a volunteer at Canaveral National Seashore, do you mostly work in the visitor center? I work in the Apollo Beach Visitor’s Center once a week and

Photo courtesy of National Park Service As NASA activities continue this year at Kennedy Space Center, guests to Canaveral National Seashore are encouraged to check the national park’s website and social media platforms for the latest information on closures. For example, the Playalinda Beach District of Canaveral National Seashore closed on March 31, 2026, at the request of NASA Launch Security in support of the scheduled Artemis II launch. Playalinda Beach District was set

Staci Janik and Lee Tesche are the 2026 artists-in-residence at this year’s ACA Soundscape Field Station -- a partnership between Atlantic Center for the Arts (ACA) and Canaveral National Seashore. For five weeks, starting on Feb. 8, the artist duo has been creating one ambient sound composition each day within Canaveral National Seashore, incorporating both landscape sounds and visual images in what is called an Aural Field Survey. Their work will be compiled into a multi-se

Meet Canaveral National Seashore Volunteer Patty Lillie Patricia (Patty) Lillie is a Florida native and animal lover. She was born in Winter Park and lives there with two sisters, 19 cats, two turtles and a cockatoo. She works full-time at the Florida Commerce Department, part-time at Cracker Barrel and volunteers at Canaveral National Seashore around her work schedule. Get to know Patty and how she got started as a park volunteer: How did you begin volunteering at Canaveral

All Friends of Canaveral members are encouraged to attend this annual meeting. It is open to the public (from 6 - 7:30 pm) and guests will have an opportunity to learn about Friends of Canaveral membership. ​ There will be an election of the Friends of Canaveral’s board of directors for 2026 (from 5:30 - 6pm), followed by a special presentation by guest speaker Annie Morgan Roddenberry, a biological scientist from Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC). Rodde

2026 Canaveral Volunteer of the Year - Tracy Dunkel Tracy Dunkel Honored as Canaveral’s Volunteer of the Year Tracy Dunkel of Scottsmoor was honored on Feb. 28, at the Volunteers in Parks Picnic as Canaveral National Seashore’s Volunteer of the Year. The native of Hershey, Pa., logged 341 volunteer hours in 2025, participating in a variety of roles at the National Seashore. Get to know Tracy and what she does in the park: Where do you volunteer? I volunteer in all districts.

By Megan Gannon and Hyun J. Cho, Ph.D. Bethune-Cookman University Megan Gannon Seagrass meadows are disappearing at an alarming rate. Scientists estimate that nearly 30 percent of the world’s seagrass coverage has been lost since the late 1800s. The Indian River Lagoon has lost more than half of its seagrass coverage since 2011, raising concerns about the future of one of Florida’s most important estuaries. While many seagrass restoration projects are underway, achieving long

John Fioretti volunteering at a Turtle Watch program in the park. John Fioretti is one of the volunteers at Canaveral National Seashore. Get to know John and learn what he does as a park volunteer: I’ve been volunteering at Canaveral National Seashore since 2020, at both Apollo Beach, as well as Playalinda Beach. I’ve volunteered for various things throughout both districts, such as beach cleanups, Wilson’s Plover surveys, Turtle Watch duties, as well as other park-related se