F R I E N D S O F T H E T A M P A B A Y N A T I O N A L W I L D L I F E R E F U G E S

Friends of the Tampa Bay National Wildlife Refuges, Inc.

Friends Matter2012 Annual Meeting Recap

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Merritt Island NWR Field Trip Recap and Coming Up, St. Marks NWR and Wakulla Springs Trip

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Behind the ScenesA Legacy Remembered

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A Quarterly Newsletter Spring 2012

2012 Annual Meeting Recap

Volunteer as a Bird Steward this Season and Spring Calendar

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Thanks so much to Tampa Bay Watch for once again providing us a fantastic “room with a view” for our fourth Annual Meeting on February 19. Following the busi-ness portion of the meeting, Gisela Chapa from FWS recognized Ref-uge volunteers. Check out page 3 and be awed by the many hours our top FWS volunteers provided the Refuges during its 2011 fiscal year. Next Michael Lusk, suffering from a really bad cold, applauded Friends for its volunteerism and outreach programs. Finally we heard from Charlie Pelizza, Refuge Manager of Pelican

Island NWR Complex. His topic, Ridges to Reefs: Everglades Headwaters NWR and Conserva-tion Area, discussed how our nation’a newest Refuge was created in January from the development and execution of plan developed through a partnership between FWS and the Florida Wildlife Commission.Essentially, the plan calls for the partnership to work with ranchers to create conservation easements that will provide necessary protec-tion and future restoration of wet-lands at the Everglades headwa-ters. The easements maintain pri-

vate ownership of the ranches and conserve Florida’s historic ranch-ing industry while limiting future development--all essential protec-tion for the Everglades and south Florida’s water supply. By connecting the conservation lands, habitat for threatened and (cont. on page 3)

Egmont Key NWRRefresh your knowledge about our premier TB Refuge

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FWS Volunteer Recog-nitionStand in awe of the many hours our top volunteers were recognized for at this year’s Annual Meeting.

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2 Friends of the Tampa Bay National Wildlife Refuges, Inc.

Merritt Island--A Trip to RememberOur January weekend field trip to Merritt Island NWR proved to be a terrific success. Nearly 20 members spent it viewing countless bird spe-cies enjoying the tranquility provided by 140,000 acres of protected territory. Traveling in a large Refuge owned van, our interpretive guides for the day were exceptionally knowledgable and skilled as they introduced us to the many species and wide variety of habitats found in the Refuge’s: coastal dunes, saltwater estuaries and marshes, freshwater impoundments, scrub, pine flatwoods, and hardwood hammocks.Arriving at noon on Friday, we brown-bagged it at picnic tables lo-

cated outside the Information Center. Then we loaded into the van and, for the next three and half hours, toured throughout the property--stopping numerous times to view and photo-graph birds that we rarely if ever see in our TB region. It was stunning and a photographers dream. That night, over dinner, we ex-changed experiences and stories as we ate at the area’s famous (well-deserved) seafood restaurant, Dixie Crossroads. On Saturday we met and had several options of tours to take: uplands looking for scrub jays or more wetland experiences. That af-ternoon we had a boat tour of the Ba-nana River Aquatic Preserve and, in the evening, everyone voted to return to Dixie Crossroads for another great seafood dinner. Sunday we were on

our own, with most returning to the Refuge, others visiting the Canaveral National Seashore, and several opting for a tour of Kennedy Space Center. It was a super weekend. Kudos and thanks to Janica Johnson, Board member and field trip planner ex-traordinaire, for pulling together such a super experience.

St. Mark’s NWR and Wa-kulla Springs--September 14-16Janica Johnson has done a great job of pulling together what will be a fun, educational, and exciting weekend. With around 30 pariticpants already signed on, the trip to St. Mark’s and Wakulla Springs also offers members a super opportunity to rconnect while

Photos by Tom Bell

Photo by Tom Bell

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also meeting new people who share their interests. This will be especially true for this trip where we’ll be joined by members of the Egmont Key Alliance who already share a strong volunteer connec-tion with us at Egmont Key. That connection has certainly been strengthened more recently as we work together on the Save Egmont Key initiative. The event begins on Friday eve-ning with dinner at the historic Wakulla Lodge. Saturday features a boat tour of the Edward Ball Wa-kulla Springs State Park arranged by park manager, Brian Fugate.

Here’s what Brian had to say about the park and lodge: Almost everything at Wakulla is within the main use area and the boat tour will provide you with a glimpse of the true essence of Wakulla; it truly is a world class wildlife viewing encounter. By staying in the Lodge you will also get to experience the awesome history of this unique property. It is managed as close as possible to the way it was when it opened in 1937 and you will feel like you have stepped back in time.On Sunday, Carol Imbriani, Wa-kulla Springs Park Program De-velopment Specialist, has made arrangements for us to receive a guided tour of St. Marks National

Wildlife Refuge and their Educa-tional and Information Center. As an additional bonus, and special treat, the famous St. Marks Light-house will be open for viewing (not climbing).Following Sunday’s event, at-tendees will either make their way back to the Tampa Bay Area or go onto Tallahassee to sightsee on their own. They will have spent several days in habitat that is vastly different than what we ex-perience in Tampa Bay.If you haven’t already signed on for this super weekend and would like to do so, contact Janica at janicaj70@gmail.com.

endangered species is conserved and biodiversity is supported. The proposed land base is also large enough to provide important wild-life corridors and is especially im-portant as we face future changes to habitat caused by climate change. During his presentation, Charlie outlined the habitat that is included within the conservation plan: historic dunes, cutthroat wet-lands, and scrub.Partnering with the ranchers and other land owners through conser-vation easements ensures water quality, quantity, and storage for

the Everglades and for Florida’s residents. The partnership’s effort received its first reward when, on January 18th, the Everglades Headwaters NWR and Conserva-tion Area was established with an initial donation from The Nature Conservancy (10acres). Future do-nations from the Bureau of Land Management (22.2 acres), SWFMUD (17.7 acres), and Gulfstream (397.6 acres) are in process. The newest addition to the NWR system is off to a terrific start.

2011 Fiscal Year FWS Vol-unteer RecognitionCongratulations and much grati-tude to Nick and Ginny Braden, Janet and Peter Burnett, Kent Garbin, Dave Kandz, and Phil Sorenson---250 TOTAL HOURS Emma Mason--359 TOTAL HOURSMike and Barb Fite--500 TOTAL HOURSJoyce Galiardo--1,013 TOTAL HOURSDave Howard--1,282 TOTAL HOURSBarb Howard--1,294 TOTAL HOURS

Annual Meeting (continued from page one)

Photos by Kent GarbinPhotos by Kent Garbin

S E Q U O I A C L U B

4 Friends of the Tampa Bay National Wildlife Refuges, Inc.

Egmont Key NWR is a popular tourist destination for its unique combination of historic sites scattered amidst lush tropical uplands and sunny sandy beaches. As spring progresses into summer and the bay waters warm, people flock to the 260-acre island to relax and take in the peaceful atmos-phere at the north end of the island.

Meanwhile, a different story plays out on the southern end. Within the protec-tion of a 170-acre federal bird sanctu-ary, royal and least terns, laughing gulls, white ibis, brown pelicans and others feverishly lay claim to their patches of sand and sea grape where they’ll dedicate the next five months to raising the next generation of seabirds.

While not all nesting birds are equally sensitive to human disturbance, there is no question that humans can disrupt

ground nesting birds. Even something as simple as briefly flushing a bird from its nest can end in a nest failure, as predators like fish crows can easily destroy a nest within a few seconds.

Luckily the birds at Egmont Key NWR and other natural areas throughout Florida have a team of dedicated bird stewards whose duties and skills are beyond posting signs and flagging nests. These bird stewards patrol the boundaries of bird sanctuaries and educate the public on the values of protecting beaches for nesting. Through the cooperation of bird stew-ards, Refuge staff, Florida Park Service staff, and federal law enforcement offi-cers, nesting success on Egmont has significantly increased over the past 20 years and has been recognized by the National Audubon Society as part of

the Lower Tampa Bay Important Bird Area in 2011.

So how many birds nest on Egmont Key? Monthly surveys, performed by refuge biologist Joyce Kleen, indicate that the island currently supports about 38,000 pairs of nesting birds dur-ing the spring and summer months. Some nest in the sea grape trees, while others nest on the sandy dunes and beaches. The island hosts solitary nest-ers, such as American oystercatchers, and colonial species like laughing gulls, which numbered in excess of 32,000 pairs during the summer of 2007 and make up about 65% of all nesting birds on Egmont Key NWR.

By Joyce Galiardo

Vivamus pulvinar, purus ultricies ultrices ullamcorper, dolor diam euismod nisl, vel consectetuer eros mi sit amet lorem.Photo by Joyce GaliardoPhoto by Joyce Galiardo

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Mark Your Calendar!Green Thumb Festival

•Saturday and Sunday, April 28 - 29

Pinellas Refuges Wildlife Sur-veys

•Saturday, May 19•Saturday, June 16•Saturday, July 21•Saturday, August 18

Bird Steward Training•Friday, May 4 @ 6PM, Lake Seminole Park

Egmont Key Bird Stewards•Begins Saturday, May 19 and continues every weekend through Labor Day

Strategic Planning Meeting•Tentatively scheduled for Fri-day, July 6 @ 6:30PM. Details to be sent via email

Sharks! A presentation by Brent Winner, FWRI

•Thursday, July 12 @ 7PM @ Tradewinds Resort

Photos by Dave How-

Bird Stewards NeededNesting season on Egmont Key has started and once again we are looking for volunteers to serve as bird stewards on weekends and the summer holidays. Bird Stewards are stationed at the boundaries of the nesting areas and edu-cate the public about the birds and tell them why certain areas of the island are closed to human use. It is a full day of volunteering, from the time you get on the Egmont Key Ferry at 10AM till the time you board the State Park or USFWS boat around 4PM to return. You get some great boat rides and sightseeing as well as time on a beautiful island. Umbrellas and chairs are provided as are written instructions and information for the public. More details will be provided when you are scheduled.There will be a meeting for all experienced and new volunteers on Friday, May 4th at 6PM at Lake Seminole Park, Shelter #2. The park is located on Park Blvd between Starkey Rd and Seminole Blvd. Please plan to attend. If you would like more information please email Joyce Galiardo at galibird@tampabay.rr.com.

Provided by Dave Howard

Photo by Joyce Kleen Provided by Dave Howard

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6 Friends of the Tampa Bay National Wildlife Refuges, Inc.

Board of DirectorsBarb Howard — PresidentJen Funk — Vice President Sid Crawford — Vice PresidentDave Howard — TreasurerJoyce Galiardo — Secretary

Directors: Martha Gruber, Janica Johnson, Emma Mason, and Dave Kandz

Contact InformationBarb Howard at 727.343.1272 or

Friends@TampaBayRefuges.org

Friends of the Tampa Bay National Wildlife Refuges, Inc.PO Box 40782St. Petersburg, FL 33743-0782

or visit us on the web:www.TampaBayRefuges.org

A Legacy Rememberedby Barb Howard, PresidentThis month I’d like to start by sharing the following from Chincoteague, a National Wildlife Refuge, written by Rachel Carson in 1947.“If you travel much in the wilder sections of our country, sooner or later you are likely to meet the sign of the flying goose – the emblem of the Na-

tional Wildlife Refuges. “You may meet it by the side of a road crossing miles of flat prairie in the Middle West, or in the hot deserts of the Southwest. You may meet it by some mountain lake, or as you push your boat through the wind-ing salty creeks of a coastal marsh.“Wherever you meet this sign, respect it. It means that the land behind the sign has been dedicated by the American people to preserving, for themselves and their children,, as much of our native wildlife as can be retained along with our modern civilization.“Wild creatures, like men, must have a place to live. As civilization creates cities, builds highways, and drains marshes, it takes away, little by little, the land that is suitable for wildlife. And as their space for living dwindles, the wildlife populations themselves decline. Refuges resist this trend by saving some areas from encroachment, and by pre-serving them, or restoring where necessary, the conditions that wild things need in order to live.”Carson’s was the first article to appear in the Conservation in Ac-tion series published by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS). She worked as a writer, editor, and aquatic biologist for FWS for 15 years (the photo shown below iss from her FWS identification card). Her seminal 1962 book, Silent Spring, addressed the dan-gers of chemical pesticides and eventually led to the banning of

DDT, a pesticide that had decimated numerous preda-tory bird species and had driven bald eagles, peregrine falcons, and brown pelicans to the brink of extinction. She is widely credited with launching the modern envi-ronmental movement. In honor of her memory, a na-tional wildlife refuge near her summer home on the coast of Maine was re-named in 1969 after her.**

As we read about incredible people like Ra-chel Carson, we find that they were ordinary people whose actions made an incredible difference in the world. She spoke out for the wildlife since they couldn’t do it themselves. As we go about our daily lives, we too need to take the time to advocate for wildlife. If an advocacy request comes through to you from Friends, Audubon, or another environmental group you belong to, take the time to read it, evaluate it, and then send a note to your leg-islators to speak out for the wildlife. With the climate changing and sea levels rising, there will be increasing pressure on wildlife. We can all help give them a better chance for survival through advocacy. So, bring out the Rachel Carson within you.

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**Reprinted, with permission, from Wildlife Refuge Magazine, a National Wildlife Refuge Association pub-lication.