St. Marks NWR Comprehensive Conservation Plan - U.S. Fish and ...

tortoise, a keystone species whose burrows provide habitat for more than 360 commensal species of
vertebrates and invertebrates.
Since 1980, the refuge has worked with Tall Timbers Research Station to manage 34 season-of-fire
research plots in two types of longleaf pine communities on the refuge. The plots are the oldest,
most comprehensive, and continuous season-of-fire plots in existence. The research conducted at
these plots has resulted in numerous scientific papers and has helped the refuge staff to understand
the importance of using seasonal fires to shape longleaf pine communities. The plots remain a focal
point of tours by visiting scientists and biologists.
In 1998, the refuge and the Joseph W. Jones Ecological Research Center established a series of
longleaf pine restoration plots on the refuge and the Jones Center (Ichauway Plantation). The
research is funded by the Service through the National Interagency Fire Center, with additional
support from American Forests through their Global Releaf 2000 Program. These plots are designed
to use adaptive management in restoring the longleaf pine community on sites previously converted
to slash pine plantations.
In addition to the work by Tall Timbers, the Jones Center, and their collaborators, the refuge staff and
outside researchers are currently conducting numerous ongoing studies, including work on flatwoods
salamander distribution and habitat; red-cockaded woodpecker population dynamics; wiregrass seed
collection and restoration; longleaf pine restoration and regeneration; and rare plant responses to
management.
In 1999, the Service produced an internal planning and guidance document entitled AFulfilling the
Promise: The National Wildlife Refuge System, Visions for Wildlife, Habitat and Leadership.@ It proposed
a pilot program to establish Land Management Research and Demonstration Areas on selected refuges
throughout the nation. The purposes are to showcase state-of-the-art management and to promote
innovative research in important wildlife habitats. In conjunction with Carolina Sandhills National Wildlife
Refuge, the St. Marks Refuge has been selected as such a site for the management of longleaf pine
ecosystems. Fourth in the Service=s national priority, the site awaits funding.
PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT
CLIMATE
Due to its latitude and position near the Gulf of Mexico, St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge has a mild,
subtropical climate. Winters are generally mild. Summers are hot and humid; summer sea breezes
can lower temperatures slightly along the coast. The region’s wind direction and circulation patterns
are influenced by tropical air masses in the spring and summer, and by cold fronts pushing down the
continent during the fall and winter. The mean summer temperature of nearby Tallahassee is 81
degrees Fahrenheit, with a mean winter temperature of 54 degrees Fahrenheit. Table 3 depicts the
monthly average high and low temperatures for the 30-year period of 1961 though 1990. These data
are from nearby Tallahassee. Actual temperatures on the refuge are moderated due to the coastal
influence, which results in lower daytime highs and higher nighttime lows.
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, global temperature records show an average warming
of one degree Fahrenheit over the past century, with the past two decades experiencing the most rapid
warming. This is due to human activities, such as forest clearing and fossil fuel burning, the latter of which
emits large amounts of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Scientists predict an average global warming
of 2 to 6 degrees Fahrenheit by 2100 and greater warming thereafter.
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St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge