Canaveral National Seashore

Last updated
Canaveral National Seashore
IUCN category V (protected landscape/seascape)
Canaveral National Seashore.jpg
An eastward view of the shoreline at sunrise
USA Florida relief location map.jpg
Red pog.svg
Usa edcp relief location map.png
Red pog.svg
Location Brevard County and Volusia County, Florida, United States
Nearest city New Smyrna Beach, Florida and Titusville, Florida
Coordinates 28°46′03″N80°46′37″W / 28.76750°N 80.77694°W / 28.76750; -80.77694
Area57,662 acres (23,335 ha) [1]
EstablishedJanuary 3, 1975
Visitors1,005,001(in 2011) [2]
Governing body National Park Service
Website Canaveral National Seashore

The Canaveral National Seashore (CANA) is a National Seashore located between New Smyrna Beach and Titusville, Florida, in Volusia and Brevard Counties. The park, located on a barrier island, was created on January 3, 1975, by an act of Congress. The park is split between Brevard and Volusia counties, with 9 miles of the seashore in Brevard County, and 15 miles of the seashore in Volusia County. CANA consists of 24 miles of beaches, dunes, mangrove wetlands, and a large portion of the Mosquito Lagoon. The Canaveral National Seashore is also the longest expanse of undeveloped land along the East Coast of Florida. [3] The Canaveral National Seashore is home to more than 1,000 plant species and 310 bird species. CANA occupies 57,662 acres (23,335 ha) [1] (including lagoons). There are 3 major beach sections in the seashore. The southern section is Playalinda Beach, the middle section is Klondike Beach, and the northern section is Apollo Beach.

Contents

History

The National Park Service has documented 120 archaeological sites within the seashore. Their analysis shows Paleo-Indians began hunting and gathering and later cultivating in the area as early as 2000 B.C.E.  Mounds and middens remain today as evidence of from this era.  Snyder’s Mound at Seminole Rest dates to their earliest period.  Castle Windy is a 17 foot tall midden located on the barrier island, which dates from 1200 CE and continued for another 300 years.  Turtle Mound, at 35 feet in height, is the largest midden.  It dates to the historical period, called Surruque by early Spanish mapmakers, named for native people residing in the area. Later it became known as Turtle Mound as an obvious navigational landmark for sailors along the Florida Coast. [4]

The names Canaveral and Los Moquitos, now Cape Canaveral and Mosquito Lagoon, noted by Spanish explorers in the sixteenth century are among the oldest place names in North America. Turtle Mound was documented by early naturalists William Bartram in 1774, and Andre Michaux in 1788. [5]

As early as 1934,  the National Park Service began investigating areas suitable for “national beach parks,” leading to the establishment of Cape Hatteras National Seashore i n  1937.  In 1955, the National Park Service published Our Vanishing Shoreline (1955), which made the case for protecting undeveloped coastal areas for conservation and recreation. [6]   Following its publication, 126 undeveloped areas were identified with sixteen as a priority. One of those sites was Mosquito Lagoon and the undeveloped portions of the barrier island associated with it. [7]

In 1961 NASA selected Cape Canaveral as the primary launch location for space exploration.  Soon afterwards, NASA undertook acquisition of  over 100 square miles of lands along the barrier island, Mosquito Lagoon, and mainland areas as a launch buffer.  In 1963 NASA and the Department of Interior reached agreement to dedicate 25,000 acres as Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge.  Over the next decade the refuge was expanded to 140,000 acres. [8]  That same year Florida passed a bond issue to acquire lands for state parks and began purchasing lands along the barrier island south of Turtle Mound which had previously been acquired a state historical site. [9]  

By 1968 there was growing community support for establishment of a national seashore. During this time artist-environmentalist Doris Leeper led efforts to stop proposed developments on the barrier island. [10] On April 26, 1968, the Volusia County Board of Commissioners passed Resolution No. 68-51 requesting the Department of the Interior to establish a National Seashore on the east coast of Volusia County, Florida. In 1968, William "Bill" Chappell and Lou Frey were elected to Congress and introduced legislation to establish the seashore. On April 5 and 6, 1974, Congressman Roy Taylor, chairman of the house subcommittee on National Parks and Recreation, brought a congressional party to review the proposed site. A second group, including chairman of the Senate National Parks and Recreation Committee, Senator Alan Bible, visited on April 19. Things then began to progress quickly. Florida State Parks committed to transfer approximately 4,000 acres of lands it had already acquired to the proposed seashore. On the other hand, the Department of Interior raised questions about possible conflicts with rocket launches at Cape Canaveral. [11]  The House passed the Seashore Act on December 3, with the Senate following suit on December 17. [12] Still objecting, Department of Interior urged a veto of the bill, but on January 3, 1975, President Gerald Ford signed the bill into law. [13] For many years Rep. Frey credited  Doris Leeper as “the driving force behind establishment of Canaveral National Seashore.” [14]  

Recreation

The Canaveral National Seashore is a popular place for boaters, kayakers, fishers, sun-bathers, and hunters with many opportunities for recreation. It features numerous boat ramps and locations for launching kayaks, along with miles of beaches popular with locals and tourists. [15]

The John F. Kennedy Space Center is located at the southern end of the barrier island occupied by Canaveral National Seashore, so access to the seashore is often restricted during launch-related activities at the space center. The Playalinda Beach has 13 parking lots numbered from the south. NASA's Launch Complex 39B and SpaceX's Launch Complex 39A are easily visible from the approach of the Parking Lot 1 as well as most of the beach. Playalinda is usually a popular location for the public to get a close viewing of launches from Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. Although space is limited and viewing areas are pushed back depending on the launch. [16]

The seashore also is home to 2 nude beaches. Nudists frequent Apollo beach between parking lot 5 on the New Smyrna side, and parking lot 13 for Playalinda Beach on the Titusville side. Nudity is legal in the seashore's Volusia County sections past parking lot 5, but is illegal in the Brevard County sections. Those who wish to sunbathe or swim nude on Playalinda are supposed to walk about a mile North on the beach to enter the Volusia County section of Playalinda, though the law is sporadically enforced, and Playalinda has a reputation of being a clothing-optional beach. [17]

Fishing and hunting are extremely popular in the seashore. On the beaches, anglers target species such as pompano, whiting, bluefish, and sharks. On the Mosquito Lagoon side of the seashore, there are a few fishing piers accessible from the roads. Shoreline anglers target species such as speckled trout, redfish, sheepshead, black drum and mangrove snapper. Over 2/3 of the entire seashore consists of the Mosquito Lagoon, and there are several kayak and motorboat launches that are located within the seashore. Hunters often launch from the seashore to enter the neighboring Merritt Island Wildlife Refuge during hunting season, as hunters are allowed to hunt waterfowl, deer, and wild pigs on specific days of the week in portions of the seashore and the refuge during hunting season. A few popular waterfowl targets are Canada goose, teal duck, and wood duck.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cape Canaveral</span> Cape on the Atlantic coast of Florida in the United States

Cape Canaveral is a cape in Brevard County, Florida, in the United States, near the center of the state's Atlantic coast. Officially Cape Kennedy from 1963 to 1973, it lies east of Merritt Island, separated from it by the Banana River. It is part of a region known as the Space Coast, and is the site of the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. Since many U.S. spacecraft have been launched from both the station and the Kennedy Space Center on adjacent Merritt Island, the two are sometimes conflated with each other.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Padre Island National Seashore</span> Protected area

Padre Island National Seashore (PINS) is a national seashore located on Padre Island off the coast of South Texas. In contrast to South Padre Island, known for its beaches and vacationing college students, PINS is located on North Padre Island and consists of a long beach where nature is preserved.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brevard County, Florida</span> County in Florida, United States

Brevard County is a county located in the east central portion of the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2020 census, the population was 606,612, making it the 10th-most populated county in Florida. The official county seat is located in Titusville. Brevard County comprises the Palm Bay–Melbourne–Titusville, FL Metropolitan Statistical Area. It is located along the east Florida coast and bordered by the Atlantic Ocean.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Merritt Island, Florida</span> Census-designated place in Florida, United States

Merritt Island is a peninsula, commonly referred to as an island, in Brevard County, Florida, United States, located on the eastern Florida coast, along the Atlantic Ocean. It is also the name of an unincorporated town in the central and southern parts of the island and a census-designated place (CDP).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge</span> Protected area in Florida, US

Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge is a 140,000 acres (57,000 ha) U.S. National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) on the Atlantic coast of Florida's largest barrier island. NASA's Kennedy Space Center and visitor complex are also situated on the island and NASA can restrict access to the refuge based on its operational needs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Central Florida</span> Region in Florida, United States

Central Florida is a region of the U.S. state of Florida. Different sources give different definitions for the region, but as its name implies it is usually said to comprise the central part of the state, including the Tampa Bay area and the Greater Orlando area, though in recent times the Tampa Bay area has often been described as its own region, with "Central Florida" becoming more synonymous with the Orlando area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mosquito Lagoon</span> Lagoon in the state of Florida, United States

Mosquito Lagoon is a body of water located on the east coast of Florida in Brevard and Volusia counties. It is part of the Indian River Lagoon system and the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway. It extends from the Ponce de Leon Inlet to a point north of Cape Canaveral, and connects to the Indian River via the Haulover Canal. The Mosquito Lagoon Aquatic Preserve includes 4,740 acres (1,920 ha) in the northern end of the lagoon. The preserve originally extended to the southern end of the lagoon, but close to two-thirds of the preserve in the central and southern lagoon were transferred to the Federal government, and is now part of the Canaveral National Seashore. The cities of New Smyrna Beach and Edgewater, the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge and the Kennedy Space Center adjoin the lagoon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Indian River Lagoon</span> Three lagoons on the Atlantic Coast of Florida, United States

The Indian River Lagoon is a grouping of three lagoons: the Mosquito Lagoon, the Banana River, and the Indian River, on the Atlantic Coast of Florida; one of the most biodiverse estuaries in the Northern Hemisphere and is home to more than 4,300 species of plants and animals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gulf Islands National Seashore</span> 96,000 underwater acres in Mississippi and Florida (US) managed by the National Park Service

Gulf Islands National Seashore is an American National seashore that offers recreation opportunities and preserves natural and historic resources along the Gulf of Mexico barrier islands of Florida and Mississippi. In 2022, it was the eighth-most visited unit of the National Park Service.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Playalinda Beach</span> Beach in Florida, United States

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NASA Causeway</span> Bridge in Florida, United States of America

NASA Parkway, also known as NASA Causeway, is an east–west expressway in Brevard County, Florida, containing two causeways. The first causeway connects the Florida mainland to Merritt Island and later, over the private second causeway, connects Merritt Island to Cape Canaveral. As such, the NASA Parkway is the main route connecting points of interest in Titusville, Florida to the Kennedy Space Center on Merritt Island.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Turtle Mound</span> Prehistoric archaeological site in New Smyrna Beach, Florida, US

Turtle Mound is a prehistoric archaeological site located 9 miles (14 km) south of New Smyrna Beach, Florida, on State Road A1A. On September 29, 1970, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. It is the largest shell midden on the mainland United States, with an approximate height of 50 feet (15 m). The mound extends for over 600 feet (180 m) along the Indian River shoreline and contains over 35,000 cubic yards (27,000 m3) of shells. Turtle Mound was estimated to be 75 feet (23 m) high before it was reduced by shellrock mining in the 19th and 20th centuries. Because it is visible seven miles out at sea, early Spanish explorers and subsequent mariners used the large mound as a landmark for coastal navigation. Today, the site is owned and managed by the National Park Service as part of Canaveral National Seashore.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thousand Islands (Cocoa Beach)</span>

The Thousand Islands are a group of natural, modified, and spoil islands in the Banana River Lagoon, Cocoa Beach, in Brevard County, Florida. From the late 1950s to the early 1970s the islands were reshaped by development and efforts to control mosquitoes as the population of Brevard grew during the initial period of the space program at Cape Canaveral and Kennedy Space Center.

Shiloh was a village in Brevard County, Florida, United States. It is the northernmost place in Brevard County. Scottsmoor also shares the title, across the Indian River.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Environmental issues in Brevard County</span>

Environmental issues in Brevard County in Florida United States are highlighted by the amount of waterline, the amount of wetlands, the quantity of residents and visitors to the area, as well as the usual threat to air quality from commuters. Assisting in this is the Florida Space Coast Clean Cities Coalition which is headquartered in Brevard.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Hutchinson Island</span>

North Hutchinson Island is a coastal barrier island in Indian River and St. Lucie counties on the east coast of Florida in the United States. The island is adjacent to the Atlantic Ocean and is separated from the mainland on the west by the Indian River Lagoon. The portion of the island in Indian River County is known as Orchid Island.

Brevard County has a county government, municipal governments, and various Florida state and U.S. federal agencies.

Doris "Doc" Leeper was an American sculptor and painter from New Smyrna Beach, Florida. She was instrumental in the creation of the Canaveral National Seashore in 1975, and the Spruce Creek Preserve, renamed the Doris Leeper Spruce Creek Preserve in memoriam. She founded the Atlantic Center for the Arts in 1982. She was inducted into the Florida Artists Hall of Fame in 1999.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Effects of Hurricane Matthew in Florida</span>

Hurricane Matthew was the strongest tropical cyclone to affect the First Coast of Florida since 1898. A late-season Category 5 hurricane in late 2016, Matthew was the first hurricane to threaten the Floridan coastline as a major hurricane since Wilma in 2005. While the center of the storm did not actually cross the coastline, the western eyewall of the storm paralleled the coast, with the most eastern portions receiving winds up to Category 2 strength. The storm caused at least three direct deaths and eleven indirect, and up to $2.77 billion in damages.

References

  1. 1 2 "Listing of acreage – December 31, 2011" (XLSX). Land Resource Division, National Park Service. Retrieved 2012-12-26. (National Park Service Acreage Reports)
  2. ↑ "NPS Annual Recreation Visits Report". National Park Service. Retrieved 2012-12-26.
  3. ↑ "Canaveral National Seashore (U.S. National Park Service". U.S. National Park Service. 29 October 2021. Retrieved 14 November 2021.
  4. ↑ Parker, Susan (2008). Canaveral National Seashore Historic Resources Study. Atlanta, Ga.: National Park Service. pp. 7–12.
  5. ↑ Henderson, Clay (2022). Forces of Nature. Gainesville,Fl.: University Press of Florida. pp. 171–172. ISBN   9780813069524.
  6. ↑ A report on our vanishing shoreline. Washington,D.C.: National Park Service. 1955.
  7. ↑ Report on the Seashore Recreation Survey of the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts (PDF). Washington, D.C.: National Park Service. 1955. p. 171.
  8. ↑ Vento, Charles (2020). "The History of the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge". Florida Historical Quarterly. 99 (1): 125–151 – via JSTOR.
  9. ↑ Henderson. Forces of Nature. p. 172.
  10. ↑ Henderson. Forces of Nature. p. 174.
  11. ↑ Henderson. Forces of Nature. p. 175.
  12. ↑ "HISTORY OF CANAVERAL NATIONAL SEASHORE". North Brevard Business Directory. Retrieved April 28, 2015.
  13. ↑ Henderson. Forces of Nature. p. 175.
  14. ↑ Henderson. Forces of Nature. p. 174.
  15. ↑ "Canaveral". National Park Service. 2023-09-17. Retrieved 2023-11-11.
  16. ↑ "SpaceX launching NASA astronauts to space Saturday, here's how to watch historic mission from anywhere". Space Explored. 2020-05-25. Retrieved 2021-09-03.
  17. ↑ Steven L. Markos (22 March 2021). "Canaveral National Seashore - PLAYALINDA BEACH" . Retrieved 11 November 2021.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.