Friends of the Refuge need help
The non-profit Friends group that supports education and conservation of the St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge in Wakulla County needs help. If you are interested in sharing your skills with us for a few hours each month, please read on!
Are you organized, like crunching numbers and want to enjoy helping the St. Marks wildlife? Please consider applying for the Treasurer position with our dedicated Board of Directors. You will train with our Bookkeeper and become an important contributor to the Friends’ mission in keeping the refuge strong and vibrant. Whether you are an experienced financial professional or an organized volunteer looking to make a difference in the community, consider checking out this important position. Please email Bookkeeper Joye Vail at smrbookkeeper1931@gmail.com for more information.
Love the refuge and like meeting people? Please consider applying to become one of our Nature Store volunteers. The store provides the largest source of income for the Friends of St. Marks Wildlife Refuge to support refuge programs. The store is currently open on Fridays and Saturdays in the refuge Visitor Center and shifts are 3.5 hours. No prior sales experience needed – just your friendly smile and enthusiasm! Please email Nature Store Manager Robbin Trindell at naturestoremanager@gmail.com for more information and come by and check out the store!
Friends of St. Marks National Refuge
Thanks BOCC for Lake Ellen vote
Editor, The Sun:
I believe all the residents of Wakulla County should be thanking our Wakulla County commissioners for their October 5 decision against purchasing the Lake Ellen landing property and for initiating the process to close this water-access area that was placed on private property. Their decision reflects the financial discipline our growing county needs – today and in the years ahead.
The reported $253,000 property appraisal represented clearly only the beginning of the potential expense. Developing and operating a public landing would bring construction, maintenance, policing, and safety costs, along with potentially substantial liabilities and legal expenses. Purchasing the property also would not settle the disputed questions of lake ownership or public access.
For Lake Ellen’s 37 lakefront homeowners, these concerns are deeply personal. They involve property rights, privacy, safety, and the quiet enjoyment of our homes, particularly those immediately beside the landing. The county attorney’s reported assessment that important access questions would require judicial review underscores the substantial financial risk of proceeding.
The larger issue is now how Wakulla prepares for its future. Population growth places increasing demands on county services. Hurricanes, severe storms, and flooding require financial reserves and resilient infrastructure. Pressure to reduce property taxes makes careful spending even more important.
At the same time, artificial intelligence is creating new opportunities – and uncertainties – for businesses, workers, and state and local governments. Wakulla should prepare for those changes and explore responsible ways to use AI to reduce administrative costs and improve services. Every avoidable recurring expense leaves fewer resources for essential needs.
I also encourage commissioners to review whether the approximately 500-foot dead-end section of Lake Ellen Drive leading to the former landing should remain county-maintained. Both homeowners along that section favor closure. If maintenance costs are $2,000 to $3,000 annually, as estimated, that represents $20,000 to $30,000 over a decade, before inflation. The county should verify those costs and consider a lawful closure that preserves necessary residential, utility, and emergency access.
Thank you again, commissioners, for considering both the short and the long-term costs and consequences of this proposed purchase.
John Lee, Ph.D.
Lake Ellen resident