IN THE NEWS

Friends of Canaveral has added two new members to its board of directors this month. Lisa Sims of New Smyrna Beach and Tracy Dunkel of Mims each were approved to fill immediate board vacancies and will be affirmed at the annual membership meeting in early 2027. Representing Brevard County, Dunkel was named as Canaveral National Seashore’s Volunteer of the Year in February for logging 341 volunteer hours in 2025. Dunkel volunteers in both the Playalinda and Apollo Districts

By Lisa D. Mickey FMNP class plant walk up Turtle Mound with aborist Ray Jarrett. Photo by Lisa D. Mickey Everybody knows that national parks are great places to teach children about the natural world and to explore the park’s flora and fauna. But Canaveral National Seashore also has served as an outdoor classroom for adult students in the Florida Master Naturalist Program. A class of 25 adult students plus the instructors in the University of Florida’s class taught thro

Ranger, Michele Woulard with Tom Chwalek Meet Canaveral National Seashore Volunteer Tom Chwalek Canaveral National Seashore volunteer Tom Chwalek was born and raised in Springfield, Mass. He moved from Springfield to Orlando in 1987 at age 27 to take a job transfer from Textron in the aerospace industry. He recently became a Coastal Naturalist in the Florida Master Naturalist Program. Get to know Tom here: What is your educational and career background? I earned my colle

Meet Canaveral National Seashore Volunteer Joe Visconti Canaveral National Seashore volunteer Joe Visconti was born in Deland, Fla., and after serving in the U.S. Air Force, he returned to this area in early 1988 to work with McDonnell Douglas Aerospace on the Delta launch vehicle. Get to know Joe here: Tell us about your career background. I’m recently retired from the aerospace industry, but I began my career in the U.S. Air Force and then transitioned to working at what is

By Landry Goodwin and Dr. Linda Walters UCF students participate in International Coastal Cleanup. (Photo courtesy of Dr. Linda Walters) My name is Landry Goodwin and I am currently enrolled in Marine Conservation and Restoration at University of Central Florida. This is a UCF Service-Learning class with Dr. Linda Walters as the instructor. Each year, including this September, members of her class go out by boat to collect and document trash from Canaveral National Seashore’s

Mark Spradley on the porch at Seminole Rest. Photo by Jabez Coggan, Canaveral National Seashore Meet Canaveral National Seashore Volunteer Mark Spradley Canaveral National Seashore volunteer Mark Spradley’s childhood nickname was “Mud” because he was always in the water and somewhere getting dirty. That stands to reason for a kid who grew up playing outdoors year-round in Florida. Get to know Mark here: Where were you born? On Key Biscayne, an Island off Miami. I spent my chi

By Jimi Sadle Canaveral National Seashore, Biologist Occasional frost helps maintain open, sunny, saltwort-dominated marshes by killing back buttonwood and white mangrove trees. Photo credit: Jimi Sadle, Canaveral National Seashore It’s September and the green sea turtles are still at it, trudging from the sea to nest –leaving craters and trenches and pits from their seemingly indecisive selection of the perfect spot in the dunes to deposit a clutch of eggs. Dune plants, like

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