TALLAHASSEE – From mermaids to music festivals, and America’s best beach, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is highlighting 14 reasons to fall in love with Florida’s state parks this Valentine’s Day. State parks offer affordable, fun and close-to-home activities, any budget will love.

“With 160 parks offering access to history, camping, hiking and biking, what’s not to love about Florida’s state parks,” said DEP’s Florida Park Service Director Mike Bullock. “Whether it’s learning about lost treasures at Sebastian Inlet State Park’s McLarty Treasure Museum or standing under the wedding tree at Eden Gardens State Park, Florida’s residents and visitors alike enjoy the countless things to see and do at state parks.”

Fourteen reasons we love state parks, include:

1) Weddings – Florida’s State Parks are home to many popular sites for weddings and vow renewals, on Valentine’s Day and year round. Popular wedding parks include: Eden Gardens State Park in Santa Rosa Beach, Honeymoon Island State Park in Dunedin, Fort George Island Cultural State Park in Jacksonville, Ravine Gardens State Park in Palatka and Maclay Gardens State Park in Tallahassee.

2) America’s Best Beach – As one of few natural islands along Florida´s Gulf Coast, Caladesi Island State Park’s white sand shores have been rated the nation´s best by Dr. Beach. This island park, accessible by ferry only, is a must-see regardless of the season. The cooler weather is perfect for guided walks and wildlife watching, while the warmer months are a great time to cool off by the shore.

3) Lovers Key—Lovers Key State Park in Fort Myers was originally only accessible by boat and rumored to attract lovers to the island to enjoy its remote and solitary beach, hence its name. Today, the park is accessible by boardwalk or tram and is popular for shelling, swimming, picnicking and sunbathing, as well as the Black Island Trail and ranger guided estuary tours.

4) Mermaids – The mermaids at Weeki Wachee Springs have delighted visitors since 1947. Today Weeki Wachee Springs, located in Spring Hill, is Florida’s oldest roadside attraction, newest state park and one of the most affordable theme parks in the state. Visitors can watch a live mermaid show in the 400-seat underwater theatre, take a river boat cruise, canoe or kayak on the Weeki Wachee River. Opening March 28, visitors can also splash around in Buccaneer Bay, the park’s waterslide amusement attraction.

5) Pancakes at Deleon Springs—In the early 1800s, settlers built sugar and cotton plantations near the springs that were sacked by Seminole Indians during the Second Seminole War. Today, DeLeon Springs State Park in Volusia County is home to the Old Spanish Sugar Mill Restaurant, where guests can make their own pancakes at their table.

6) Hippos, wolves and panthers! – Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park, located 75 miles north of Tampa, is home to Don Juan the famous Florida Panther, Lu, Florida’s only resident hippopotamus, Maygar, a Western Cougar, three red wolf pups and other wildlife. At $9.00 per person, this park is a bargain and a great way to encounter native and not-so-native, Florida wildlife.

7) Cave Exploration— Florida Caverns State Park in Marianna is the only state park in Florida that offers cave tours. Guests can see stalactites, stalagmites and a variety of other underground novelties. Cave tours last 45 minutes and are available daily, except Tuesday and Wednesday.

8) The Florida Folk Festival – Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center State Park in White Springs is home to the annual Florida Folk Festival. Since 1953, folk artists have come together for one of the oldest state folk festivals in America. Attendees can camp out for the event, which takes place during Memorial Day weekend, and experience folk art demonstrations and workshops, watch living history and jam with folk artists.

9) River Tubing— Tubing is a popular activity at state parks during the spring and summer months. Blackwater River State Park in Santa Rosa County, Ichetucknee Springs State Park, north of Gainesville and Rainbow Springs State Park, south of Gainesville, all offer tube rentals in the warmer months.

10) Kayak Tours – Guests to Faver-Dykes State Park located in St. Augustine, can immerse themselves in natural Florida by joining a guided kayak tour. Explore Pellicer Creek Aquatic Preserve or Princes Place Preserve and see an abundance of both fresh and saltwater species including dolphins, otters, manatees and birds.

11) Historic Homes – Several of Florida State Parks are the site of historic homes that are open for visitor tours. These parks include: The Barnacle Historic State Park, Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings State Park, Blue Springs State Park, Gamble Plantation Historic State Parks and Hugh Taylor Birch State Park.

12) Horseback riding at Amelia Island – An easy drive from Jacksonville, Amelia Island State Park is home to beautiful beaches, salt marshes and coastal maritime forests that provide a glimpse of natural Florida. Amelia Island is the only state park that offers horseback riding on the beach.

13) Campgrounds Galore— More than 50 state parks offer camping opportunities throughout nearly every region in the state. From full-facility RV camping to primitive or cabin camping, what better way to connect with nature. A complete list of parks with campground facilities can be found at: http://www.floridastateparks.org/CampCabinLodge.cfm.

14) Bison and Wild Horses—At Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park, south of Gainesville, guests can observe panoramic views of bison and wild horses on the 21,000 acre preserve from the 50 foot observation tower. The park was Florida’s first state preserve in 1971 and is now designated as a National Natural Landmark. Eight trails and full-facility campsites also provide countless activities for park visitors.

For even more reasons to fall in love with Florida’s state parks, visit www.floridastateparks.org.

TALLAHASSEE – The Department’s Florida Park Service will host a number of historic reenactments and living history demonstrations throughout February and March. Visitors are invited to experience the past by attending reenactments of Florida’s Civil War battles, Seminole battle skirmishes, cavalry demonstrations, artillery shows and medical treatment demonstrations.

“Floridians and visitors alike can learn about Florida’s unique history and culture by visiting a state park,” said Florida Park Service Director Mike Bullock. “Witnessing demonstrations and reenactments is a great way to get outdoors and learn about the state’s natural and cultural resources.”

Living history events present a live representation of past events or periods, including folk life demonstrations, pioneer skills demonstrations, military encampments, weapons firing and battle reenactments. The Florida Park Service manages more than 2,000 historic and archaeological resources within state parks, including seven National Historic Landmarks.

Learn more about the parks’ upcoming reenactment event.

TALLAHASSEE - The Department’s Northwest District Office hosted the first in a series of statewide classes on Wednesday for current and prospective deadhead loggers in Tallahassee. These classes, which are offered at no-cost, provide an accessible forum in which attendees can easily obtain information about Department rules, project requirements and expectations as well as the permitting process associated with the DEP’s Submerged Lands and Environmental Resource Permitting (SLERP) Program.

The SLERP Program regulates activities in wetlands and waters of the state, such as construction, dredging, filling and the removal of pre-cut submerged timbers. These historic timbers are remnants of the state’s early logging industry.

From the late 1800s to the early 1900s, armed with only an ax or cross-cut saw, loggers would clear-cut the longleaf pine forests and harvest the state’s giant cypress. These ancient logs were then rafted together and floated downriver to nearby sawmills. Some of these cut timbers sunk while in transit and were lost to river bottoms where they were preserved by the cool water and lack of oxygen. Modern day craftsman highly regard the wood that is milled from these pre-cut submerged timbers, or deadhead logs, because of their great strength, durability and resistance to rot. Wood from the sunken logs, revered for its tight grain and array of colors ranging from blond to caramel to black, is up to 10 times more valuable than conventional wood.

The State of Florida claims ownership of most of the logs since they are located in sovereign submerged lands. However, logs that were originally branded by those early logging companies may still be claimed and recovered by the original company with authorization through DEP’s issuance of a Dredge and Fill Permit from the SLERP Program. Unbranded logs may be recovered through application and authorization provided through a Dredge and Fill Permit and through a Use Agreement from the Governor and Cabinet serving as the Board of Trustees of the Internal Improvement Trust Fund.

“Deadhead logs are a limited resource that is prized by a variety of woodworking craftsman,” said DEP Northwest District Director Dick Fancher. “Our objective is to provide environmental information and regulatory assistance so that the deadhead logging community can remove these valuable logs without damaging the surrounding aquatic and estuarine resources.”

The Department believes that educating and assisting the public and the logging community about the deadhead logging program will increase environmental compliance and protection in this important area. These classes will also help interested loggers navigate through the permitting process.

Knowledge they will gain at this class can reduce processing time by minimizing the need for additional information, thus making the permitting process quicker, more effective and efficient, ultimately saving the logger time and money.

Objectives of the class include:

Providing information on rules, regulations and other useful information specific to deadhead logging activities;

Improving the level of understanding regarding various environmental issues and historical concerns; and

Enhancing communications between our office and the logging community.

In addition to the class in Tallahassee, additional classes will be held in Pensacola and Jacksonville. For more information about DEP’s Deadhead Logging Program, and the dates, locations and registration information for the classes, visit: http://www.dep.state.fl.us/WATER/wetlands/ erp/deadhead.htm.

ORLANDO – The Department, in association with the Southern Waste Information eXchange, Inc. (SWIX) and Recycle Florida Today, Inc. (RFT), sponsored a free Campus Recycling Workshop at the University of Central Florida (UCF) in Orlando last Friday. The one-day workshop, which attracted attendees from around the state, was designed to provide Florida college campuses with the guidance and tools needed to develop effective on-campus recycling programs.

“Students and faculty are often the brains behind successful campus recycling programs,” said Mary Jean Yon, Director of DEP’s Division of Waste Management. “Collaboration is the key to tailoring waste recycling and reduction programs that will work best for each campus.”

This event, which marks the first time that DEP, SWIX and RFT have partnered to hold a Campus Recycling Workshop, provided general information on programs and ideas for benchmarking and tracking campus waste streams for evaluation. The workshop also featured presentations on case studies conducted by the University of Florida and the University of North Florida, since both schools have had success in developing benchmarking and tracking portions of the waste management systems and are developing additional components.

“Measurement is essential to managing disposal and recycling programs as efficiently as possible, both in terms of saving money and the environment,” said Phil Bresee, Chair of Recycle Florida Today. “This workshop is designed to help campus facility managers evaluate and improve their programs, and RFT is pleased to play a role in bringing campus stakeholders together.”

Florida’s college campuses generate large volumes of waste materials that could be reduced, reused or recycled. An increase in campus recycling throughout Florida will be critical in order to achieve the new statewide recycling goal of 75 percent by the year 2020.

The Energy, Climate Change, and Economic Security Act of 2008, signed into law by Governor Charlie Crist, established the statewide recycling goal and DEP is directed to develop a program to achieve this goal and submit it to the Florida Legislature for consideration by January 1, 2010. For more information on the new statewide recycling goal of 75 percent, and to share your comments on ways to achieve this goal and view comments from others on our web-based forum, visit http://www.dep.state.fl.us/waste/recyclinggoal75/.

For more information on Recycle Florida Today events, visit http://www.recyclefloridatoday.org/events.cfm.

For more information on College and University waste reduction and recycling, please visit http://www.dep.state.fl.us/waste/categories/recycling/pages/institutional.htm.