Dune News A quarterly newsletter sponsored by The Friends of MacArthur Beach State Park, Inc. Spring 2005 LEARN MORE, ACT MORE! NatureScaping 2005 — Earth Day Celebration Saturday, April 16, 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. What kind of native plants are good for Special Interest my yard? Why is recycling important? Articles You can find answers to these and many other questions at NatureScaping 2005. Turtle Naming Contest Winner.3 Also, you will encounter unique vendors and artists who are Student Artists in Residence..3 environmentally conscious—many even A BIG Thank You!...................3 use recycled materials. The spotlight this Awarding Volunteers...............4 year is an “Animal Art Demonstration.” Edward Royal and Renee Headings will Summer Camps.....................4 draw and sculpt live raptors. Both are Volunteer Appreciation Day....5 members of the Society of Animal Artists Volunteer Holiday Party..........8 and have won various awards. What about “saving the planet?” Isn’t it a little too big? How about by Junko Nomura saving your yard? Please join us at On April 22, 1970, Dennis Hayes NatureScaping! We guarantee you will and Senator Gaylord Nelson held the have a great day. first national teach-in to educate the Regular US public about environmental issues. Highlights Twenty million people participated that day. Since then, April 22, now officially Thoburn’s Thoughts...............2 known as “Earth Day,” has spread across the nation and the world. Shorelines........................3-4 Thirty-five years have passed since that first Earth Day celebration. Under the Hammock...............5 Despite progress, we still face many of the same problems. Many environmental Volunteer Spotlight.................6 acts have been established; however, we should keep striving to restore and Up-n-coming..........................7 improve our environment, and most of all, we should keep questioning, “Is our environment getting better?” NatureScaping 2005 at John D. MacArthur Beach State Park will feature many local environmental organizations like the Audubon Society, Florida Native Plant Society, and Solid Waste Authority. They are willing to answer your questions and provide information. What’s going on in the Everglades? Newsletter design and layout by THE INKLING PATCH (772) 285-8865. Call now for all your design needs! John D. MacArthur Beach State Park Thoburn’s Staff Park Rangers Mike Watts Honza Rokyta Barry Stevens Thoughts Rob Matriscino Linda Gabelmann After much effort on the part of • Redevelop Support Staff the Park management, the extensive r a n g e r Celia Barrett Stephanie Diaz hurricane storm damage to park and intern Charlie Hein vegetation has now been cleared. That h o u s i n g Park Services Specialist effort completed provided time to address facilities Program Directors and update the Park’s Ten Year Unit Plan to better Art Carton that was published in 1999. suit current Junko Nomura Secretary Specialist With the cooperation and n e e d s Tiffany Peavy assistance of members of the Department of Park Assistant Park Manager of Environmental Protection staff in staff. The recent hurricanes placed a Patrick Rash Tallahassee, several changes were made high degree of need to complete this Park Manager Terry Coulliette to the Recreational, Interpretive, and Park enhancement in a timely fashion. Administration Goals sections of the plan. Friends of MacArthur Specifically, they are as follows: While we await the final approval Beach State Park, Inc. of the Department of Environmental • Redesign and replace Nature Protection for these additions to the Board of Directors Center interpretive exhibits. Unit Plan, the Friends Executive Board Ted Thoburn, President • Expand and improve Nature is beginning to estimate costs, prioritize Morris Aherne Paul Aleskovsky Center to provide expanded educational the projects, and study the feasibility of a Leni Bane and meeting facilities, as well as a larger Capital Campaign to fund them. Terry Coulliette gift shop. I am sure that you will agree with E.J. Crittenden • Extend electrical service me that all of these additions will comprise Mary-Therese Delate Rebecca Doane across lagoon to beach area to provide valuable improvements to the Park’s Deborah Drum vending facilities at the beach side and physical plant and programs. We are very Debbie Fell electrical service to the restrooms. This excited about them and hope that the Lynn Focht enhancement will take into consideration community will join us in contributing the Susie Fruehauf the need for total darkness during turtle funds necessary to complete them. Melba Hardy Larry Harjehausen nesting season. Janet Heaton • Extend electrical and water Dr. John Marr service to the kayak launch at the southern Ted Debra McCloskey end of the Park. Dr. Bill Mech Kitty Omura • Redesign Park entrance Ted Thoburn, President Andrew Pineiro appearance and road sign. Friends of MacArthur Beach State Park, Inc. Patrick Rash Paul Thomson Gilda Vogel Stephen Wigal Welcome New Members! Scott Zappolo Maura Ziska Aagerstown-Mathis Family Steve Kelson Honorary Directors William J. Hyland, Jr. Mark Bates Mary Pizello Bill Nolan David Brandwein Dr. Marilyn Raymond Dan West Administrator Margaret Burkhardt Lisa Somerfleck Martin A. Shiffman Newsletter Coordinator Elizabeth Hall Carol and Larry Uhlick Leni Bane Clair Heise • • • 2 Shorelines eggs, and the turtles nest 2- A BIG 3 times per season. Females only nest every few years. Thank You! Around 60 days after the eggs are laid, the hatchlings will The Friends of emerge from the sand. If MacArthur Beach State the hatchlings are lucky Park extends a BIG thank enough to make it to the you to Jaye Boswell, sea, they will spend the who, on behalf of the next few months camou- Boswell family, gave a flaged among Sargassum generous donation to weed. the Midge and Robert As for Yoshi, he Boswell Memorial Thirteenth Annual Sea Turtle (or she) will stay at the Scholarship Fund. This Naming Contest — Winner! park until this fall. At that fund is for scholarships Congratulations, Wellington Christian School! time, Yoshi will be trans- to the Park’s “Touch ferred to another facil- the Earth” summer day by Art Carton plaque, which hangs next to ity until big enough to be camps (now taking MacArthur Beach the aquarium. released into the Atlan- registrations). State Park is home to a Yoshi was trans- tic Ocean. Don’t be sad, Jaye’s mother, rescued sea turtle hatch- ferred here from the that might not be the last Midge, was the very ling, and every year we Juno Beach Marinelife you see of Yoshi. Sea turtles first person to volunteer host a naming contest for Center on December return to the same beach in the Park’s Nature our baby loggerhead. Each 9, 2004 at the age of where they were born Center, beginning in elementary school from three months. At that to lay their eggs. So, if 1989. Midge also Palm Beach County is invit- time, Yoshi weighed a you are walking along made wonderfully tasty ed to submit one name to be whopping 110 grams and our beaches 20 years cookies each summer placed on the ballot. Due measured 8.9 centimeters in from now and spot a famil- for all of the day campers to hurricanes Frances and width. Yoshi is thriving in this iar looking sea turtle lay- to enjoy—which they Jeanne, this year’s voting new environment and now ing eggs it might just be and the Park’s staff didn’t take place until weighs 270 grams. Yoshi… if Yoshi is a female. certainly did! February. For three weeks, Loggerhead sea tur- visitors to the Nature tles are named for their large Center were asked to vote head with strong jaws for Student Artists in Residence for their favorite name. crushing mollusks, crabs and The students of This year the winning other prey. They average local artist, Laurie Hein, name is Yoshi, a favorite three feet in carapace length at Lost Tree Village, will character from a popu- and weigh up to 300 present their works of lar Nintendo video game. pounds. They live in tem- art at John D. MacArthur Congratulations go to perate and subtropical Beach State Park Nature Candace Marchstein- waters worldwide, and many Center from April 10 until er’s fifth grade class at come to the southeastern May 15. Wellington Christian United States to nest from The proceeds of School, who won the 13th March through September. the sale of these paintings Annual Sea Turtle Naming Last year there were about will benefit the Friends of Contest. They will be 1,000 loggerhead nests at MacArthur Beach State invited to the Park to the Park. That is a lot of turtle Park. So, come and enjoy meet Yoshi and see their eggs, considering each nest the view... and feel free to “Mama” ©2004 name engraved on the has a clutch of about 100 buy one to take home! Acrylic by Susie Fruehauf 3 Shorelines Awarding Volunteers Volunteers who gave 100 hours 1500 hours or more of their time to the Park were Bill Nolan, Tram Driver invited to the annual Volunteer Awards Serge Goyette, Maintenance Dinner on February 26 at the North Palm Beach Country Club. Sponsored 2500 hours by the Friends, this celebration is an Alicia Didia, Nature Center Docent opportunity for the Park staff to thank George Southworth, Electrician the volunteers for their many hours of 250 hours hard work. Volunteers and their families, Phyllis Zaccaro, Nature Center Docent Volunteer tram drivers who along with Park staff and their families, Ashley Hein, Animal Care have been with the Park since 1997 enjoyed food, friendship and laughter. Donna Tighe, Moonlight Concert Organizer are Dick Weiser, Bob Lanen, Bob Park Manager, Terry Dottie Williams, Nature Center Docent Frazier, Don Bottaro, John Murray, Coulliette, presented awards to the Bruce Kay, Kayak Tour Volunteer Trainer Don Russell, Larry Harjehausen, Dick following volunteers: Goodwin, Bill Leimbach, Bill Nolan, 500 hours Garry Mansfield, Joe Hughes, Mort 100 hours Stanley Rubin, Tram Driver Green, and Ron Gerson.