Spring 2001
The Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge established by an act of Congress in 1990, is a twenty and one half mile stretch of beach, on the Southeast coast of Florida. This refuge hosts the largest concentration of nesting loggerhead and green sea turtles in the United States. It is the second most important nesting site in the world for loggerhead turtles. The Refuge protects animal species by preserving the coastal habitat on which they depend; and is also a place for public recreation and education. The Refuge, named for the late Dr. Archie Carr, honors his lifetime commitment to conservation and research.Refuge Reports: The USF&WS Increases Staff
The history of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service began in 1903 with one man and one boat protecting pelicans on a tiny 5-acre island in the Indian River Lagoon. Well, for the last several years, Paul Tritaik, the manager of both the Archie Carr and Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuges, essentially performed a similar job; one man with one boat. Paul did an admiral job under the circumstances, but clearly the job required additional staffing. Help has finally arrived with the hiring of three full time staff positions and one temporary position. We would like to welcome Joanna Taylor, Mark Ploski, Mark Brown and Marc Sigrist to the Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge. Ms. Taylor will be functioning as a Refuge Ranger, primarily working with public relation issues such as public use, public outreach, program development and turtle walks within the refuge. She has previously worked at the Patuxent Wildlife Research Station, the Okefenokee NWR and the Merritt Island NWR. Mr. Ploski is a biological technician and has previously studied white tail deer and eastern turkey at Fort Bragg, N.C. Mr. Brown is also a biological technician who has previously worked at the Mississippi Sand Hill Crane Refuge. Mr. Sigrist is a biological technician, who was hired on a temporary basis extending through this summer. We also wish to thank Representative Dave Weldon for his efforts in getting the necessary funding for these additional staff positions.Additional Land Acquisition
The last major unprotected and undeveloped property in Brevard County on the Barrier Island, south of the Town of Melbourne Beach, was the Inlet Citrus Grove, adjacent to Honest John's Fish Camp. The good news is that the total grove, consisting of 288 acres, has been acquired in a joint purchase by the State of Florida and Brevard County. The State will acquire 222 acres and the county will acquire 66 acres. The state has no development plans for their portion and will most likely limit any use to passive recreation. The county however is planning to develop their portion for active recreational use. A committee will be established to help determine the extent of this use.Update on Ponce Inlet Park
In our last newsletter we covered the new Brevard County Park which will be located within the Refuge, one half mile south of Driftwood Plaza and will be named Ponce Landing. The Brevard County Department of Parks and Recreation has agreed to locate a kiosk in the park to house three large Carr Refuge informational signs. The original plan was to locate the informational signs at Coconut Point Park, but it was felt that superior siting could be accomplished when it is part of the original park design. If you are interested in viewing a set of these signs, they can be seen near the northern boundary of the Sebastian Inlet State Recreation Area. They are located in a kiosk at the entrance to the boat rental area.Turtle Talk: Sea Turtle Nesting Started
As of April 19, there have been six leatherback nests recorded in the Refuge. The first was recorded on the night of March 2,nd which was within two days of the earliest date on record. In preparing to conduct the research to track the travels of these leatherback turtles that nest in the Refuge, there are seven satellite transmitters either on hand or on order. The plan is to start placing these devices on nesting leatherback turtles beginning in May. The data obtained from this research will provide important information on where leatherbacks travel to after nesting on our beaches. This information will in turn be useful in developing protective regulations to help save these very endangered animals. Who to call for information: Friends of the Carr Refuge/ Sea Turtle Preservation Society 1-321-676-1701
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