Message from Our Director

Easing into September 

Getting ready for fall. 

I hope you got to ease into September over Labor Day weekend. September is a big resource management month for us in the Florida Park Service. We love having people in the parks in the summer, but it also feels good to get back to the things that can’t happen quite as often when we’re welcoming the many visitors summer brings. This month you’ll probably see rangers out trimming trails to get ready for fall hikes and repairing odds and ends.  

Later in the month, a lot of parks around the state celebrate International Coastal Cleanup Day (Sept. 20) with cleanup events, and many others celebrate National Public Lands Day (Sept. 27) the following weekend. Fittingly, National Estuaries Week (Sept. 20 – 27) falls right between. Find an event at a park near you to try your hand at resource management.  

But you also don’t have to wait for public events to help out at your local park. You may not know, but the Florida Park Service hosts thousands of volunteers each year. Opportunities to get involved abound and include everything from an afternoon of cleanup by a group to Citizen Support Organizations to campground hosting duties spanning weeks at a time. If this sounds like something up your alley, we’d love to have you. More information on volunteering can be found on our Get Involved webpage.  

Next time you’re at a park, look around to see the care that our staff and volunteers put into maintaining…the Real Florida. You could even ask a Ranger or volunteer about it – don’t be shy, they’re happy to share what they’re passionate about.  

See you in the parks, 
Chuck Hatcher, Director
Florida State Parks