The St. Vincent National Wildlife Refuge is part of the United States
National Wildlife Refuge
National Wildlife Refuge System is a designation for certain protected areas of the United States managed by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. The National Wildlife Refuge System is the system of public lands and waters set aside to c ...
System, located in northwestern
Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
, on the
barrier island
Barrier islands are coastal landforms and a type of Dune, dune system that are exceptionally flat or lumpy areas of sand that form by wave and tidal action parallel to the mainland coast. They usually occur in chains, consisting of anything fro ...
of
St. Vincent
Saint Vincent may refer to:
People Saints
* Vincent of Saragossa (died 304), a.k.a. Vincent the Deacon, deacon and martyr
* Saint Vincenca, 3rd century Roman martyress, whose relics are in Blato, Croatia
* Vincent, Orontius, and Victor (died 305) ...
, off the coast of
Apalachicola in the Gulf of Mexico. The Refuge includes Pig Island (46 acres, undeveloped), located in the southwest corner of St. Joseph Bay, nearly 9 miles west of
St. Vincent
Saint Vincent may refer to:
People Saints
* Vincent of Saragossa (died 304), a.k.a. Vincent the Deacon, deacon and martyr
* Saint Vincenca, 3rd century Roman martyress, whose relics are in Blato, Croatia
* Vincent, Orontius, and Victor (died 305) ...
and 86 acres of mainland Florida along Franklin county road 30A. The 12,490 acre (51km
2) refuge was established in 1968.
The purpose of the Refuge is to provide habitat for migratory birds including some endangered species. About 277 bird species use the islands as a migratory stopping point annually. The two islands, St. Vincent Island and Pig Island are open for recreational activities and are accessible only by boat. The islands contain undeveloped trails and beaches. Public huts are available for overnight camping. There is no visitor center, drinking water or restroom on the islands.
History
The earliest documented people to utilized the land date to the year 240 (from pottery shards) when
Native Americans lived on the island. After European settlers displaced the local Native Americans, St. Vincent Island had numerous owners of European Ancestry. At one point in the 1940s, it was stocked with non-native species such as
zebra,
sambar deer
The sambar (''Rusa unicolor'') is a large deer native to the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia that is listed as a vulnerable species on the IUCN Red List since 2008. Populations have declined substantially due to severe hunting, local ins ...
,
eland
Eland may refer to:
Animals
*''Taurotragus'', a genus of antelope
** Common eland of East and Southern Africa
** Giant eland of Central and Western Africa
Places
* Eland, Wisconsin, United States
* An old spelling of Elland, West Yorkshire
* Ela ...
,
black buck,
ring-necked pheasant, Asian
junglefowl,
bobwhite quail and
wild turkey
The wild turkey (''Meleagris gallopavo'') is an Upland game bird, upland ground bird native to North America, one of two extant species of Turkey (bird), turkey and the heaviest member of the order Galliformes. It is the ancestor to the domestic ...
.
The island was purchased by
The Nature Conservancy
The Nature Conservancy (TNC) is a global environmental organization headquartered in Arlington, Virginia. it works via affiliates or branches in 79 countries and territories, as well as across every state in the US.
Founded in 1951, The Natu ...
in 1968 for $2.2 million and U.S. Fish and Wildlife repaid them with proceeds from
Duck Stamp sales and the St. Vincent National Wildlife Refuge was established.
Climate
The climate is mild and subtropical, typical of the Gulf Coast, with an average annual rainfall of 57 inches.
Wildlife
Depending on the season, many species can be observed; a number of them are endangered or threatened. In the spring, several species on the island nest and go through reproductive ritual behavior such as
osprey
The osprey (''Pandion haliaetus''), , also called sea hawk, river hawk, and fish hawk, is a diurnal, fish-eating bird of prey with a cosmopolitan range. It is a large raptor reaching more than in length and across the wings. It is brown o ...
,
softshell turtle and
wood duck
The wood duck or Carolina duck (''Aix sponsa'') is a species of perching duck found in North America. The drake wood duck is one of the most colorful North American waterfowl.
Description
The wood duck is a medium-sized perching duck. A typi ...
. During this season,
white-tailed deer
The white-tailed deer (''Odocoileus virginianus''), also known as the whitetail or Virginia deer, is a medium-sized deer native to North America, Central America, and South America as far south as Peru and Bolivia. It has also been introduced t ...
bucks shed their antlers and young
bald eagle
The bald eagle (''Haliaeetus leucocephalus'') is a bird of prey found in North America. A sea eagle, it has two known subspecies and forms a species pair with the white-tailed eagle (''Haliaeetus albicilla''), which occupies the same niche as ...
s fledge. In the summer,
loggerhead sea turtles lay eggs on the beach and alligators nest in the
marsh
A marsh is a wetland that is dominated by herbaceous rather than woody plant species.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p Marshes can often be found at ...
es. Summer bird species includes
wood stork,
snowy plover and
American oystercatcher. During the fall, the islands experience the highest rate of migration stop-overs. This may include
peregrine falcon
The peregrine falcon (''Falco peregrinus''), also known as the peregrine, and historically as the duck hawk in North America, is a Cosmopolitan distribution, cosmopolitan bird of prey (Bird of prey, raptor) in the family (biology), family Falco ...
s. White-tailed deer
rut happens in the winter season. In winter, waterfowl are most numerous; bald eagles and
great horned owls nest. Year-round inhabitants include alligators, other reptiles and many other animal species..
Role in Red Wolf Recovery Program
Since 1990, St. Vincent National Wildlife Refuge has been a breeding ground for endangered
red wolves. The wolves are allowed to roam the island and once the pups are weaned by their mother, the pups are taken to
Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge
The Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge is a National Wildlife Refuge located in eastern North Carolina along the Atlantic Coast. It was established on March 14, 1984, to preserve and protect a unique wetland habitat type—the pocosin—a ...
in North Carolina.
Activities
Activities include
sea kayaking, boating destination, fishing, and birding. People may hike and bike on interior paths. Not all roads are still in use, and only the main road (B Road) is lined with oyster shells for easier travel over the sandy soil of the island. Wildlife viewing as well as fishing from one of the four lakes stocked with
largemouth bass
The largemouth bass (''Micropterus salmoides'') is a carnivorous freshwater gamefish in the Centrarchidae ( sunfish) family, a species of black bass native to the eastern and central United States, southeastern Canada and northern Mexico, but ...
and
bluegill
The bluegill (''Lepomis macrochirus''), sometimes referred to as "bream", "brim", "sunny", or "copper nose" as is common in Texas, is a species of North American freshwater fish, native to and commonly found in streams, rivers, lakes, ponds and ...
are also popular on the island. Visitors should practice leave no trace principles on the island.
Hunting
Annual primitive hunts help keep the population of
sambar deer
The sambar (''Rusa unicolor'') is a large deer native to the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia that is listed as a vulnerable species on the IUCN Red List since 2008. Populations have declined substantially due to severe hunting, local ins ...
,
white-tailed deer
The white-tailed deer (''Odocoileus virginianus''), also known as the whitetail or Virginia deer, is a medium-sized deer native to North America, Central America, and South America as far south as Peru and Bolivia. It has also been introduced t ...
,
feral hogs, and raccoons in check. Licenses for hunts are awarded by lottery and are managed by the
Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission. Three public hunts are held each year between November and January. The Refuge is closed to the general public during hunts.
Fire management
Fire is a natural part of the ecosystems in North America. Before St. Vincent Island was altered with roads, lightning would ignite a fire that could burn throughout the islands various habitats. Now when lightning starts a fire, the refuge fire staff decides where to stop the wildfire. Refuge staff use tactics that minimize damage to the hydrology of the island. These tactics may include using water, building control lines or using a controlled fire called a back fire against the wildfire. Fire staff also ignite planned burns called
prescribed burns to mimic the lightning fires. Mimicking the lightning fires with prescribed fires achieves the same results as the naturally occurring wildfires. Fire reduces the amount of live and dead leaves from flammable fire-dependent plants, which reduces the potential damage of a wildfire.
Access
The closest boat ramp to the island is a quarter mile away at the end of Indian Pass Rd (County Rd 30B) and is open to the public. Indian Pass is located 22 miles west of
Apalachicola. Boaters should be sensitive to winds, tide fluctuations, currents, storms, and oyster bars. Private shuttle services to the island are available from local boat captains. No fees (except for hunts) or passes are needed to visit the island.
All units are open to the public, except a portion of the Refuge on the mainland known as the '11 Mile Site' for its location on 11 Mile Rd.
Gallery
References
External links
*
St. Vincent National Wildlife Refugeat
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
St. Vincent National Wildlife Refugeat Gorp.com
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Protected areas of Franklin County, Florida
Protected areas of Gulf County, Florida
National Wildlife Refuges in Florida
Protected areas established in 1968
Wetlands of Florida
Landforms of Franklin County, Florida
Landforms of Gulf County, Florida