MOORE HAVEN – Friends of Glades County Parks plans to add namesake signs, trail markers and gopher tortoise signs in the Glades County parks.

At the Oct. 23 meeting of the Glades County Commission, Kate Adams of Friends of Glades County Parks, said the group would like to add improvements to the public parks.

All of the county parks are named after someone, and there is no information at the parks about those people at the parks, she explained. The Friends would like to add commemorative plaques.

“We’re already in touch with the family members of all of the people and they are willing to help us choose the appropriate verbiage,” she explained.

“We have a benefactor pay for six signs,” Adams said. She asked the county to provide the posts needed. Some plaques may be attached to pavilions already in the parks.

“With Larry Lucky Indian Mound County Park, there are two trails,” she said. “When people enter the park, they would not know there are two walking trails.” She said the Friends would like to provide trail markers, with the trail distance.

 They would also like to install signs about wildlife. The Florida Wildlife Federation offers gopher tortoise signs, she said. “One of the things we see, sometimes children think they are helping the tortoises and they put them in water,” she said. The signs explain where gopher tortoises live and advise visitors not to touch the tortoises.

The group is also working on a plan to remove invasive plants from the parks, with detailed, written instructions for volunteers.

Friends of Glades County Parks Board of Directors includes Kate Adams, Garnett Ahern, Doug Allen, Jeff Barnes, Debbie Clay, Karen LaPorte and Margi Vanderbent.