SPRING -

2017
SUMMER

WE HAVE A NEW
Presidents Message
MAILING ADDRESS! Spring & Summer always make me happy. Mostly, I feel an exhilarated an-
ticipation of all the activities filling the days ahead. This year is no exception,
other than it may be starting off exceptionally well for St. Vincent NWR.
The Friends held their first ever Fun!dRaiser at the Bowery Station on April
15th. Music by Melissa Bowman, Matt Law and The Currys made for a well-
attended scene. We served up tunes, barbeque and Refuge information to our
many guests. Local artist, Jenny Odom, in her distinc-
tive style, painted a red wolf while an audience of
passersby watched. Odom then donated the painting to
be auctioned with a winning bid of $2,050. Other do-
nated items included a photo by Debbie Hooper, books
by Sue Cerulean, and a guitar signed by The Currys.
Over $8,000 was raised and will be used to support en-
Friends of St Vincent NWR dangered species on the island including sea turtles, red
PO Box 69 wolves and migratory birds. It will also assist other wild-
Apalachicola, FL 32329 life conservation projects and help fund a new visitors
center planned for the refuge office.

The final Island tour of the season was given May 3rd in conjunction with
Board Members
International Migratory Bird Day. When tour season begins again next fall, look
Lisa Johnston, President for an overhauled tour wagon with more comfortable seating and a new, state-of
Sue Cerulean, Vice President -the-art audio system providing guests an improved tour experience.
Carol Blaha, Treasurer
Jim Hughes, Secretary Sea turtle nesting season began May 1st and runs until October 31st. Each
morning, a pair of volunteers canvas the nine-mile beach in a utility terrain vehi-
Mary Balthrop
Carol Brown cle (UTV), and on foot. The work is tough, especially when the weather is hot
Iain Brown or rainy, but the patrollers persist, identifying new nests and installing a wire
Sam Garrison cage to protect eggs from predators, such as raccoons and feral hogs.
John Inzetta
Landy Luther
Suzanne Marshal Refuge Friends are currently monitoring the budget negotiations in D.C.
very closely. Several board members recently met with US Senator Nelsons
Nancy Stuart, representative, Mary Louise Hester, in Apalachicola. We were pleased to re-
President Emeritus ceive confirmation of Senator Nelsons support for maintaining the Department
Please contact any of us with
of Interior budget and protection of the Endangered Species Act.
concerns or ideas for our
beloved Refuge! These are just a few of the many out-
www.stvincentfriends.com standing events made possible by our sup-
porters who volunteer, donate and advo-
friendsofstvincentnwr
cate. Who knows what hurdles and ac-
st.vincentnwr complishments the rest of the year might
@stvincentnwr bring? Lets all continue to work together
for the benefit of St Vincent NWR and all
In partnership with the U.S. of its inhabitants.
Fish and Wildlife Service Lisa Johnston
 Calendar of Events
Sea Turtle Nesting Season 5/1/2017 10/31/2017 (or until all nests are surveyed)

St. Vincent Sambar Deer Hunt

Phase I Applications 5/15/20176/15/2017
Permit Claim Deadline 7/18/2017
Phase II Leftovers 7/20/2017until filled
Sambar Deer Hunt 11/30/2017 12/2/2017

St. Vincent White-Tailed Archery and Primitive Weapons

Phase I Immediate Issue 7/14/2017until filled
Archery Hunt 11/16/201711/18/2017
Primitive Weapons Hunt 1/25/2018 1/27/2018

https://www.fws.gov/saintvincent/hunt-fish.html

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 SEA TURTLES ON ST. VINCENT NWR
Special by Sam Garrison, Marine Turtle Research, FSU
St. Vincent National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) is an important sea turtle nesting ground with
Loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) being the most common nesting species on the island
along with the occasional Kemps Ridley (Lepidochelys kempii). Despite being on the State of
Floridas threatened species list, a high density of nests have consistently been found along
the beaches of Northwest Florida over the last several years as female turtles will return to
the same beach they were born on to lay their clutches of eggs.

Typically, nesting season starts May 1st and ends October

31st on the Gulf side of St. Vincent Island. This is the annual pe-
riod when female turtles return from their in-water foraging
grounds in the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico to repro-
duce. The turtle mother will swim up to the beach, then tread
her way up to the sand dunes. Once she is above the high-tide
line, the female will begin to toss away loose sand with her flip-
pers creating a body pit. Then, she will use her back shovel-like
flippers to create a nest cavity, ranging from one and a half to
two feet deep, where she will lay between 35 to 150 golf ball-
sized eggs. Diligently, the turtle mother will then cover up the cavity and replace the sand.
Finally, she will turn around and make her way back to the ocean.

Forty-six to 65 days later, the young hatchlings will emerge from their shells, sometimes
taking several days to dig themselves out of the deep egg chamber. Upon emergence, the
hatchlings rely on instinct following the light of the sun or the rising moon to make their way
to the Gulf waters, sometimes becoming disoriented by artificial light from distant beach
homes. Because their tiny shells are soft, hatchlings are the perfect snack for near shore
predators such as ghost crabs, raccoons, and seabirds. Both adult and hatchling turtles face
additional threats in the water ranging from commercial fishing nets, boat propellers, plastic
trash, chemical pollutants, and rising ocean levels due to climate change.

How you can help. Think about joining the team of dedicated
volunteers who patrol the beaches of St. Vincent NWR each
day documenting and protecting nests to help Floridas biolo-
gist better understand these imperiled species. You can also
support the program by adopting a sea turtle nest (* page 2)
Your donations are used to purchase materials such as wire
for cages that protect nests from foraging predators and water
and Gatorade for working turtle patrol volunteers.

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 Lets Give Shorebirds a Break!
By Susan Cerulean
Nesting season is in full swing on Floridas coasts and beaches, and our Refuge is no ex-
ception. Least terns, snowy plovers and American oystercatchers are working as hard as they
can to scrape nests into the sand, lay eggs, and then defend their chicks until they are able to
fly on their own.

But so many predators want to devour those fluffy chicks; on St.

Vincent, ghost crabs, feral hogs, raccoons, laughing gulls and an occa-
sional coyote, make the job of parent birds truly challenging. If they turn
their backs for even a moment, a chick is quickly lost, and there may not
be enough time to raise new broods. You may think of ghost crabs as
Photo courtesy of ABC
cute, but if youve ever seen a least tern trying to brood her eggs, and yet
drawn over and over into furious, unending battle with a hungry crab,
youll understand the problems of these parents.

Add in summers unpredictable storms and unusually high tides which often wash away
whole nests from our low-lying beaches.

With all of these challenges, human actions can mean the difference between a new gen-
eration of shorebirds lifting in flight over our Refuge, and nest failure.

When you visit the island, we ask that you PLEASE:

Stay out of areas marked off by signs and string fencing
Use designated trails to access the beaches on the Island.
Dogs are not permitted on the Refuge.

Please DO NOT beach your boat or kayak on the sandy point across
from Indian Pass at any time throughout the year.. This is a critical loca-
tion for shorebirds to gather, rest and nest.

Be sensitive to bird behavior when you are on the beach. If your pres-
ence causes agitated flights of birds into the air, youve come too close for
their comfort.

This summer, lets all work to give the birds a break!

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 Meet Sam Garrison, Student Board Member
Sam is a Senior at Florida State University (FSU) where she studies Biol-
ogy and Environmental Sciences and she is the newest the newest member of
the Friends of St. Vincent NWR Board of Directors, joining as our first Student
Representative. Sam is currently conducting research with Dr. Mariana Fuentes
as part of the Marine Turtle Research, Ecology and Conservation Group
(MTREC) at FSU and plans to acquire her Masters degree after she complete
her studies next year. Her current focus is the relationship between scallop fish-
eries and sea turtles in Crystal River in addition to marine debris distribution
across Floridas panhandle. This summer Sam along with two other students in
MTREC will be sampling the Gulf side of St. Vincent NWR and participating in
day and night surveys and hatchling analysis.

Sam is the former Co-President of FSU Environmental Service Program which

finds service opportunities for a large group of student volunteers such as the
recent beach clean up on St. Vincent Island. Sam is also working to create a
similar ecology program at a local Gulf County High School and has been actively involved as a big sis-
ter with Big Brothers Big Sisters program for over three years.

In her free time she visits local wildlife refuges, relaxes on the beach, searches for interesting
snakes, birds, plants and other wildlife. At home in Melbourne Beach she surfs, finds sea turtles and
spends time with friends and family. Her other passions include guitar playing, singing and songwriting.

Meet Colleen Sinor, Volunteer

Born in snowy Chicago and raised in the unpredictable weather of Tennessee,
Colleen kept moving south until she and her family landed upon the sunny
shores of Floridas Forgotten Coast. From her home on Indian Pass, Colleen
has a clear view across the channel to St Vincent Island. She admits that the
history and isolation of the Island piqued her curiosity and sparked her deter-
mination to get involved any way that she could. In typical fashion, riding
along as a guest during a guided tour led to Colleen signing up for turtle pa-
trol. Last years initiation as a turtle patrol newbie merely cemented the
foundation for more activities like helping with the annual hunts, becoming a wagon tour
guide and producing the Supporters newsletter.

In addition to volunteering with the Supporters of St. Vincent NWR, Colleen is the Catering
Manager for Provisions Restaurant in Port St Joe. Her background makes her somewhat of a
Jacqueline of All Trades with her experience as an American Airline VIP Customer Liaison, a
paralegal and as a reporter for radio and TV news. Colleen has also been known to dance a
jig or a reel whenever shes out on the town and hears Irish music.

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 REFUGE A Wonderful Start to 2017
UPDATE on St. Vincent NWR!
Keep watching for Sea turtle nesting season is underway. Our three endangered red
more new and wolves are free ranging on the Island & efforts have been increased
exciting things at to remove beach nesting predators.
our beloved Refuge

Supporters Sue Cerulean & her husband, Jeff Chanton, hosted 40

students with FSUs Environmental Services Program in a beach
cleanup & letter writing campaign to Secretary of the Interior
Zinke, expressing their concerns on many urgent issues affecting
the future of public lands.
Supporters member Suzanne Marshall submitted a grant applica-
tion through the Florida Department of State, Division of Historic
Resources calling for architectural & engineering evaluations of the
St. Vincent NWRs historic office visitor center for future restora-
tion work.

Community cooperation continues to grow between the Refuge,

the Supporters Group & residents of Indian Pass, Apalachicola &
Port St Joe. with recent events like the Indian Pass BBQ & Bonfire,
a benefit concert & auction at Apalachicolas Bowery Station with
local musicians and planning for an environmental club at Port St.
Joe High School.

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 Lets Go Fishing
Whether youre looking for the relaxation or exhilaration that comes from fishing, St. Vincent
Island offers both. From redfish, mullet and pompano of coastal Gulf waters to largemouth
bass, trout, and bluegill found in the fresh water lakes on the island there something for every
angler! The lakes are best accessed by kayak from the West Pass inlet or by bike/foot over
roads/trails (see map on page 2).
Please remember the Florida Fish & Wildlife Regulations apply to fish-
ing on St. Vincent Island NWR. Additional guidelines that are specific
to St. Vincent include:
Fishing is permitted from 1/2 hour before legal sunrise to 1/2 hour
after legal sunset year round on the inland lakes.
Use of live minnows is prohibited.
Fishing without a boat (bank fishing) is allowed year round. Please
avoid prohibited areas shown on St. Vincent Island NWR maps &
brochures which protect nesting birds.
Only rods & reels or poles & lines are allowed in Refuge lakes.
Boats are allowed in Refuge lakes from May 15 - Sept. 30. Only electric motors on boats
are allowed on inland lakes. All other motors must be removed from the boat.
You may take fish species and limits per State regulations.
Taking of frogs and turtles is PROHIBITED.

SPEAK OUT FOR WILLIFE REFUGES!!

Since President Theodore Roosevelt designated Floridas Pelican Island
National Wildlife Refuge as the nations first in 1903, the system has
grown to include over 562 refuges and 38 wetland management districts
(more than 150,000,000 acres). Impressive! But the refuge system has
never been fully funded which leaves it woefully under-resourced to care
for all lands and wildlife species. To put it in perspective, our national wild-
life refuges only receive the equivalent budget of the five National military service bands.
Each one of us needs to be a voice for our Refuge and its awesome suite of bald eagles, en-
dangered migratory birds and nesting shorebirds, red wolves, sea turtle and their nesting
beaches.

Please let YOUR Senators and Congressional representative know you support the refuge
system and ask them to see to full funding. The National Wildlife Refuge Association is an
excellent source of specific advocacy ideas and information. Sign up here to receive
weekly updates: http://refugeassociation.org/action/
Susan Cerulean, Advocacy Chair
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