IN THE NEWS

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

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

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

By Jimi Sadle Biologist, Canaveral National Seashore Photos by Jimi Sadle, Canaveral National Seashore You might be surprised to hear that only one of the 637 native plant species found in Canaveral National Seashore is a Federally listed endangered species. You also might not expect it to be a cactus. Fragrant prickly-apple ( Harrisia fragrans ) is a ribbed, columnar cactus making it readily distinguishable from the more familiar prickly pear cactus that are common in the N

Ranger Michell Woulard and Terry Bledsoe get ready for the Christmas parade. It all started one day when I was overworked and stressed out: I discovered Canaveral National Seashore at sunrise. The sun blossomed living color over the silver quiet morning ocean while the dunes supplied proof of life…mice, raccoons, shorebirds and crabs left their mark of who was the hunted and who the hunter. Fresh breezes, warming sunshine, the form-fitting feel of wet sand on my feet – I was

By Dr. Linda Walters Pegasus Professor of Biology, University of Central Florida Photo by Dr. Linda Walters As 2025 ends and a new year begins, I wanted to share some of the conservation research and restoration that was started, finished, or carried on during 2025 by members of CEELAB (Coastal and Estuarine Ecology Lab) at the University of Central Florida. Over the past year, there have been 6 graduate students and over 50 undergraduates directly involved in research in Mo

By Jimi Sadle Biologist, Canaveral National Seashore Miles of backcountry beach in Canaveral provide perfect conditions for high-density sea turtle nesting. Photo by Jimi Sadle, National Park Service  With 13,271 total sea turtle nests in Canaveral National Seashore this year, the 2025 nesting season was the third highest recorded since annual monitoring began in 1984! In addition to the high total number of nests, we al

By Ashley Lord Interpretive Park Ranger Canaveral National Seashore Photo courtesy of the National Park Service Bright red berries along the roadside are a common sight at this time of year. The splash of color could be either Yaupon Holly or Brazilian Pepper -- both plentiful around the Mosquito Lagoon and Apollo Beach. Yaupon Holly stands out with its simple evergreen leaves and bright-red winter berries, while Brazilian Pepper is easily distinguished by its compound leaves

By Jackson Evans Master of Science student, Integrated Environmental Science Bethune-Cookman University Photo courtesy of Jackson Evans The Indian River Lagoon (IRL) on Florida’s east coast has seen big changes in recent years. Once covered in lush seagrass meadows, stretches of the lagoon floor are now dominated by seaweeds, or macroalgae, such as Gracilaria tikvahiae (red alga) and the non-native Caulerpa prolifera (green alga). These changes have raised an important ques

Volunteers at Canaveral National Seashore come in all ages and with many different interests. Teenager Autumn Dilmore is eager and willing to assist with many tasks in the park and helped revamp the garden at the Apollo District’s Visitor Center earlier this year. Here’s what Autumn has to say about volunteering in the national park: Q: How did you begin volunteering at Canaveral National Seashore? A: My family and I are big fans of National Parks in the U.S. After finishing

I became a volunteer at Canaveral National Seashore nearly 20 years ago, but how did it all get started? It began many years ago when my...

By Jimi Sadle Biologist, Canaveral National Seashore Trail cam photo by Kendyl Hassler of Fish and Wildlife Research Institute of Florida...

By Tara Blanchard and Linda Walters University of Central Florida Coastal and Estuarine Ecology Lab Image recorded by trail camera Oyster...

By Lisa D. Mickey ACE interns help maintain the park’s canoe trails. (Photos courtesy of the National Park Service) Six interns in the...

Story and Photos by Jimi Sadle Biologist, Canaveral National Seashore Invasive cactus moths eat native prickly pear from the inside out....

Red mangrove prop roots (Photo by Lisa D. Mickey) Visitors often go straight to the beach when they come to Canaveral National Seashore....