SEAHORSE KEY AND CEDAR KEY LIGHT STATION OPEN HOUSES 2024
Visit Seahorse Key Marine Lab and the Cedar Key Light Station!
Seahorse Key is an island adjacent to the mainland on Cedar Key, managed by the Lower Suwannee and Cedar Keys National Wildlife Refuges. On these free open house dates, the public is welcome to check out the UF IFAS NCBS field research lab, or explore the historical light station. Visitors can become immersed in the islands flora and fauna, featuring a winding dune side trail leading to the Gulf-facing beach. Transportation by personal vessel or tour boat (includes fee from tour company). Please contact the Cedar Key Welcome Center regarding tour boat operations.
Please note: Trails leading to the light station and beach are steep and primitive in some areas. Take caution when loading and unloading vessels onto the floating docks, and navigating the natural areas of the trails and beach.
2024 Dates (9 am until 3 pm): May 22, alternate weather date May 23 July 3 October 14
Photo coutesy of Joe Hand
Editor's Note: The above was excerpted from the Nature Coast Biological Station's Monthly Newsetter, April 2024.
The Cedar Key Water and Sewer District met on Monday, April 8, at 5 pm, at its board offices on Third Street. Present were Chair Mike Borelli, Commissioners Joe Hand, Jonathan Ferguson, and Steve Rosenthal, and General Manager John Rittenhouse. Commissioner Leslie Sturmer was not in attendance.
W3C UPDATE Commissioner and Waccasassa Water and Wastewater Cooperative designee Joe Hand reported on the March 21, 2024, meeting, noting that theW3C: • continues its RFP process to secure an engineering firm to write its full facility plan; • hired the Fugate Law Firm; • hired a grant writer; • continues to ponder the expansion of the board, with no resolution; • requested a second $50,000 from the Suwannee River Water Management District in startup funds; and • hired a clerk to replace Sue Beaudet.
GENERAL MANAGER'S REPORT
Among the many items/actions on General Manager John Rittenhouse’s monthly report were: • monitoring FEMA’S inspections of lift stations; • monitoring Hurricane Idalia Engineering Services potential contracts; • overseeing the bid process for lift station refurbishing; • investigating U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Inflation Reduction Act Community Change Grants Program; • investigating with Kat Cammack’s office other available grants; • overseeing water and wastewater treatment plants site inspections by FEMA. • IN ATTENDANCE Among those in attendance were: Mac Cox, Sue Colson, and Mandy and Frank Offerle.
CACELLED...WE'RE SO SORRY. WE'LL TRY TO RESCHEDULE THIS EVENT.
CK AUDUBON FEATURES HEATHER EVANS ON YARDSCAPING FOR BIRDS IN APRIL TALK 2024 April 4
On Monday, April 22, at Christ Episcopal Church, Heather Evans will speak about Coastal Yardscaping for Bird Lovers. There will be a meet and greet at 4pm, followed by Heather’s talk at 5pm.
This photo of a heron was taken in Cedar Key by resident Anne Miller. .
Should you have a photo you wish to share, please, email it to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Staff will publish it for others to enjoy.
ARTWORK IS FLYING AT CEDAR KEY SCHOOL 2024 April 5
Fifth Grade Artists from our Cedar Key School will have a chance to show off their bright and imaginatively-painted birds in the W.R.E.N. Bird Rescue booth this weekend during the Arts Festival.
Art Teacher, Jonya Collins, supplied the students with balsa wood birds to be put together and then painted.
No need to limit the color choices to real birds – just have some fun!
Cedar Key Wildlife Rehabilitation & Educational Network has for years been partnering with students to raise awareness of our island’s ecology and of our local bird populations, introducing new wildlife art projects every festival.
Please come by the W.R.E.N. Bird Rescue booth, facing the City Park, this Saturday and Sunday, to see the colorful birds. Donations to the bird rescue effort will allow you to choose a balsa-wood bird to paint with your own creative design or to pass on to a young artist.
CKA TREASURER LINDA KIMBALL RETIRES, SAVES OSPREY EGGS WITH COLLEAGUES, TOO 2024 Marh 30
Linda Boyd retired after volunteering as the Treasurer for Cedar Keys Audubon for seven years. The CKA Board members celebrated the event with a beachside pot luck dinner at Old Fenimore Mill. Linda was presented with a watercolor picture of an osprey to commemorate Linda’s love of this bird species.
Linda and her husband, Boyd, have an active osprey nest in a tree in their yard. Because of Linda’s diligent observation of the osprey nest, she noticed the incubating female osprey had not moved in awhile. Linda sounded an alarm and the dead osprey and nonviable eggs were removed in time for another breeding osprey pair to begin their family in the same nest.
THE TRADITION CONTINUES WITH CK STUDENTS AND WREN 2024 Marrh 25
Cedar Key’s Bird Rescue Team, WREN, is again honored to enjoy the partnership with Cedar Key Students and Art Teacher Jonya Collins as we raise awareness of the island’s spectacular and varied bird populations, including Shorebirds, Seabirds, Raptors, and Songbirds.
For each of the island’s festivals, the students create “bird art” to be displayed by WREN (Wildlife Rehabilitation and Educational Network) in their festival booth right across from the City Park, this April 6-7.
This April festival, the students are building nests of paper and painting colorful balsa wood birds to create bird mobiles.
Working together, the students and WREN raise awareness not only of the island’s bird populations, but of the ways we can all help to keep our wildlife safe and healthy, taking injured birds to rehabilitation centers until they are healed and ready to be released.
This past year, we rescued Osprey, Bald Eagle, Barred Owl, Red Shouldered Hawk, Cooper’s Hawk, Rail, Egret, Great Blue Heron, assorted Gulls, Cormorant, Tern, Ground Dove, Sparrow, and both Brown Pelicans and White Pelicans.
Please come by the WREN booth this festival (April 6-7) and marvel at the work of our young artists. Pick up some brochures about the island’s Bird Rescue Program, and for a donation, you may receive a colorful water bottle with bird art, or even a hat to show your support.
Both the students and the WREN volunteers hope to see you there!
Stay tuned for more Student Art photos in the coming weeks.
ANDREW GUDE, REFUGE MANAGER, IS CK AUDUBON’S MARCH SPEAKER
2024 Marxh 12
Andrew Gude will tell you he’s a lucky guy who gets to oversee “two wonderful Refuges”. But, after thirteen years, retirement beckons.
On Monday, March 25th, at the Christ Episcopal Church, Andrew will reflect on his time as manager of the Lower Suwannee & Cedar Keys NWRs, including what drew him to this job and what he’s learned. He will also speak about where the Refuges have been, what’s being done now and where they are headed. The public is invited to a 4pm Meet & Greet with refreshments, followed by Andrew’s presentation at 5pm.
Andrew has experienced a varied and welltraveled life. He has lived and worked in the Netherlands, throughout the Caribbean, the Turks and Caicos Islands, and has sailed the Indian Ocean. Andrew has been employed as a fishery biologist, commercial fisherman, diving instructor, captain, fishing guide, breath-hold diving spearfisher and lobster diver, environmental educator, and was director of a college study abroad program’s remote field station. He also served on NWRs in the Florida Keys, coastal South Carolina, Hawaii, Alaska, and U.S. Pacific Islands
Before Andrew became the manager for the LSCK Refuges in 2011, he worked for the Director of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, the Department of the Interior's Assistant Secretary, and as the National Wildlife Refuge System's Ocean and Coastal Refuge Coordinator. In this capacity at the FWS Headquarters Office, he served on a small team that supported President George W. Bush’s designation of the four, 305 million-acre, Pacific Ocean Marine National Monuments as FWS-managed areas. .
NESTING SEASON IS UNDERWAY FOR FLORIDA’S WATERBIRDS 2024 March 14
With nesting season underway for shorebirds, seabirds and wading birds, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) is sharing tips with beachgoers on how to help protect our waterbirds while enjoying the shore.
During this time of year, many shorebird and seabird species nest directly on beaches across the state where their eggs and chicks are well camouflaged in the sand. Colonies of wading birds, such as herons, will typically nest on mangrove islands off the coast.
Because our state’s beaches and shorelines are critical for waterbird nesting, people enjoying time near the shore can play a big part in their nesting success. Want to help? Follow these easy waterbird-friendly tips:
FNCC’S SHINDIG…DELIGHTFUL, MEANINGFUL 2024 March 15
Some sixty conservation-minded Cedar Keyans attended the Florida’s Nature Coast Conservancy’s Annual Meeting on Marh 10, from 4 until 6 pm at the Island Hotel’s Patio. A breezy cloudless, 70-degree day added Cedar Key charm and comfort to theshady event. Mike and Mary Petersen provided music perfectly wonderful to tap toes to and for others, like Tom Deverin and Jeri Treat, to dance. Folks enjoyed Chef Kim Cash’s excellent fare of fruitt, meatballs, cheese, rakers, key lime pie, shrimp.
FNCC President Sam Gibbs spoke briefly about the most rent FNCC endeavors. First, however, she thanked residents Phil and Mary Prescott who have recently donated the estuarine area to the west of their home to FNCC’s care.
Gibbs also spoke of FNCC’s strong partnerships with the University of Florida’s Nature Coast Biological Station and the City of Cedar Key. These grant seeking and gtant receiving alliances have resulted in an extension of the Ling Shoreline efforts that have elongated the lives of G Street, Airport Road, and Joe Rains Beah. Additional Resilience Task Force and Cedar Key SHOReS efforts are underway. FNCC continues its effrts working with the ity on land clearing regulations and their their calculation and offering guidance.
President Gibbs also noted that property management have kept FNCC folks busy, cleaning up fr0m Hurricane Idalia, caring for half-toppled trees, and cleaning debris from the s FNCC’s coastal marsh. Slow, but incremental, refurbishing work is ongoing at the organization’s trailer on Gulf Boulevard.
If you were in attendance, FNCC folks hoped you enjoyed yourself; FNCC folks certainly enjoyed you.
BALD EAGLE RESCUED BY EXPERT TEAM Written by Maureen Magee, President WREN Wildlife Rehabilitation and Educational Network
13 MARCH 2024
Daniel Jones of FWC received a call about a Bald Eagle that had been hit by a car. The driver of the car immediately reported the collision to FWC, and waited with the Eagle until help arrived. All of us in wildlife rescue efforts thank this driver for his concern for the Eagle and for his willingness to stay with the bird, monitoring her movements, until the rescue team arrived.
While driving to the site, Daniel contacted Cedar Key Bird Rescue, WREN. The CK Bird Rescue Hotline for WREN received his call and immediately sent out two of our raptor experts:
Doug Maple, who has been rescuing area Raptors for decades, and is a founding member of the CK Bird Rescue team
and Janie Veltkamp, not only a member of the WREN rescue team, but also head of the local Audubon Chapter and Founding Director of Birds of Prey Northwest in Idaho.
Daniel and Doug met at the site, and cautiously, wearing protective gloves, corralled the very large bird, staying clear of the powerful talons and beak, which can go through human muscle to bone in a flash.
This feisty female adult Bald Eagle is to be taken seriously, and to be handled by experts only. As the old saying goes, “Please do not try this on your own!”
Once Daniel and Doug secured the Eagle in a very large carrier, they transported her to the raptor expert, Janie, awaiting their arrival in Cedar Key.
Janie examined the bird, determined her to be a female, based on age and weight; with the Eagle showing a likely metacarpal joint injury, Janie stabilized her for transport to the UF Wildlife Veterinarians who work with Federally protected wildlife such as Bald Eagles.
The female adult Bald Eagle is now in the care of the Wildlife Vets. When a bird recovers and can be released, the plan is always to return a raptor to her territory, where she most likely has a mate and a nest awaiting her return.
A pair of ospreys chose the top of a power pole at the corner of 3rd and A Streets to build a new nest. Not only was this dangerous for the ospreys because of the risk of electrocution, the nest itself posed a strong risk of fire and loss of electricity to the restaurants out on Dock Street. In fact, a small fire already occurred soon after the nest was built. Local Cedar Key Audubon president Janie Veltkamp contacted Tom Wesson, Central Florida Electric Cooperative Membership Vice President and Jim Beauchamp, Vice President of Operations for Central Florida Electric Cooperative. Together with Janie’s knowledge of ospreys’ nesting behaviors, they worked for days to come up with a plan to coordinate with the power company a way to improve the safety at the current nest and to prevent any future fire at this pole.
Friday morning at 0745, CFEC installed a new separate pole that is higher than the current nest pole. With Janie’s expertise and knowledge of ospreys, her husband Don’s expertise in constructing a suitable nest out of a wood palette that was donated by CFEC, and the power companies considerable help in not only providing a taller pole but safely installing the new pole, the new nest was in place within hours. Don and Janie had the nest already on top of the pole before it was erected by the power company. It was incredibly exciting to see the male osprey bringing nesting material to the nest and the female arranging the sticks BEFORE the pole was completely installed! What a gratifying sight to see! CFEC will return early next week to reconfigure the original electric pole to make it safer and less attractive for ospreys to nest.
A big thank you for all of Janie and Don Veltkamp’s and CFEC’s effort to safely resolve the nesting problem for the ospreys. It will be exciting to watch the osprey family grow in what has to be the tallest nest on the island! Stay tuned for more developments of the CKA Osprey Project and the addition of a webcam to observe the nesting osprey pair!
March 17, 2024 4 - 6 pm Upstairs at the Cedar Key Arts Center
This will be a social event with snacks and wine and beer for purchase. Janie Veltkamp, President, will give an update on our osprey project and Scott Wright will talk about our new Purple Martin nest apartment and signage.
You will have an opportunity to renew or begin your new membership at this time. We look forward to seeing you!
On February 22, 2024, the City of Cedar Key celebrated the opening of the newly renovated Community Center now turned City Hall by inviting the public to view the results.
PURPOSE The event was twofold in purpose: • to have the public view the changes, locate offices they might need, enjoy and become comfortable with their City Hall; and • to display the resilient, speedily completed, efficiently coordinated, aesthetic result of moving the City Hall to the different location,
BUILDING At the September 5, 2023, Commission Meeting, five days after Hurricane Idalia hit Cedar Key, commissioners voted unanimously to move City Hall from Second Street to the Cedar Key Community Center site at 809 6th Street because of the hurricane damage to the Hall. At the time, Commissioner Colson remarked that the “…Indians got it right. When threatened, they moved to higher ground.”
Overseen by Fire Chief / Emergency Operations Manager Robert Robinson, the construction / renovation allowed City Hall to remain open throughout. Versatile, agreeable city staff moved from one place to another around the construction teams for months. The result was speedy construction and a City Hall open for business during post-hurricane times when residents urgently needed its services.
The building renovation was entirely paid for by insurance funds, except for approximately $35,000 for flooring and several other essentials.
Some sixty to seventy individuals gathered at Cedar Key City Hall on Friday, February 24, 2024, at 1 pm, to hear Governor Ron DeSantis and his retinue deliver brief speeches and award to CKWSD the funds.
DeSantis, arriving at approximately 1:20 pm, cited numerous other awards he had presented around the state and then presented a huge, camera-friendly replica of the check to the Cedar Key Water and Sewer District, represented by Superintendent James McCain. The dollars will go toward the refurbishing of some of the island’s 17 lift stations.
Lift stations are those structures that lift the island’s wastewater to a level where it can enter the sewage system, leave the island and the Gulf, leaving our waters pristine for tourism and aquaculture. An earlier 2.5M grant from the Florida Legislature allowed the district to refurbish some of the other stations.
Did you know that FWC officers have a set of guiding princi
ples? They are known together as the “North American Conservation Model”, based on 7 fundamental ideas that America’s resource agencies base their policies on. Central to this is the important role of hunters and fishermen.
Lt. Johnston will describe how this translates to everyday life in places like Cedar Key. Lt. Johnston will be presenting on Monday, February 26 with a meet & greet at 4pm followed by the talk at 5pm at Christ Episcopal Church in Cedar Key.
Lt. BJ Johnston began his career in conservation law enforcement with FWC in 2004. He served 2 years in Charlotte County before transferring to Levy County in 2006. BJ was promoted to Lieutenant in 2019 and currently serves as the Field Supervisor for FWC in Levy County. BJ lives in Cedar Key with his wife Becky and daughter Nina. In his spare time you can find BJ fishing, boating, or riding his motorcycle.
Lt. BJ Johnston began his career in conservation law enforcement with FWC in 2004. He served 2 years in Charlotte County before transferring to Levy County in 2006. BJ was promoted to Lieutenant in 2019 and currently serves as the Field Supervisor for FWC in Levy County. BJ lives in Cedar Key with his wife Becky and daughter Nina. In his spare time you can find BJ fishing, boating, or riding his motorcycle.
The Waccasassa Water and Wastewater Cooperative, the W3C, met in Bronson on Wednesday, February 21, 2024, at 1 pm.
WRDA APPLICATION State Representative Kat Cammack invited the W3C to apply for a Water Reserve Development Act grant. The subsequent application was submitted after the due date. In attendance, Economic Development Coordinator for Representative Kat Cammack Jeannie Rickman advised the board that Cammack is shepherding the application along, hoping to have it considered.
RFQ Discussion regarding Requests for Qualifications for engineering services extended for a half hour. The board decided to hire Juturna Consulting as the W3C administrative assistant to send out, receive, and present to the board RFQ results.
BOARD EXPANSION UNRESOLVED The W3C board was conceived and initiated consisting of one member for each of the three municipalities’ representatives: Bronson, Otter Creek, and the Cedar Key Water and Sewer District.
Throughout 2023, and in multiple meetings prior to that, discussion centered on adding one more member from each municipality and one from the county, totaling seven.
At the January 2024 meeting, Chair Partin announced that the three members from the municipalities would remain and two more members would be added, one from the county and one from the Levy County School Board. Board members approved the change.
At this February 2024 meeting, CKWSD General Counsel Evan Rosenthal reported the a school board member does not meet the requirements in the interlocal agreement chartering the W3C. No resolution was achieved. The lawyers will investigate further.
REQUEST FOR LEGAL SERVICES After some discussion, the board hired the Fugate and Fugate Law Firm of Cedar Key / Williston as their counsel. Several in attendance spoke highly of the firm, noting the importance of local, timely assistance.
LAWYERS’ AND TOWN MANAGER’S FEES PAID Cedar Key Water and Sewer District General Counsel Evan Rosenthal, . Town of Bronson Attorney Steven Warm, and Town of Bronson, and Town Manager Sue Beaudet presented their compilation of hours spent in service to the W3C. Rosenthal’s hours amused to approximately $14,000, Warm’s $7,750, and Beaudet’s was unclear.
GRANT WRITING Shannon Williams of Gateway Grant Writing of Lake City briefly presented a proposal for grant searching. Board members hired Gateway.
STATE REPRESENTATIVE MEETS WITH CEDAR KEY MAYOR, VISITS REFUGES, HORSESHOE BEACH 2024 February 17
Congresswoman Kat Cammack visited Cedar Key last week to meet with Mayor Sue Colson and to tour the Lower Suwannee and Cedar Keys National Wildlife Refuges before heading to Horseshoe Beach for a Friends of the Nature Coast benefit/fundraiser for Hurricane Idalia victims. While with Mayor Colson, the pair discussed hurricane recovery efforts and progress on restoring the famous Cedar Key clam operations.
While with the folks at the Refuges, Representative Cammack spoke with the Refuge leaders about the importance of law enforcement efforts to protect lands, especially amid increased poaching efforts that break down fences, kill alligators and other protected animals, and damage property.
In Horseshoe Beach, Representative Cammack met with Horseshoe Beach residents who received funds from benefit efforts over the last six months. Dozens gathered at the Shrimp Boat Restaurant to support rebuilding efforts and to speak about what still needs to be done “to get the town back on its feet.”
SEAHORSE KEY AND CEDAR KEY LIGHT STATION OPEN HOUSES 2024
Linda Boyd retired after volunteering as the Treasurer for Cedar Keys Audubon for seven years. The CKA Board members celebrated the event with a beachside pot luck dinner at Old Fenimore Mill. Linda was presented with a watercolor picture of an osprey to commemorate Linda’s love of this bird species.
Working together, the students and WREN raise awareness not only of the island’s bird populations, but of the ways we can all help to keep our wildlife safe and healthy, taking injured birds to rehabilitation centers until they are healed and ready to be released.
On Monday, March 25th, at the Christ Episcopal Church, Andrew will reflect on his time as manager of the Lower Suwannee & Cedar Keys NWRs, including what drew him to this job and what he’s learned. He will also speak about where the Refuges have been, what’s being done now and where they are headed. The public is invited to a 4pm Meet & Greet with refreshments, followed by Andrew’s presentation at 5pm.
NESTING SEASON IS UNDERWAY FOR FLORIDA’S WATERBIRDS
FNCC’S SHINDIG…DELIGHTFUL, MEANINGFUL
exciting to see the male osprey bringing nesting material to the nest and the female arranging the sticks BEFORE the pole was completely installed! What a gratifying sight to see! CFEC will return early next week to reconfigure the original electric pole to make it safer and less attractive for ospreys to nest.
STATE REPRESENTATIVE MEETS WITH CEDAR KEY MAYOR, VISITS REFUGES, HORSESHOE BEACH
