MAYPORT, Fla. – Military families in the Jacksonville area will have a special opportunity this Saturday to connect with nature and each other through a free fishing clinic at Kathryn Abbey Hanna Park near Mayport.
The event is organized in partnership with Blue Star Families, the Timucuan Parks Foundation, the National Park Service’s Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve, and JaxParks.
It aims to educate and inspire children from military households by teaching them fishing skills and introducing them to the area’s rich natural resources.
Felicia Boyd, program and outreach director for the Timucuan Parks Foundation, explained that the clinic is designed to serve military families who are often new to the area and may feel isolated.
“These are new families that are in a new area. They don’t know what there is to do,” Boyd said. “They’re isolated, everyone they’re meeting is new, and so this is an opportunity to bring these families together. It’s intergenerational — the families are learning how to fish together, plus they are meeting other military families.”
The children, ranging in age from 6 to 17, will rotate through stations that will teach them casting, knot-tying, and ethical angling.
They will also hear a presentation on Gullah Geechee fishing traditions by Levon White of the Cosmo Preservation Corporation before heading out to fish on a small island within the park.
At the end of the clinic, participants receive a junior ranger angler fishing booklet and get to keep their own fishing pole.
Boyd emphasized that the event is about more than just fishing — it’s about helping military families feel welcome and connected to their new community.
“Hanna Park is right at Mayport’s back door,” she said. “Now they’re comfortable coming to this park and they can go fishing, or hiking, biking, boating, kayaking, canoeing, disc golf — there’s lots of things to do here.”
The fishing clinic is part of a broader effort by the Timucuan Parks Foundation to reach “non-traditional audiences” and introduce more people to Jacksonville’s extensive urban park system, which is the largest in the United States.
“We do a lot of programming for seniors, women and girls, urban teens, young adults with special needs, and now military families,” Boyd said. “We want to get people aware of these parks and how precious and valuable they are.”
This Saturday’s event has already reached capacity, but the foundation plans to hold additional fishing clinics throughout the year, including one in March as part of the Seven Creeks Fest, which will feature kayaking, canoeing, environmental exhibits, music, food trucks, and guided hikes.
The program is funded by a substantial grant from the National Park Foundation, which supports multiple fishing clinics and other outdoor activities aimed at connecting diverse communities with nature.
Boyd shared her personal passion for the outdoors and the benefits of nature for wellbeing.
“You can take a walk around your neighborhood, but it’s not the same as taking a walk in the woods,” she said. “The immersiveness here relaxes your mood. We partner with UNF’s Nature and Wellness Center, and they’ve done research on nature therapy. The fishing clinic is just one more way to get people outdoors and engaging with their environment.”
For military families new to Jacksonville, this event offers a chance to build community, learn new skills, and discover the natural beauty right outside their doorstep.