DECEMBER, 2019 NEWSLETTER - FRIENDS OF ST. MARKS WILDLIFE REFUGE  

     
Wildlife, Heritage & Outdoor Festival
Saturday, February 1
 
The WHO Festival seems weeks away. But, the holidays will be behind us before we know it.  And, then, it's February and time for our annual winter festival. All the fun takes place, Saturday, February 1 from 11 am through 4 pm.     
 
 As always, demonstrations and events at this year's festival will be enjoyable, interesting, and instructional. Are you interested in fishing? Learn how to cast with a spinning rod/reel or a fly rod, and then visit the fly-tying table so you can see how flies are tied. Also, there are always experts available to discuss wildlife and plants so that you can make identifications while you're out hiking and exploring. For example, could you identify this turtle if you saw it at the Refuge?  If not, there will be Refuge staff and volunteer Friends present who can help you expand your "Wild-Wise" IQ.     
 
Importantly, whatever activity you choose to participate in, when you are outdoors, safety is a concern.  Therefore, a lot of information will be provided during the day, focusing on how to enjoy outdoor activities, while at the same time, participating in them safely.  And, just in case you do have a problem, Friends' volunteers will be available to discuss items you can gather for a simple first aid kit, and they will help you put together a kit that you can take home with you.   
 
Bradley's Country Store sausages and drinks will be available for purchase during the day. Also, the Perkins Street Pickers will be providing musical entertainment - you won't want to miss it. 
 
Regular entrance fees apply. Due to live animal exhibits and wildlife tours, please leave your pets at home.   

     
The editor, photo courtesy Johathan Mays 
      
 

 
Highlights
Re-Light the Light Celebration at Proof Brewing
& the Official Re-lighting Ceremony at the Lighthouse 
 
If you are curious about the success of the Proof Brewing event that took place October 30, the answer might be that we are already planning for a follow-up event next year. Exciting, yes.  Well-attended, extremely so.  The folks at Proof Brewing said that this was the biggest turnout they had ever had for a nonprofit benefit event. 
 
After patiently attempting to craft a beer from a variety of natural plant flavors, one that would be special for the evening, the Proof staff settled on a flavorful eldeberry brew that was served in attractive commemorative glasses. The glasses were so popular that they sold out within the first half-hour that evening. But, not to worry. We reordered more of the glasses (shown here), and they just arrived.  If you're on an email waiting list, you can come by the Nature Store and pick yours up at any time.  With tax, the cost for each glass is $5.50, and we'll hold them for you through
January 15.    
 
(Photo ID for those seated at the Proof event above, left to right: Paul Nichols, Melissa Jacoby, Jeff and Ann VanderMeer, and Thomas Jacoby) 
  
 
The very next day, after the Proof event, lots of Refuge Friends attended the official re-lighting of the light at the lighthouse. The re-lighting took place at sunset . . . except, cloudy conditions hid the sun.  In fact, a rather sudden, brisk fall downpour dampened spirits just for a moment, but subsided in time for the scheduled speakers and the re-lighting.

 
 
The large crowd in attendance didn't seem to mind the weather glitch a bit.  Refuge volunteers and Friends are fearless, after all, and their dedication is unparalleled.  The re-lighting has been long-awaited.

 
 
The evening was a grand success. Thank you to all who attended this historic Refuge happening.   

The editor; photos courtesy Friends' Board of Directors member, Bill Everett.  
 

  

 Look What the Nature Store is
Offering for Holiday Gift Ideas
   

  
Brighten up your holiday shopping with a trip to the Friends Nature Store.  Get a 10% discount with your membership card and support the Refuge you love.
  • 100% volunteer staffed and managed
  • All proceeds support Refuge priorities
One of our biggest hits for the past year, but still VERY sought after, are Jeff VanderMeer books and our own Area X t-shirts (shown above).  Jeff has been so gracious in his support of the Refuge where the sale of these items is concerned. (PS, the frog puppet has no relationship to Area X . . . he's just extremely personable and slipped into the picture, ha.)  
 
 
 
Along with some of our standard, wonderful offerings of original-art coffee mugs, jewelry,  and mesh vests (below right), this winter season, we now have a really nice variety of UV-protection shirts (left).   
 
So, don't hesitate to come visit your fantastic St. Marks Wildlife Refuge, and then treat yourself and others to some holiday shopping.   

The editor; photos courtesy Rita LeBlanc, Nature Store Manager  
   
 

  

 Interns at the Refuge Benefit From Your Membership Dollars
    
One of the most important roles that YOU play as a Friends' member, in support of the Refuge, is helping us fund biological / environmental, and education interns. Yes, membership contributions to the Friends / Refuge, in a large part, fund the interns every year.  The interns work with Refuge staff in several important ways.  Look forward to the FEBRUARY issue of Reflections newsletter to learn more about who these current interns are, and what initiatives and work they perform.  In the meantime, go to the Friends' website blogs to see interviews describing two biological initiatives: Monarch / Milkweed and red-cockaded woodpecker.  

The editor 
   
 

  

  Holiday Lighthouse Toy Exhibit
       
 
The holiday season is upon us, and the Refuge is proud to announce the opening of a very special exhibit in the historic St. Marks Lighthouse. At the request of our younger tour guests, we have answered the question of "What toys did the Lighthouse children play with?"  
 
During our regular Lighthouse Tours in the months of December and January, you and your family will be able to take a step back in time and experience "ball & cup" game, rocking on a wooden rocking horse, or view the magic of looking through a stereoscope to see a 3-D image emerge.  
 
You will be welcome to take a seat on the rug and build a tower with letter blocks, try spinning a wooden top, take a gallop on a hobby horse, and maybe hug a friendly doll or teddy bear. You might be interested to know that dominoes (shown below) were not always rectangular, and dolls used to have leather bodies.   
 
 
 
As an added treat, photos of some of the children who played in the lighthouse in years' past will be interspersed throughout the exhibit so that you can meet them and learn their names. Costumed Interpreters will be on hand to answer all your questions and share in the fun. What a perfectly delightful idea for a family outing.
 
Toy Exhibit Hours: 
Friday, Dec 6 & Saturday, Dec 7 , 2019 from 10am - 4pm
Friday, Jan 3 and Saturday, Jan 4, 2020 from 10am - 4pm
 
Text and photo credit:  Connie Clineman, Refuge Ranger  
   
 

 
 
Right on the Button . . . Birds, That Is!       
  
One of the advantages of being editor of a newsletter is that you can often slip in some little, aberrant feature that is, simply, frivolous. That's certainly what this is all about.  It stems from an interest in collecting, but the message here is broader than that.  
 
For many, many years, old, celluloid-covered, lithographed images of just about anything imaginable appeared on buttons (these pictured date to approximately the 1920s, with a few exceptions).  It was truly an art form, and these buttons (and believe me, they are just a small fraction of the many produced over time) are a good example of how birds winged all sorts of promotion to the public.
 
As you can see here, the messages are diverse: they range from advertising products (school tablets, insurance, newspapers, and magazines), to religious passages and promoting wildlife efforts, both protective and sanctuary-related.  
 
 
I've always loved looking for these old buttons, mostly because I love birds, but also because the artwork was phenomenal, considering it was printed against buttons that (in this case) average about an inch in diameter.    
 
May the colors and whimsical designs shown here brighten your day and give you some insight to a lost art in wildlife advertising.  

The editor    
  

 
 
Birding Surveys Assist Our Visitors      
 
Don Morrow and Matt Johnstone, St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge volunteers and expert birders lead in-depth bird tours at the Refuge frequently throughout the year. Both Don and Matt keep us up-to-date on what we can see from week-to-week. To see what THEY see, so that YOU can see them, check out their sightings on our website. Go there now. 
 
Also, visit the Nature Store to find Don Morrow's Checklist -The Birds of St Marks National Wildlife Refuge. It is informative, accurate and up-to-date.  It's for sale at the Friends Nature Store. Anyone who birds at St. Marks should have this fine reference.
 
The editor    
 


Coming Soon
December 22- Wildlife Tour with Matt & Cyndi Johnstone - call  850-925-6121 for a space - 10 am - 1 pm. Sign up required.  
   
December 27 - Wildlife Tour with Matt & Cyndi Johnstone - call 850-925-6121 for a space - 10 am - 1 pm. Sign up required.
 
December 31 - Sunset Photo Shoot, join us to catch the 'last sunset' of 2019. No sign up necessary, just show up at the lighthouse by sunset, 5:47 pm.
 
January 1 - Sunrise Photo Shoot, join us to catch the 'first sunrise' of 2020. No sign up necessary, just show up at the lighthouse by sunrise, 7:34 am. 
 
February 1 - Wildlife, Heritage and Outdoor Festival. A wonderful Saturday event from 11 am - 4 pm.  See lead story in this newsletter.
 
For other Refuge events for January and February, go to the Refuge Events calendar or call the Refuge at 850-925-6121  
 
 

Have you considered including the Refuge in your will?  We would appreciate hearing from you if so. The Friends of St. Marks Wildlife Refuge can provide information and guide you through the process. Just call the Refuge at 850-925-6121, and ask to be contacted by the Friends' Development Committee, or email us.
Reflections newsletter is a benefit of membership for Friends of St. Marks Wildlife Refuge. It also serves as an important supplement to  
 
Both the newsletter and the web site provide members and the public information about volunteer activities and events at the Refuge.

Reflections Editor, Phillip M. Pollock