Come celebrate the island.
The Friends of St. Vincent National Wildlife Refuge will hold its annual meeting 1 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 11 at the St. Joseph Bay Buffer Preserve.
The Buffer Preserve is located at 3915 CR 30A in Port St Joe, about four miles west of the city of Port St. Joe.
The annual meeting serves as a fundraiser and educational event, providing a glimpse via the Friends of one of the most under-appreciated gems in the region.
The Island is 12,300 acres of undeveloped barrier island accessible only by boat and teeming with a unique biodiversity.
St. Vincent Island offers miles of undeveloped beaches and unimproved trails for hiking, bicycling, wildlife viewing, nature study, and photography.
Bank fishing is allowed year-round. Three public hunts are offered each year. The annual meeting will bring together presentations from a host of local agencies and stakeholders as well as the Friends.
The Friends will also conduct some brief business, welcoming new board members, including the return of veteran board stalwart Landy Luther. Free food will be provided by the Friends themselves and there will be raffles and door prizes.
Additionally, anyone may bring their favorite dessert, with prizes for the tastiest. The guest speaker will be Dr. Sandra Brooke, who works in Florida State University's Coastal and Marine Laboratory in St. Teresa. Brooke is helping to spearhead a project aimed at restoration of the oyster habitat in Apalachicola Bay in the aftermath of the collapse of the fishery several years ago.
The five-year project literally, builds on previous attempts to restore the bay's oyster bars. The multimillion-dollar project, which was set back a bit by the pandemic, was funded in significant measure by Triumph Gulf Coast.
Using shell, small limestone and large limestone researchers focused on building oyster bars significantly higher and larger than in previous restoration projects. "We believed we should be building reefs up," Brooke said. The reefs, in turn, produced adult oysters, some in 2023 reaching market size, as well as spurring juvenile recruitment.
Brooke has mixed feelings about the likelihood of long-term success, noting that one of the best remedies is not an option economic stakeholders are enthused to hear.
"I think we need to leave things alone beyond (the life of the project)," she said. "The animals have to do the work. They need time to do that. "I'm not optimistic but I can truly say I am not totally pessimistic." | 
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