F R I E N D S O F C A N A V E R A L
JULY 2017

For more than 25 years, the Friends of Canaveral have supported the National Park Service in its mission to preserve, protect and interpret the 57,000 acres of pristine shoreline, dunes and wilderness that are Canaveral National Seashore.

JULY 2017 ~ In this issue

Seashore Currents by Laura Henning
Sea Turtle Numbers
Member Only Turtle Watch
Edgewater Public School Thank You Note
Living Shoreline Stabilization - July 9th
Becoming a Turtle-Friendly Beachgoer!
2016 Commerative T-Shirts On Sale
July Activities at Canaveral National Seashore
Did you Know? Water Moccasin/Cottonmouth
Amazon Smile Program donates to Friends of Canaveral

ILLEGAL FIREWORKS

Under Florida law, recreational use of fireworks is illegal. Most fireworks are sold through a loophole that allows them to be used for agricultural purposes to scare birds away from farm and fish hatcheries. In years past, bills have been introduced to try to close the loophole or make the explosives fully legal, but those efforts
have fizzled out.

And so a little ritual plays out with every sale: Customers must sign a waiver stating their intent is to use their purchases for agricultural purposes.

Although there are no crops growing on the beach, that's where a good portion of displays can be seen every year. The celebrations can cause problems for nesting or hatching sea turtles, disturb nesting shorebirds, leave behind piles of garbage on the beach and terrorize pets in nearby neighborhoods.

Please stay safe over the holiday weekend.

Dear Friends,

Things are heating up and I'm not just talking about the weather! As of this minute we are close to 3000 sea turtle nests within the boundary of Canaveral National Seashore. The green sea turtles are closing in on the loggerheads in a close race for the number of nests. Turtle Watch programs are going well; if you'd like to attend our special Friends of Canaveral member's Turtle Watch reserve now. You can reserve your spot by emailing me at Laura_Henning@nps.gov or calling (321) 229-3766. If leaving a message or emailing please give your name and the number of people in your party. (please keep to 4).

Thanks to the Friends for assisting Ranger Michell with the Southeast Volusia Boys and Girls Club summer camp trip this month. It is always great to get these local kids into their national seashore and they appreciate your time more than anything.

Friends, thanks for all that you do, we couldn't do what we do without you.

See you at the beach!

Laura Henning

SEA TURTLE NUMBERS JUNE 30, 2017

	Apollo	Playalinda
Loggerhead	1001	1349
Green Turtle	140	319
Leatherback	7	15
Kemps Ridley	0	0

TOTAL: 2831

As of 6/24/2016 total was: 2930

FREE MEMBER ONLY TURTLE WATCH

Tuesday, July 18, 2017 - 7:30 PM

We will be holding our annual members only turtle watch on Tuesday, July 18th.

Please be through the gates at Canaveral National Seashore no later

than 7:30 pm. We will meet at the Visitor's Center and have light refreshments while we await the chance to see a nesting turtle.

No children under the age of 8. Members can bring up to two guests. Please call Laura Henning to save a spot (321) 229-3766.

A THANK YOU from the Edgewater Public School to the Friends of Canaveral for providing transportation!

I recently became aware that your organization was responsible for providing the transportation grant we received so that we could bring our 4th grade students to the park. I would like to personally thank you for your generosity. Our students had a fantastic time while learning about the lagoon animals and plants and the history of the Native Timucua's. The children were excited to go home and share what they saw with their families so that they could come back over summer break. Thank you again.

Reem Resheidat

Edgewater Public School (4th Grade Teacher)

CANAVERAL NATIONAL SEASHORE

JULY 9 - 9AM - 12PM
Canaveral National Seashore

7238 Turtle Mound Rd.

New Smyrna Beach, FL 32815

Parking area 5

This is a family-friendly event for anyone interested in helping stabilize highly eroded shorelines within this national park. Extensive shoreline loss was due to Hurricane Matthew and boat wakes. We will stabilize the shorelines by deploying oyster shell bags and planting mangroves and marshgrass. All have been previously produced or maintained in nurseries by K-12 schools throughout Central Florida.

Wear old clothes that will get wet/muddy, closed shoes with good soles (old sneakers preferred, no sandals) and bring a hat, sunglasses, full water bottle and food.

For questions please contact Melinda Donnelly at mdonnelly@knights.ucf.edu or Linda Walters (day of, 407-443-6943).

TURTLE WATCH RESERVATIONS FOR JULY

Canaveral National Seashore

WE WILL BEGIN TURTLE WATCH RESERVATIONS FOR JULY

Journey with a National Park Ranger and visit the undisturbed beaches of Canaveral National Seashore to watch a loggerhead sea turtle nesting. Turtle Watch Programs give park visitors an opportunity to learn about sea turtles and the role that the National Park Service plays in their conservation. The program will take place at Apollo Beach and Playalinda Beach. The fee for this program is $14.00 per person, ages 16 and above. Ages 15 and under will be free. Children must be 8 years old or older to participate. We will have this program on the following dates, of which they are all on a Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday; 1, 5, 6, 7, 8, 12, 13, 14, 15 19, 20, 21, 22, 26, 27, 28, 29.

RESERVATIONS ARE REQUIRED

and SPACE IS LIMITED TO 30 VISITORS. To make a reservation for JULY, Please call (386) 428-3384 Ext -223

SEA TURTLE NESTING SEASON

Becoming a Turtle-Friendly Beachgoer!

Beachfront Armoring:

Beachfront armoring should only be used as a last resort to protect upland structures. Sand placement (dune or beach restoration), elevating structures on pilings, and building farther landward can help alleviate the need for sea walls.

When sea walls are constructed they should be located as far landward and off the active nesting beach as possible. Additional studies are needed to further understand how sea walls affect sea turtles and nesting.

Don't build armoring structures on the beach;
Locate homes as far landward on a coastal lot as possible;
Promote coastal construction set-back policies;
Help restore and protect dunes by not trampling on them and by planting native vegetation on dunes;
Be aware of local beach and dune system dynamics.

Higher Ground, The Battle to Save Florida's Beaches,

CANAVERAL NATIONAL SEASHORE

PLEIN AIR PAINT-OUT COMMERATIVE

*2016 T-SHIRTS FOR SALE Only $5.00

We only have 47 shirts left - if you are interested in purchasing one, please contact Jane at 428-4082.

*(T-Shirt features painting by Kathleen Denis "Morning at Eldora")

Canaveral National Seashore

THINGS TO DO

As of sending of this newsletter we do not have the events available yet for July. Check here for the July events at both Playalinda and Apollo:

https://www.nps.gov/cana/planyourvisit/things2do.htm

DID YOU KNOW?

Water Moccasin/Cottonmouth

The Water Moccasin Snake is believed to be one of the most dangerous snakes out there.

There have been reports of Water Moccasins in the area that have been seen on open porches and on lawns. We thought we would take a look at them.

Some people, for whatever reason, will argue your ear off all day that Water Moccasins and Cottonmouths are not the same thing. To put it simply, they are wrong. They are the exact same thing.

A water moccasin may appear uniformly dark brown or black at first, but if you look closely, you can often distinguish light brown and yellowish bands encircling its heavily scaled body. If the snake is young enough, these markings may be bright. Although they aren't diamond-shaped, the bands are somewhat reminiscent of the markings on a rattlesnake, which makes sense because the rattlesnake is a relative.

Like all pit vipers, the water moccasin has a neck that is much narrower than its triangular head and stout body. Nonvenomous water snakes have round pupils, whereas cottonmouths have vertical, catlike pupils. Cottonmouths also have a triangular head, and nonvenomous snakes have a more slender, elliptical head shape," she said. But these snakes can be tricky, and the head shape bears a second look because "most nonvenomous snakes can flatten out their head, which causes them to take on a more triangular appearance.

Dangerous or Not? Identifying Venomous Snakes in the US: