December, 1995-March, 1996 Bill Marquardt and Karen Walker attended the gala opening of the Collier County Museum’s Key Marco exhibit. Bill and Darcie MacMahon submitted a grant proposal to National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) for funds to build the permanent exhibit in Gainesville. Merald Clark designed a bumper sticker and t-shirt for the Randell Research Center (RRC) and worked on the art work for the traveling exhibit, “The Fishing Heritage of Gulf Coastal Florida.” Bob Leavy and Dorr Dennis began work on it, as well.
Karen organized fund-raising tours and worked on an archaeological survey project for the Hickey Creek Park, in cooperation with Gulf Archaeology Research Institute. Claudine Payne, Nina Borremans, and Chuck Blanchard completed the lesson plans for the Florida Heritage Education project.
Pineland was ranked #11 for acquisition by CARL (the Conservation and Recreational Lands program). Bill gave a talk to the Boca Grande Historical Society. He and Darcie visited the Seminole reservations with their exhibit consultants. Karen and Bill, along with Annette Snapp, toured the Long Site, a shell mound on Estero Island that may become a center for heritage education.
Jenna Wallace and Rob Patton reorganized our project data base. Jenna completed analysis of the artifacts excavated at Pineland in 1995. Work continued on the RRC “Action Plan,” coordinated by Herschel Shepard. Volunteers Dana Woodbury and Jonathan Walz helped Karen process the Hickey Creek artifacts. Calusa News no. 8 was mailed to 4,800 people, and Sue Ellen Hunter prepared an internet edition. Bob Edic’s book, Fisherfolk of Charlotte Harbor, Florida, arrived from the printer.
During “Archaeology Week” in March, Karen, assisted by Bill and several Useppa volunteers, dug for twentieth-century artifacts on Useppa Island; Bill spoke at the Marco Island Historical Society’s banquet commemorating the 100th anniversary of the discovery of the Key Marco cat figurine; Bill gave a talk at the meeting of the Museum of the Islands. Bill spoke to volunteers for the Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge, Sanibel Island; Bill, Jenna, and Karen attended the Calusa Conference at the Collier County Museum in Naples (Bill gave the opening lecture, entitled, “Who Were The Calusa?”; Jenna represented us at the Archaeology Fair at Koreshan State Park; Bill showed our video to Rotary South, Fort Myers; Bill, Karen, and Carol Pooser, along with Herschel Shepard, John Martin, and George Luer, met with Lee County planning and zoning personnel in Fort Myers to discuss the RRC action plan; the “Cushing” boat tour was completed, with visits to Pineland, Demorey Key, and Mound Key; Corbett Torrence’s kayak trip to Mound Key was successful; Chuck Blanchard gave a talk to the Calusa Land Trust in Matlacha; Bill and Karen hosted Useppa and Boca Grande people who came for a tour of the Pineland site; a “My Fair Lady” dinner-theater fund-raiser, organized by Anna and Ray Stober, was a great success; Karen talked to the Fort Myers Beach Town Council about site preservation and went with Larry Fooks, Gloria Sajgo, Annette Snapp, and Arden Arrington to Mound Key to consult on site stabilization; Bill talked in Bonita Springs to the UF National Alumni Association.
