Association News - January 2011
See the calendar for all the current events.
History and Culture Signs Project
Did you know that St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge contains a rich history that dates from the prehistoric and includes seineyards, wars, Spanish explorers, powerful storms, three lighthouses and even a ghost town? The Association has completed the installation of six history and culture kiosks. Visitors can learn the rich history of the Refuge through the kiosks set up at significant points. In addition to viewing the images and text, brochures are available at each kiosk that contain additional information. Visit the History Page for more information.
Many thanks to all the volunteers that helped with this project and to the the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation for the $15,000 grant.
A fund to support the Historical Sign project has been set up in Loren Curro's memory. Donations can be sent to:
St. Marks Refuge Association, Inc.and indicate that it is for the Loren Curro Fund.
PO Box 368
St. Marks, FL 32355
10/10/10 Event
10-10-10 AND THE BIG SIT
St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge
St. Marks, Florida
October 10, 2010
Protecting our Heritage and Natural Resources for the Future
Clouds, public land, people, water and wetlands
(photo by Lou Kellenberger)
The Big Sit
THE BIG SIT
St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge
St. Marks Florida, Florida
October 10, 2010
Counting the birds all day long
(photo by Lou Kellenberger)
Duck Stamp Cachet
The photograph chosen for the Duck Stamp Cachet was taken at the St. Marks NWR by St. Marks NWR volunteer, David Moynahan. The money raised by the sale of the cachet will be used to purchase additional land for the 26 National Wildlife Refuges along the Gulf coast. We've accepted the challenge to sell the most cachets for the SE region. Caches are available for pick-up.
Crane Cam
We wish to thank all the children and others who gave to the "Coins for Cranes" project, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation for their $5000 grant through the National Wildlife Refuge Friends Group Grant Program, the Disney Corporation for a laptop PC and monitor for the Refuge Visitor Center, Network Tallahassee for DSL service, and WAVE 94 FM for sharing their tower and building. We especially thank the many volunteers for giving thousands of hours working for the survival of the endangered Whooping Cranes.
Whooping Crane T-shirts!
The unique St. Marks NWR Whooping Crane T-shirts are available now in the Visitor Center Nature Store!
You search or shop...SMRA earns!
What if St. Marks Refuge Association earned a donation every time you searched the Internet? Or how about if a percentage of every purchase you made online went to support our cause? Well, now it can!
GoodSearch.com is a new Yahoo-powered search engine that donates half its advertising revenue, about a penny per search, to the charities its users designate. Use it just as you would any search engine, get quality search results from Yahoo, and watch the donations add up!
GoodShop.com is a new online shopping mall which donates up to 37 percent of each purchase to your favorite cause! Hundreds of great stores including B & H Photo, Amazon, target, Gap, Best Buy, ebay, Macy's and Barnes & Noble have teamed up with GoodShop and every time you place an order, you'll be supporting your favorite cause.
Just go to www.goodsearch.com and be sure to enter St. Marks Refuge Association as the charity you want to support. And, be sure to spread the word!
Partnerships Create Home for Refuge Bats
For years, colony-forming bats of St Vincent National Wildlife Refuge have dwelled in the attic of the old hunting cabin, a wooden lodging structure located on the barrier island near Apalachicola, Florida. Their twilight departure patterns the air and guano droppings on the porch provide a distinctive fragrance. A renovation of the historic cabin has been completed, which displaced the wintering occupants, a colony of Brazilian free tail bats. To resolve this problem, Joe Reinman, Wildlife Biologist at the St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge encouraged them to investigate building a community bat house on St. Vincent Island. [Read more]
2009 — 106th Anniversary of National Wildlife Refuges
President Theodore Roosevelt designated Florida's Pelican Island as the first wildlife refuge in 1903, setting the start of the National Wildlife Refuge System.
"But maybe the best example of our importance to the American people took place in Florida some weeks ago. The newest class of young whooping cranes completed their first migration from Necedah Refuge in Wisconsin to St. Marks Refuge in Florida, the first time they were taken to that refuge. And there, at 6:30 in the morning, in 25 degree weather — almost unprecedented cold in Florida — more than 2,000 people awaited the whoopers' arrival. It was wall-to-wall headlights from people who had driven miles to sit in a dark and distant field, to cast their eyes skyward, just to catch a glimpse of the flock, just to feel the wild spirit and be part of the magic.
All of us in the National Wildlife Refuge System help make the magic happen everyday. It is a life's work that I have found extraordinarily fulfilling, and I thank you for what you do for wildlife and the American people. It is a precious legacy that we are leaving for future generations. So, celebrate the day, and celebrate each other for the successes of 106 years as the National Wildlife Refuge System."
Greg Siekaniec
Chief
National Wildlife Refuge System
USFWS
Historic Opportunity for Refuges
Refuges have an opportunity of a lifetime to create almost 20,000 new green jobs in local communities. NWRA and our partners in the Cooperative Alliance for Refuge Enhancement (CARE) need your help to secure an investment of nearly $1 billion for infrastructure and habitat restoration on national wildlife refuges across the country. [Read more]
Find all your Congressional delegates here: House, Senate
Invitation to Support Whooping Cranes
The critically endangered whooping crane arrived at St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge for the first time this January to spend the winter. With only a few hundred whooping cranes existing in the wild, these young cranes will need to learn to feed and protect themselves away from humans. Although they must remain hidden from us, learning about the amazing whooping cranes and their survival is important for refuge neighbors.
To support the cranes, the St. Marks Refuge Association invites all area civic groups and schools to donate to "Coins for Cranes." This project involves collecting spare change to sponsor a satellite camera with live action feed into the refuge Visitor Center at St. Marks NWR and sponsoring miles along the cranes' winter migration.
The civic group and class that raise the most money will receive a Crane Team certificate, personal visit from the Crane Research Team and a group photo to be displayed in the refuge Visitor Center. To participate, please contact:
Ms. Lori Nicholson
Education Specialist
(850)925-6121
From Former Congressman Allen Boyd:
"Those of us in North Florida know how much St. Marks and St. Vincent National Wildlife Refuges give back to the public and to our communities," said Congressman Allen Boyd (D-FL). "In Congress, I support improved funding for the National Wildlife Refuge System, so that critical environmental and conservation initiatives, like those in St. Marks and St. Vincent, are able to move forward. I commend the hard work by those dedicated groups and individuals at the local level whose efforts will ensure that these areas are protected. Our state is home to some of the most spectacular environmental areas in this country, and it is our responsibility to protect these natural resources so that our children and grandchildren are able to appreciate them just as we have."
Congressman Allen Boyd (D-FL)
Find all your Congressional delegates here: House, Senate
Visit by the Florida Lighthouse Association
On April 12, 2008, the Florida Lighthouse Association held its meeting in Tallahassee, FL. After the meeting, members joined by Representative Matt Hudson visited the St. Marks Lighthouse. Ranger Andy Edel and members of the St. Marks Refuge Photo Club led tours to the top of the tower.
The Florida Lighthouse Association is a nonprofit group of citizen activists dedicated to the preservation of the 30 remaining historic lighthouses that line our state's 1200 mile coastline.
A special Thanks to Gordon Levi for supplying these photos.
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