Winter 2024
MANAGER’S MESSAGE
by Jessica Cabral
It is with mixed emotions that I share with you that I will be stepping down from my role as Park Manager of The Barnacle to take on a new position at Hugh Taylor Birch State Park in Fort Lauderdale.
I want to express my deepest thanks to each of you for your dedication and commitment to The Barnacle. From the moment I arrived in 2011, you welcomed me into this incredible community, and over the years, you’ve been my unwavering partners in preserving its natural beauty and rich history. As I transition to my new role, I’m confident that The Barnacle will continue to flourish under the leadership of the next manager, with your continued support. Many good things that we’ve started still lie ahead, and I’m excited to see the future of this special place unfold. Though I am excited for the new opportunities that await me, I will always carry with me the memories, experiences, and friendships I’ve made here. The Barnacle has been much more than a workplace; it has been a true home, a wellspring of constant inspiration, and a source of pride. It’s been an honor to witness the incredible impact that The Barnacle Society has here. Its members’ dedication and hard work are unmatched, and I will always be grateful for the many ways you all help this park thrive.
Thank you again for everything you’ve done for me and for The Barnacle these last thirteen, wonderful years, and here’s to The Barnacle Society’s continued success in preserving a place I will always hold close to my heart.
I look forward to staying connected and hope to see you in my new neck of the woods!
A STROLL THROUGH THE PARK
by Amy Exum
Happy Holidays to you and your families!
I hope you’ve enjoyed comforting meals with loved ones, experienced the warmth of being surrounded by friends and family, and found time to rest and recharge after the festivities.
While we may not have the chance to cozy up by a fire in South Florida, we are fortunate to enjoy the sparkling bay views from the Boathouse, now graced with a newly renovated roof—thanks to your incredible contributions and unwavering support. Over the past few years, the Society’s efforts have focused on repairing the roof after hurricane damage. While this work was essential, I understand the wait and repeated calls for support may have been taxing. From the bottom of my heart, thank you for your patience and steadfast commitment to preserving the park.
I’d also like to express my gratitude for the donations received during our first Giving Tuesday campaign. Your enthusiastic response made this debut fundraising effort a resounding success, and we are deeply thankful for your dedication to our mission.
As with everything in life, as one chapter closes, another opens. As the park enters the new year, we will bid a bittersweet farewell to our beloved Park Manager, Jessica. While we are thrilled she has the opportunity to grow her career and share her talents with other parks, it’s difficult to say goodbye. Jessica has devoted over 10 years to The Barnacle, pouring her passion, warmth, and thoughtfulness into the park’s success. From her days as a ranger working alongside Katrina Boler to her role as Park Manager, Jessica has been a cornerstone of our community. Please join us in expressing heartfelt gratitude and wishing her well in her next chapter.
Finally, don’t forget to check the park schedule—we have some exciting events coming up! Look forward to Cars, Cigars & Guitars, a fresh twist on our summer event, along with continued moonlight concerts and the historic Washington’s Birthday Regatta.
Wishing you a Happy New Year filled with joy, love, and kindness. Here’s to a wonderful 2025!
UPCOMING EVENTS AT THE BARNACLE
Volunteer Spotlight: Bob Deresz
by Suzanne Koptur
Bob on his boat on Biscayne Bay
In this issue of the News Packet, we salute Bob Deresz, a former member of the Barnacle Society Board, and tireless volunteer. Bob is originally from Michigan, arriving in South Florida in 1970, where he ran the adult sailing program at the Miami Yacht Club and worked as a yacht broker.
Bob with Shadow and Quack
You may recognize him from Barnacle concerts, the man who gets up to “pass the hat” for the band. He may be seen walking his invisible pet dog “Shadow” and roller footed duck “Quack” (who believes he is a dog) at Barkzaar and other dog-friendly happenings at the Barnacle. We know him as a giving and generous person who makes sure the events at the Barnacle always have enough ice and spends time maintaining the park’s E-Z Limo electric cart. Bob Deresz has been around the Grove for many years and remembers paying Jimmy Buffett $25 a night (and a plate of brown rice and steamed vegetables) to play at the Feedbag Restaurant that he briefly managed at night. He also invited a guy (all dressed in white) to do his “Wild and Crazy” routine for $20: Steve Martin in 1972.
Bob is a member of the Women’s Club of Coconut Grove, founded in 1891 as The Housekeepers’ Club by Flora McFarlane; he is one of its few members with a Y-chromosome. Bob regularly participates in the Mango Strut, sometimes wearing his “Developers” suit, covered in US currency.
We would like to thank Bob for his long-time involvement and help at TBHSP, and recommend you say hi and get to know this very friendly and interesting person.
SAWDUST AND SHAVINGS
by John Palenchar
The Boathouse shop has been buzzing with activity the past three months as construction of the new side door has progressed, along with various Craft items from the “Mary Ann Hart” legacy. As the year winds down, the Boathouse Crew wish each of you and Happy and Prosperous New Year!
New Boathouse Door
Mike Chapman has done a beautiful job re-creating a 5-panel door for the Boathouse. The door has been “fitted” and the first coat of “Barnacle Brown” paint has been applied. As you walk around the Park, see how many of this style door you can discover. The number may surprise you!
First coat of “Barnacle Brown.”
New door fitted. Diagonal shadow is from Hurricane Tie-down cable.
New Craft Item
Among the many beautiful and unusual things left to The Barnacle Society by Mary Ann Hart, was a box of old door keys. Landfill? Not quite. A little research found a fine use for them—with a little bit of “manipulation.” Mark Monroe and John have been turning out a few of these unique key racks—on sale at the Gift Shop and Boathouse!
THE NATURE OF THINGS AT THE BARNACLE
by Suzanne Koptur
Live oaks- trees with a multitude of interactions
Southern live oak, Quercus virginiana (= Q. virens!) illustration by H. Redouté.
Many visitors to the Barnacle Historic State Park are amazed by the huge, impressive trees behind the big house and in front of the park office. Visitors from temperate zone areas (like the northern U.S.A. and Canada, northern Europe, and southern South America, Australia, and New Zealand, to name a few) may not recognize it, but around here we know it as our native live oak tree, Quercus virginiana. These trees occur throughout Florida, and they are our only canopy oak species in subtropical south Florida, one of the most important elements of the hardwood hammock forests that occur on the higher ground.
These trees are called “live” oaks because, unlike most other oak species, they are evergreen, always having leaves. Their rough, fissured bark is perfect for epiphytes, plants that cling on to branches of taller plants (and are not parasitic on their host tree). One can usually see a variety of ferns, orchids, mosses, and lichens on the bark of live oak trees. Oak trees are also great places for nests of birds and small animals.
Horace’s Duskywing caterpillar - from Haysop Hill Photography (haysophill.com); adult (SK photo)
The leaves are hostplants (food for caterpillars) for many moths and some butterflies. Leaf rollers and leaf tiers are common in the spring, and feed in shelters of their own making. Some of these, when they are ready to pupate, leave their host trees on fine silk and can be seen dangling from the tree on their way to the ground. Other caterpillars feed out in the open on leaves, such as the “fuzzles”, tussock moth caterpillars, that look like small hairy dogs and are very cute. However, these have a painful and even dangerous sting if you touch them the wrong way, so be careful! A relatively common skipper butterfly that uses oak leaves is Horace’s duskywing (Erynnis horatius). Caterpillars of the red-banded hairstreak (Calycopis cecrops) feed on fallen leaves of their hostplants, including live oak. Another hairstreak, the white-M hairstreak (Parrhasius m-album), also uses live oak; the adult butterflies are a brilliant blue on their upper side.
Oak tree flowers are wind-pollinated and are relatively inconspicuous. The male flowers are borne on catkins, inflorescences that hang down and move in the wind. The pollen of live oaks is attractive to, and eaten by, hummingbirds that migrate through in the spring. Hummingbirds supplement their carbohydrate-heavy nectar diet with pollen and small insects. The female flowers are small and close to the stems, and when pollinated, produce acorns.
Acorns are single-seeded fruits from which whole gigantic trees might grow. But most acorns are used as food for wildlife, especially squirrels. You can notice that some years have a modest number of acorns produced, but others have zillions (or so it seems – this past summer was one such event, with a blanket of acorns on the ground at the park). These are called “mast” fruiting events, as the phenomenon was first described in beech (also called mast) trees. By having a huge fruiting effort every few years or so, the predators of the acorns are more than satisfied so that some acorns are left to germinate and start new trees. I often find young oak trees growing in our potted plants, where a squirrel buried an acorn for a future meal and then forgot it.
THE BOATHOUSE HAS A NEW ROOF!
ANOTHER VALUABLE BARNACLE SOCIETY PROJECT COMPLETED
by John Palenchar
Thanks to the generosity of The Villagers and the generosity of our many donors, The Barnacle Society has funded another successful Park improvement—a new roof for The Barnacle Boathouse.
The old roof lost many tiles in Hurricane Irma and the damage only increased as repair attempts to the existing roof tiles failed. Roof replacement seemed the only viable option and it took extensive coordination with state and local agencies to come up with a roofing material which not only meets current codes (the old tiles did not) as well as “historic preservation” requirements. Although the new roof is not of historic design, it meets current codes and “does no harm” to the historic nature of the building.
And a weathertight building ensures the continued preservation of this historic structure!
ABOUT THIS NEWSLETTER
The News Packet was created to inform members and public about The Barnacle Society, The Barnacle Historic State Park, and events and activities there. Published quarterly by The Barnacle Society, it is part of our continuing program to support and preserve the home of Commodore Ralph Middleton Munroe. The News Packet represents the method of mail and news delivery before the turn of the 20th century. A small boat sailed to Fowey Rocks Light and received a “packet” of newspapers and mail from passing coastal ships bound for Key West or Jacksonville.
Suzanne Koptur, Editor
BOARD MEMBERS
Officers
Amy Exum, President
Sweet Pea Ellman, 1st VP
TBD, 2nd VP
Graham Coords, 3rd VP
Olivier deLavalette, Treasurer
TBD, Recording Secretary
John Palenchar, Corresponding Secretary
Directors
Ashley Castillo, Walt Walkington, Mary Scott Russell, Marc Stone, Pam Shlachtman, Debra Wellins
MISSION STATEMENT
The Barnacle Society, Inc. is a volunteer non-profit, citizen-supported organization created to generate public awareness, education, and financial support for the preservation and maintenance of The Barnacle Historic State Park.
PARK HOURS
Friday through Wednesday 9 AM to 5 PM Closed Thursdays, New Year's Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.