December at Long Point Park, Archie Carr & Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuges

We were in Brevard County, you know Bill's old stomping grounds, for a total of eleven days.  After five at Wickham Park we decided to explore the beach areas and moved to Long Point Park for a few days.  Bill tried to explain how the park was an island surrounded by creeks and the Indian River Lagoon which is part of the Intracoastal Waterway.  It was hard for me to envision so we simply had to make the trip.

Yes the 84 acre park is an island surrounded by mangroves and comes with no-seeums around dawn and dusk unless there is a brisk breeze.  

From our campsite...
canoe launch with mangroves

Yes the park offered easy water access, beautiful sunsets, friendly campers, ...

Home sweet home at Long Point Park

... and a short bicycle ride to the Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge and Sebastian Inlet State Park.  A longer bicycle ride takes you over the State Park and to Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge.

Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge

The Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge, mostly beach front, stretches across 20.5 miles between Melbourne Beach and Wabasso Beach along Florida's east coast. The refuge was established in 1991 and was named after the late Dr. Archie Carr, Jr., in honor of his extraordinary contribution to sea turtle conservation. The Refuge is a direct result of Dr. Carr bringing attention to the world's declining turtle populations due to over-exploitation and loss of safe habitat. Now, my father Fred Chauvin became friends with  Dr. Archie Carr, Jr. and his son Archie Carr III through their common interest in Florida shells and sea turtles.  So, as an adult I was often treated to stories about Fred's shelling adventures with the Carr's and this made the seashore special.

Baby Man-o-War on the beach...

Unfortunately, it was too cold for us to swim in the ocean but perfect for beach walking. However, considering the number of Man-o-War on the beach this may have been a blessing.

Trail along Long Point Park

Now, I keep getting side-tracked but I did want to clarify the Intracoastal Waterway.  This is a 3,000-mile waterway along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts of the United States. Some lengths consist of natural inlets, salt-water rivers, bays, and sounds; others are artificial canals. It provides a navigable route along its length without many of the hazards of travel on the open sea.  And a list of the waterways comprising the Intracoastal in Florida can be found on Wikipedia.  Just wanted to clear up a bit of the mystery.

Trail along the mangrove lined waterway

As mentioned you can bicycle to Sebastian Inlet State Park on the blacktop (road) or you can take some of the trails (bicycle or hike) through the preserves. 

Trail between Long Point and Sebastian Inlet

Let me end with a bit about Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge, the first refuge which was established in 1903 by President Teddy Roosevelt.  Not only is the history interesting but there is a long boardwalk that commemorates the 100th anniversary of the park with a plank for each existing National Wildlife Refuge.  Thank you to the many pioneers who started the effort to save our wildlife.

Pelican Island Mangrove Trail

Pioneer who tended the refuge.