U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

7-24-10

Saturday morning

I had a fantastic experience. I went out in a canoe at the Lox National Wildlife Refuge. Jeff gave us a brief lesson and out we went for a 3 mile ride. I saw turtles, alligators and various other flora and fauna. Jeff was a excellent guide and I think that this trip was one of the highlights of my 18 years in South FL.
Thank you volunteers and thank you for a great example of our taxes at work.
Ester
Delray Beach

I would like to share with you my experience from your Park. My fiancé and I have been visiting your Park for years. We absolutely love what your Park has to offer.
On December 15th, my fiancé and I entered your park equipped with our cameras. We parked by the trail and walked out. It was a beautiful evening. The sun was just beginning to set. The park was quiet apart from a few photographers snapping pictures. After some time elapsed, we took a seat on the bench to breath in the beauty surrounding us. You can’t help but feel relaxed and at peace. The sun was slowly setting spreading a red hue all over the sky; it was absolutely quiet except for a few birds chirping in the background and an owl hooting out in a distance.
Out of nowhere, an unexpected surprise, my fiancé proposed to me by slipping a small black box into my hand. Tears rolling down my face, I whispered, “yes”. It was the most perfect moment. My fiancé could not plan it any better. Ironically, I have learned from my fiancé’ this was not planned. He held the ring all weekend looking for the perfect time to propose. He is the love of my life. He picked just the right moment and just the right place, it couldn’t be more perfect. We have been together for five years, and have been visiting your park regularly. Loxahatchee was always close to my heart and now it will forever be in a special place in my heart.
After savoring the romantic moment we got up to look for the owl that kept hooting by us. After a close observation we spot the most graceful creature looking at us. The owl spent the evening just modeling for us. They would fly right over us and perch up at the closest tree to us. We were just speechless. It’s as if they knew that this was a wonderful moment in our lives. We have been going to look at “our” owls almost every evening since. Thank you for all your hard efforts.