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Historic Richard Bull Airfield
Welcome to the Atlantic Beach Turtle Crawl! If this is the first turtle you’ve found, there are 23 others scattered throughout our park system, in places of historic significance, and even in some unexpected locations. If you’re up for a scavenger hunt to find every turtle on our Turtle Crawl, you can find a map HERE.
Two subspecies of Pond Slider live here in Florida, the native Yellow-bellied Slider and the invasive Red-eared Slider. Both are constantly competing for resources and space, creating an ecological imbalance. Pond sliders are omnivorous, although young ones eat more meat while adults eat more plants. The slider part of the name refers to how quickly they retreat into the water when they feel threatened. Pond Sliders prefer to live in calm waters with muddy bottoms where they can kick up sediment and escape.
You wouldn’t even recognize Atlantic Beach “back in the day!” Access this link and look for an August 1969 aerial view of the site of Bull Airport located at the intersection of 11th Street (if 11th Street still ran through) and Park Side Drive. According to Terry Brant, (who at the age of 18, was the manager of Bull Airport) “The 2,500' sod runway is clearly visible to the left of the clubhouse, scanning down (southward). Approximately 2/3 of the way down the runway from the north end, you will see a sand path across the runway. This path was used by pedestrians crossing the runway going to & from their homes on the west side of the runway. When the original 2000' runway was extended to 2,500', the south end was immediately north of Plaza.”