 On October 10th, the intensity of Hurricane Michael drastically affected the Panhandle area and St. Vincent NWR. St. Vincent Island was impacted by winds and storm surge which washed over the majority of the island. Trees remain to be cleared from roads which are still covered by water in several key thoroughfare areas. Fortunately, the historic cabin survived without a loss. The absolutely best possible news is the family of four endangered Red Wolves survived and appear exceedingly healthy!
To date, all fall/winter tours have been cancelled, as have the limited entry archery and primitive weapons hunts, until safety issues and repairs have been addressed on the island. The current government shutdown is delaying this progress and may cause further changes to the schedule.
When several feet of flood waters invaded the downtown Apalachicola streets and businesses, the Friends’ plans to host the Jimmy Buffett Tribute Fun’draiser on October 14th were abruptly interrupted. This event was to kickstart funding for the exhibits and resources for the planned visitor and interpretive center in the Apalachicola Refuge office. The purpose of this new center is to “bring the island to the mainland” for all visitors, including area school children, to provide additional opportunities for appreciation and understanding of the island conservation, history, geology, native plants, birds, and other wildlife. We are working to reschedule this fun event...stay tuned!
Please join us for our annual membership meeting and luncheon on February 17, 2019, at the Apalachicola Community Center, to hear of our accomplishments during the past year and plans for the future. We are very honored to have Jeffrey Chanton, Robert O. Lawton Distinguished Professor, Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Science, Florida State University, as our guest speaker to address climate history since the Cretaceous period and what that means for Florida coastlines.
The island is resilient and so are the Friends of St Vincent NWR. We will survive and be stronger than before with the continued support of our impassioned advocates, diligent efforts of our volunteers, and the generosity of our donors.
Lisa Johnston
Please consider the gift of a membership or donation for your friends and loved ones. This gift will go far to help protect the threatened and endangered species who call St. Vincent NWR home. Thank you.
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2018 Sea Turtle Hatchling Results
This year’s results are a departure from the most recent prior years’ hatchling results.
| Year | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 |
| Nests | 128 | 128 | 37 |
| Hatchlings | 3,355 | 6,638 | 1,566 |
There were challenges this year as the island was impacted by Tropical Storm Alberto and Hurricane Michael. Fortunately, due to the timing of both weather events, early Alberto on May 28th, and later Hurricane Michael on October 10th, few nests were on the island, but some were lost during these severe storms.
Sea turtle adoption donations allow volunteers to install wire cages to protect nests from wild animal predators. Each nest is marked with a stake and identification label. The date laid, latitude and longitude and type of sea turtle are all recorded. Each day, until the hatchlings emerge, volunteers check the nest to make sure it is safe. Usually around the 75th day, or after evidence the hatchlings have made their trek to the ocean, the volunteers remove the cage, carefully dig the nest, and record the number of eggshells to determine the number of eggs and hatchlings in the clutch. This data is provided to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Fish and Wildlife Research Institute for the annual report for the statewide nesting beach survey. Florida’s data is also compiled with national and global figures for research studies.
We do not have an easy explanation for the substantial nest production differences which occurred in 2018. With additional data and research, scientists will continue to expand their knowledge of these endangered species.
The continuation and success of this program is possible through your generous donations. We hope you will join with us again in 2019 to Adopt a Mother Sea Turtle!
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Thank You
Mother Sea Turtle
Adopters! |
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Roger Humphrey |
| Patricia O’Connell |
| Yvonne James |
| Roy Ems |
| Gary Hect |
| Jule Ann & Paul Martin |
| Michael Turrisi & Valerie Jackson |
| Ralph Wagoner |
| Kathryn Daniel |
| Dan & Peggy Heck |
| Desiree Dwy |
| Robert Dwy |
| Erin Carter |
| Mary Ann & Duncan Moore |
| John & Kristina Epstein |
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Jasmine Helen Hayes
Libby Lou Hoffmeier |
| Tina Epstein |
| John Epstein |
Hunter Hennigman |
| Hatchet Hennigman |
| Christine and Leland Yee |
| Will and Carole McCord |
| Marie Burgess |
| Sheila Holmes |
| Janice Dunlap |
| Jim’s Coffee Beans |
| Thomas E Stover |
| Mark Wingate & Rebecca Sager |
Susan Antekeier
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Remember that BioBlitz Challenge? 
In the summer and fall of 2018, the US Fish and Wildlife Southeast Region Inventory and Monitoring Branch challenged the 130 National Wildlife Refuges and 16 Fish Hatcheries in this region to a contest to see who could find the most species, the most new species, and the most users.
Our small but mighty Refuge, led in this challenge by Biologist Bradley Smith did really well. Here is what we heard, regarding our work:
"It is the honor of the Southeast Region Inventory & Monitoring Branch to recognize the accomplishments of St. Vincent National Wildlife Refuge during the Southeast Region iNaturalist Bioblitz. The refuge achieved THIRD PLACE in all 3 of the Challenge categories. Although stiff competition kept St. Vincent NWR from the top rank in any one of the 3 categories, we would like to recognize the commitment and competitive spirit involved; therefore St. Vincent will also receive a Bioblitz prize.
Here is St. Vincent's ranking: 3rd Place in MOST SPECIES (393), MOST NEW SPECIES (384) and MOST UNIQUE CONTRIBUTORS (26) !
We hope everyone involved takes great satisfaction in the teamwork and commitment it took to accomplish, as well as the impact on so many people with a new and fun way to contribute refuge biological data."
The USFWS also awarded an individual HONORABLE MENTION to Bradley Smith for his contribution to St. Vincent's success: Not only did he encourage and recruit Blitz volunteers, holding us to the highest standards of excellence; he also was within the Top-10, Blitz-wide Observations by One Person on a Single Refuge.
We will benefit from the Honorable Mention prize – the Nikon CoolPix P900 digital camera system with 24-2000mm 35mm equivalent focal length lens and built-in GPS and continue to photograph, geo-reference, and document the outstanding nature around us. The station will also receive Challenge Coins for each of your 26 Unique Contributors to celebrate the individuals involved.
What a true pleasure it has been to be one of so many people learning about, and documenting the biodiversity of the refuge. And there is no reason to stop now. Keep that phone app active, and record what you see when you are out there!
Susan Cerulean
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2018-2019 St. Vincent NWR Tour Update
An unfortunate series of events has wreaked havoc with our fall and winter tours. October's Wild Week tours turned out to be wild in an unexpected way as Hurricane Michael struck on the week of October 10th. All tours were cancelled in the aftermath of the hurricane. An evaluation of the effects on the Refuge showed major damage to roads and infrastructure, including destruction of the two composting toilets, loss of the floating dock and destruction of dune formations on the Gulf side of the island. The tour wagon was overturned but seems to have escaped with minimal damage. Thanks to the volunteers who cleaned it, hopefully it will be usable.
The St. Vincent Island Shuttle, operated by Joey Romanelli, was declared a total loss. As of the first of January, Joey advised that he had obtained a replacement boat that is able to land without using a dock, so our transport for tour visitors should be in order soon.
Unfortunately, the government shutdown has impacted us again as the Refuge is currently closed to both volunteers and visitors. All shuttle tours through January 22 have been cancelled as a result. Shuttle tours through the first week in May are under review, but Refuge staff advise that the roads used by the tour wagon are either flooded or impassable as of this date. Because all the Refuge staff are furloughed, no repair work is being done.
We had set up some walking tours in January, February and March 2019 as a beta test for 2019/2020 tour season . We currently have three tour guides available to conduct scheduled walking tours on the island when the Refuge re-opens. If we are unable to resume the shuttle tours, we hope to expand the walking tour availability to help offset the loss of the wagon tours.
The tour team has met and are in agreement that escorted tours are one of our most important visitor outreach and education efforts for the Refuge. We are all willing to do our utmost to continue the tours in whatever form will work, given the issues that are currently impacting the Refuge. We hope we have a successful resolution of the government shutdown and can access the Refuge soon.
Carol Brown, Tour Coordinator
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Funding support for the St. Vincent NWR turtle patrol is almost completely dependent on donations from the public. Please help us monitor and protect our sea turtles by adopting a nest this summer.
Our projected expenses are close to $3,000 and include the following:
- Repairs for the vehicle that volunteers use to patrol 9 miles of beach daily
- Fuel for the vehicle and water for the volunteers
- Stakes and cages for marking & protecting nests
- Gloves, flagging tape and batteries
Your tax deductable donation of $25 or more will help us provide these necessary supplies for the program.
If you would like info on how to adopt a nest in 2019, www.stvincentfriends.com
Or email us at stvincentislandfriends@gmail.com |
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CALENDAR OF EVENTS
January 22, 2019 Guided Island Tour
February 2, 2019 World Wetlands Day Guided Island Tour
February 14, 2019 Valentine's Day Tour
February 17, 2019 Friends of St. Vincent NWR Annual Membership Meeting
March 3, 2019 World Wildlife Day Tour
March 21, 2019 International Forest Day Tour
April 10, 2019 International Plant Appreciation Day Tour
April 22, 2019 Earth Day Tour May 1, 2019 World Migratory Bird DayTour *Sign up for our Guided Tours HERE |
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