John D. MacArthur Beach State Park

Yesterday was a very special Turtle Tuesday. Our two sea turtle ambassadors, Veronica and Freed, were released off the coast of West Palm Beach with the help of ANGARI Foundation. Thank you to Brooke Silverang WPBF for joining us and sharing about our efforts to promote sea turtle education and conservation.

https://www.wpbf.com/article/two-female-loggerheads-return-ocean-help-of-local-organizations/61852258 #

Sea turtles return to the ocean with the help from local organizations ANGARI Foundation, alongside Friends of Macarthur Beach State Park and the Florida Park Service released loggerheads at sea so they can have a better chance at survival.

Another beautiful week at MacBeach! Bring the kids this weekend and enjoy the last weekend of summer break at Palm Beach County’s only state park!

Our sea turtle nest survey team took a moment to enjoy a gorgeous sunrise! nesting update! So far this season, our team has recorded a total of 1,984 Loggerhead nests, 408 Green Sea Turtle nests, and 43 Leatherback nests on our 1.6 miles of beach.

This Monday, August 5th, at 9am Friends of MacArthur Beach State Park is opening field trip signups for the Palm Beach County School District! Our education program offers standards-based, hands-on field experiences that provide opportunities for students (grades 1-12) to explore and learn about their local environment. And thanks to our community education partners (listed below) we continue to offer these field trips (including transportation) free of charge to local schools. You can sign up here on Monday: https://macarthurbeach.org/school-programs/

Thank you to our Education supporters: Community Foundation for Palm Beach and Martin Counties, Mary and Robert Pew Public Education Fund, Bass Pro Shops & Cabela’s Outdoor Fund, REI Cooperative Action Fund, Sharkey Family Foundation, and VoLo Foundation.

Happy World Ranger Day! 🎉 Today is a global celebration of the work of Rangers to protect the planet’s natural treasures and cultural heritage. Here at John D. MacArthur Beach State Park, we are so grateful to have an incredible team of Rangers who make our Park the best! These are just a few of the Rangers who work tirelessly every day to maintain our trails, beachfront and facilities, educate visitors and students, protect wildlife, lead sea turtle conservation and research efforts, and so much more! Thank you to all our hard working Rangers for keeping our Park safe, beautiful and thriving for all to enjoy.

This week Friends of MacArthur Beach State Park and the School District of Palm Beach County hosted 3rd – 8th grade Title-1 teachers from area schools for MacBeach Explorations, a free 3-day professional development program. Teachers spent the days exploring the park and learning how to incorporate environmental education into their classrooms through Project Learning Tree and Project WILD workshops. MacBeach Explorations also provided teachers environmental education resources, classroom materials, and an extended field experience during the school year for their students at the park with a free charter bus.

Thank you to our Education supporters: Community Foundation for Palm Beach and Martin Counties, Mary and Robert Pew Public Education Fund, Bass Pro Shops & Cabela’s Outdoor Fund, REI Cooperative Action Fund, Sharkey Family Foundation, and VoLo Foundation.

Thank you for providing delicious popsicles to all the teachers attending MacBeach Explorations, a 3-day professional development workshop at the Park this week! We appreciate all you do to support our Park, our teachers and local community!

Today wrapped up 6 weeks of camp at MacBeach! Over the last two months, campers have explored the beauty of MacArthur Beach State Park and learned about our park’s habitats, wildlife, plants, and how to be an environmental steward. Some of our campers’ favorite parts of camp included kayaking, seine netting in the estuary, meeting Veronica and Freed our ambassador Loggerhead Sea Turtles, participating in beach cleanups, and conducting fish counts at the rock reef. It has been a fun and busy summer, and we can’t wait for camp to start again next year!

Thank you for visiting MacArthur Beach State Park! It was an honor to show you our beautiful Park and share more about our incredible programs.

Look at all those little tracks! nesting update! So far this season, our team has recorded a total of 1,765 Loggerhead nests, 238 Green Sea Turtle nests, and 43 Leatherback nests on our 1.6 miles of beach. 🐢 Sea turtle nests means sea turtle hatchlings, so if you see a nest hatchout...lucky you! Be sure to give hatchlings their space and let them make their way down the beach on their own. 🐢 And remember to keep our beach clean (remove all beach toys, chairs, tents, etc. & pick up trash on beach), dark (no lights at night), and flat (take down sandcastles and fill holes before you leave for the evening).

Tickets are now on sale for this year’s MacBeach Gala: Preserving Paradise! 🌿 Proceeds from this event will help fund our environmental education programs (last year we served over 4,500 students), sea turtle conservation (on average we have over 3,000 nests on our 1.6 miles of beach), new Park events and programs, community outreach efforts, guided tours, special exhibits, and more. 🌿 Get your tickets early! Space is limited and we do expect to sell out. To purchase tickets, visit macarthurbeach.org/special-events/ or click the link in our bio. Sponsorships are still available at all levels. Click the link in our bio to learn more.

Need a break from the heat or rain next time you are at MacBeach? Be sure to stop into our Nature Center, open daily 10am – 4pm. Explore the interpretive exhibits located throughout the Nature Center, they provide a great opportunity to better understand the history and ecology of MacArthur Beach State Park. And be sure to stop into the Theatre to view two short videos: An Island in Time, a 15-minute documentary about the Park, and a short film about our Citizen Science Marine Debris Program.

Happy 4th of July! The Park and Gift Shop are open today!

Include a visit to MacArthur Beach State Park in your summer plans! The Freedom Month Sales Tax Holiday, which runs throughout the month of July, will provide extra savings on season-related items and activities such as sporting events, outdoor equipment, entertainment and cultural events. Signed into law by Governor DeSantis, the Freedom Month sales tax exemption applies to the following purchases at Florida State Parks:
All day-use admission.
All admission to state park museums.
All Individual and Family Annual Entrance Passes.
☀️New discounted admission fees at MacArthur Beach State Park during this time will be:
$4 multiple passenger vehicle
$3 Single occupant vehicle
$1 Pedestrian/bicycle
☀️With the extra savings this summer, there is no better time to get outside and enjoy the beauty that has to offer!

It’s ! So far this season, our team has recorded a total of 1,430 Loggerhead nests, 131 Green Sea Turtle nests, and 43 Leatherback nests on our 1.6 miles of beach. If you plan to head to MacBeach this 4th of July please help keep our beach turtle-friendly by keeping it clean (remove all beach toys, chairs, tents, etc. & pick up trash on beach), dark (no lights at night), and flat (take down sandcastles and fill holes before you leave for the evening).

Grab your snorkel and mask, the water is calm and clear at MacArthur Beach! Have you snorkeled at our Anastasia Limestone Rock Reef? Unlike many reefs, our reef is visible from the shoreline and can be easily reached with a mask and snorkel. The reef is limestone as opposed to those made of coral reefs found mostly south of the park. Marine life is abundant on our Rock Reef, you might see parrotfish, barracuda, damsel fish or a loggerhead sea turtle! If you come to snorkel or scuba dive, a diver down flag is required by law and available for rent at the Gift Shop.

nesting update! So far this season, our team has recorded a total of 1,272 Loggerhead nests, 98 Green Sea Turtle nests, and 43 Leatherback nests on our 1.6 miles of beach.

Want to support our conservation efforts including daily nesting surveys and monitoring efforts? Participate in our Adopt-A-Nest program at MacArthur Beach State Park. Nest Adoptions for the 2024 nesting season are now available! We have 4 different levels of support available including a staked nest option where you can choose your family or business name to be displayed on our beach. And for a limited time, during the month of June, all adopters receive a free MacArthur Beach turtle sticker in addition to their certificate! To adopt your nest today, visit: https://macarthurbeach.org/sea-turtles/

Friends of MacArthur Beach State Park is hiring for our Naturalist internship program! If you are or know an undergrad student or recent graduate pursuing a career in the environmental field, apply to our internship program! Interns at MacArthur Beach have the opportunity to gain experience and new skills in the environmental field that can include environmental education, park interpretation, field work, animal care, communications, and much more. You can apply here:https://macarthurbeach.org/wp-content/uploads/2023-2024-Internship-Application.pdf

What an amazing night “All About the Ocean” at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium on Saturday! MacArthur Beach was proud to sponsor this night dedicated to ocean conservation and education. Thank you to everyone who stopped by to say hi, we loved meeting all of you and can’t wait to see you at MacArthur Beach State Park!

We saw a big jump in Green Sea Turtle nests this week on our beach. We went from 12 to 43! So far this season, our team has recorded a total of 1,072 Loggerhead nests, 43 Green Sea Turtle nests, and 42 Leatherback nests on our 1.6 miles of beach. As we head into the peak of sea turtle nesting season in Palm Beach County remember to keep our beach clean (remove all beach toys, chairs, tents, etc. & pick up trash on beach), dark (no lights at night), and flat (take down sandcastles and fill holes before you leave for the evening).

Join us for a night All About The Ocean, presented by MacArthur Beach State Park at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium in Jupiter on Saturday, June 22nd. MacArthur Beach is proud to sponsor this night dedicated to ocean conservation and education. This family friendly event will include ocean-themed crafts and games, animal artifacts to see up close, fun with microscopes, a chance to test out your ocean knowledge with our trivia game, learn how to take care of our beaches at our interactive display on marine debris, and more! Gates open at 5pm, the first pitch is at 6pm. Bring the family, we hope to see you there! Purchase game tickets at: rogerdeanchevroletstadium.com

It’s one of our favorite weeks of the year, ! Did you know that on average, over 3,000 Green, Loggerhead and Leatherback sea turtles lay their eggs on our 1.6 miles of beach annually? The beach and dune at the park provide a pristine habitat for sea turtles, making our beach one of the most densely nested sea turtle beaches in the state. Because of this, MacArthur Beach State Park serves as an industry leader for sea turtle and ocean conservation research. MacArthur Beach State Park is a designated index beach by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC). This means that MacBeach is one of only 33 beaches in Florida that is surveyed consistently every year to give us data. This data is compared between beaches and over time, helps to determine the health and well-being of the sea turtle communities and our oceans. So far this season, our team has recorded a total of 818 Loggerhead nests, 12 Green Sea Turtle nests, and 38 Leatherback nests.

Thank you The Palm Beach Post for highlighting our Evening Guided Turtle Walks! It is truly a unique and special experience we offer at the Park. Limited spots remain for a few evenings this summer, visit https://macarthurbeach.org/sea-turtles/ to learn more.

It's turtle walk season: How you can see them lay their nests at north county beaches. Two sites in northern Palm Beach County offer nighttime trips to see a remarkable sight: mother turtles laying their nests along the beach.

A beautiful Leatherback nest captured by our turtle survey team on their morning survey. It’s and so far this season we have recorded 653 Loggerhead nests, 36 Leatherback nests, and 8 Green Sea Turtle nests on our 1.6 miles of beach. 🐢 Want to support our conservation efforts including daily nesting surveys and monitoring efforts? Support our Adopt-A-Nest program at MacArthur Beach State Park. Nest Adoptions for the 2024 nesting season are now available! We have 4 different levels of support available including a staked nest option where you can choose your family or business name to be displayed on our beach. And for a limited time, during the month of June, all adopters receive a free MacArthur Beach turtle sticker in addition to their certificate! To adopt your nest today, visit: https://macarthurbeach.org/sea-turtles/

We are so excited to introduce you to our new full-time environmental educator, Helene! She will be an integral part of our education team, working closely with our Director of Education, assisting with summer camp and field trips. Helene holds a Master’s in Education Studies and enjoys bringing knowledge of the environment and ecology to students from all over. Say hi next time you see her around the Park!

Nest Adoptions for the 2024 nesting season are now available! Join us in protecting sea turtles with the Adopt-A-Nest program at MacArthur Beach State Park. Sea Turtle nesting season is in full swing, we expect over 3,000 nests on our 1.6 miles of beach this summer! Every nest counts, and with your help, we can continue to protect these amazing animals and their habitats. All proceeds from the Adopt-A-Nest program go directly towards purchasing materials necessary to continue our conservation efforts including daily nesting surveys and monitoring efforts. We have 4 different levels of support available including a staked nest option where you can choose your family or business name to be displayed on our beach. And for a limited time, during the month of June, all adopters receive a free MacArthur Beach turtle sticker in addition to their certificate! To adopt your nest today visit: https://macarthurbeach.org/sea-turtles/

Meet our summer semester interns: Luke, Mallory, and Sammie (pictured from left to right). They have been working hard and training this past month in preparation for summer camp (starts Monday!). We are so excited to have them here, say hi when you see them around the Park!
☀️
Luke is a Marine Biology student studying at Florida Atlantic University with an interest in Coral Reef conservation. He is excited to get a better understanding of environmental education as well as environmental management strategies and techniques.
☀️
Originally from Lakeland, Florida, Mallory is studying Marine Biology at the Wilkes Honors College of Florida Atlantic University. Her favorite animal is sharks, and she looks forward to sharing her passion for ocean conservation with campers and visitors this summer.
☀️
Samantha (Sammie) recently graduated from Texas Tech University in May with a major in Wildlife Biology and minor in Creative Media Industries. Being from Houston, TX she is super excited to be in Florida to gain experience as well as teach kids about marine biology!
☀️
Welcome to MacBeach!

Teachers! Last call to sign up for MacBeach Explorations this summer! ☀️ Friends of MacArthur Beach State Park and the School District of Palm Beach County offers a free 3-Day professional development program for local 3rd – 8th grade Title-1 teachers in the summer. This summer workshop provides teachers environmental education resources, classroom materials, and an extended field experience during the school year for their students at the park with a free charter bus. To learn more and apply, visit: macarthurbeach.org/school-programs/

Hatchlings are here! Our survey team was lucky enough to see this Leatherback hatchling over the weekend. Nesting update: So far this season our team has documented a total of 485 Loggerhead nests, 1 Green Sea Turtle nest, and 31 Leatherback nests.

Witnessing sea turtle hatchlings making their way from the nest to the shoreline is a gift, but remember to enjoy the experience from a distance. This photo was taken by one of our trained Park Rangers from a safe distance.