Message from Our Director

April Resource Management 

Making a Difference.

April is a big month for natural resource management: Earth Day (April 22) and Arbor Day (April 25) both take place during the third full week of the month, and they provide great opportunities to get in touch with…the Real Florida. Be sure to check our events calendar to find a way to get involved at a state park near you. The nice thing about Earth Day and Arbor Day is they don’t require a pre-planned event to celebrate – you can take a walk and appreciate the Earth, switch to a refillable water bottle or head to a local nursery and purchase a native tree to plant (or maybe trim those overgrown trees you already have). Most people who work with me know this – Earth Day is my birthday, so I get to celebrate double!  

Speaking of birthdays, another important day we recognize in April is Everglades Day, celebrated in conjunction with Marjory Stoneman Douglas’ birthday on April 7. Although Douglas was a vocal activist for many causes in her lifetime, it was her activism for the Florida Everglades that earned her the title “Grandmother of the Glades.” Her poetic, scientific book, “The Everglades: River of Grass,” brought attention to an area of the country that had been dismissed as little more than swamp. The first line of the book reads, “There are no other Everglades in the world. They are, they always have been, one of the unique regions of the earth.” Visit parks like Fakahatchee Strand Preserve State Park or Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park to get glimpses of what Marjory Stoneman Douglas helped to preserve.  

For those of us in the Florida Park Service, Ranger Academy, a sort of “boot camp” happening this month for new park rangers across the state, is something to be excited about. It just puts a smile on my face seeing new folks come together to learn about how to serve the resources and people of Florida.  

Whether you’re an employee of the Florida Park Service or not, April has opportunities for you to make a difference in…the Real Florida.  

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