Footprint Winter 2021

VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT: HELEN WIGERSMA

FOOTPRINT Magazine

Winter 2021 Volume 37 Issue 1

WILDLIFE

Dwindling Dunes and Monster Storms

Edition

Threats facing the Santa Rosa beach mouse

Cast Your Vote 2021 FTA Board of Directors Election

Photography of

Florida Trail Association

Paul Strauss Footprint

Winter 2021

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2

Florida Trail Association

FloridaTrail.org

Photo courtesy of the Florida WIldlife Corridor

Contents

Departments and Features

5 Executive Director's Corner

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by Royce Gibson

8 Big Bend Reroute Update

by FTA Board of Directors

11 Volunteer Spotlight Helen Wigersma

by Van Tran, Adam Fryska and Kelly Van Patten 18 The Florida Wildlife Corridor

A vision of a connected, protected, and restored corridor

by Jason Lauritsen and Nicole Brand

22 Interview with Photographer Paul Strauss

by Jeff Glenn 28 Cast Your Vote 2021 FTA Board of Directors Election 32 Dwindling Dunes and Monster Storms

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38

26

Threats facing the Santa Rosa beach mouse

38 Land Manager Spotlight Mark Jenkins

by Jenna Taylor

by Adam Fryska

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42 In Memoriam Fred Mulholland

by Kelly Van Patten 44 In Memoriam Marjorie Pugh

by Jeff Glenn

Cover photo: Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) Photo courtesy of Paul Strauss

Our Mission

The Florida Trail Association builds, maintains, protects, and promotes the unique Florida National Scenic Trail (Florida Trail), along with a network of hiking trails throughout the state of Florida. Together with our partners, the Association provides opportunities for the public to contribute to meaningful volunteer work, engage in outdoor recreation, and participate in environmental education.

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About Us

The Magazine of the Florida Trail Association

FLORIDA TRAIL ASSOCIATION 1022 NW 2nd Street Gainesville, FL 32601 Toll-Free: 877-HIKE-FLA Tel: 352-378-8823 Email: fta@floridatrail.org Website: FloridaTrail.org Facebook.com/FloridaTrailAssociation Digital Magazine: Issuu.com/FlaTrail

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

President: David Waldrop VP Trails: Tom Daniel VP Outreach/Development: Vacant VP Governance: Peter Durnell VP Membership: Bill Turman Secretary: Deborah Schroth Treasurer: Pam Hale Directors: Ralph Hancock • Amanda Kincaid Greg Knecht • Darryl Updegrove Jan Wells • Leslie Wheeler

FLORIDA TRAIL STAFF

Executive Director: Royce W. Gibson Administrative Director: Janet Akerson Membership and Store Coordinator: Diane Strong Community Outreach Manager: Vacant Trail Program Director: Kelly Van Patten Panhandle Trail Program Manager: Adam Fryska North Trail Program Manager: Jeff Glenn Central/South Trail Program Manager: Jenna Taylor Technical Assistant: Abe Christian Gateway Communities Coordinator: Vacant

FLORIDA TRAIL FOOTPRINT

Editorial Team: Royce Gibson • Kelly Van Patten Layout: Sean Lucas ©2021 Florida Trail Association All rights reserved.

Contributors retain copyright to their work but give the Florida Trail Association permission to use to promote FTA and the Florida Trail. Articles are subject to editing for clarity and space. Materials will be returned if accompanied by a self-addressed stamped envelope. Opinions, observations, and endorsements made within the Florida Trail Footprint do not necessarily reflect those of the board or staff of the Florida Trail Association.

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OUR MAGAZINE

The Footprint is published by the Florida Trail Association, a volunteer-based nonprofit organization focused on Florida hiking and trail building. Since 1966, the primary mission of our organization has been the care and protection of the Florida Trail, a 1,500-mile footpath across the Sunshine State - Florida’s own National Scenic Trail.

OUR GOAL

To provide outreach to our readers through informative articles that express appreciation for and conservation of the natural beauty of Florida; to inform our readers of Florida Trail Association efforts; and to provide information on Florida hiking and outdoor recreation opportunities.

CONTRIBUTORS

Please contact the editor at communications@ floridatrail.org to discuss ideas for feature stories prior to submission.

The Footprint (ISSN 1064-0681) is published quarterly by the Florida Trail Association 1022 NW 2nd Street Gainesville, FL 32601

Bulk rate postage paid at Pontiac, IL. Postmaster: Send change-of-address form 3597 to: Footprint, 1022 NW 2nd Street Gainesville, FL 32601

Florida Trail Association

FloridaTrail.org

MEMBERSHIP

As a Florida Trail member, you receive a subscription to The Footprint magazine, membership in a local chapter, a local newsletter with local activities, opportunities for outdoor skills training, participation in regional and annual conferences and more. To become a member, you can visit our website, mail in the form on the last page of this magazine, or call 352-378-8823.

ADVERTISING

Reach a highly targeted demographic of Florida outdoor enthusiasts by advertising with us or becoming a regular sponsor. Your advertising dollars directly support production and publication of this magazine and assist the Florida Trail Association in fulfilling its mission. Call 877-HIKE-FLA or email communications@floridatrail.org for more details.

The Footprint is printed with soy-based inks on paper with post-consumer content

Executive Director's Corner

Photo courtesy of George Meek

H

appy New Year!

What a whirlwind first few months at the helm of the Florida Trail Association (FTA). Everyone has been so great in welcoming me to the Florida Trail Family.

Thank you.

I am very appreciative of your generosity during our year-end campaign. We exceeded our fundraising goal thanks to you.

The past year has been a test of everyone’s patience, resilience, and fortitude. In this new year, the FTA team is working diligently to bring you new and exciting tools for members, volunteers, and our supporters. We will continue to be tested this year; but I think we will all come through these recent struggles better humans and with an expanded thinking on what is possible.

As with anything new, there are going to be changes and glitches and pining for the old ways. One of those changes is going to be your membership number. We have been using the same system for membership since the last century and many of our long-time members have low membership numbers.

But what you may not know is those numbers were assigned in alphabetical order when the last system was put in place in 1998. While we were not able to retain those membership numbers in our new online system, we were able to retain your “member since” date, which is the true notation of your long-term commitment to the FTA.

Red-shouldered Hawk

As we implement new systems in the office and online, I hope we are better able to serve our members, our volunteers, and our supporters. I ask for your patience as we develop these tools to benefit the whole FTA family.

I hope you enjoy this issue of the Footprint, we are calling the Wildlife of Florida issue. In the following pages you will see the beautiful photography of Paul Strauss, learn about the Florida Wildlife Corridor, get an indepth look at a small beach mouse facing big challenges, and more. Be sure to check out

our photo contest and submit your entries.

Again, I appreciate the warm welcome I have received from the FTA family. I look forward to a time when we can all meet in person. Until then, your comments, feedback and well wishes are welcome by phone and email.

Footprint

Winter 2021

Stay safe, be kind, and hike your own hike,

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FAREWELL, VAN!

FTA's Community Outreach Manager, Van Tran, has accepted a new position with the Appalachian Trail Conservancy as their first Education Network Coordinator. Van has been a beloved member of the FTA staff since 2017, and she will be missed by our volunteers, partners and fellow staff. One of Van’s favorite duties was serving as the chief editor of the Footprint Magazine, which has seen enormous growth and improvement under her leadership. Van and her infamous trail pup, Ziggy, will remain in Florida for the foreseeable future, so you may still see her out on the trail! We wish Van the best of luck in her new role, and thank her for all she has done to promote the trail and expand our partnerships.

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Footprint

Winter 2021

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he Florida Trail Association’s (FTA) 0 10 Board of Directors would like to update our community about our efforts to close the “Big Bend” gap in the panhandle region of Florida Trail. The proposed reroute, which was identified after public scoping in 2016, would have replaced the 50 miles of dangerous road walk with approximately 90 miles of new and existing trails on public land.

As discussed in the previous edition of the Footprint, the FTA and our agency partner the US Forest Service (USFS) have worked diligently over the past five years to explore routing, establish relationships with relevant partners, and gain authorization to route the trail slightly outside the planning corridor established in the 1986 Florida Trail Comprehensive Plan.

On July 14, 2020, the USFS Regional Forester signed a decision memo authorizing the agreed upon route. Unfortunately, a lawsuit was filed in response to the July reroute authorization, and ultimately the decision

Florida Trail Association

FloridaTrail.org

Center for Outdoor Ethics

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The good news is that there are still paths forward in our pursuit to close this important gap. While we strongly feel that the identified route presently remains the best option for optimal routing of the Florida Tail, the FTA and USFS will continue to explore all alternatives, and remain open to conversation about any new routing opportunities that may present itself in the years to come.

In the meantime, the FTA board has shown great interest and enthusiasm in continuing to add trails in this region. In January 2021, the board voted to pursue the former “Big Bend reroute” as an addition to the “Florida Trail System”— the network of trails outside of the Florida National Scenic Trail that our volunteers maintain. If you are interested in getting involved in this effort, please reach out to Tom Daniel, VP Trails at perdidotcd@aol.com.

Revealed along its trails A footstep at a time A paddlestroke away A ride into the unknown: Florida, naturally.

FloridaHikes.com

Trail information, how-to, reviews, guidebooks & more

Footprint

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Submit Your Photos for the 2022 Florida Trail Calendar Have an awe-inspiring photo taken on the Florida Trail? Share it with us!

The Florida Trail Association (FTA) is accepting submissions of digital images for the 2022 Florida Trail calendar until March 15, 2021.

The photo should show the Florida Trail or a view from the Florida Trail. If people are visible in the photo they should be candid (posed shots will not be considered). Close-ups of flowers and insects that do not say “Florida Trail!” will be admired but not selected.

Winners of this contest will be notified by March 31, 2021. They will be featured in the 2022 calendar of the Florida Trail Association, and will also receive 10 copies of the calendar and a bundle of FTA swag!

Step 1: Make sure your photos qualify  Photos must be in digital JPEG or TIFF format

 Photo must be at least 13 inches on the shorter dimension

 Resolution of no less than 300dpi

 The photo should show the Florida Trail or a view from the Florida Trail. Visible blazes are a bonus! If people are pictured in the photos,

they must be candid (posed shots will not be considered). Close-ups of flowers and insects that do not say “Florida Trail!” will be admired but not selected.

Step 2: Fill out the Google form at www.floridatrail.org/ftphotocontest/ to submit your photo by March 15th.

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***If submitting multiple photos, submit the form for each entry separately.

Note: By entering the contest, you are giving the FTA permission to use the photos for the FTA’s official calendar.

Florida Trail Association

FloridaTrail.org

Helen on Blackwater River State Forest, January 2021

Volunteer Spotlight

by Van Tran, Adam Fryska and Kelly Van Patten

on the beaches. Not my thing. I love the outdoors which, to me, means woods, trails, plants and wildlife. Turns out, that meeting notice was for developing a new chapter of the Florida Trail Association (FTA). It was all about hiking, and I was hooked.”

Helen didn’t come from an “outdoorsy” family. There were no family camping trips or vacations to national parks. Her love of the outdoors got its start, of all places, at a hospital! Her childhood home was in an urban environment. Across the street was a large hospital that had expansive grounds, including a picturesque stream that Helen often found herself drawn to. The stream was her source of peace, solitude, wonder and play. Wherever life took her in the years to come, she continued to seek that same feeling in outdoor spaces across the country. Helen went on to

pursue her education, start a family, and serve 25 years as the library director at Missouri Western State College before moving to Florida.

When Helen first discovered the Western Gate chapter of the FTA, she was drawn to the recreational group hiking aspect of the chapter. She particularly enjoyed that members would point out and teach each other about native plants they encountered along the way. Initially, she didn’t know that the group was also responsible for keeping trails maintained. Often, hikers would bring along loppers and paint brushes, and perform trail maintenance while they explored the landscape.

“Our introductory hike was on the Jackson Red Ground Trail, an existing trail in Blackwater River State Forest. We soon learned that it was our chapter’s assignment to keep that trail blazed and cleared for all hikers. Those ‘work hikes’ were a great way for us to get acquainted with each other and with our local public lands. We quickly built a sense of community among the 20 or so founding members.”

In the chapter’s early years, Helen worked closely with Ginger and Ed Moore, who were spearheading the reinvigoration of the Western Gate chapter and bringing the chapter’s trails up to the standards established by the U.S. Forest Service. Though she continued hiking and volunteering for trail work on occasion, once she retired in 2010 from the University of West Florida, “I devoted my life to the FTA” she said, with a chuckle. To this end, Helen’s first major responsibility was serving as the trailmaster for a 5.5 mile segment. This segment just happened to be part of the Jackson Trail in the Blackwater River section, where she first hiked the Florida Trail in 1992.

“I have a great sense of ownership of my little segment. I love the feeling of peace and fulfillment that I have when I spend a few hours clearing back the blackberry brambles or removing the blow-downs after a storm.

It’s better than cleaning the house!”

Like many of us who spend time on trails, Helen developed a deep appreciation for the unique landscapes and wildlife that she encountered on her hikes. Moments of “trail magic” for Helen have included an up-close interaction with a doe and her twin fawns, discovering an amazing pitcher plant bog

Footprint

Winter 2021

HELEN WIGERSMA

O

n an ordinary morning in 1992, Helen Wigersma was reading her local newspaper. After living her entire life in the Midwest, she was a relatively new Floridian, having moved to Pensacola in 1990 for a new career challenge. Helen had always enjoyed outdoor recreation, and after a couple of years getting established in her new position and within the community, she had been looking to connect with like-minded people. She yearned for trees and hills and streams, and wondered if Florida was the right place for her. She sipped her tea, turned the page in the sports section, and came across a posting that essentially read “If you like to hike in the woods, come to this meeting.”

From there, it was history!

“I was instantly interested. I felt that most recreation here in Florida was focused

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Panhandle Trace Hike, checking Data Book in Blackwater River State Forest

Receiving a 25-Years of Continuous Membership Award at the 2018 FTA Annual Meeting that appeared after a burn, and watching an ambling gopher tortoise as it munched grasses along a dusty forest service road. When asked about her favorite moment on the Florida Trail, Helen recalls:

“Though I love to do maintenance work with my fellow Western Gaters, I also love to walk and work my trail section on my own on occasion. One spring morning I was walking my section to assess its condition and determine what needed to be done in advance of an upcoming trail work day. As I came to an area that is open wiregrass with tall longleaf pine trees dotted within it, I was startled to see at least a dozen butterflies among many pink and light purple wildflowers swaying in the breeze. I had never seen that section in bloom in that abundance before and definitely had never seen that many butterflies in a group before. I simply stood in 12

Florida Trail Association

awe as the swallowtails flitted from flower to flower which were dipping and dancing with those light puffs of air ruffling them. Within a few minutes the butterflies moved on, but for those few moments, it was trail magic.”

Over time, Helen took on greater leadership responsibilities within the Western Gate Chapter. Her first role was Secretary, which she followed up by assuming the Chapter Chair position from fellow long-time volunteer, George Brinkman. She served as Chair from 2011 to 2018, although even after officially retiring from this position, Helen has often continued to serve as the unofficial leader for Western Gate. She has served officially as Treasurer, organized chapter meetings and events, submitted quarterly financial reports and reimbursement requests for new equipment and trail building materials, and served as a point of contact for stateFloridaTrail.org

wide FTA collaborations. She has also been a representative on the Chapter Council for the last several years and felt this was a great opportunity to learn from other chapters and tap into exciting new ideas and opportunities from elsewhere in the state.

Helen has been working hard to develop future leaders for the Western Gate chapter, organizing elections for a new round of officers. Recruiting new leaders and avoiding leadership burnout is a challenge facing many chapters. To address this problem, Helen feels it’s important to create a better system to prepare and transition chapter leadership positions, including doing a better job of onboarding and encouraging new leaders. As a result of her efforts, the chapter is now looking forward to the election of a new Chapter Chair and additional officers later this spring.

“We have had a lot of great people who have taken on the work of sustaining the chapter”, she says.

After nearly 30 years of involvement with the FTA, and serving in a number of leadership positions within the Western Gate chapter, Helen has shared many valuable reflections and insights on her experiences.

Nick Power and Helen - Recognition of Nick as an AT through-hiker

Helen with son David and friend Bonnie Green starting out on Appalachian Trail hike that ended the very next day Footprint

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An FTA Trail Crew assembles for a work party in the eastern Yellow River Ravines in 2016.

Photo courtesy of Helen Wigersma

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Florida Trail Association

FloridaTrail.org

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Dedication of FL Trail Terminus - Gulf Islands National Park Dan Brown, Ed Moore, Helen, Shawn Thomas, Ginger Moore

To anyone who is new to the FTA, or considering getting involved, Helen says, “There is a role for everyone—no matter what their age, background, physical ability or skill set may be. There is always a need that can be fulfilled by someone looking to give back to the trail.” Over the years, Helen has welcomed and trained many new trail maintainers. She does an excellent job of minimizing barriers to entry for those who might be intimidated to try their hand at trail maintenance for the first time.

“The first thing I tell them is that volunteering with us is a lot more fun than working alone in their own yards. If you can work in your yard, you can work on trails. If you feel unsure about it, know that you will be working under the guidance of other experienced trail workers who can help you. There are many different jobs on a trail crew and we try to match you to one that you will enjoy.”

Spend time with any FTA chapter, and you’ll quickly realize that a core group of long-time volunteers is the glue that holds the chapter together. These dedicated individuals are indispensable to the long-term health and continued sustainability of the chapter; they 16

Florida Trail Association

organize events, serve in leadership roles, and recruit new members. To these “veteran” FTA volunteers, Helen says,

“It is so important that we support newcomers, and encourage them to become official members of the FTA outside of attending hikes advertised on Meetup.

There is great value in viewing oneself as part of a broader, statewide organization- an organization that is beyond the trail, that is involved with protecting and preserving environmental resources throughout the state.

We are an important part of the communication between the general public and our statewide leadership, such as land managers, partner agencies, and FTA staff. We have a bigger role than just being out there working and walking on our trail.”

Helen’s long history with the FTA also provides her with some unique insights about how our organization is growing and rising to meet new challenges. She’s excited about the recent addition of new FTA staff members and appreciates how these positions have worked to assist the chapters and tackle issues such as diversity and inclusion. “Inclusivity is FloridaTrail.org

Celebrating the new eastern section of the Yellow River Ravines in 2017 something we’ve needed for a long time. It is only in the last 5 years that I have recognized the fear level that some people feel when they are out on the trails, parks and our public spaces.” Helen also appreciates our partnership with the U.S. Forest Service and how our organizations have worked together to grow our programs and maintain the Florida Trail, even as this past year was shadowed by the COVID pandemic. Noting recent accomplishments like the development of a new C-sawyer training program, reopening the Econfina section after Hurricane Michael, and expanding our Gateway Community Program, she says “I think we’re on the right track.”

EXOS | EJA

Bridge crossings, sunsets with colors so rich it drips from the sk y, dinner w i t h chipmunk s . T he little things. The E xos/Eja features uncompromised durabilit y in an ul t r aligh t p ac k age t h a t de f ie s b e lie f.

The only way to discover wondrous moments is to get out there and find them. So grab your friends, pack your gear and make it happen.

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The Florida Wildlife Corridor

by Jason Lauritsen and Nicole Brand

of partner organizations and agencies are at work protecting, restoring and conserving the corridor’s vast and diverse complex of aquatic and terrestrial native habitats. The future of the corridor is directly dependent on our collective success, which begins by fostering connections between Floridians and the land.

A vision of a connected, protected, and restored corridor THE CONSPICUOUS IMPORTANCE OF CONNECTION. This past year, the importance of connection has been palpable. The quality of our lives is dependent on countless unseen relationships with the world around us. Aldo Leopold tells us that there is value in any experience that reminds us of our dependency on the fundamental organization of the ecosystem.

He quotes the 1949 Sand County Almanac, saying “We fancy that industry supports us, forgetting what supports industry .” The immense complexity of the natural world compels the scientist and the naturalist to an intellectual humility. We are drawn to the mystery of the swamp and the woodland; from the minute oxygen producing diatoms within the rich periphyton mats in our wetlands, night time pollinators like the sphinx moth, or the Florida black bear whose padded feet occasionally record their passage on a trail we share. Each cog in the ecological machinery serves a purpose. We risk severing the connections we don’t value, or that we misunderstand.

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Florida Trail Association

A wildlife corridor is a meaningful connection between two or more patches of native habitat. The Florida Wildlife Corridor is the embodiment of landscape connections spanning roughly seventeen million acres going from Florida Bay to Georgia and Alabama, linking the world class parks and preserves that prior generations have protected. The Florida Wildlife Corridor is also an organization that gives voice to the value of protecting the physical corridor and the countless ecological mechanisms that comprise it. Thankfully, we are not alone. Dozens

ORIGINS OF A FLORIDA WILDLIFE CORRIDOR The concept of a statewide ecological corridor is not new to Florida. It took decades of work by numerous scientists and conservation organizations to determine the need for landscape-scale conservation approaches, and specifically corridors, as a way to address habitat loss and fragmentation across Florida.

These decades long efforts brought into play the right combination of people, need, and opportunity, resulting in arguably the most ambitious landscape conservation plan of any U.S. state.

Florida has been a leader in landscape level conservation for decades. In 1987, Reed Noss laid out a statewide vision of a connected Florida landscape. The first iteration of the Florida Ecological Greenways Network (FEGN) was developed by Margaret Carr and Tom Hoctor in 1998 with future updates helping guide land acquisition and expand a recreational trail network. The Florida Wildlife Corridor (Corridor) comprises the top two priority layers of the FEGN model. The Corridorgeography represents the main trunk of our state’s wilderness tree. There are many important branches, but we must preserve the trunk. To do so, we need to continue to build on the foundation of sound conservation planning that considers science and environmental health on the same footing as economic and quality of life considerations.

Our growing state depends on it.

THE FLORIDA WILDLIFE CORRIDOR ENCOMPASSES 16.7 MILLION ACRES – 9.8 MILLION ACRES THAT ARE ALREADY PROTECTED AND 6.9 MILLION ACRES OF REMAINING OPPORTUNITY AREAS THAT DO NOT HAVE CONSERVATION STATUS. THE EXACT PROPORTION OF THE OPPORTUNITY AREA THAT NEEDS TO BE PROTECTED FOR FUNCTIONAL CONNECTIVITY WITHIN THE CORRIDOR HAS NOT YET BEEN DETERMINED. FloridaTrail.org

tion is a growing stream of tourists. In 2019, we saw the 9th year in a row of increased tourism - 131 million people visited Florida.

More rooftops, more cars, more conflict with wildlife and wild places. The growth rate of the human footprint is outpacing our conservation efforts. How we grow will make all the difference. As the urban and suburban boundary pushes out into the rural and natural areas, bottlenecks emerge, creating challenges for corridors. The more Floridians come to know, understand and value our special wild places, the more likely we are to make decisions that lead to a sustainable future for wild Florida.

Formerly Proposed Florida Trail Reroute NOT JUST WILDLIFE The weave in Florida’s landscape tapestry is fine and complex, and it requires the discipline of science to expose, understand, measure and prioritize the essential relationships at work in our ecosystem. For the non-scientist, this is often daunting. However, it's important to understand why a corridor is worth protecting at all.

A connectivity based approach extends beyond strict application to wildlife as well, and is invoked as a solution to address water quality, flood control, air quality and other

ecosystem services. Elected officials and agency leadership charged with safeguarding these quality of life indicators and our economic health would benefit from a sound understanding of the link to an intact and healthy wild Florida.

CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES Sixty years ago there were only 5 million residents in Florida. Since then we’ve added another million residents every four years, reaching an estimated 21.5 million in 2019.

Alongside this swelling residential popula-

EXPEDITIONS The Corridor has introduced this vital connected landscape to the public through films of expeditions led by conservationist: Mallory Dimmitt, bear biologist, Joe Guthrie, and conservation photographer, Carlton Ward, Jr. The fundamental goal of the first expedition was to traverse the state along a path a bear or panther may take to demonstrate that Florida still had a statewide wildlife corridor worth saving. The journey stretched from Flamingo at the edge of Florida Bay into the Everglades up to the Okefenokee Swamp that spills into southern Georgia. The next expedition mapped the second half of the Florida Wildlife Corridor from the Everglades Headwaters to the Gulf Islands National Seashore in the Florida Panhandle.

Since then, the Corridor treks have centered around highlighting critical areas in danger of irreparably severing the Corridor.

The 2018 mini-expedition navigated and documented a critical chokepoint of the Corridor

Trekker Joe Guthrie taking a dip in Lake Godwin on the 2019 Lake Wales Ridge Expedition Footprint

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Partner Trail Mixer event during the 2019 Lake Wales Ridge Expedition.

Left to right - Joe Guthrie, David Waldrop, David Price, Mallory Dimmitt, Jerry Burns, Carlton Ward, Kelly Van Patten, Matt Caldwell. in the hopes it would be saved. By exploring this narrow, but critical, connection a call to action was issued for additional conservation to protect and restore this remaining wild thread within a growing urban interface between the headwaters of the Everglades and the Green Swamp.

The latest expedition launched from Highlands Hammock State Park and twisted through working farms and ranches, up onto Lake Wales Ridge, culminating in The Nature Conservancy’s Tiger Creek Preserve. The expedition goal was to highlight the search for solutions undertaken by the many individuals and agencies working in the region to preserve the rare ridge scrub and sandhills that support an astonishing number of endemic species. The expedition shed light on the need for proper wildlife crossings under US 27 to connect the expanding barrier of traffic and development associated with the highway.

The effort to bring these stories to light are paramount to the collective mission of protecting wild Florida. The actualized vision of a connected, protected, and restored Corridor relies heavily on collaboration.

MOVING FORWARD COLLABORATIVELY People will not save what they have not seen, or experienced. Getting people into the woods, wetlands and waterways to experience first hand the natural beauty of our state is critical. The Florida Trail Association (FTA) does a phenomenal job connecting people to the land, and has long been a wonderful corridor partner. Hiking and biking represent compatible uses on many segments along the wildlife corridor.

Representatives of the FTA have participated in the Conservation Partner 20

Florida Trail Association

Summits hosted by the Florida Wildlife Corridor. They have also accompanied our trekkers on expedition segments. And most recently, during August 2020's new moon, the FTA spent time alongside several other Florida conservation organizations convening in Florida's only internationally designated Dark Skies area - Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park (KPPSP) for a scaled down partner conversation to explore how we can continue to work together on our common goals of conservation across a challenging landscape.

The KPPSP is a tremendous conservation property within the Florida Wildlife Corridor, perfectly illustrating another overlooked

and underappreciated connection, between wide open undeveloped landscapes and dark skies, which provide quiet and generous views of the Milky Way. How easy it is for those of us living under the streets lights of developed Florida to forget just how beautiful the night sky can be. And for that sphinx moth and scores of other important pollinators, a dark sky is yet another ecological cog at risk of being lost.

Many areas of Florida remain wild.

If we hope to keep it that way, we must be intentional about it. Protecting this network of green arteries which connect the states core habitat patches will require significant resources and coordination among a broad group of stakeholders. This is landscape conservation, and we have a long way yet to go together.

HOW CAN FTA MEMBERS GET INVOLVED? We’ve got a big year ahead of us in conservation and it will take the efforts of many.

Volunteer with your favorite organizations.

Invite others into your favorite wild places.

Share that world with them and contribute to the cultivation of love for wild Florida. When you see a film that inspires you, whether it be an expedition film like The Forgotten Coast, The Last Green Thread, or another meaningful production that speaks to you, share it.

In the wise words of Hilary Swain, Executive Director of Archbold Biological Station, "We'll always be appalled at what we've lost and amazed at what we've managed to save."

Watch Florida Wildlife Corridor trekkers journey across Florida's imperiled backbone, the Lake Wales Ridge.

The Wild Divide is currently streaming on Facebook.

FloridaTrail.org

Introducing the Florida Trail Passport

VISIT OUR WEBSITE FOR DETAILS FLORIDATRAIL.ORG

Discover the natural beauty of the Florida Trail through this pictorial journey of the trail, end to end.

With a Foreword by Jim Kern and photography by Sandra Friend and John Keatley, this keepsake book showcases the natural wonders and unique features of each section of the Florida Trail in moments captured by Sandra and John.

Mini coffee table book Hardcover 5x7” format 192 pages Short overviews of each trail section Photograph locations identified at the end of the book Footprint

$24.95 Available October 2020 Order at FloridaHikes.com Winter 2021

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The Photography of Paul Strauss

by Jeff Glenn, North Florida Trail Program Manager

Juvenile Alligator (Alligator mississippiensis).... "Don't be fooled by this juvenile alligator's cute looks—alligators mature quickly, growing up to 14 inches per year", Paul says.

P

aul Strauss came to Florida more than thirty-five years ago to pursue an environmental science degree at the Florida Institute of Technology. He soon fell in love with the Old Florida known to those adventurers who seek it out in places like the Florida Trail, or those who read about in the novels of Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings or Patrick Smith. His passion for the outdoors, however, started in his home state of Pennsylvania, growing up in the country an hour north of Philadelphia. Coinciding with a love for the outdoors was an early affinity towards photography. In his parents’ basement, he built a darkroom so he could develop and practice his black and white photography while taking classes on the subject as a highschooler. In the mid-1990s when digital photography came to the mass market, Paul was a very early adopter and has been a huge proponent ever since. This ‘revolution’ as he calls it happened concurrently with his career development

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in the environmental field and rekindled his passion for nature photography, with an emphasis on botanical subjects. Botany was a subject he studied in college and because of this, wildflowers and butterflies often came under the camera lens.

Currently, Paul serves as the Director of the Environmental and Conservation Services Department for the Palm Beach County School District. Paul’s team oversees the environmental compliance of over 180,000 students. His department runs the largest school gardening program in the state and it is also one of the premier programs

of its kind nationwide. There are over 110 schools in Palm Beach County with gardening programs. These can be vegetable gardens, but more often than not, they are native plant gardens. His office oversees the design of these gardens and adheres to guidelines for which native plants are allowed. This knowledge and care for native plants is evident in his photography.

His interest in nature photography has a very strong tie to the Florida Trail. At least once a week for the past five years, Paul finds his way to the trail. Living in the southeast portion of the state, he frequents sections

“IF YOU WANT TO SEE WILD FLORIDA, IF YOU WANT TO REALLY SEE WHAT FLORIDA IS ALL ABOUT, IF YOU WANT TO GET AWAY FROM THE STEREOTYPE, IF YOU REALLY WANT TO DIG IN TO WHAT THIS STATE HAS TO OFFER, THERE’S NO BETTER WAY OF DOING IT THEN GETTING ON A SEGMENT OF THE FLORIDA TRAIL.” FloridaTrail.org

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White-Tailed Deer are one of Paul's frequent companions while hiking the trail. between Orlando and the Everglades. He is a member of the Tropical Trekkers chapter and regularly attends chapter meetups as well as past FTA conferences and festivals.

What is going through your mind and how are you feeling when you’re photographing? Are you trying to capture your subjects in any certain way?

For me, nature photography is not a means-to-an-end. I'm interested in the experience, not snapping photographs. I draw inspiration from the live oak cathedrals of central Florida and Marjorie Stoneman Douglas' River of Grass in Florida's Everglades. I rarely plan a day of photography around a specific plant or animal. I'm much more interested in visiting beautiful places and letting events unfold in front of me. At my best, I am recording a moment in time that captivates, inspires, or illuminates. At my best, I am sharing my love for Florida; rural Florida, and perhaps in doing so I'm shining a spotlight on our peninsula's incredible natural beauty. My camera follows along on my adventures, it does not lead them. Like a diary, it records the special experiences and perspective of someone that is eager to explore, and has a deep reverence for nature's beauty, drama and spirit.

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The Cloudless Sulphur Butterfly (Phoebis sennae) is one of Florida's most colorful butterflies, it's name is derived from Greek mythology: Apollo's sister: Phoebe.

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Sunrise over the Kissimmee Prairie. The magic of morning fog and live oak trees.

Dry-Prairie, one of Florida's most unique natural habitats; home to a litany of rare plants & animals including our most imperiled bird species, the Grasshopper Sparrow.

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PHOTOS

Scrub Jay are a communal bird species, highly social with very-close family ties. They are Florida's only endemic bird species and their numbers have been declining due to habitat loss.

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Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) is a silent stalker, with a bill that resembles a dagger, they are equally skilled night & day hunters thanks to specialized eyes.

FloridaTrail.org

I'm a big believer in continuing education, I'm a life-long learner with a passion for books & reading....but, I'm much more interested in composition, and setting than I am in the technical-side of photography. It's important to understand the basics, and to keep-up with technological advancements in photography; however, I'm not trying to create the "perfect" image; therefore, I choose not to rely on a lot of digital image manipulation and computer wizardry.

If I'm at all successful, it's being able to present a compelling scene or image. To offer a perspective that is engaging and thoughtful.

How do you pick your shots, or do they pick you and do you use a particular setup, like blinds or stands?

I prefer to engage in nature, and generally do not use blinds or calls; however, sometimes patience is truly rewarded in nature photography. I sometimes force myself to sit-down and let events transpire around me. I love hiking, so I'm constantly on the move while photographing. A hike of 10 miles on any given Saturday is not unusual for me with more in the winter, when the weather is conducive, and less in the middle of Florida's hot & humid wet season. Hiking while picture-taking may be my preferred method. However, it's very important to emphasize that long hikes are not a prerequisite for capturing compelling images. In fact, some of my best shots have been taken within a few steps of the parking-lot. I'm not a professional photographer, I make my living another way; therefore, since my time outdoors is limited, I always need to balance my desire to visit beautiful places with the time available.

Is there a particular story you want to share about capturing a shot that you think readers would find captivating or humorous?

I've had so many great outdoor adventures over the years, and some truly unforgettable experiences, enough to fill a book. I've been pummeled by incredibly powerful summer thunderstorms, miles & miles from shelter, stuck kneedeep in marsh mud, with a gator or two sunning themselves along the nearest shoreline; there's nothing like the sight of a 10ft Florida gator to get you moving! I've broken my camera equipment in every way imaginable, and gotten my truck stuck in sugar-sand more than a few times.

I've been so lucky to view sunrises & sunsets that are so colorful, vivid, and beautiful, they simply defy description, and are impossible to capture in a photographic image.

By far, my most memorable experiences have involved Florida wildlife. I once stumbled upon a white-tailed deer fawn bedded down in a Treasure Coast pine flatwoods, at the foot of a slash-pine tree.

Mama was nowhere to be seen, and it was clear that I was the 1st human-being the fawn had ever encountered, just a few days old. I froze immediately, and the fawn struggled to its feet, knees knocking like wind chimes. Ever so slowly the fawn approached me, wet nose glistening in the morning sun. I slowly raised my camera up to my eye and took photographs for 5 minutes or so, no sense of fear in the fawn's eyes or movements, just curiosity. I was so overcome by the moment and the experience, that I let my camera slip to the pine-needles below my feet, knelt-down, and nervously reached-out my wobbly hand. The fawn's warm breath engulfing my fingertips. It was a connection to the natural world that few individuals are fortunate to experience, it generates such a deep sense of reverence, humility, and awe. I lost all sense of time, but I must have lingered for half an hour or so, completely & utterly captivated by this indelible moment, it was difficult to leave; there was electricity in the air. It's a feeling and a morning that has lingered with me for many years.

As a side business, Paul began selling some of his photos at the gift shop at his local state park as well as entering his work into photography contests, some of them national, where he has done quite well. This has encouraged the idea of taking up full time photography once he retires from his career in the school district.

Paul’s happy place is being out in the middle of nowhere, where the only sounds you hear come from nature. When asked what advice he has for aspiring photographers, Paul says, “Photography is better practiced at a slow pace. Be observant and patient and let things develop in front of you.”

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Cast your vote in the 2021 FTA Board of Directors Election As a member of the Florida Trail Association, you have the privilege of casting your vote in the 2021 Board of Directors election. You have a voice, and we want to hear it!

SEVERAL WAYS TO CAST YOUR VOTE!

By Mail: on page 11, there’s a paper copy of the ballot that can be mailed. Mail in ballots must be received by March 26, 2021.

Mail your ballot to: Florida Trail Association 1022 NW 2nd Street, Gainesville, FL 32601

Electronically: There is now an option to vote online! Visit: www.floridatrail.org/about-us/ourboard/

Online voting will close March 26, 2021.

The new Board of Directors will be announced at the FTA Annual Meeting April 3, 2021 This will be a virtual meeting and all members will be emailed a link to the event prior to the meeting. *You must be an FTA member in order to vote. Note, only one vote per membership.

If you choose to submit your ballot by mail, you will not need to vote electronically.

The Florida Trail Association Nominating Committee has verified all applicant qualifications. To learn more about the 2021 candidates, please read the bios below. If you wish to learn more about Board of Director duties and responsibilities, head to www.floridatrail.org.

President: David Waldrop David is a graduate of USF with a BS in Engineering Technology and is employed by the Lake Wales Charter School District. He has been a member of the Florida Trail Association since 2005, having joined after doing trail maintenance with members of the Heartland Chapter. He is a section leader for the Kissimmee River section of the FNST and the current President of the Board of Directors.

1st VP Governance and Administration: Deborah Schroth Deborah thanks Leslie Wheeler for enticing her to become a member of the North Florida TrailBlazers after an introduction to the FTA during the IDidAHike in and around the Goldhead State Park area of the FTA. Deborah has done trail maintenance work and volunteered for IDidAHike for several years, until being grounded by the Coronavirus protocols. She is proud to have a National Scenic Trail in Florida and knows the importance of managing this resource. She is a Florida public 28

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interest attorney interested in environmental matters with experience in both state and federal regulatory matters.

For almost 25 years she has worked for non-profit law firms, gaining public advocacy skills, including legislative and administrative advocacy. Deborah has served on the Board of Directors of numerous non-profit organizations during her career and has served most recently as the FTA’s Secretary after serving as an at-large Board member.

4th VP Development and Outreach: Leslie Wheeler Leslie has been a member of Florida Trail Association ever since she went with the Western Gate Chapter on a field trip to Garcon Point and observed rare pitcher plants on her hands and knees. She has been an active member of the North Florida Trailblazers in Jacksonville since 2000. Her experiences as an FTA volunteer led her to become a Florida Master Naturalist, as the Florida Trail provides wonderful access to our natural places. Leslie has served on FTA’s Board for many years in various capacities, most recently as President. She is looking forward to working more to raise awareness and funds for FTA to support our mission.

FloridaTrail.org

Leslie graduated from Millsaps College with a BS in Biology. She became a medical technologist and earned her Specialist in Blood Banking at Ochsner Hospital in New Orleans.

She has a Master of Healthcare Administration from Tulane University. After a long career of managing transfusion services at Florida hospitals, she now works part time as a validation specialist for a healthcare software company.

Secretary: Darryl Updegrove Darryl grew up in Pennsylvania. Since graduating from the University of Virginia with a degree in electrical engineering, he has spent the last 33 years working for the U.S. Government, first in Virginia, and now in Panama City, Florida.

He received a master’s degree in electrical engineering from Florida State University (FSU) in 1998, and Masters of Business Administration from FSU in 2012.

He joined the Panhandle chapter of the FTA in 2016, and has since become co-chair, chair, director (current), activity leader, activity coordinator (current), and has a National Sawyer Certification Card.

He enjoys cycling and hiking. He is active in his church, where he plays the electric bass for worship services.

At-Large Directors - Six Open Positions Alan Bradshaw Alan is a semi-retired International Business Development Executive living in Sanford. Alan’s multiple roles as Vice President have provided extensive business development, operations and leadership experience. Alan had a long career with AAA, over 60 million members strong, and its associated partners. Alan served on the Executive Board of Directors for the EDTA (Electric Drive Transportation Association) in Washington DC before relocating to Australia for work.

Alan stays active with four children and three grandchildren, and has a long history and passion for the outdoors from his early years growing up in Western New York and Minnesota. Alan spent much of his childhood with a pack strapped to his back in the mountains of the West and woods of the North. His father had him in the woods camping, canoeing and hiking from a very young age. Alan, an avid world traveler, has backpacked, hiked, and canoed through the Upper Midwest, the Rockies, US and Canada, Big Horns and Glacier National Park. Alan is a newcomer to the Florida Trail Association and has a keen interest in becoming involved in supporting the continued efforts of the Association.

Dr. Patrick Brennan Patrick Brennan (Ph.D., Ed.D.) enjoys and cares about our northwest Florida resources and is ready to play an active role in preservation, promotion, and education. Patrick has cultivated his passion for Northwest Florida and its trails, springs, and creeks while growing up in Niceville, Florida. (Class of '87)

In his research and curriculum development, Dr. Brennan is exploring human history in landscapes. As a member of the Board, Patrick will continue to promote the Florida Trail Association and all of its goals. Patrick will also continue to communicate and share time with several local organizations he knows that share similar and overlapping interests.

When he is not in the classroom Dr. Brennan runs, bicycles, hikes, snorkels, fishes, and kayaks the St. Andrew Bay and Gulf Coast State College district of Bay, Gulf, and Franklin counties.

Bill Bush Bill Bush graduated with a Degree in Business Management from USF. He is an avid backpacker, having completed thru-hikes of the A/T, PCT, CT, FT, Pinhoti and the Wonderland Trail. Bill has thru-hiked the Florida Trail seven times, completing it both SOBO and NOBO and has completed more than 20,000 hiking miles.

Bill is a retired Federal Law Enforcement officer, having served as an agent for the US Postal Inspection Service, retiring in 2005.

Bill has been married to his wonderful wife Lynne for 49 years. Bill has been a member of the hiking community for many years and has many friends and contacts in the hiking community. Bill practices and promotes Leave No Trace and strongly believes in “Hike Your Own Hike”. Bill plans on completing the CDT and earning his Triple Crown as soon as possible after the pandemic is under control and it is safe to return to hiking. Bill loves the Florida Trail and has also completed the Ocean to Lake trail many times. Wherever Bill has hiked, he always presents and promotes the FT as a pleasure to hike. And as usual Bill offers a Happy Trails to all.

Nurse Practitioner in Baltimore.

While on active duty he held clinical and management positions in Germany, Hawaii, Maryland, and Kansas. He served on the medical transition team for Presidential inaugural activities in Washington D.C. and on a special health-care team during a Presidential European visit. After leaving the military, he worked as a Nurse Practitioner (NP) in internal medicine and gastroenterology practices in Maryland and Florida. He was a Clinical NP instructor at Johns Hopkins University and Howard University in Maryland. His other interests include hiking/camping (he has done sections of the AT and FT, among others), boating (American Sailing Association certifications: Basic Keelboat Sailing; Basic and Intermediate Coastal Cruising; Bareboat Chartering) and travel.

Franz Karl Byars Karl is a retired Army Officer and currently licensed as a Florida Nurse Practitioner. He has been a life-long hiker and an active member of the Western Gate Chapter since 2018 where he volunteers 1-2 times a week on average (approx 3-5 hours per session). He received his National Sawyer Certification Card (April 2019) and also helps his chapter by trail mowing, lopping, tree removal, bog bridge building and repair, campsite cleaning and equipment transport. His background and commitment provide an ideal foundation for advising the Association’s missions in these areas: public health awareness and safety; skills training (especially in emergency first-aid response); budget management; trail work planning and implementation; equipment requirements; and personnel and volunteer recruitment and oversight.

He received a BSN from the University of Mississippi and a MSN from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. He graduated and received a Nurse Practitioner certification from Johns Hopkins University Post-Masters/

James Catalano James is seeking election to the FTA Board of Directors after having completed a full career as a Florida licensed civil engineer. James received his BS in Civil Engineering from UCF in 1987. He worked for Dyer, Riddle, Mills & Precourt, Inc. as a land surveyor, chief bridge engineer and Tampa regional manager. He is currently the president of Catalano Engineering, Inc, where he has worked since 1994 in civil, structural and marine engineering.

As a lifetime Florida resident, James has a deep love and respect for its natural spaces and adheres religiously to the Leave No Trace (LNT) principles. James has hiked and camped on many sections of the Florida Trail from Okeechobee to Escambia and Seminole to Citrus.

James has a thorough understanding of the challenges of operating within a 501(c) organization. Through his professional life, he has developed the skills and knowledge necessary to successfully navigate regulatory jurisdictions including State, County, water management districts and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP).

Significant volunteer experience ranging from performing trail maintenance for the SWAMP Mountain Bike Club to serving on the Habitat for Humanity Hillsborough, Inc. Board of Directors.

His hobbies include: hiking, kayaking, mountain biking, camping, cycling, fishing, paddle-boarding, surfing, and photo/ videography.

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Pete Durnell Pete Durnell graduated from Miami University (Ohio) with a BA in Psychology and has an MA in International Relations from the University of Arkansas. After graduating from Miami, he joined the US Air Force and served a 20-year career there with a focus on Intelligence.

After serving at various locations worldwide with the USAF, including living and working in England for several years, Pete returned to the US in 1994 and joined the FTA. Pete became active with the Central Florida Chapter serving as an Activity Leader, Activity Coordinator, and Chapter Chair. He helped with the transition of the FTA Footprint from a newspaper format to a magazine format and served as co-editor and editor. He joined the Board in 2000 and served as a Director, Vice President of Administration and President until 2011. After a break of a few years, Pete rejoined the board and has served as VP Governance from 2016 until the present.

Ralph Hancock Ralph Hancock joined Florida Trail Association in 1991 after learning of FTA on a day hike in Myakka State Park. He has served as Trail Master, Section Leader, Trail Coordinator, in addition to two terms as Chapter Chair. He joined the Board of Directors in 2008 and served for 4 years.

He has recently rejoined the Board and will complete his current 3-year term as director at large in April 2021. He is currently Section Leader of Green Swamp West. He is also a member of the Appalachian Trail Conservancy and has backpacked over 1,700 miles of the AT.

Ralph graduated from Georgia Southern College in 1964 with a degree in Business Administration. After college, he joined the Army and later the Air Force Reserves.

He worked as a sales representative for two national manufacturers in the hardware industry, later joining the family metal finishing business. In 1990, along with a partner, Ralph owned and operated his own shop until he sold it and retired in 2015.

Warrior Expeditions supports combat veterans transitioning from their military service by thru-hiking America’s National Scenic Trails.

Rick Robbins Rick Robbins was raised in southwestern Ohio and has spent most of his life enjoying the outdoors.

He has undertaken many backpacking and hiking trips, which include the Continental Divide, AT, Ice Age, and the Florida Trail.

After receiving his degree in Soil Science and Resource Management from University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, he embarked on a journey of mapping soils in Wisconsin, Ohio, and Florida.

In Florida, Rick was Project Leader on the initial mapping of the northern Everglades (Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge and Water Conservation Areas 2 and 3) and the re-mapping of the Ocala National Forest.

While employed by the USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service, Rick co-authored soil interpretations that are available on the Web Soil Survey. Interpretations included gopher tortoise burrow suitability, forage suitability groups, ecological sites, seedling mortality, and septic tank absorption fields.

Rick resides in Gainesville and is now semi-retired. He works part-time as a GIS specialist/Soil Scientist for the USDA Easements Program. He also is co-owner of Shiloh Ridge Farm which produces chestnuts and is restoring parts of the farm to Sandhill pines.

Currently, Rick is the Secretary for the North Florida Prescribed Burn Association and is a Certified Burn Boss.

Visit WarriorExpeditions.org for more information

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FloridaTrail.org

Florida Trail Association’s 2021 Mail-In Ballot  Mail

in ballots must be received by March 26, 2021.

 Mail

your ballot to: Florida Trail Association 1022 NW 2nd Street, Gainesville, FL 32601

 Your

first and last name is required as a control measure to verify your FTA membership.

Member names will be separated from their votes once verified.  One

vote per FTA Membership. If you chose to submit your ballot by mail, you will not need to vote electronically.

Are you a current member of the Florida Trail Association? ___Yes ___No First and Last Name (print legibly): ________________________________ Email: ________________________________________________________ PRESIDENT David Waldrop

AT-LARGE BOARD CANDIDATES Select up to six

VP DEVELOPMENT AND OUTREACH Leslie Wheeler VP GOVERNANCE AND ADMINISTRATION Debra Schroth

Alan Bradshaw

James Catalano

Dr. Patrick Brennan

Pete Durnell

Bill Bush

Ralph Hancock

Franz Karl Byars

Rick Robbins

SECRETARY Darryl Updegrove

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The Santa Rosa Beach Mouse

by Adam Fryska, Panhandle Trail Program Manager

A beach mouse in its natural habitat.

Photo courtesy of Florida Department of Environmental Protection

DWINDLING DUNES AND MONSTER STORMS

A

Threats Facing the Santa Rosa Beach Mouse

regular conversation in our community has been about how the development of Florida’s remaining rural landscapes is challenging our efforts to close the gaps in the Florida Trail (FT). It’s not just our trail corridor that’s being crowded by a loss of open spaces; numerous endangered species are threatened by habitat loss in Florida. On the other hand, it's a happy coincidence that what's good for hikers—a continuous footpath linking Florida's diverse ecosystems—is also good for wildlife. Wildlife corridors connect animal populations that would otherwise be separated by human activity, maintaining biodiversity and extending a lifeline to threatened species. Most Florida hikers have probably heard of the Eastern Indigo Snake, Gopher Tortoise, and Red-Cockaded Woodpecker. These species present inspiring success stories about conservation 32

Florida Trail Association

in Florida, and all can be encountered by hikers along the Florida Trail. But there's one diminutive threatened species that's much less known, much harder to spot, and whose habitat exists on just one barrier island: the Santa Rosa beach mouse.

The oldfield mouse, Peromyscus polionotus, can be found throughout the southeastern United States. Its range stretches from the Gulf Coast to Tennessee, and along the Atlantic Coast from South Carolina to most of the Florida peninsula. However, while the species as a whole is doing well—oldfield mice are abundant in protected areas throughout their range—several taxonomically unique sub-species are threatened or critically endangered. One of these sub-species—P. p. leucocephalus, the Santa Rosa beach mouse— is only found on Santa Rosa Island in northwestern Florida. While not yet as critically FloridaTrail.org

endangered as the neighboring Perdido Key beach mouse and Choctawhatchee beach mouse, the Santa Rosa beach mouse populations are also facing an uncertain future.

It may seem surprising that an animal as ubiquitous as a mouse can become threatened or endangered. But these beach mice, along with their other barrier island relatives, are specifically adapted to the challenges of life on coastal sand dunes. At a weight of just 13 grams and an average length of 3 inches, these tiny creatures dig multiple elaborate burrows among vegetated dunes, using them for shelter, nesting, and caching food. These burrows can be as long as 2-3 feet, with a large main nesting chamber and emergency escape tunnel that ends just below the surface of the sand. If a predator enters the burrow, the mouse can quickly dig its way out to safety. Burrows are usually located among

A view of low dunes along the Gulf Coast of Santa Rosa Island.

Photo courtesy of Adam Fryska

primary dunes located just off the high-tide line, but the mouse habitat extends out to more densely vegetated inland dunes, swales, and scrubby bay-side dunes.

Even accounting for their small size, Santa Rosa beach mice are exceedingly difficult to spot. Beach mice have a unique pale brown and sandy coloring that provides excellent camouflage among the dunes. The Santa Rosa mouse often appears almost completely white. They are also primarily nocturnal, sleeping within their burrows during the heat of the day and searching for food during the night. Their foraging range can extend up to 5,000 square meters as they hunt for seeds, nuts, and insects. The majority of their diet consists of seeds and fruits. Sea oats are the favorite, but they also forage for bluestem, ground cherry, evening primrose, beach pea, and dune spurge. Unlike most other mouse species, the Santa Rosa beach mouse avoids human buildings and trash, preferring to forage among the dune vegetation.

A beach mouse peaks out of its sandy burrow.

Photo courtesy of Florida Department of Environmental Protection

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The Santa Rosa beach mouse is the palest of the various beach mouse species, often appearing completely white.

Photo courtesy of Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission

Given their isolation on a single barrier island off the coast of Florida, it should come as no surprise to hear that the greatest threat facing these diminutive rodents is habitat loss. For hikers along the Florida Trail, the development and fragmentation of the dunes habitat is impossible to miss. For its first 28 miles the Florida Trail traverses the island from Fort Pickens to Navarre Beach. The trail begins at the northern terminus marker in Gulf Islands National Seashore, meandering east through pines and scrubby dunes until it spills out onto the coast. After several miles of walking along pristine white sand beaches, hikers suddenly reach the National Seashore boundary at Pensacola Beach. Condos, resort towers, and private homes crowd every available scrap of land in between the beach and the bay. A few miles further east, the dunes reappear along another section of protected seashore, and then the pattern repeats with more homes, condos, and towers at Navarre Beach. The change between the two landscapes is jarring; from vast, windswept sand dunes to bustling seaside communities in just a few steps.

Luckily for both hikers and mice, most of the remaining dunes on Santa Rosa Island are forever preserved. Protected properties include the Gulf Islands National Seashore, Santa Rosa Island Authority parkland, a University of West Florida nature preserve, and portions of Eglin Air Force Base. Development of the island has taken a balanced approach that includes consideration for native species.

For this reason, the Santa Rosa beach mouse has avoided the critically endangered designation that impacts its relatives on smaller, less protected islands. Even so, the remaining dunes on Santa Rosa Island form a patchwork amidst the roads and buildings. This leads to the isolation of wildlife, a reduction of genetic diversity, and ultimately less healthy and resilient populations. It also means that mouse populations may have a harder time bouncing back from the impacts of hurricanes that regularly reach these shores.

Because of their small size and nocturnal behavior, hikers are most likely to encounter beach mice by their tracks in the sand.

Photo courtesy of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

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FloridaTrail.org

Development near coastal dunes continues on Santa Rosa Island.

Photo courtesy of Adam Fryska

Unfortunately for the beach mouse, development of the coastline is only half the story. Coastal wildlife is also facing the threat of rising sea levels and habitat destruction linked to climate change. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the sea level around Florida has increased by 8 inches since 1950, and it continues to increase at the rate of 1 inch every 3 years. This rate is forecast to increase in coming years as the melting of polar ice continues. For coastal sections of the Florida Trail, these predictions can be concerning. Take a look at a pessimistic, worst case scenario sea level rise forecast map for 100 years from now, and much of Santa Rosa Island sinks into the sea (maps and models are available at: https://coast.noaa.gov/slr/ and https://coastal.climatecentral.org/map/).

It's not just the beaches that are impacted.

Further east, much of the St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge faces inundation, as does the Big Bend coastline. This outcome would be devastating for coastal communities, unique coastal ecosystems, and the sections of the Florida Trail that pass through them. The Santa Rosa beach mouse, along with much of the dunes it calls home, could be washed away entirely.

Even if the worst sea-level rise impacts are avoided, coastal ecosystems also face the threat of increasingly violent storms. NOAA

predicts that hurricane intensities will increase over the next 100 years, and that we will see a greater number of storms that reach Category 4 and 5 strength. Hurricanes are giant heat engines that convert the energy from warm ocean water into wind and waves. The more heat that is available, the more damaging the storm. Pair that with increased sea levels, and the impact on barrier islands and dune habitats can be extremely destructive. For

beach mice, survival depends on high, vegetated dune ridges that can withstand storm surge and coastal flooding. Even then, a single storm can have a major effect on population numbers. A study published in the Journal of Mammalogy found that beach mouse populations at Santa Rosa Island sites plummeted almost 50% after Hurricane Ivan hit in 2004; that storm completely destroyed many of the frontal dunes that serve as primary beach

Sea level rise models present alarming possibilities for the future of Florida’s barrier islands. This view shows one potential 100-year scenario.

Photo courtesy of https://coastal.climatecentral.org/map/

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mouse habitat. Hurricanes Erin and Opal almost led to the extinction of the Perdido Key beach mouse, a neighboring mouse sub-species. A higher frequency of major storms can also impact the plant communities upon which beach mice and other wildlife depend. Plant roots are the glue that hold sand dunes together. Dune revegetation is a slow process, and repeated flooding can prevent plant populations from regaining a foothold, destroying dunes and further fragmenting the mouse habitat.

All of this amounts to some big challenges for a small mouse.

Beach mice literally have nowhere else to go. Entire populations are isolated on shrinking islands, scoured by hurricanes and surrounded by beach-going tourists and towering resorts. Still, the fate of these little creatures can seem insignificant when compared to the big picture of human economic activity and our own needs and desires. Growing hurricane threats and rising sea levels will be a major challenge for the human populations of these islands, let alone the wildlife. So why do these mice matter? Why should we be concerned about the fate of a creature that most people will never even see?

For many of us who work as stewards of Florida's natural landscapes, the answer feels simple and obvious, even if it’s a bit sentimental. We value our natural environment and the wildlife that lives there.

These things have an intrinsic value, their own right-to-be, as well as having value for how they enrich our lives. The dunes, the creatures that live there, all of the myriad ecosystems in Florida... we want all of this to be here for future generations to experience. This is what the founders of the Florida Trail recognized when they set out to blaze

this trail, and what Congress recognized when they designated this footpath as a National Scenic Trail.

Then there is also the ecologist's answer: that the beach mouse is one small but vital part of a vast interconnected web of life, along with every other dune-dwelling bird and insect, grass and shrub, no matter how small or seemingly insignificant. A healthy population of beach mice indicates a healthy dune ecosystem. The mice are an important part of dune formation; their cached but uneaten seeds will sprout, leading to new vegetation that stabilizes the sand and expands the dunes. The mouse burrows provide shelter for other small wildlife. And the mice themselves are hunted by dune predators such as snakes and owls. If there's a lesson that wildlife conservation has taught us, it's that if you take out any one link in this system it will all start to unravel.

So what can you do to help protect the beach mouse? Many of the big challenges can seem beyond our individual or even collective ability to address. After all, any meaningful mitigation of climate change impacts has to occur at a national, or even international, level.

Even on the local level, there's simply no going back once a beach has been developed. But there are meaningful actions we can take to help protect this species. To start, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has shared a list of eight simple steps that beach residents and visitors can take to protect beach mice and other dune-dwelling wildlife:

A view of the Santa Rosa Island dunes habitat from the perspective of a beach mouse. These low-lying coastal areas are often flooded by storm surge.

Photo courtesy of Adam Fryska

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FloridaTrail.org

Biologists tag beach mice to track population level changes and mouse behavior.

Photo courtesy of Florida Department of Environmental Protection

 Avoid walking in dunes. Use crosswalks and boardwalks (along the

Florida Trail Dunes Section, stick to the marked route).

 Do not drive in dunes or on the upper beach near dunes and

dune vegetation.

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da m

Stewardship of our environment is a shared responsibility, and it's encouraging to see how the beach communities of Santa Rosa Island have embraced efforts to restore dunes, plant native species, and protect their remaining open spaces. The Florida Trail Association is committed to working with the Santa Rosa Island Authority, Gulf Islands National Seashore, and all of our partners to advocate for the continued conservation of this delicate ecosystem. Our Western Gate Chapter is also currently working to restore sections of dune trail that were impacted last year by Hurricane Sally. These parts of the Florida Trail are an important local recreational resource, and encouraging the public to visit and appreciate this coastal habitat is a central part of our organization's mission. Conservation only happens when people feel that they have a stake in what's being preserved. Every tourist, local resident, and thru-hiker who sets foot on our trails is a potential advocate for the continued protection of dunes and the wildlife that calls them home. That's some good news for the Santa Rosa beach mouse.

Fry ska

 Keep pets out of dunes. Keep dogs on leashes and cats indoors.  Do not feed stray cats.  Properly dispose of trash to keep predators away.  Keep outdoor lighting to a minimum.  Don't use rodenticides in coastal dunes.  Plant native plants around residences and businesses.

A of sy rte u o c to Pho

Gulf Islands National Seashore has implemented a popular magnet campaign to raise awareness about threatened beach mouse populations.

Pick yours up at Fort Pickens!

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Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission Spotlight

by Jenna Taylor, Central/South Trail Program Manager inspected as well. “These are the types of projects I love doing with the FTA,” he shared, “Ones that we can do together.” Annual agreements between the Forest Service and land managers across the Florida Trail, like FWC, allow for the cost and labor sharing of projects like this along the Florida Trail.

As we made our way through the WMA, we passed many hunters who were there for a hog hunt. Mark greeted them and we moved along. Part of his role is supporting the hunts and hunters on these lands.

“Hunters are an important part of this. They are population control which help us conserve and protect.” Mark explained that hunters and anglers greatly support FWC financially

MARK’S TOP FWC DESTINATIONS FORT WHITE WILDLIFE AND ENVIRONMENTAL AREA

MARK JENKINS

O

n a cold weekend in January, I was able to sit in the shade of Godwin Hammock, within Three Lakes Wildlife Management Area (WMA), with Mark Jenkins while he shared about his role and why he does the work he does. While we sat and talked, his phone rang twice with mower updates that required his problem solving.

Mark has spent the past three years as a Public Access Biologist with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission (FWC) . Based out of Ocala, Mark oversees recreation throughout the state of Florida, both on land and water.

Whenever he is able, Mark joins the Florida Trail Association (FTA) volunteers in maintaining the Florida Trail (FT).

“My role as a Public Access Biologist fits into the overall goals of FWC, which is the long-term well being of the wildlife for 38

Florida Trail Association

the enjoyment of people, all people.” Specifically, Mark works to protect and maintain the recreational opportunities available to visitors and residents within FWC managed and co-managed lands. “I monitor and maintain every trail, every year.” he said. This can be similar to the work FTA does; mowing, blazing, lopping, checking signage and inventorying infrastructure. He works with partners to ensure that trail standards are met and trails remain open and safe.

While at Godwin Hammock, Mark used the opportunity to assess the site. He tested the pitcher pump, and took notes about its condition. He logs every piece of infrastructure and its condition annually to track changes and anticipate what will need to be done each season. The tent platform, bearing an “FTA/FWC Project 2018” signature was FloridaTrail.org

“THIS IS A PRISTINE SANDHILL HABITAT WITH NO INVASIVE SPECIES. THE TRAIL IS ROLLING AND ALWAYS CLEAR, WELL MARKED AND WELL MAINTAINED. IT FOLLOWS THE SANTE FE RIVER AND THE RELIC SAND DUNES.” 

THE FLORIDA TRAIL IN THREE LAKES WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT AREA “THIS IS MY FAVORITE SECTION OF THE FLORIDA TRAIL TO VISIT AND WORK ON. THIS (GODWIN HAMMOCK) CAMPSITE IS ONE OF MY FAVORITES WITH THIS SWEEPING VIEW IN FRONT OF YOU.” 

FWC PADDLING TRAILS “PARTICULARLY, I LIKE THE SLAVE CANAL SECTION OF THE AUCILLA TRAIL AND FISHEATING CREEK. THEY ARE BOTH REALLY NICE, WELL MARKED TRAILS TO PADDLE.”

through license fees. “That money goes back to the state and it truly does trickle down to allow nearly free access for the public to these lands.”

h he is on the road a lot, Mark still finds opportunities to enjoy the destinations. “I am always on the road. My colleague Cade and I work hard, we get a lot done and then we enjoy the areas we work so hard to maintain.

It is really cool to go out in the Gulf and camp on the islands, fishing at night when my work is finished for the day.” When joining the FTA volunteer work parties, Mark is known for creating the perfect campfire. He said he enjoys working with the Florida Trail for a few reasons. He said that he loves seeing the beaten down path in spots where the trail has existed for decades. Having chapters and volunteers to support the maintenance of trails on FWC is an invaluable asset. Maintenance events can complete a section of trail in just a few days when it would take Mark significantly longer if he was simply attacking the trail on his own.

Mark removes invasive caesar weed at Forever Florida.

Mark’s email signature contains the quote, “The mere fact of being able to call your job your passion is success in my eyes,” and when you meet Mark, you can tell his job is his passion. “I’m here for these wildlife and plant communities. We want people to come out and see it and have the opportunity to do what they like to do,” he said. Then laughing, he added, “As long as it is an approved activity of course.”

The FTA, Forest Service, and local volunteers are incredibly grateful for our partnership with FWC, and thank Mark and his team for their incredible contributions to the trail community.

At the Godwin Hammock campsite during a work party in Three Lakes WMA. Footprint

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Walking to meet a mower in need of fuel in Three Lakes WMA. 40

Florida Trail Association

FloridaTrail.org

Taking a phone call from a volunteer about a mower.

Footprint

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In Memoriam

by Kelly Van Patten, Trail Program Director

Fred and Charlie Monson look over a plaque at the 40th Anniversary celebration of the Florida Trail, Altoona.

Tom Montoya and Betty Loomis look on.

I In Memory of

FRED MULHOLLAND (1929 - 2020)

A Founding Member of the FTA and Unique Force of Nature

Fred Mulholland and Ed Dolan share a joke before the Golden Blaze ceremony at Clearwater Lake, 1987 42

Florida Trail Association

n the 1960s, the Florida Trail was just a dream for a small group of hiking enthusiasts. A group of dedicated volunteers created the Florida Trail Association (FTA), whose members recognized the need for long distance hiking opportunities in Florida. These volunteers came together to create, improve, and steward what is now the Florida Trail.

When word about a vision for the Florida Trail had reached an ex-Green Beret and former Eagle Scout from Tampa named Fred Mulholland, he decided to lend a hand. Fred became part of that small group of visionaries responsible for founding the Florida Trail and was a founding member of the organization, joining in 1967.

In his early involvement with the FTA, Fred organized a trail crew of volunteers that included family members and Boy Scouts.

Over a series of weekends he led them in building a 23-mile footpath, complete with wooden bridges, through Ocala National Forest from Clearwater Lake to Juniper Springs-- the first section of the Florida

Fred in a candid moment at the dinner table during the 50th Anniversary celebration of the Florida Trail, DeLand 2016 FloridaTrail.org

Fred receives an award from the State of Florida for his trail building efforts, presented by Paul Cummings at the 1988 Annual Conference

Where Black People & Nature Meet

Fred Mulholland (right) with fellow trail maintainers including Past President Dick Schuler (standing) at the 1985 Annual Conference

OutDoorAfro.com

One of Fred's Florida State Parks trail crews at work at Myakka River State Park. Past President Ethel Palmer, far left.

Trail. Past President Ernie Baldini, an FTA icon for decades, regarded him as the ultimate motivator. Ernie said, “He was the kind of a guy that you put up to an objective or a goal and let him at it.”

Over the years, Fred remained an active member of the Suncoast chapter. Fred can be credited with the creation of trails within Myakka State Park, Little Manatee State Park, Hillsborough River State Park, and Torreya State Park, in addition to some of the most popular sections of the Florida Trail in the Withlacoochee State Forest and Ocala National Forest.

Members of the Suncoast chapter say Fred, “Would develop a trail and move on to the next, leaving maintenance to others. He was very careful and precise when laying out a trail. He even took a step ladder to see what was ahead!” Fellow volunteers remember Fred as “ A pushy leader, but people really enjoyed working with him. He kept volunteers excited, grumbling and coming back.”

Fred left a lasting impact on the Florida Trail, FTA, and public lands across the state.

Hiking enthusiasts for generations to come have Fred to thank for access to some of the most beautiful and important landscapes that Florida has to offer.

Special thank you Sandra Friend for providing historical photos and captions.

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In Memoriam

by Jeff Glenn, North Florida Trail Program Manager

In her happy place among the trees on the trail

Remembering My Friend,

MARJORIE PUGH

M

August 17, 1960 – November 16, 2020

eeting Marjorie Pugh for the first time came as a surprise—one of those chance encounters that will stick with me forever. It was February 2014 and it was a normal month in Big Cypress— the trail was knee deep with water. Late one afternoon after a hard day’s work on the trail, two hikers emerged from the swamps with barely any gear on them. They had that classic look that says ultra-marathoner: long, lean, soaked, and smiling. They were on a Florida Trail (FT) run, starting in Big Cypress and headed north as far as they could. Marjorie, a.k.a. Yogi, and Tim, a.k.a. Salt Shack, were tired and running out of daylight. We refueled 44

Florida Trail Association

them with food and water and bid them farewell.

Fast forward one month to the porch of the world-famous 88 Store in the Ocala National Forest after another trail work day.

Who runs up, but Salt Shack and Yogi. It was as if no time had passed, and they were once again running into my camp just like they had so many hundreds of miles ago. It happened to be Marjorie’s last day on the trail and I was lucky enough to say goodbye and congratulations. Little did I know that she would become an active Florida Trail Association (FTA) member and trail volunteer and that she would become such a personal inspiration FloridaTrail.org

and friend to me and to so many others in our community.

It never took long to learn something new from Margie. Every conversation, every story, every project was an opportunity to really engage with someone who had a passion for life that is seldom found. At every phase in her life she was doing something radical. As a Florida teen, Margie was a rebel, skateboarding her way through life until she joined the professional skater circuit. It was her passion and she threw her heart into it, just as she would so many times in her life with other pursuits. To help her find focus, her father encouraged her to join the navy at the age of 19. After her enlistment period was up, she attended college and then joined a research ship in the Bering Sea as part of a U.S. missile tracking station. Her Navy track led her to become a rocket scientist for the Air Force Space Command.

Along the way, Margie developed a love

the richness of her character. She taught me to always listen, because we all have stories that are not written on the cover. Her book of life was epic and full of adventure and joy. I’m heartbroken that it was never finished but I’m grateful for all of what I gathered from it.

VOLUNTEER

for motorcycles and she joined a biker “gang”, as she described it, donning the name ‘solo,’ as a woman riding alone. She learned Hebrew so she could relate to the Orthordix Jews that walked past her house every Saturday.

She was a student of spiritual traditions from across the globe. In the past couple of years her passion, and what I saw as the culmination of so much of her energy was Dancing Bear Farm and Discotheque. Located in the historic area of Barberville, FL, the farm was her dream of land, peace, and a place to throw her labor into something meaningful and good. As her retirement approached, the farm was her focus and she was out there every weekend planting longleaf pines and restoring the land to a healthy ecosystem.

After many years of trail running, often on the FT, Marjorie joined the Black Bear Chapter of the FTA. She went on to become a chapter officer and section leader. Part of Juniper Prairie Wilderness will forever be known as Margie’s Mile as it was her section to maintain.

What I loved most about Margie is that she was fun loving and always game for anything. I will miss our time on the trail together, our time around the fire, and most definitely the stories that she would tell me about her life that always amazed me, that showed

Marjorie was an ultra runner that frequently ran endurance events on the FT

As an aspiring farmer and homesteader Margie took pride in learning new skills, like here in an FTA chainsaw course Footprint

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FTA Chapters List of Florida Trail Association Chapters

ALLIGATOR AMBLERS CHAPTER Charlotte, Collier, and Lee Debra Taylor 978-732-6336

APALACHEE CHAPTER

Franklin, Gadsden, Jefferson, Leon, Liberty, and Wakulla Elwood McElhaney 850-878-4389

BIG CYPRESS CHAPTER

Miami-Dade and Monroe Susan Bennett-Mans 305-213-1500

BLACK BEAR CHAPTER Flagler, Putnam, and Volusia Ed Riskosky 315-374-6500

CENTRAL FLORIDA CHAPTER Orange, Seminole, and Osceola Bill Turman 407-413-2950

When you join the state-wide Florida Trail Association you automatically become a member of your local chapter based upon your zip code. However, members may attend the activities of any chapter and may transfer to any chapter they wish simply by informing the FTA Office.

Florida Trail activities are organized by our local chapters and are led by authorized volunteer activity leaders. Many of our activities are open to the general public so you can get to know us before you join. Activities can be found online at floridatrail.org. Click on “About Us” then click on the “Upcoming Events” button on the left. Local activities are usually also listed on the chapter websites, Facebook pages and Meetups. Click on “About Us” then “Our Chapters” for links to local chapter sites.

Participants in activities must sign an Assumption of Risk form and agree to accept personal responsibility for their safety and the safety of accompanying minors. Always contact the activity leader in advance for more information, to let them know you are attending, to find out any special requirements or equipment for the activity, and to check for any last minute changes.

For more information about chapters and links to websites/meetups/photos go online to FloridaTrail.org/about-us/chapters/ then select the chapter

CHOCTAWHATCHEE CHAPTER Walton and Okaloosa Tim Crews 850-826-3605

FISHEATING CREEK CHAPTER Hendry and Glades Deanna Filkins 863-234-8181

HAPPY HOOFERS CHAPTER Broward Kay Ferrara 954-609-4727

HEARTLAND CHAPTER

DeSoto, Hardee, Highlands, and Polk Jan Wells 863-608-2046

HIGHLANDERS CHAPTER Lake and Sumter Mike Tamburrino 303-809-3284

INDIAN RIVER CHAPTER Brevard and Indian River Bill Alexander 321-693-7369

LOXAHATCHEE CHAPTER Palm Beach Roy Moore 561-422-2189

NORTH FL TRAILBLAZERS CHAPTER

Baker, Bradford, Clay, Duval, Nassau, St. Johns, and Union Ron Fish 904-612-5468

PANHANDLE CHAPTER

Bay, Calhoun, Gulf, Holmes, Jackson, and Washington Darryl Updegrove 850-819-0414 46

Florida Trail Association

A rainbow spotted during the Girls Who Hike Florida and Wild East Women Florida Trail work party along the Kissimmee River.

SANDHILL CHAPTER

Alachua, Levy, Gilcrist, and Marion 352-378-8823 Karen Garren 352-316-3453

SUNCOAST CHAPTER

Citrus, Hernando, Hillsborough, Manatee, Pasco, Pinellas and Sarasota Sue Bunge 727-504-8574 FloridaTrail.org

SUWANNEE CHAPTER

Columbia, Dixie, Hamilton, Lafayette, Madison, Suwannee, and Taylor Norm McDonald 386-776-1920

TROPICAL TREKKERS CHAPTER Martin, Okeechobee, and St. Lucie Rick Deluga 772-781-7881

WESTERN GATE CHAPTER Escambia and Santa Rosa Helen Wigersma 850-484-0528

MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION AND GIFT FORM JOIN BY PHONE 877-HIKE-FLA OR ONLINE AT floridatrail.org/join

Name ____________________________________________ Daytime Phone Number ______________ Address ___________________________________________ Email ____________________________ City ______________________________________________ State _______ Zip __________________

MEMBERSHIP CATEGORIES Please mark one of the boxes below if you are joining or renewing your membership in the Florida Trail Association Trail Steward ($35) Trail Builder ($50)* Trail Advocate ($100)* Trail Protector ($500)* Trail Champion ($1000)*

Name ____________________________________ Address ____________________________________ City _______________________________________

*Includes spouse and children under 18.

I do not want my address shared with FTA-affiliated organizations

MY GIFT TO THE FLORIDA TRAIL DESIGNATIONS

e

State _____________ Zip ______________________

Employer/Occupation ______________________

Daytime Phone Number ______________________

Spouse Name _______________________________

Email ____________________________________

Spouse Occupation __________________________

Ship membership package to

Number of children __________________________

The Footprint magazine?

Me

Digital

New Member Printed

I learned about the Florida Trail from _______________________________________________________

MY GIFT TO THE TRAIL

ANNUAL FUND

Provides funds to ensure a steady income stream for Florida Trail Association operations. It’s how we keep the lights on and The Footprint coming.

Please send a gift membership to:

I am making a gift to the Florida Trail Association and want my gift designated to: Annual Fund

Endowment Fund

Trail Protection Fund

My gift is In Memory of ___________________________ In Honor of _______________________________

e

FUND

AMOUNT

ENDOWMENT FUND

Provides an ongoing endowment to the Florida Trail Association from interest earnings.

It is the gift that keeps on giving.

e

TRAIL PROTECTION FUND Supports land acquisition and trail construction projects with the ultimate goal of protecting the trail corridor and completing the entire Florida Trail.

SEND FORM AND PAYMENT TO: FLORIDA TRAIL ASSOCIATION 1022 NW 2nd Street, Gainesville, FL 32601.

MEMBERSHIP TOTAL _________ GIFT TOTAL ________________

PAYMENT OPTIONS: CHECK: Make checks payable to “Florida Trail Association”.

CREDIT CARD:

Visa

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GRAND TOTAL

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Discover

Credit Card Number: ______________________________________________________ Exp. Date: _____________ Signature: ____________________________________ Security Code (3 or 4 digits): _________

To order merchandise from the Florida Trail Store, visit

www.FloridaTrail.org

or call the Florida Trail office at 1-877-HIKE-FLA. Footprint

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FLORIDA TRAIL ASSOCIATION NON-PROFIT ORG PRSRT STD U S Postage PAID Pontiac, IL Permit No. 592

FloridaTrail.org

Florida Trail Association

48

1022 NW 2nd Street Gainesville, FL 32601

A new volunteer paints her first orange blaze in KICCO WMA along the Kissimmee River

w w w . f lo r i d at r ail .org/Ne wVol unt eers /

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