The Important Bird Areas of Florida - National Audubon Society

The Important Bird Areas of Florida: 2000–2002 – Pranty – 2-Jul-02 70OTHER RESOURCES: Sea turtles nest along the beaches. • The St. George Lighthouse, on Little St.George Island, was built in 1852. At that time, the lighthouse was 1330 feet (400 m) from the beach,but erosion of the island has brought the shoreline to its base; the lighthouse is being stabilized toprevent its collapse. • St. George Island State Park contains some virgin “cat-faced” slash pines fromthe turpentine industry active in the early 1900s. • St. Vincent Island National Wildlife Refuge is abreeding site for the critically endangered ♦red wolf (Canis rufus). • Apalachicola Bay is adesignated International Biosphere Reserve, and a National Estuarine Research Reserve.THREATS: Bird Island: *human disturbance. St. George Island Causeway: *human disturbance. St.George Island State Park: human disturbance. Yent Bayou: *development (adjacent uplands),*human disturbanceCONSERVATION ISSUES: Apalachicola Bird Island is posted from April through August to preventdisturbance to the breeding colony. The island is maintained as a bird nesting area by the U.S. ArmyCorps of Engineers by adding dredged material every few years, and by controlling vegetation. CapeSt. George State Reserve: Prescribed fire is used to maintain the condition of pine flatwoods andsavannas, and exotic plants are removed as needed. • Dogs must be leashed at all times. • The laridcolony on the St. George Island Causeway is subject to high mortality from motor vehicles. Toprevent continued bird deaths from vehicles, the speed limit on the causeway has been reduced to 35mph (56 kph) and fencing keeps young birds off the road. A new bridge is being built between themainland and St. George Island; when this is completed, the existing causeway will become an islandmanaged for nesting birds. • St. George Island State Park: Most of the dunes in the state park areoff limits except along paths; private portions of the island are undergoing extensive development. •St. Vincent Island National Wildlife Refuge contains populations of exotic ♦sambar deer (Cervusunicolor) [and a second exotic mammal?] native to southeastern Asia; these are remnants of previousowners who used the island as a hunting reserve. These deer apparently are not impacting the islandnegatively. • Yent Bayou: Uplands are residential lots, which probably will be developed eventually.It is not known whether this will impact shorebird use of the tidal wetlands. • Yent Bayou has beenproposed as Critical Habitat for the Piping Plover.NOMINATED BY: Gary Sprandel (Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission). Two other sites,Cape St. George State Reserve and St. Vincent Island National Wildlife Refuge, later were added tothis IBA, but were not nominated formally.REVIEWED BY: Jeff Gore and Karen Lamonte (Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission).REFERENCES: +Gore, J.A., and C.A. Chase, III. 1989. Snowy Plover breeding distribution. Finalperformance report, Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission. Tallahassee, FL. • +Hovis,J.A., and G.L. Sprandel. 1999. Statewide breeding shorebird survey preliminary draft, annual report.Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Tallahassee, FL. • +McNair, D.B., and J.A.Gore. 2000. Recent breeding of Caspian Terns in northwest Florida. Florida Field Naturalist 28: 30–32. xWEBSITES: ,