Wrack Line - The Newsletter of the Florida Shorebird Alliance January 2025

Newsletter of the Florida Shorebird Alliance January 2025 Photo by Britt Brown Having trouble viewing this email? View it as a Web page.

In this Issue Events FSA News FSD Updates Ebb Tidings Events February 7-13: Florida Winter Shorebird Survey  FSA News Save-the-Date: Florida Winter Shorebird Survey February 7-13, 2025 Florida’s annual Winter Shorebird Survey starts on Friday, February 7 and continues through Thursday, February 13. This week-long survey serves as the official statewide snapshot of coastal wintering shorebirds and seabirds in Florida. Please check the FSA website and Facebook group for more details about how to participate. We hope you enjoy this fun and challenging winter survey! Successful Stakeholder Engagement at Fort Myers Beach With its incredible coastline and surrounding barrier islands, Fort Myers Beach is a critical area for imperiled beach-nesting birds. It is also home to very passionate people who care deeply about the town. It is a place where you will find local partners, stakeholders, and biologists working together as collaborators in conservation – but it wasn’t always that way. When Breanna Frankel started her position as a Seasonal Biologist working for the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) at Fort Myers Beach, she quickly realized that there was a disconnect between the people who live and recreate in the area and the birds whose survival depends on the beach habitats. Breanna tapped into her years of experience encouraging communication and navigating conflict to face the challenge head-on. She dedicated her time to connecting with and understanding the people who lived there. She heard their concerns and perspectives and understood that they were based on their unique life experiences. She identified how and when people wanted to communicate and felt their collective exhaustion; years of rebuilding after catastrophic weather events had taken a toll and the beach-nesting birds were another concern to add to an ever-growing list. Guided by information about the people who love the beach and the town, Breanna bonded with individuals by inviting them to join her on bird surveys and introducing them to the local and migratory birds that also frequent the beach. She gave people opportunities to help protect the birds by assisting with posting nesting areas. She offered fun educational experiences and gave people the chance to help implement conservation actions. Breanna also showcased the collaborative accomplishments by publishing a monthly newsletter to share information about nesting success, publicly submitted photos, a “meet the team” section, and a “beach hero” section. People were invited to share photos, submit questions, and nominate other locals who stand out as a positive force in the community. Starting fresh and giving stakeholders something to be excited about and participate in has made all the difference at Fort Myers Beach. By fostering these positive relationships, local partners, stakeholders, and biologists were able to move forward as colleagues in conservation. Getting to know the local stakeholders and learning how to work effectively together was time well spent and set the stage for positive outcomes for the birds. Breanna is now a year-round FWC Critical Wildlife Area Biologist and she can continue to work with the incredible team of partners at Fort Myers Beach!   Ginger Weber (pictured right) is a Fort Myers Beach local and business owner who volunteered with FWC during the 2024 nesting season. She spent hours learning about shorebird identification and posting guidelines and was involved in the posting and monitoring of 7 different snowy plover nests this season! Thank you, Ginger! Here is an example of Breanna's inspiring monthly newsletter! Partner Spotlight: Natasha Warraich Natasha Warraich has been involved with the Southeast Partnership of the Florida Shorebird Alliance (FSA) since it was formed in 2013. Her previous work revolved around sea turtles and it was her experience surveying rooftop colonies in South Florida for the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) in 2010 that opened up her eyes to a whole new feathered world! She continued to be involved with monitoring rooftop and ground colonies in Southeast Florida while she completed her graduate studies at Florida Atlantic University studying sea turtles. In 2017, she became the Assistant Regional Biologist for FWC’s South Region. In this role, she was the partnership coordinator for the Southeast Partnership from 2017 – 2019 and the coordinator (or co-coordinator) for the Keys and Treasure Coast Partnerships. Assisting with rooftop monitoring and surveys of ground colonies throughout South Florida, she enjoyed bringing in new partners and training volunteers to do surveys and enter data into the Florida Shorebird Database. In 2020, Natasha began working for the South Florida Water Management District and continues to be involved with the FSA; as of 2024, she is once again the Southeast FSA Partnership coordinator. She also serves at the Vice President of Audubon Everglades in Palm Beach County. This Audubon Chapter works with Palm Beach County Environmental Resources Management to organize events to improve shorebird nesting habitat on spoil islands that PBCERM created in the Lake Worth Lagoon. These islands host nesting American Oystercatchers, black skimmers and least terns. All her friends know she is crazy about her birds and her favorite rooftop to monitor is the one that she first went on as a seasonal technician 14 years ago! Note: The bird in the photo was handled under the federal permit #21980. FSD Updates 2024 By the Numbers As we welcome the new year, we wanted to share a retrospective about the data you entered into the Florida Shorebird Database (FSD) in 2024. Here are a few things that stood out! There were 172 new users registered in the FSD, and 289 people contributed data in 2024. FSA partners surveyed 411 routes and 251 rooftops. Over 5,000 route surveys were entered. 658 rooftop surveys were completed. 234 seabird colonies and 1,352 shorebird nests were reported. These astonishing numbers reflect your continued dedication in monitoring Florida's shorebirds and seabirds. Your efforts are crucial for successful conservation across the state. Thank you for your hard work last year, and here's to a productive new year for the birds! Ebb Tidings Farewell, Florencia! Join us in bidding a fond farewell to Florencia Morales. As the Florida Shorebird Alliance (FSA) Coordinator, she worked closely with the 12 FSA partnerships across the state. We thank her for being part of the team and wish her well as she begins a new adventure in Spain. Best wishes, Florencia!

Want to get involved? Email shorebird@MyFWC.com for more information about your local partnership.   Join the flock on social media: Florida Shorebird Alliance Facebook Group The Florida Shorebird Alliance (FSA) is a partnership of agencies, non-government organizations, and individuals committed to shorebird and seabird conservation in Florida. FSA partners coordinate their independent work and collaborate to address research, management, education, outreach, and public policy needs.

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