May 29, 2020 Update:

**Please see May 27th article "Florida Shorebird Surveys Underway Thanks to Creative Staffing", at https://www.gulfspillrestoration.noaa.gov/ (Under Florida tab)

**Be on the lookout! New web site is under construction, opening late Summer, early Fall.

**We are working on the 2020-2021 Tour season, ( Oct. 2020 - May 1, 2021) to be posted on our new web site late Summer early Fall. Due to COVID-19 social distancing restrictions, and reconstruction activities from Hurricane Michael, no wagon tours will be scheduled, but our fantastic guided walks will be available .See you then.

About the Program: Snowy plovers, least terns, American oystercatchers, brown pelicans, and others rely on the western Point of St. Vincent National Wildlife Refuge; this area is not only enticing to wild birds, but to visiting paddlers.

To help protect the point, Friends of the Refuge hired summer interns in 2018 and 2019 to act as ambassadors for the breeding and migrating birds of St. Vincent NWR. In 2018, Miss Kimberly Magee educated more than 700 individual visitors to Indian Pass, and prevented many intrusions into the nesting area. Chloe Dubben continued and expanded the work in 2019.

Due to the current COVID-19 situation, USFWS has asked that

volunteers remain off the Refuge until it is safe to return. The

intern program is on indefinite hold. Thank you for your support.

2020 Indian Pass

Protect the Point
Summer Intern Program

Photo by Debbie Hooper

St. Vincent National Wildlife Refuge includes mainland sites at 14 mile, 11 mile (off of C30-A) as well as Pig Island and St. Vincent Island, which is the westernmost of 4 barrier islands in the northwestern Florida Gulf coast which include Cape St. George Island, St. George Island and Dog Island. St. Vincent Island is located just offshore in Franklin County, Florida south southeast of Cape San Blas and north of Cape St. George Island close to the mouth of the Apalachicola River and the town of Apalachicola on the Florida Panhandle.

The island is 9 miles long and 4 miles wide and comprises 12,300 acres. The triangular island is larger than most of the northern Gulf coast barrier islands and dissected by dune ridges, freshwater lakes and sloughs on the east end. The west ends supports dry upland pine forests.