More than 200 military youth and their family members were treated to activities in local wilderness parks and preserves through the Blue Star Outdoor Exploration program, a partnership between the National Park Service‘s Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve, Timucuan Parks Foundation (TPF), and Blue Star Families Jacksonville. The families participated in five events in 2024 hosted by TPF, NPS and the City of Jacksonville. Blue Star Families Jacksonville is a part of Blue Star Families, a national nonprofit that supports military families through community connection.
“This year’s program introduced these military families to the amazing assets and rich history that we find in our parks and preserves, through a partnership with the national nonprofit and our park partners,” said Felicia Boyd, program and outreach director for TPF. “We taught them the basics of ethical angling and introduced them to the Gullah Geechee fishing heritage, connected them to the history in our city, state, and national parks, and showcased the ecology that thrives in our preserved natural spaces.”
The Blue Star families participated in a Junior Ranger Angler fishing clinic held at the City of Jacksonville’s William F. Sheffield Regional Park. Youth ages 6 to 17 and their parents were taught how to properly use angling equipment, including fishing poles, hooks, lures, and nets. They also learned about knot tying, baiting, casting, and ethical catching and releasing, as well as leave-no-trace principles and the wildlife found throughout the area. The Junior Ranger Angler fishing program is funded in part by a grant from the National Park Foundation.
Timucuan Preserve and TPF hosted the military families at the Kingsley Heritage Celebration, an annual event held to celebrate African heritage and remember the enslaved who lived at Kingsley Plantation. The day included archaeology programming, history lessons, ranger-guided tours of the tabby cabins that housed the enslaved and a tour of the planter’s house. In March, the group joined Timucuan Preserve and TPF at the 7 Creeks Fest in the 7 Creeks Recreation Area where they participated in a camping clinic, went canoeing, and were treated to a Hike into History at Cedar Point.
The military youth and their families took part in World Migratory Bird Day at Fort Caroline National Memorial, where they went on guided hikes and learned how to identify birds that move through the area, including their appearance, flight behavior, and the challenges they face. And the program wrapped up at the City of Jacksonville’s Kathryn Abbey Hanna Park, where there was fishing, hiking and a presentation by the Cosmo Historical Preservation Corporation on the Gullah Geechee fishing traditions.
Blue Star Families Jacksonville works under a cooperative agreement with the National Park Service with support from Timucuan Parks Foundation. This is the second year of the Blue Star Families’ Outdoor Explorers program.