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The Merritt Island Armadillo LbNA #7073 (ARCHIVED)

Owner:Adoptable
Plant date:Jan 29, 2004
Location:
City:Titusville
County:Brevard
State:Florida
Boxes:1
Planted by:donna
Found by: oldhounder & Siamese
Last found:Apr 2, 2006
Status:FFFFFFFFFaaaaaaaaaaa
Last edited:Jan 29, 2004
Title: The Merritt Island Armadillo

Location: State: FL County: Brevard Town: Titusville

Planted by: Tweety and Mr. Coon ( Rehoboth, MA ) Date: 1/29/04

Difficulty: Easy, a drive-by or at least a park and bring it back to the car to stamp in if its raining box.
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Background:
The Canaveral National Seashore / Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge are multi-use buffer areas for the nearby Kennedy Space Center.
If you have the time while you are here at Merritt Island, try the Black Point Wildlife Drive. Some friends (Mary Manatee and the Yachtsman) told us about it and the ranger at the visitor center talked it up while we were there. As a result of a couple of hours spent dawdling along the drive with its spectacular array of birds, Tweety is now hooked on this bird watching thing. (narcissism?)
We also visited the northern part of the Canaveral National Seashore and its visitor center which is accessed on Route A1A seven miles south of New Smyrna Beach. There’s a forty foot high shell mound left by the early inhabitants located there which was interesting and provided a surprising view.
By the way, if you do much outdoor site hopping as we do on vacation, you may find it useful to get hold of some brochures called The Great Florida Birding Trail Commemorative Guide, publications of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. We found two editions, an East section and a West section version. They were available free at many of the nature centers and park visitor centers. They list various kinds of birding spots and give some helpful information on each and good directions along with locater maps.

Driving directions:
From I-95 or Route 1 go east on Route 406 to enter the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. After passing the visitor center (which is well worth a visit – a short boardwalk, gift shop and helpful folks) look for the Oak Hammock Trail parking lot on the left.

Directions to the box:
From the parking lot, walk over to the information kiosk and trail map sign. Stand in front of the sign and look at the picture of the armadillo (two of these rascals walked by the car while we were sitting here carving the stamp). Turn to your right and take twenty steps down the Oak Hammock Trail. This should put you next to a big oak tree on your right. The box (a 3x3 container painted brown) is nestled against the base of the tree’s east side guarded by a fern.
(if the feral pigs and armadillos haven’t gotten it)