Newsletter

March 2017
DID YOU Friends Focus Forward
KNOW? Growth, Change and Challenges
Giving a member-
Four years ago, while winter vacationing away from home in the
ship gift, turtle nest Chicago area, my husband and I found the Forgotten Coast. Unique,
adoption or dona- rare, solitary, uncommon and wild, it remains a vestige of so much of
tion to one of our what our country has lost. St Vincent is the crown jewel in this barrier island
many refuge pro- chain and a refuge in the truest sense for creatures whose survival de-
pends on open space. We became full time residents a little over a year
grams is a later and I immediately reached out to Friends of St Vincent NWR, first for
WONDERFUL an island tour, then to volunteer and become a board member.
way to show your I am privileged to have been named President at the annual meeting this
support for March. My message is simple: Volunteer. Donate. Advocate. Please. We
are entering a period of immense challenges; a time unlike anything St
St. Vincent NWR Vincent NWR has encountered on the eve of its 50th anniversary as a na-
tional wildlife refuge; a time that threatens the continuation of this refuge
and others like it. How might you help?
Volunteer. On a daily basis, volunteers supplement the activities of the
staff such as assisting with office duties, grant writing, turtle patrol, tracking
red wolves, trail clearing, hunt camp events, beach clean ups, and a myr-
iad of other special fundraising events and opportunities, including very
soon, at our new visitors center. During my volunteer time on the island I
have seen the most beautiful sunrises, beaches, wonders of nature and
met so many truly dedicated individuals. The pay is $0 but the benefits
are priceless!
Donate. Our board recently approved funding for the entire 2017 Endan-
Board Members gered Sea Turtle patrol program expenses exhausting the restricted funds
President Emeritus in the Turtle Account and dipping into the General Account. John Stark,
Nancy Stuart Deputy Refuge Manager, commented that everything is on the chop-
President ping block and without the Friends, the elimination of the program would
Lisa Johnston be almost guaranteed. Friends recently funded an emergency operation
Vice President for our male red wolf in time of crisis and the Friends envision expanding
Sue Cerulean educational resources for the school age children and college students of
Secretary the surrounding communities. All of these programs (and more) are possi-
ble only with your generous donations and membership support.
Jim Hughes
Advocate. We are the voice for the refuge when the refuge is not able to
Treasurer speak to the issues. Each days news from Congress seems to bring the
Open death knell closer for the Endangered Species Act and those inhabitants
Directors: of our planet it protects. The latest proposed budget guts the Depart-
Landy Luther, ment of Interiors agencies including US Fish and Wildlife and the National
John Inzetta Wildlife Refuge System. It is up to all of us to speak up to our elected offi-
Carol Brown cials and let them know where we stand on the issues.
Iain Brown Now, more than ever before, Friends fill a critical role. As Jane Goodall
Mary Balthrop remarked, Only if we understand, will we care. Only if we care, will we
Samantha Garrison help. I look forward to hearing from you and working together to protect
what is so precious.
In partnership with the U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service Lisa Johnston, President
 Calendar of Events
Annual Meeting & 10th Anniversary Party March 5, 2017
Fun!draiser w/The Currys April 15, 2017

St. Vincent Island Guided Tours 2017

April 12th & 22nd
May 15th (International Migratory Bird Celebration)
Reservations at http://www.stvincentfriends.com/simpl-e-schedule

Sea Turtle Nesting Season 5/1/2017- October 31

Please Help Us
Make 2017 the
Best Turtle Season Ever!

Funding support for the St. Vincent NWR turtle patrol is almost completely de-
pendent 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 $3000 and include the following:
- Repairs for the vehicle that volunteers use to patrol 9 miles of beach daily
- Fuel for the vehicle, and water and Gatorade 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 neces-
sary supplies for the program. As an adoptee you will receive:

Adoption Certificate
Photo of the nest, Name the Mother Sea Turtle
A complete activity report at the end of the year
Recognition in our Fall Newsletter

If you would like info on how to adopt a nest in 2017,

www.stvincentfriends.com
Or email us at stvincentislandfriends@gmail.com
2
 PLUS
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Join Us for a Fun!draiser!

April 15th, 2017
@ Bowery Station
131 Commerce Street
Apalachicola, FL

Noon9pm
(Currys @ 6:30)

Music all day!

Dinners for Donations
Live Auction!
3
 MARCH 2017

Refuge News
* The refuge hosted students from the Florida
State University (FSU) Ecology Service Program
for a massive beach cleanup on February 11th.
In addition the students helped place a new in-
formational sign donated by the Friends group which will stand and help guide
people away from the protected beach ecosystem close to Indian Pass boat
ramp.
* February 16th fire crews assisted by a USFW helicopter completed a pre-
scribed burn of the western 2 miles of the island. This helped us reach a critical
milestone to have all the island prescribed burns caught up and on schedule
for bi-annual burn rotations. Prescribed burning mimics natural fire cycles and
acts to restore healthy forests and natural communities, reduce undergrowth
that accumulates over time and decreases the potential for devastating wild-
fire. Burned lands experience healthy comebacks with increases in wildflow-
ers, birds and other wildlife.
* A Friends and Neighbors thank you event for the residents of Indian Pass
was held in February where everyone enjoyed a BBQ and bonfire hosted by
the Friends group. In addition volunteers enjoyed a wonderful on island ap-
preciation lunch and get together on February 28th hosted by refuge staff.
* All three red wolves (male, female and pup) were captured for routine
health checks and vaccinations. In addition the pup was fitted with a teleme-
try collar. The male was injured during capture and had to have surgery on his
leg. At press time he was back on the island and recuperating safely in the
acclimation pen.
* As you can see from the 2016-2017 public hunt data, our efforts to eradicate
destructive feral hogs from the island are going well! We are grateful for the
assistance of our USDA partners in this work.

January 2017 Public Primitive Weapons Hunt Results

Indian Pass & West Pass Check Stations Combined

29 White-tailed Deer (21 bucks, 8 does)
0 Feral Hogs
1 Raccoon
106 Hunters

For information on upcoming 2017

4 Fall & Winter hunts, please see
https://www.fws.gov/saintvincent/hunt-fish.html
 Meet John Inzetta, Volunteer
Like many SVI volunteers, John Inzetta was hooked from the very first time he stepped
foot on the island during an open house tour in 2007. Fast forward to 2017 and John can
still be found on St. Vincent helping with everything from weekly turtle patrol, building turtle
cages, checking in hunters each fall or driving new visi-
tors around the Island during tours. John has also erved
on the Friends of St. Vincent Board for nine years.
As if volunteering on St. Vincent isnt enough to
keep him busy, John is also an avid fisherman and kay-
aker. He is also involved with the Apalachicola
Riverkeepers and is a board member of the Panhandle
Players community theatre.
During his ten years as a SVI volunteer, John has
watched the number of volunteers dwindle down to just
a handful and says Its nice to see the volunteer num-
Credit Debbie Hooper
bers growing again.

Meet Dale Shiver, Maintenance Mechanic

If you ask someone what Dale Shiver does on St. Vincent
Island, the quick answer is a little bit of everything. Dig a
little deeper and youll learn that he actually does A LOT
of everything ranging from prescribed burns, flood and
hurricane clean-up, vehicle maintenance, cabin and
shed upkeep, boat repair and barge captain.

Dale is one of the few people who can say they know the
place like the back of his hand because, well, Dale liter-
ally grew up on St. Vincent. In 1970, his father worked on
the Refuge and often brought his six-year-old son across
Credit Debbie Hooper the channel with him where he and the other workers
children had the full run of the island.
In 1990, the now grown man hired on as a Forestry Technician for St. Vincent Island oper-
ating the fire truck while starting and managing prescribed burns. Having grown up on
SVI, Dales familiarity with all the equipment, vehicles and buildings made it easy for him
to lend a hand whenever something needed a quick tweak or even major repair.

This year, Dales official title has changed to Maintenance Mechanic, a role that he
found himself gradually falling into over the years. And while Dale welcomes the
change of duties and position, dont be surprised if this wonderful Jack-of-All-Trades still
helping with prescribed burns on the Island.

When asked if hes ever worked anywhere other than St. Vincent Island, Dales easy an-
swer and smile says it all: When you start at the best place, theres no reason to leave
and go anywhere else. 5
 Volunteer Appreciation Luncheon
Much like the postal service, volunteers on St.
Vincent NWR often find themselves putting in long
hours in scorching heat, pouring rain, or chilly Gulf
breezes. However, having the opportunity to
spend time on a pristine and primitive island where
the terrain ranges from beaches, marshes and sub-
tropical foliage while forming long-term friendships
are just two of the reasons why volunteers come
back each year.

Knowing that the permanent Refuge staff has limited time and bodies to get every-
thing done each year, volunteers are treated to a day of
food and fellowship to say thank you for all of the assistance
provided during the previous year. This year was no differ-
ent as the Volunteer Appreciation Luncheon was hosted by
Dan Frisk, St. Marks Refuge Complex Manager, along with
Terry Peacock, St. Vincent NWR Refuge Manager and John
Stark, Assistant Manager.

After the ride over on the barge, volunteers intro-

duced themselves and shared what drew them to the Is-
land. Almost unanimously, it was the open house tours that
created the desire to volunteer.

As an extra special treat, several volunteers were recognized for their time with a
commemorative pin and entrance pass to National Parks across the USA. These extraordi-
nary volunteers include:

Mark Parsley 1000 hours Susan Lavender 250 hours

John Inzetta 500 hours Lisa Johnston 250 hours
Lynda Smith 500 hours Nancy Stuart 250 hours
Carol Brown 250 hours Allan Ware 250 hours

All Photo Credits: Debbie Hooper 6

 There is No other time than NOW!!
President Lisa Johnston issues a critical call to Friends of this Refuge in this newsletter,
and I hope youll each find a way to plug in to our vibrant friends group. We so look for-
ward to meeting you in one or another volunteer capacity! Meanwhile, every single one of
us, lovers and stewards of all things wild, must step up as never before and let our govern-
ment officials on all levels know what we expect them to do. That begins with opposing the
Presidents severe cuts to the Department of the Interior, our parent entity.

As Friends, you represent the first line of defense not just for St. Vincent, but for the en-
tire National Wildlife Refuge System. Your voice can be heard in Washington, and as we
are seeing in early 2017, our lawmakers listen. Several members of our Board are making
plans to visit key officials in Washington later this month to advocate for wildlife and wild-
lands in the Refuge system. You can join us by telephoning or faxing your representatives.

One of the best ways to stay connected and know exactly how to plug in, is through
Take Action Tuesdays, a weekly activist suggestion from the National Wildlife Refuge Asso-
ciation. Its easy, and effective. Heres the link to sign up:
http://refugeassociation.org/action/sign-up-to-receive-action-alerts/

On behalf of Refuge,
Susan Cerulean
Vice President and Advocacy Chair