Friends of Deerfield Island Park

02/02/2026

Wind nor cold stopped the drapping of the new covers . Just beautiful. Once again, thank you Helene and Ira. Long time member and new board member Peggy helping to perfect the fit.

01/11/2026

Jan. 11 the Island will be closed due to the Dunn Run. See you next Fri. Sat.or Sun.

12/29/2025

Message from our Founder

Legacy Project and the

"End of the Beginning"

At our meeting of December 11, 2025, we presented Dan West, Director of BROWARD County Parks and Recreation, with a check for $125,000.00 as matching funds towards the purchase of a new shuttle boat, able to carry an entire class of 40 individuals to Deerfield Island for hands-on learning experiences. Dan accepted this gift with an emphasis on our continuing contributions to a Legacy project.

What is a legacy project? A “legacy project” is one that is “a meaningful activity or creation, often done at the end of life or as a life’s work, to preserve personal stories, values, and memories for future generations.” It can take many forms including community initiatives or sustainable designs that benefit the future. It can include long-term environmental and community benefits. The Friends group can count Deerfield Island Park as our legacy project.

As Dan remarked, interest in the island was not really considered important until approximately 2008 (17 years ago). At that point F.I.N.D. (Florida Inland Navigational District) and the Parks Dept. we’re considering what could be done with this “emerald jewel” of the Intracoastal Waterway. Discussions and plans were undertaken. Commitments were taken, but was there support from the local community for this endeavor?

In 2015 the Friends of Deerfield Island Park was formed as a 501(c3) to preserve the island and improve it as an educational and recreational attraction. This was a group of local individuals who saw in this project a worthwhile endeavor for our community and the future.

With the financial support of both F.I.N.D. and the Parks Dept., the increased value of the Island, its value to the county, city, and state should almost guarantee that this island park will survive far beyond its current lease. This I think is the "end of the beginning" of our commitment to Deerfield Island Park, and now begins the "beginning of the end" of our commitment stretching to infinity. I used to fear for the future of Deerfield Island Park. I fear no more. So I thank you all, for joining me on this wonderful legacy project.

Sincerely,

Ira

11/30/2025

Some Exciting News !!!

Thanks to the efforts of our Founder, Ira Wechterman, FoDIP has received a major anonymous donation of $125,000 to help fund a new larger shuttle for the Island. With matching funds from the Broward County Department of Parks and Recreation, a new shuttle, capable of transporting 40, is being purchased. This will allow school classes to come to Deerfield Island for "hands-on" learning as part of the "Seagrass to Sawgrass" educational program developed by the Guy Harvey Foundation for South Florida schools.

10/29/2025

DIPpings

from

The Friends of Deerfield Island Park

November 2025 Newsletter

Next Board Meeting: Thursday, Nov 13 at 10:00 am

Hillsboro Cove Clubhouse

1365 E Hillsboro Blvd.

Please RSVP to Diana at [email protected]

All welcome
Park Updates

FoDIP Ambassadors will be resuming activities in November. Watch for more information.
Exterior of the office building is under renovation.
Guy Harvey Foundation will be installing a 3-section mural to the front of the building.
Replacement of ADA dock is in permitting stage.

Save the Date

Ambassador Training is scheduled for Friday, Nov 7. If you have been an Ambassador in the past, or you would like to learn about our Ambassador Program, plan on attending. More details will be forthcoming.

Flora and Fauna
November: Time for Wild Turkey Talk!

It’s November, the season when many are gearing up for the Thanksgiving Holiday, to reflect, to be thankful and to celebrate and share a delicious meal.

Traditionally, eating turkey has been a staple for the Thanksgiving feast. Although most of us eat turkey found in our grocery stores, wild turkey is considered a delicacy by many hunters and can be very delicious when prepared properly, offering a richer, more intense flavor than domestic turkey due to its active lifestyle and varied diet. Wild turkey meat is leaner and firmer than domestic varieties, requiring care in cooking to avoid dryness.

Observing turkeys in the wild is interesting. However, providing food in residential areas to attract wild turkeys can become a public safety threat. Wild turkeys are opportunistic foragers and can eat a wide variety of leaves, grass, seeds, berries, insects, worms, snails, frogs, and small reptiles. This allows them to thrive in a variety of natural habitats. They also can inhabit residential areas, particularly where they are being fed. Wild turkeys are supposed to cover large land areas while foraging throughout the day. Providing food repeatedly causes them to congregate, which results in a build-up of droppings and unnaturally increases contact between flocks which can encourage disease.

Additionally, feeding wild turkeys in residential areas is discouraged because it causes them to lose their natural fear of people and can cause them to act aggressively. Wild turkeys can become a public safety concern due to their

Powerful wings
Large size (males can weigh over 20 pounds and stand 3 1/2 feet tall)
Sharp spurs on males’ legs
Tendency to occur in large flocks

Another problem with feeding wild turkeys in residential areas is that they remain in the area, which can eventually lead to pecking and scratching cars, tearing up flower beds and depositing turkey droppings on drive-ways, sidewalks, yards and porches. Turkeys have been known to begin roosting on roofs and pool screens, which can result in considerable property damage. The best way to prevent these issues is simply - Don’t feed them

Wild Turkeys of South Florida:

This subspecies, known as the Osceola, is found exclusively on the Florida peninsula, making it a highly sought-after prize for hunters. While the more common Eastern wild turkey is also found in Florida, its range overlaps primarily with the Osceola in the north-central part of the state.

Appearance: The Osceola is smaller and darker than the Eastern wild turkey. Its feathers have a darker, more iridescent sheen with green and purple reflections, rather than the Eastern's bronze tones. The white barring on its wing feathers is narrower and often broken, giving the wing a predominantly black appearance.
Size: Adult male Osceolas weigh approximately 15 to 20 pounds, while females weigh 8 to 12 pounds, making them slightly lighter than the Eastern subspecies.
Distinctive features: Male turkeys, or toms, have a dark beard of feathers on their chest, a red wattle on their neck, and fleshy caruncles on their heads. They also possess long, sharp spurs on their legs.
Vocalizations: Osceolas are known to have a strong gobble, though it may not carry as far as an Eastern turkey's call due to the higher humidity and denser vegetation in Florida
Habitat: Osceola turkeys thrive in Florida's diverse landscapes, including pine flatwoods, prairies, hardwood hammocks, and cypress swamps. They are highly adaptable and are often found along forest edges and in openings. A key characteristic of their habitat is the availability of mature trees, like live oaks, pines, and cypress, where they can roost safely from predators at night.
Diet: As omnivores, Osceola turkeys forage on the ground, scratching for a wide variety of foods. Their diet includes acorns, seeds, berries, leaves, insects, and small vertebrates like snakes.

Eastern Turkeys

Osceola Turkeys
Friends of Deerfield Island Park (FODIP)

Formed in April 2015

We are dedicated to preserving and protecting our unique green island as a natural habitat for native plants and for the island’s animal inhabitants. We have been approved by the IRS as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization for this purpose.

Visit our website: Friendsofdip.org

Friends of Deerfield Island | P.O. Box 656 | Deerfield Beach, FL 33443 US

Welcome to Deerfield Island Park!

09/25/2025

DIPpings

from

The Friends of Deerfield Island Park

October 2025

The Island is Open and the Birds are Returning

On a recent kayak around the Island, we were happy to see many of our "Birdie Friends" returning. There were 3 sightings of our local Ospreys, a fly-by from a Kingfisher, several Night Herons, and even a Turkey Vulture or two. Of course a large family of Ibises can always be counted on to appear in the Mangrove Lagoon.

Free shuttle (from Sullivan Park) runs Fri, Sat, Sun. hourly from 10:00 am until 2:00 pm. Last shuttle leaves the island at 2:45.
President's Message

While much work by the Parks Department remains to be done on DIP, the recent, soft reopening of Deerfield Island Park has seen a return to the Island by visitors in significant numbers on each of the three days during the week that DIP is open to the public.

The multitude of native plants in the Butterfly Garden has thrived and flourished thanks to recent summer rains; the sheer beauty of this attraction is becoming more and more evident. Butterflies abound!

Following the felling of scores of non-native Australian Pines, swaths of land have been cleared and unsightly sections of Australian Pine trunks, branches and debris have been lowered into a “Black Hole”, an excavated, gaping pit located adjacent to the House. Two new and inviting butterfly benches, one bright red and one black, have been purchased by the Parks Department and have been conveniently placed near Tony the Tortoise. Work continues on the Coquina Trail to make it ADA code compliant as well, and this feature, once complete, will enable all visitors access to the eastern end of the Island. Although no decision has been made by the Parks Department, there has been some interest expressed coupled with some lively discussion involving the possibility of maintaining in their natural state some offshoot pathways of the Coquina Trail to help preserve its natural beauty.

During the entire time that DIP remained closed to the public, donations continued to filter in to FoDIP. Some of that money was approved this past spring by your Board to donate to the Broward County Parks Department for Butterfly Garden signage. A local company (the same one that made the interactive Wingspan Exhibit) was identified and recently selected to manufacture both the signage and the aluminum stakes that, once approved by the Parks Department and purchased by FoDIP, will be installed in the Butterfly Garden by Parks personnel. An initial order of approximately thirty (30) signs is currently under consideration. Each will reflect the common plant name, its scientific name, whether it is a host or nectar plant or both, and which species of butterfly is known to be attracted to it.

The entire Board wishes to thank each of you for your dedicated volunteerism and continuing commitment to this living project. Without your efforts, there would be no Butterfly Garden.

Diana R. Lopez

FoDIP President

Flora and Fauna

COQUINA AND THE DEERFIELD ISLAND PARK COQUINA TRAIL

What is coquina? Let’s dig in for a small “upper middle school” geology lesson.

Geoscientists describe coquina as a sedimentary rock formed mostly by shell fragments of calcium carbonate which are loosely cemented (quite porous) together by calcite and is technically a variety of limestone. However, coquina has a noticeable lack of sand, silt, and clay due to the strong currents of water that wash small grains away. The fossils are usually mollusk or gastropod (slug and snail) shell fragments. These fragments accumulate in high-energy marine and lake type environments where currents and waves result in the vigorous abrasion/fracturing of the shells that compose them. These environments would include beaches, swift tidal channels, shallow

submarine raised banks, and barrier bars. Coquina gets its name from a Spanish word for “shellfish” and inherits its’ color from the shells which tend to be off white and light gray with sprinkles of blues and oranges.

Our Coquina Trail on Deerfield Island Park (DIP) received its name due to the sediment pulled from the Intracoastal and Royal Palm Waterways (back in the 1960’s). This newly cut waterway was full of coquina shells which were primarily dumped on the north and northeast portion of the Island. The date of naming the trail is unclear but earlier 1990 DIP maps indicated a “Coquina Trail”.

Over the years the trail has changed its path due to tortoise activity and storms. In 2017 it was damaged heavily by Hurricane Irma requiring previous park staff (Katie and Armagan) to recut a new trail around the existing damaged trees. These downed trees encouraged tortoises to seek refuge along the trail; therefore, creating some of our largest tortoise groups to live just off the Coquina Trail.

Currently the “Coquina Trail is Under Renovation.” The Parks staff is striving to remove Australian Pines while at the same time respecting the tortoise habitat locations. The trail is approximately ½ mile long and runs primarily on the east side of DIP. Visitors will not see coquina any longer but will enjoy moderate shade and an intracoastal viewing area with benches. Decisions will be made within the next few weeks as to what type of path the Coquina Trail will see next…will it be a rubberized material or a modified natural trail?

Submitted by: Karen Hutson

Thank you Katherine Hendrickson for your history input.

Newsletter Editor: Helene Wechterman

Friends of Deerfield Island Park (FODIP)

Formed in April 2015

We are dedicated to preserving and protecting our unique green island as a natural habitat for native plants and for the island’s animal inhabitants. We have been approved by the IRS as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization for this purpose.

Visit our website: Friendsofdip.org

Friends of Deerfield Island | P.O. Box 656 | Deerfield Beach, FL 33443 US

Welcome to Deerfield Island Park!

09/16/2025

Friends of Deerfield Island Park

Welcome to Deerfield Island Park!
A peaceful and tranquil island just north of Deerfield Beach and south of Boca Raton, Deerfield Island Park is a 56-acre nature-oriented park run by the Broward County Department of Parks and Recreation. Bordered by the Intracoastal Waterway and the Hillsboro River, it offers passive outdoor recreational opportunities and environmental education for everyone! Not only is Deerfield Island Park home to as many as 100 plus bird species, it also serves as home to the endangered gopher tortoise and many other animals and plants.

The Park is considered an "Urban Wilderness" , a green respite from the surrounding development.

Come see:
Our Urban Wilderness

New Mangrove Boardwalk

Roosting Ibises

Our Accomplishments

Friends of Deerfield Island Park (FoFDP) has won the "Best Friends Forever" award presented by the Broward County Department of Parks and Recreation. They were singled out for their many contributions to the island including the purchase of benches and chairs for the new outdoor classroom, kayak racks , a kayak-landing dock, an ambassador kiosk, and a wingspan sculpture exhibit. Thanks to a grant from the "Claire Friedlander Family Foundation", we designed, purchased, and installed the 3-dimensional wingspan exhibit.

Tony the tortoise, our island mascot was purchased and donated by Helene and Ira Wechterman and brought to the island with donations from many members. The 1400 pound metal tortoise now greets visitors and provides a unique photo opportunity

The FoDIP group has also assisted on the island, volunteering to plant a butterfly garden, acting as ambassadors and tour guides, assisting in the creation of an experimental salt marsh, helping to replant baby mangrove plants, and developing educational projects for adults and kids who visit.

Dan West, Director of Parks & Recreation, also pointed out that as a result of the renewed interest the group has created for the island, additional funding has become available for many long-awaited projects, such as reconfiguring the marina, and rebuilding the beautiful mangrove boardwalk that was destroyed by Hurricane Wilma in 2005.

Tony the Tortoise

Wingspan Sculpture

Ambassador Welcome Kiosk

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Friends of Deerfield Island Park PO Box 656 Deerfield Beach, FL 33432 [email protected]

07/23/2025

FoDIP is still on summer hiatus despite the opening of the Park. Feel free to visit any Friday, Saturday or Sunday. Shuttle runs hourly from Sullivan Park from 10:00 am until 2:00 pm. The last shuttle leaves the island at 2:45 pm.

Watch your email for an announcement of our next FoDIP meeting in September. At that time, we will set up a date for a refresher Ambassador training and create a volunteer sign-up procedure.

06/30/2025

Thanks for all you have done . It is a truly beautiful destination that started as a vision and now it has come to fruition with time, love tenacity .

06/30/2025

First Visitors to the Park on June 28.

Without much fanfare, the Broward County Department of Parks and Recreation finally opened Deerfield Island Park to the public after a closure of almost 2 years.

06/30/2025

The Broward County Department of Parks and Recreation has announced a "soft" opening of Deerfield Island Park on Saturday June 28. Shuttles will be running from Sullivan Park beginning Saturday June 28 and Sunday, June 29 and Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays thereafter. Shuttles will run from 10am until 2pm (with the last shuttle leaving the island at 2:45).

The Coquina trail will be closed for the time being while it is being worked on, but the Mangrove boardwalk and the new Butterfly Garden will be available. Restrooms are open.

03/24/2025

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