 On Thursday Nov. 17 the Board will meet at 10a.m. at Refuge headquarters. All members are welcome. After the meeting we will visit the adjacent Vista property, which will eventually become part of the Refuge through the generosity of the owners--Friends members Sandra Roe Smith and Linda Roe Alexander. Bring a picnic lunch.
Mark your calendars for Saturday, Dec. 10, for this Refuge Open House on Seahorse Key. The event is free, but attendees must travel by private boat or one of the shuttles leaving from Cedar Key. More than 200 attended the October Open House. The daylong rain led to lower attendance for the July event.
 In January, an armed group took over the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon and held it for 41 days. On Oct. 28, a jury found the leader and six others not guilty of conspiring to impede federal workers from doing their jobs. The National Wildlife Refuge Association reacted with sadness and issued a call to action statement.
 After volunteers collected more than 1,700 pounds of trash in October on the Dixie County side of the Refuge, a smaller project is being organized for December along the Salt Creek Overlook loop trail. High tide made it inaccessible for the October volunteers. Contact Debbie Meeks at friends@friendsofrefuges.org for a date.
 Work continues to set up our new automated database management system for membership renewals and tracking. Watch for a new look when renewing your membership at the end of the year. In the meantime, please review the Members list on the website and let us know if any corrections are needed, or if you would prefer to opt-out of being included on the list.
New NWR Passport Books Arriving Soon
 Blue Goose Passport books provide a fun way to record your visits to any of the 563 National wildlife Refuges, including collecting its stamp. They have been out of stock for years and now are being re-issued. Plan to buy yours at the Friends Annual Meeting and Refuge Open House on Saturday March 4, 2017.
Refuge Manager Andrew Gude announced that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is listing the Suwannee moccasinshell as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. The mussel's range and numbers have declined in recent decades as a result of pollution and reduced flows in the Suwannee River Basin.
The Brazilian Pepper Control Program on the Refuge and in the Cedar Key area is set to begin soon. Anyone interested should email Roger at friends@friendsofrefuge.org for details. A class will be held to get the program off safely. It will be similar to last year's class.
 The Board of Directors of Friends of the Lower Suwannee & Cedar Keys National Wildlife Refuges will be looking for up to 3 new directors this fall for a two-year term to begin with the Annual Meeting on March 4, 2017. All Friends members are eligible to serve on the Friends all-volunteer Board. Contact Maria at friends@friendsofrefuges.org
Advocacy and Information Links
Editor: Peg Hall
Reviewers: Russ Hall, Kit Lane, Paul Ramey
Contact: friends@friendsofrefuges.org
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