Summer Fun Abundant In August At Sams House
By Space Coast Daily // August 2, 2012
BREVARD COUNTY • MERRITT ISLAND, FLORIDA – There’s no stopping the summer fun at The Sams House at Pine Island.
The historic venue will offer a variety of free activities throughout August in celebration of the Indian River Lagoon.
This Saturday The Sams House at Pine Island hosts the Pine Island Paddle: from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. Space Coast Kayaking leads this new excursion through a deep-water canal frequented by manatees and out to the Indian River Lagoon.
It also includes a hike to the Sams House and Cabin. Reservations are required and limited to 14 participants. The cost is $30 per person ($20 for ages 5 to 12). For information, call 321-784-2452 or send an email to info@spacecoastkayaking.net to hold a spot. Participants will meet at the Conservation Area gate at end of Pine Island Road.
Other events in August include:
• Indian River Lagoon Fun Day: 10 a.m. to noon, Saturday. For ages 4 and up (with adult). Celebrate the Indian River Lagoon with educational crafts and games. Includes a walk to the Lagoon overlook. Bring good walking shoes.
• Miracles in the Mangroves: 2 to 3 p.m. Aug. 10. D. Scott Taylor, EEL Central Region Land Manager takes participants deep into the mangrove swamp where there are Great Land Crabs, Mangrove Rivulus Fish, and Mosquitoes. Come meet three favorite mangrove residents.
• Understanding TEs (Turtle Excluder Devices): 10 to 11:30 a.m. Aug. 11. Federal Agents with the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) Office of Law Enforcement (OLE) will educate attendees about the use of Turtle Excluder Devices (TEDs). Federal law requires TEDs on most shrimp vessels to protect endangered sea turtles. TEDs allow sea turtles to escape yet shrimpers are still able to achieve high shrimp retention rates. The agents will demonstrate how shrimp trawl gear harvest shrimp and the proper way to check a TED.
• Lagoon Restoration: 10 to 11:30 a.m. Aug. 18. Interim Director Beth McMillen will discuss the Marine Resources Council’s role in restoring the Indian River Lagoon.
• The Thousand Islands: Past, Present and Future: 10 a.m. to noon Aug. 25. Tim Kozusko of the Friends of the Thousand Islands will look at the formation, history, present ecology, and future of the Thousand Islands in Cocoa Beach.
The Sams House at Pine Island is owned and managed by the Brevard County Environmentally Endangered Lands Program. It is at 6195 North Tropical Trail in Merritt Island, a half-mile west of State Road 3.
The Center is open Thursdays to Saturdays, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tours of the cabin and the adjacent 1888 home are offered every Thursday at 3 p.m.
For more information, call 321-449-4720.
