Did you have any idea what an amazing resource Gulf and Franklin Counties share in their “backyard”?
St. Vincent National Wildlife Refuge (NWR), purchased in 1968 with Duck Stamp funding, is part of the National Wildlife Refuge system and created for the conservation and protection of migratory birds. The refuge consists of two islands, St. Vincent Island, located between Indian Pass and Little St George Island, and Pig Island in St. Joe Bay in addition to several acres in Franklin County off of County Road C30A (almost 13,000 acres in total). The refuge is part of a complex of refuges in the Panhandle including St. Marks NWR and Lower Suwanee/Cedar Key NWR. One full-time employee St Vincent NWR is dedicated to monitor wildlife, habitat, and provide personal visitor interaction. (The refuge is open to the public during daylight hours) and refuge maintenance is covered part time by staff shared by St. Marks NWR, a sister refuge. Despite challenges there is so much activity on the refuge that you may or may not be aware of.
St Vincent Island hosts three (3) annual big game hunts: archery, sambar deer, and primitive weapons which draw hunters locally and from across the nation bringing money into our local economies. In fact, there are multi-generations of families that have made a tradition of hunting on the refuge land. This past fall sixty (60) archers harvested eight white-tailed deer, and 120 sambar hunters harvested 12 sambar (the record is 14). A Sambar deer, if you weren’t aware, is the largest of the Asian deer and can grow up to 6ft tall and weigh 700 lbs. They are located on the island as a result of earlier private owners importing the mammal for game hunting. Now St. Vincent National Wildlife Refuge is one of only a few places in the United States that offers Sambar deer hunts. Staff and volunteers monitor marine turtle nesting along 10 miles of Refuge nesting beaches between May and October and, by the way, the shelling on accessible beaches can be epic, but be careful not to enter protected shoreline areas noted by symbolic rope fencing. The refuge is also a key player in the American red wolf island propagation program. A new male, recently introduced to the island, makes staff hopeful that the refuge will welcome red wolf pups in the spring. These pups, once mature, are transferred to other areas to help repopulate the endangered species. A breeding pair are allowed to roam the island (although do to their elusiveness you will probably never see one when visiting).
Other cool sightings on the island include state listed Tricolored Herons, skimmers, snowy plovers, piping plovers, gopher tortoises, American Alligators, Bald Eagles, and rare botanical state listed Gulf coast lupine to name just a few. Haven’t been yet to this amazing Gulf/Franklin County treasure? The Friends of St Vincent NWR have been coordinating walking tours in the Fall, Winter and Spring months and recently have started offering wagon riding tours as well! Check out their Facebook page for more information. https://www.facebook.com/friendsofstvincentnwr
If you haven’t seen the island for yourself, it is a MUST SEE! Now open during daylight hours to the public year-round (with the exception of hunts) it is accessible by boat/kayak from the Indian Pass County boat ramp or through guide services in the area.
Looking for opportunities to volunteer/get involved with helping to preserve this amazing resource? You can always reach out to the Friends group at stvincentislandfriends@gmail.com | 
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