Florida State Parks outfitted with new eBikes
The next time you’re at a Florida State Park, you may see a ranger riding an eBike instead of a truck or golf cart. Thanks to Cannondale, REI and the Florida Sate Parks Foundation, 25 Florida State Parks will receive eBikes to help Rangers do their jobs.
“We are thankful for the Foundation, Cannondale and REI’s support of our state parks,” Florida State Parks Director Chuck Hatcher said. “These e-bikes will be useful for all aspects of a park ranger’s job, including resource management, visitor services and park maintenance.”
The collaboration, which is thought to be the first of it’s kind in the United States, is part of the Foundation’s Greener Initiative, a campaign to encourage environmental sustainability in state parks.
“Everything about this effort aligns with the Foundation’s mission to preserve, protect, sustain and grow our state parks” Foundation CEO Julia Gill Woodward said. “Providing e-bikes to state parks supports our devoted rangers in their day-to-day tasks, reduces our parks’ environmental footprint and is the result of a collaboration with two leaders in the outdoor recreation community.”
The Cannondale Tesoro Neo X 3 eBikes were assembled by REI Winter Garden store’s certified bike shop mechanics.
“Cannondale and REI Co-op are the most respected names in their fields, and we are so excited that they have put such significant and generous support behind our state parks,” Woodward said.
The Foundation’s Greener Initiative projects are funded through the community partners, such as REI Co-op and Cannondale, and through the sales of the “Explore Our State Parks” specialty license plate.
In the two years it’s been available, the “Explore Our State Parks” plate program has generated more than $675,000 for Florida’s state park system. Each of the new eBikes is equipped with a bike-sized replica of the plate.
Check out the FloridaBicycling.com eBike Buying Guide!
The following Florida State Parks will receive eBikes:
Northwest Florida:
- Edward Ball Wakulla Springs State Park (Wakulla Springs)
- Alfred B. Maclay Gardens State Park (Tallahassee)
- Topsail Hill Preserve State Park (Santa Rosa Beach)
- Blackwater Heritage State Trail (Milton)
- Tallahassee St. Marks Historic Railroad State Trail (Crawfordville)
North Central Florida:
- Nature Coast State Trail (Fanning Springs)
- Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park/Gainesville Hawthorne State Trail (Micanopy)
- San Felasco Hammock Preserve State Park (Alachua)
- Ichetucknee Springs State Park (Fort White)
- Little Talbot Island State Park (Jacksonville)
Central Florida:
- Marjorie Harris Carr Cross Florida Greenway (Ocala)
- Wekiwa Springs State Park (Apopka)
- Lake Kissimmee State Park (Lake Wales)
- Lake Louisa State Park/General James A. Van Fleet State Trail (Clermont)
- Tomoka State Park (Ormond Beach)
Southwest Florida:
- Alafia River State Park (Lithia)
- Collier-Seminole State Park (Naples)
- Koreshan State Park (Estero)
- Hillsborough River State Park (Thonotosassa)
- Fakahatchee Strand Preserve State Park (Copeland)
Southeast Florida:
- Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park (Key West)
- Oleta River State Park (North Miami Beach)
- Hugh Taylor Birch State Park (Fort Lauderdale)
- Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park (Key Biscayne)
- Bahia Honda State Park (Big Pine Key)