The 2018 year continues our stewardship of America's National Parks. The “Friends” urge support of Canaveral Seashore National Park, as your Park, and discover its recreation, conservation, and historic preservation programs in your own backyard.
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Dear Friends,

By the time you read this our new exhibits will be installed in the Apollo Visitor Center. The building was finished in 2012, but we still call it the “new building”. Now the new building will really be complete.
Updates will follow in the July newsletter.
Turtle Watch reservations are still being accepted for June and on June 15
th
we’ll start taking them for July. The date for the Friends of Canaveral Members Turtle Watch is July 17
th
. Please email me with your reservations at
laura_henning@nps.gov
.
Remember June 1
st
is the first day of Hurricane Season, make sure all of your plans are in place to have a safe and happy summer.

Friends, thanks for all that you do, we couldn’t do what we do without you.
See You at the Seashore,
Laura Henning, Chief of Interpretation & Visitors Services
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Sea Turtle & Shorebird Nest Counts
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2018 Sea Turtle Nest Counts (5-24-18)
• Loggerhead (Caretta caretta):
Apollo ( 172 ) .......... Playalinda ( 199 )
• Green Turtle (Chelonia mydas):
Apollo ( 0 ) .......... Playalinda ( 0 )
• Leatherback (Dermochelys coriacea):
Apollo ( 4 ) .......... Playalinda ( 8 )
• Kemps Ridley (Lepidochelys kempii):
Apollo ( 0 ) .......... Playalinda ( 0 )
Total nest counts:
383
2018 Shorebird Nest Counts (5-24-18)
Wilson's plover
(
Charadrius wilsonia
)
:
Apollo ( 22 ) .......... Playalinda ( 2 )
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- FYI: May 30, 2017 TOTAL NEST COUNT: 805
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FREE MEMBER'S ONLY TURTLE WATCH
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TURTLE WATCH FOR MEMBERS ONLY
Tuesday, July 17, 2018
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We will be holding our annual members only turtle watch on Tuesday, July 17th.
Please be through the gates at Canaveral National Seashore no later than 7:30 pm. Gates will be closed and locked until after the turtle watch. We will meet at the Visitor's Center and have light refreshments while we await the chance to see a nesting turtle. Bug repellant and sneakers are suggested.
No children under the age of 8. Members can bring up to two guests.
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CELEBRATING HISTORY
By Terry Bledsoe
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This month, our good neighbor the City of New Smyrna Beach is celebrating its 250 years of history. Canaveral National Seashore shares much of the same history. Archeological research conducted on seashore property suggests that generations of Timucuan people lived here, evidenced by the shell heaps of Turtle Mound and at Seminole Rest, a mound of mostly clam shells that dates from 2000 BC to AD 1565. Ponce de Leon sailed the same waters while survivors of various shipwrecks scrambled up our beaches. The British Crown issued land grants to speculators that resulted in the settlement of Turnbull Colony (now New Smyrna Beach).
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Rangers from the Canaveral National Seashore will be represented on June 16th at Old Fort Park. Be sure to stop by their booth!
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The Elliott Plantation was the southernmost British sugar plantation (1760s). The Sand Point area (now Titusville) harbored blockade runners during the Civil War. In 1877 the community of Eldora was established, which included homes, farms and a post office while Seminole Rest was settled in the same era. A House of Refuge was constructed in 1885 on what is now Apollo Beach, which became a Coast Guard Life Saving Station in 1915. During WW2, a variety of military installations were developed in the Canaveral area, including a tower to search for German subs. The 1950s and 60s brought the attentions of NASA. On January 3, 1975 Congress established the Canaveral National Seashore to “preserve and protect the outstanding natural, scenic, scientific, ecological and historic values of the lands…and to provide for public outdoor recreation use and enjoyment..”. Climbing Turtle Mound, studying manatees at Haulover Canal, walking the pristine beaches or watching rocket launches overhead, it’s all in a day in the life of Canaveral National Seashore.
See you at the park.
Terry Bledsoe,
President, Friends of Canaveral
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Oyster Reef Restoration Dates:
- Thurs., June 14: 6:30 AM – 11:30 AM
- Sun., June 17: 7:30 AM – 12:30 PM
- Mon., June 18: 7:30 AM – 12:30 PM
- Wed., June 20: 7:30 AM – 12:30 PM
- Thurs., June 21: 7:30 AM – 12:30 PM
- Fri., June 22: 7:30 AM – 12:30 PM
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Help Needed for Oyster Reef Restoration
The following dates have been set aside for oyster reef restoration at Canaveral National Seashore. Participants should wear old clothes that will get wet and old sneakers with good soles that will also get wet. Participants should bring water, food, sunscreen, insect repellent.
RSVP to Linda Walters at
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HAPPY FATHER'S DAY
SUNDAY,
June 17th
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SEA TURTLE NESTING SEASON
MAY 1 - OCTOBER 31
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A picture is worth a thousand words!
Why would you need a garden shovel at the beach?
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WHAT CAN YOU DO? -
Fill in all holes on the beach & encourage visitors to our beaches to do the same!
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Knock down your sandcastles and fill in your holes before you leave the beach. Not only are they dangerous for nesting sea turtles, they can trap emerging babies on their way to the ocean. Danger lurks for walkers and bicyclists.
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TURTLE WATCH RESERVATIONS BEGIN ON JUNE 15TH
Starting June 15th at 9:00 a.m., staff at Canaveral National Seashore will begin taking telephone reservations for this year’s summer Turtle Watch programs. The number to call is (386) 428-3384 ext. 223.
The programs are open to all persons eight (8) years of age and older. Programs are limited to thirty (30) persons per night with a maximum of six (6) persons per reservation call. The fee for this program is $14.00 per person ages 16 and above, 15 and under are free. Persons with Access or a Senior Pass receive a 50% discount for the cardholder only. While visitors are not guaranteed a view of a nesting sea turtle, the 2017 success rate exceeded 90%. Fees will not be refunded if a sea turtle is not found; however unfavorable weather conditions may be cause for a refund of fees if the program is canceled. During the summer, programs are scheduled on most Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights.
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What Sea Turtle Classifications Are?
Critically Endangered:
Species is considered to be facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild.
- Hawksbills
- Kemp's Ridleys
Endangered:
Species is considered to be facing a very high risk of extinction in the wild.
Vulnerable:
Species is considered to be facing a high risk of extinction in the wild.
- Leatherbacks
- Olive Ridleys
Data Deficient:
Species that cannot be evaluated because of insufficient information.
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