In Remembrance: Katie Moncrief

https://www.msn.com/en-us/travel/news/the-katie-of-the-famed-katie-s-landing-at-wekiva-river-has-died/ar-AA1n8FFP?ocid=hpmsn

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2024/01/17/the-katie-of-the-famed-katies-landing-at-wekiva-river-has-died/?fbclid=IwAR3SHNSktdg73ZyScySf2NjHytEfUJywuJhqBARh8sp1LDqNlPLC9UNXnkY

In addition to sharing the Orlando Sentinel’s article about her, we wanted to share our own tribute to Katie. The following are a collection of stories, thoughts, photos and memories from some of our board members. She will always be remembered as a star protector and friend of the river and of us.

My first recollection of Katie Moncrief was going to what is now called Katie’s Landing on the Wekiva River as a customer about 35 years ago. I remember walking into the building near the river where business was conducted and seeing Katie. It was clear that she was in charge. She was dealing with campers and canoe renters, encouraging kids to explore the river, and telling Russ where to shuttle the trailer full of canoes and kayaks. She was the gatekeeper, river ambassador, environmental spokesperson, and sheriff for the landing.

Over the years I got to know Katie and Russ Moncrief as river advocates and part of a closely knit group of people that founded the Friends of the Wekiva River. Katie was less of a technical guru than a spiritual, emotional, and social leader. She was congenial and likable, and got along well with others from all walks of life but recognized disingenuous and patronizing behavior when she saw it. I got involved with the organization about 25 years ago, ultimately served as president, and considered Katie a wise and savvy confidant, particularly related to people.

She and Russ built their iconic home on the edge of the Little Wekiva River in an area close to where I now live. Her canal access to the Little Wekiva has, for a couple of decades, been my easy point of entry to the river. She told me to launch from there anytime I wanted, but I always wanted to call and let her know when I was going to be there, in part because seeing her was part of the experience. We would talk about the river’s navigability, what we saw on the trip, the condition of the river, and its likely threats. Its well-being was critical to Katie.

Katie loved being on the river, and regularly paddled various sections of it until the very recent past. She related to people who shared her need for deep exposure in the environment. Those experiences were spiritual to her, and I don’t believe she fully respected advocates who didn’t have their own deep experiences with nature. To her, physical connection with the river was inherent with understanding how to advocate for it. One didn’t come without the other. Every time I experienced a place she hadn’t been recently, whether it was paddling a remote section of the river, or hiking a trail that wasn’t regularly used by others, she wanted me to describe it and I could sense her trying to experience it herself. No doubt, if some of those experiences had happened 30 years earlier, she would have participated.

I frequently led an ecology field trip for Rollins College students on topics from bears to water quality in the Wekiva basin for Dr. Leslie Poole. We would begin this class at Katie’s house where she would give a short history of the Friends of the Wekiva River and talk about the things that have been accomplished since its founding. I never tired of hearing how the small group of self-proclaimed river rats made such a big impact on the Wekiva basin and Central Florida. I hope that the message of grassroots influence and the impact of love for the environment was impactful to these young students. They were always so respectful of Katie and awestruck by then house on the river. It seemed like she was there to protect its future, and, sitting just above the river, watch over it as it flowed past. I hope for the river’s sake that some of those students listened to the message and took heart. They need to carry the torch for Katie now.

Jay Exum

Katie was a compassionate, engaging and wonderful friend to many and the pied piper of kayaking on the Little and Big Wekiva rivers. There was no better time than kayaking adventures with Katie and whoever she gathered to come along that day. Her love and joy and protectiveness for the river were infectious. She was a very compelling advocate and was deeply grounded in her values and convictions while still a truly free Spirit. She leaves a huge hole here along with her amazing legacies and we already miss her beyond words. I am confident that she will be watching over us as we restore and protect the river for future generations.

Jeanette Schreiber

My first memories of Katie were from when I moved to Longwood in the late 90s. I was 15, shy, awkward and overwhelmed with starting life in a new town and new high school. It was probably my mom who first met Russ and Katie, welcoming us to our new neighborhood. Without hesitation, they warmly invited us over to their awesome treehouse on the river and joined them for a paddle of the Little Wekiva. We knew there was a river back there, and had been on paddles before, but the experience of seeing such a natural river with such naturally enthusiastic and knowledgeable hosts was something I’ll never forget.

That paddle was just the first of many wonderful memories paddling from her house and Katie’s landing. Including that time she helped accommodate our large family reunion, when we decided floating down the river with over 30 people sounded fun. Oh, and that time I brought home a bunch of rowdy college friends too.

Katie was always so warm, so charming, so sharp, so interested in what you had to say. So fun to be with! I was so glad even as a teenager to consider her a friend. She was a consistent cheerleader in my life, for the small wins and the bigger ones like when I received a full scholarship to study the harp at FSU. She came to my high school graduation and was there when my parents surprised me with a harp of my own.

It continued when I moved away for College and then off to Asheville. She always asked my parents how I was doing. Whenever I came home, a visit to Katie’s was a must. I was so grateful to be able to attend the celebration of Katie’s Landing becoming a State Park and her 90th birthday party. Visits in Western NC happened a few times also whenever she was in the area. Even in her 90s she traveled more than I did.

When I moved back to the area in 2020 I was so pleased to have Katie as a neighbor again. Sharp and witty as ever. I told her my desire to get more involved in local environmental work and of course she encouraged me to join Friends. I can still feel her warm support as I continue to do work for friends and in everything else I do. Because that’s how strong her faith was in things. She believed in me. She believed in the good that’s in us all. She loved things so fiercely. Her family, her friends, her neighborhood, the river, the wildlife, her beliefs, philosophies, memories and experiences. The gifts of such a long, well fulfilled life. I can hear her voice in my head right now saying, “I know, isn’t it just wonderful!?”

Her passions and smile were so contagious that even a random teenage girl with braces down the street will forever feel inspired by her vigor for the rest of her life.

Michelle Jamesson

I met Katie when our family first moved to Delk Rd. in 1983. We invited 22 of our friends to come over from Cocoa Beach to rent canoes and paddle from Katie’s house to Katie’s Landing. Some of the couples fell in love with the river and others almost divorced over trying to paddle the 9 miles run as they flopped from side to side.

My friendship grew with Katie while walking our dogs together…we thought we had a neighborhood pass as we wandered along the Little Wekiva River with Susie and Frazier off the leash.

Anytime Katie would call and ask if I would like to paddle the River I was out the door. My fondest memory was the day we were paddling up stream. As we rounded a curve a rather large bear appeared, sitting on a stump in the water…looking like he could be reading the newspaper. He was not budging. I thought it was unwise to paddle past him as the river was narrow in that spot. Katie was not about to turn around. Five minutes passed, he stood up and lumbered off into the swamp.

It is always a thrill to see a bear!

Katie and Russ invited me to join the board in about 2009. Katie was my mentor and encourager. Whether we were on a field trip or a paddle she would take part and share her knowledge and her connection to the river.

When Katie was no longer fully active she still wanted to know what was happening. We both wanted to see the pavilion finished in her lifetime. I shared the progress with her. It is a goal for me to see it finished in honor of Katie.

Weegie Henry