FWC completes workshops on new Critical Wildlife Area proposal

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission recently completed 14 workshops throughout the state to discuss plans to establish new or improve existing Critical Wildlife Areas.

Critical Wildlife Areas were established to protect important wildlife concentrations from human disturbance during critical periods of their life cycles, such as breeding, feeding or migration.

There are a few in Franklin County including the old St. George Island bridge causeway and the bird island near the Apalachicola Bridge.

Those areas are currently off-limits to humans because of the nesting populations there.

  

The FWC is now considering adding a few more including Flagg Island and Lanark Reef.

Lanark Reef is a 6-mile stretch of islands, seagrass and shallow sandbars.

Approximately 4 acres of this site are used for nesting by brown pelicans, black skimmers, American oystercatchers, willets and other birds.

Flagg Island is a sandbar which formed off the coast of St. Vincent National Wildlife Refuge and later split into two islands which add up to approximately 25 acres.

The FWC and Audubon are recommending the CWA designation to protect nesting species including black skimmers, American oystercatchers; and Caspian, royal, sandwich, gull-billed and least terns.

Now that the workshops are complete, a summary of public input along with staff recommendations will be presented at the FWC’s September meeting in St. Augustine.

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