Transitions
Comings and Goings on the Lover's Key Ranger Staff
Matt Kruse, whom some of you know very well and who has been the beloved Assistant Park Manager here at Lovers Key since 2006, has accepted a new role as Park Manager at Collier-Seminole State Park in Naples. We are truly going to miss Matt and it will be very strange not to have him at Lovers Key! Matt started his career in the field on natural resources after graduating from Hocking College in Ohio with an Associate’s degree in Recreation and Wildlife with a minor in Ranger Services.
Shortly after graduation, he attended the National Ranger Training Institute and completed the Seasonal Officer Training required for seasonal law enforcement officers with the National Park Service. Looking for an opportunity with federal employment, Matt then accepted a seasonal position with the Army Corps. of Engineers at Caesar Creek Park in Ohio. He spent three seasons with the Corps. of Engineers.
In 1999, he accepted a position at Lovers Key State Park as a Park Attendant and within a year promoted to a Park Ranger. In 2006, he moved into the Assistant Park Managers position. Although he will miss Lovers Key State Park greatly,
Lovers Key State Park has an incredibly talented new Assistant Park Manager who will be joining the team, Valinda Subic! Valinda fell in love with Florida and the Florida Park Service as a new ranger at Washington Oaks State Gardens. She researched and designed an exhibit and guided walk showcasing one of the largest outcroppings of coquina on the Atlantic.
As Assistant Park Manager at Highlands Hammock State Park her focus was on prescribed fire, exotic plant management and managing the park's cultural resources. During her tenure as park manager at Oleta River and North Shore State Recreation Areas, local interest was developed, and volunteers were organized to begin establishment of the park's Mountain Bike trail system.
Cooperative projects with Dade County also provided many opportunities for wetland restoration. The concept for cabins was also initiated. While serving as manager of Stephen Foster, Olustee Battlefield and Big Shoals, partnerships with local communities, NGOs and government agencies were developed at each of the sites. She established outdoor recreational opportunities at the park to include a new campground, vacation cabins, a canoe and kayak launch and establishment of the Suwannee River Wilderness Trail. She restored the park's original carillon system and oversaw the transition of the Florida Folk Festival from the Florida Department of State to the Florida Park Service.
Valinda worked briefly as the Assistant Bureau Chief in District 3, then assumed the Bureau Chief Position in District 4 (which includes beautiful Lovers Key State Park). There she worked to develop a cohesive administrative and management team in the District office and parks. Her focus on resource management and visitor services resulted in a professional ongoing fire team and opportunities for staff development. Through continued emphasis, several long-term projects are coming to fruition including the Lovers Key Welcome and Discovery Center, the Fakahatchee Boardwalk Expansion and the Caladesi Island Discovery Center. Valinda is excited to return to the park level, especially at Lovers Key State Park where she will be involved in helping the Welcome and Discovery Center open its doors near the end of 2020!
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Turtle Nesting Season
Every morning during turtle nesting season, a ranger is given the duty of turtle patrol. We start our mornings 30-45 minutes before the regular work day starts. Arriving around 6:15 a.m. is the perfect plan, because it provides a window of time to prepare for the patrol by gathering necessary supplies. Being early also allows the ranger to be on the beach for the patrol right at 6:30.
Most rangers run north to south, meaning we drive a golf cart up the dirt service road to the north beach area and enter the beach there. From north beach, we swing around the northern tip and head south, down past the Australian pines, the mid beach point, the gazebo and Hurricane Charlie’s on south beach, all the way down to the southern tip of the island at New Pass.
Along this route, we scan the beach looking for the telltale signs of turtle activity: turtle tracks. The smooth linear pattern marked by comma shaped indentations on either side is a sight that is hard to miss. Once turtle tracks are sighted, the ranger must take the time needed to discern whether a nest has been dug. A “false crawl” is the term used to describe an emergence from the water, and a return to the water, without a nest being dug. False crawls must be recorded in a similar fashion to nests. Both are important data and are vital to keeping track of an endangered species’ activities.
One easy way to tell the difference between a false crawl and a nest is the lack of digging. Nests are dug with flippers and are very noticeable. Imagine trying to dig a hole with your feet using a narrow, sideways shovel attached to the bottoms. Kind of hard to visualize, isn’t it? Mother turtles dig the nests with their rear flippers. The resulting sand spray is the most noticeable part. If a digging spot is noticed, the hunt for eggs begins!
Egg chambers are fishbowl shaped and almost perfectly smooth on the sides. After dropping her eggs, a mother turtle will cover the eggs back up. Luckily the sand that is piled back on top is looser than the hard-packed sand surrounding the nest. The easiest way to know if you are digging in the right direction is to feel the sand; if it’s hard packed, the turtle did not dig that direction.
As soon as eggs are seen or felt, the GPS location is taken and the eggs are covered with sand once again. A smooth surface of sand at the top of the nest provides a blank canvas to keep watch of. We know the nest has been predated if holes or disturbances appear before the projected hatch date. However, due to the cage placed on top of the nest most predators cannot reach the eggs. Stakes are put on every corner of the cage to make it noticeable to humans.
Previously recorded nests are monitored for the duration of the season. A close watch of each nest is kept near the hatch date, looking for depressions in the sand or turtle hatchling tracks. Each turtle that hatches from the nest heads straight out to open ocean and begins a new life. One day, some of those hatchlings will grow into mature females and will return to the beaches they once emerged from and will dig their own nests and lay their own young gently into the ground. How turtles know where to return to remains unknown. But they’ve been doing it for far longer than you or I have been around and will continue to after we are gone.
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“The sea is emotion incarnate. It loves, hates, and weeps. It defies all attempts to capture it with words and rejects all shackles. No matter what you say about it, there is always that which you can't.”
Christopher Paolini, Eragon
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July Park Activities
The Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s Lovers Key State Park will present weekly programs on park history and wildlife throughout the month of July.
Programs are included in park admission fees of:
$4.00 for vehicles with one individual.
$8.00 for vehicles with two to eight individuals.
$2.00 per pedestrian or cyclist.
All programs will take place at Lovers Key State Park and registration is required. The park offers many recreational opportunities to visitors with disabilities.
For assistance or to register, contact the park office at (239) 463-4588.
12th July
Sea Turtle Talk
Friday at 10:00 a.m.
Join a Park Ranger to learn about the fascinating life-cycle and journeys of the marine turtles that visit Lovers Key each summer. Learn about their nesting behavior and find out what you can do to help protect them. Due to limited space, reservations are required. Call 239-463-4588. Regular Entrance Fees Apply
16th July
Fishing Clinic
Tuesday at 10:00 a.m.
Join a Park Naturalist to learn a variety of tackle and fresh bait rigs, find out the best places to drop a line, and learn about the rules and regulations that pertain to game fishing in Southwest Florida. You might even learn a few of the “secrets” our local fishermen swear by. Due to limited space, reservations are required. Call 239-463-4588. Regular Entrance Fees Apply
19th July
Walk on the Wild Side
Friday at 10:00 a.m.
Join a Park Ranger for a guided hike along our Black Island Trail. Learn about the fascinating vegetation and wildlife that reside in this maritime hammock. Do some bird watching, and maybe learn a little local history.
Due to limited space, reservations are required. Call 239-463-4588. Regular Entrance Fees Apply
16th April
Manatee Talk
Tuesday at 10:00 a.m.
Meet with a Park Naturalist for an interesting and informative talk about our local Manatees. Learn what these fascinating creatures are all about and how you can help protect them. Due to limited space, reservations are required. Call 239-463-4588. Regular Entrance Fees Apply
The programs will take place:
10:00 a.m.
July 2019
Lovers Key State Park
8700 Estero Blvd.
Fort Myers Beach, Florida
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Seeking a Volunteer Media Coordinator
The FOLKS Board is looking for a volunteer to assume duties as Media Coordinator. The position involves writing and distributing press releases, getting to know community leaders and press staff, website content management, and a host of challenging and fun opportunities. The FOLKS Media Coordinator is now even more important to the Park as the new building comes out of the ground and the Capital Campaign to outfit the building moves into high gear!
Come Join us!! Call Rich Donnelly, President: 239 495 7045.
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| FOLKS would like to thank the following Business Sponsors for their support as we fund raise for the future Welcome and Discovery Center. Please consider visiting their businesses and supporting them as well. Business Partners help support the environmental education mission of the Park.
Add your business to the list!
Contact Rich Donnelly at: president@friendsofloverskey.org
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The Friends of Lovers Key, Inc. is a non-profit organization formed by the citizens of the community to support Lovers Key State Park and is registered as a non-profit, tax-exempt corporation under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. As such, your Membership and Donations are tax-deductible.
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