Send a Thank you to NPS – here are some addresses!

Castillo de San Marcos Nat’l Monument 1 South Castillo Drive St. Augustine, FL 32084	Biscayne National Park 9700 SW 328th Street Sir Lancelot Jones Way Homestead, FL 33033	Darrell Echols, Acting Regional Director National Park Service 100 Alabama Street SW 1924 Building Atlanta, GA 30303	Dave Alberg, Action Regional Director National Park Service 240 West 5th Avenue, Suite 114 Anchorage, AK 99501
Everglades National Park 40001 State Road 9336 Homestead, FL 33034	Dry Tortugas National Park 40001 State Road 9336 Homestead, FL 33034	Bert Frost, Regional Director National Park Service 601 Riverfront Drive Omaha, NE 68102	Brian Carlstrom, Regional Director National Park Service 12795 West Alameda Parkway Denver, CO 80225
Nat’l Capital Area Jen Nersesian, Regional Director National Park Service 1100 Ohio Drive SW Washington, DC 20242	Steve Sims, Acting Regional Director National Park Service 1234 Market Street, 20th Floor Philadelphia, PA 19107	David Szymanski, Regional Director National Park Service 555 Battery Street, Suite 121 San Francisco, CA 94111

“Friends of” Organizations in Northeast Florida

What is a “Friends of” organization?
Friends of organizations are community-based volunteer groups that work in partnership with parks, preserves, and public lands to provide vital support that government funding alone often cannot cover. They raise awareness, organize events, recruit volunteers, fundraise for improvements, and advocate for conservation and preservation of natural, cultural, and historic resources. “Friends of” organizations build vital connections between the public and the places they care about, “Friends of” groups help ensure parks and public lands remain protected, accessible, and thriving for future generations.

• Castillo de San Marcos – V.I.P. (Volunteers-In-Parks) Program
  Location: Castillo de San Marcos National Monument
  1 S. Castillo Drive St. Augustine, FL 32084
  Focus: The V.I.P. program enables volunteers to assist with a wide range of visitor services, interpretation, and educational programs at Castillo de San Marcos and Fort Matanzas. Volunteers help welcome visitors, lead Junior Ranger activities, and participate in historic weapons demonstrations.
• Friends of GTM Research Reserve (Guana Tolomato Matanzas National Estuarine Research Reserve) – Ponte Vedra to Palm Coast
  Location: Ponte Vedra Beach / St. Johns & Flagler Counties (serving GTM National Estuarine Research Reserve)
  Focus: Supports coastal ecosystem research, habitat restoration, environmental education, and community outreach tied to the GTM National Estuarine Research Reserve.
  Friends of GTM Research Reserve gtmnerr.org
• Timucuan Parks Foundation
  Location: Jacksonville & Northeast Florida
  Focus: Supports preservation, education, stewardship, and programming across multiple nature preserves, parks, and historic sites in the Timucuan Ecological & Historic Area and surrounding greenspaces.
  Timucuan Parks Foundation
• Friends of Savannas Preserve State Park (Junior Friends included)
  Location: Port St. Lucie / Southeast Florida
  Focus: Supports habitat conservation, environmental education, public trail maintenance, and volunteer programming at Savannas Preserve State Park.
  Friends of Savannas Preserve State Park Wikipedia
• Preservation Project Jacksonville (now part of Timucuan Parks Foundation)
  Location: Jacksonville, FL
  Focus: Land acquisition and preservation across Jacksonville area greenspaces and nature preserves. (See above under the Timucuan Parks Foundation umbrella.)
  Timucuan Parks Foundation+1
• Fort Mose Historica Society: Become a member here: https://fortmose.org/join-fort-mose-2/
  Location: 15 Fort Mose Trail, St. Augustine, FL 32084
  Focus: Fort Mose, founded in 1738, was the first free Black settlement in what is now the United States. Created as a refuge for people escaping enslavement in the British colonies, it offered freedom in exchange for conversion to Catholicism and service in the Spanish militia. The community became both a safe haven and a key defense for St. Augustine. Today, Fort Mose is recognized as a historic landmark, honoring the courage and legacy of its residents.become a volunteer here: https://volunteers.floridastateparks.org/pages/app/INDIV
• Friends of Anastasia State park: https://friendsofanastasia.org/ and Become a volunteer: https://friendsofanastasia.org/volunteer-opportunities/
  Location:  300 Anastasia Park Rd, St. Augustine, FL 32080
  Focus: Friends of Anastasia State Park: “To generate supplemental resources which will provide increased recreational opportunities and further enhance protection of the natural and cultural resources of Anastasia State Park”
• SJC Parks Foundation https://www.sjcpf.org/
  Location: 425 Town Plaza Ave. Ponte Vedra, FL 32081
  Focus: We are the official philanthropic partner of the St. Johns County Parks and Recreation Department. Dedicated to Enhancing communities through Parks and Recreation. Tax Identification number: 87-2315225
  

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Impacts on Parks, Public Lands and National Monuments

• Redrawing boundaries of National Monuments
  In June 2025, the Department of Justice (DOJ) issued a legal opinion stating that the president may have the authority to revoke or reduce national monument designations created by previous administrations. This reverses a long-standing interpretation from 1938 that only Congress held that power. AP News
• Rolling Back the Public Lands Rule
  The Interior Department is proposing to rescind the Public Lands Rule, which currently gives conservation equal weight alongside energy development on BLM-managed lands. Its repeal could lead to prioritizing extractive uses over conservation and public access.
  Source: DOI
• Less Conservation – More Extraction
  The proposed changes would reduce legal standing for conservation as a “productive use,” allowing more lands to be leased for mining, logging, oil and gas.
  Source: SF Chronicle
• Cuts to Park Services and Staffing
  Deep reductions in budgets and staff for agencies like the National Park Service mean fewer rangers, maintenance workers, and scientists — potentially reducing services, upkeep, and safety in parks.
  Source: LCV
• Threats to Visitor Centers & Cultural Sites
  The GSA is proposing to cancel leases for dozens of visitor centers, museums, and administrative facilities within national parks, jeopardizing key visitor services, exhibits, and artifact preservation.
  Source: Washington Post
• Weakening Public Participation (NEPA Rollbacks)
  Rollbacks to the National Environmental Policy Act have already weakened public comment periods and environmental reviews, reducing transparency and public voice in decisions affecting public lands.
  Source: Defenders of Wildlife
• Budget Cuts to Outdoor Conservation Programs
  The FY2026 budget threatens the funding of the Great American Outdoors Act and the Land and Water Conservation Fund—key sources for project funding and park maintenance.
  Source: TPL
• Potential Land Transfers or Sales
  There are ongoing pressures in Congress and at the state level to transfer control of federal public lands to states or sell off parts of them—posing risks to long-term conservation and protection.
  Source: Stateline
• Reopening Monument Boundaries to Resource Development
  Following past reductions in national monument designations (e.g. Bears Ears, Grand Staircase–Escalante), there are signals of more review or rollback of monument boundaries and protections—threatening landscapes of cultural and environmental significance.
  Source: American Progress

Current Federal Environmental Rollbacks (2025)

1. Endangerment Finding Rescission

The EPA has proposed rescinding the 2009 Endangerment Finding, which determined that greenhouse gases like CO₂ pose a threat to human health and welfare.
Without it, many climate regulations—such as emissions rules for vehicles and power plants—would lose their legal basis.
Source: EPA.gov

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2. Rollback of Greenhouse Gas Emission Standards for Power Plants

The EPA is seeking to weaken or repeal the 2024 greenhouse gas standards for existing coal-fired plants and new gas plants.
Requirements for carbon capture and storage (CCS) could be discarded.
Source: Harvard EELP | JW.com

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3. Repeal of Mercury and Air Toxics (MATS) Standards

EPA plans to roll back the strengthened 2024 Mercury and Air Toxics Standards, reverting to weaker 2012 standards.
Source: JW.com

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4. Fast-Track Permitting for AI & Industrial Infrastructure

A new rule would allow construction of facilities—including AI data centers—to begin before completing Clean Air Act permits.
Source: Reuters

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5. Water Quality & PFAS (“Forever Chemicals”) Rollbacks

EPA proposes weakening Biden-era drinking-water limits on PFAS chemicals.
Some PFAS limits would be removed, and compliance delayed until 2031.
Source: AP News

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6. Air, Water, Vehicle & Methane Rules

The EPA is reconsidering or rolling back:

• Vehicle emissions standards (post-2027 models)
• Methane leak rules for oil & gas
• Power plant emissions limits
• Clean Water Act protections
  Source: Reuters

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7. Dismantling Environmental Justice Funding

The administration abruptly ended the $3 billion Environmental and Climate Justice block grant program, cutting off support for communities tackling pollution and climate hazards.
Source: The Guardian

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8. Reversing Toxic Pollutant Protections

The Senate voted to overturn EPA limits on seven highly toxic air pollutants (including mercury and lead), eliminating requirements that facilities use best available pollution-control technology.
Source: Washington Post

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