Welcome to the third edition of our revitalized newsletter. These newsletters consist of updates about what's going on at the Friends of the Carr Refuge and Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge. Make sure to keep a look out each month to stay up to date on refuge happenings.
If you are not already a member, we invite you to join us today! Helping the Carr turtles is not the only benefit of membership. We plan "members only" events throughout the year and offer early registration to members for our Turtle Walks and Digs! Use the button below to learn about our various membership levels or make a one-time donation. Don't forget to connect with us on Facebook and Instagram!
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Celebrating National Wildlife Refuge Week with FOCR
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Come join the Friends of the Carr Refuge to celebrate National Wildlife Refuge week! National Wildlife Refuge week is from October 12-19 and celebrates the network of preserved lands and waters for conservation of wildlife across the nation!
On Saturday, October 19th we will be throwing a family fun day to learn about the Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge. There will be a presentation about the National Wildlife Refuge System and its Friend's from our very own Cathy Allen. Following will be a guided hike through the Barrier Island Center's 3/4 mile trail from the beach to the lagoon. To finish the celebration there will be a Sea Turtle 101 class and a beach cleanup! Learn more about the Archie Carr Refuge and see all that the refuge has to offer on this day of fun!
Schedule of events:
9:15 am: National Wildlife Refuge System and its Friends presentation
9:45 am: Guided nature hike
10:30 am: Sea Turtle 101 and Beach Cleanup
Come out next Saturday to one or all of our events and look out for Facebook and Instagram posts everyday next week! We can't wait to celebrate our National Wildlife Refuge with you!
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Celebrating National Wildlife Refuge Week with PIPS and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
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Celebrate National Wildlife Refuge Week with Pelican Island Preservation Society (PIPS) and Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge (PINWR). Pelican Island NWR is managed under the same complex as Archie Carr NWR and located just across the Sebastian Inlet bridge! Show your support for the #firstrefuge and come out to the events!
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Schedule of events:
- Indian River Bird and Art Show – October 11-13. Hosted by PIPS at Sebastian River Art Club, 1245 Main Street, Sebastian.
- Featured Speaker Event hosted by PIPS with Dr. Llewelyn Erhart; October 12th from 3:30 to 4:30 PM., at Ramp Lounge, Capt. Hiram’s 1606 Indian River Dr., Sebastian. Free.
- Sunset Wine & Cheese Cruise to Pelican Island, Oct. 12th from 5 to 7 PM; hosted by PIPS onboard Capt. Hiram’s “River King," Saturday, $45/person, reservations required. SOLD OUT
- Meet-and-Greet, October 17 from 8 to 10:00 AM at Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge, Centennial Trail. Speak with volunteers to learn about the Refuge. Bring a camera and/or binoculars to catch those early morning experiences. Limited tram opportunity available.
- Tree Planting in the Refuge. October 18, 8:00 to 10:00 AM. Join staff and volunteers in a tree planting event in partnership with PIPS and Pelican Island Audubon Society. Meet at the Welcome Area off Jungle Trail to assist in planting trees on the Refuge.
- Meet-and-Greet, October 19 from 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM at Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge, Centennial Trail. Speak with volunteers and staff to learn about the Refuge. Limited tram opportunity available.
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Top: Peter Presland-Byrne
Bottom: Quintin Bergman
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Welcome New Board Members!
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We would love to welcome two new board members to the Friends of the Carr Refuge!
Peter Presland-Byrne
Peter Presland-Byrne is a CIO for a national financial services organization and shares his families passion for the environment, wildlife, and scuba diving. This passion has led to Peter also serving on the board of the Florida Wildlife Hospital and becoming involved in a global project around waste management and plastics reclamation. Peter and his family relocated to Melbourne Beach in 2018 and are originally from England but have been in the US for 20 years.
Quintin Bergman
Quintin Bergman is the Sea Turtle Environmental Specialist for Indian River County. He is responsible for the Countywide monitoring, education, lighting and predator programs focused on local sea turtles. Quintin has worked in the sea turtle conservation field for the past 4 years and recently earned a Master's degree from Purdue University Fort Wayne. He brings sea turtle conservation experience from projects in Greece and Costa Rica to the team, in hopes of bringing a positive impact to the Refuge. When not working with turtles, you can find Quintin fishing in the lagoon or bird watching.
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Unfortunately, there has been no update to the nesting counts since our last newsletter. Morning patrols were stopped for 6 or 7 days during Hurricane Dorian, which have caused the nest counts to be complicated. UCF's Marine Turtle Research Group found there to be an estimated loss of 8,000 sea turtle nests along the Brevard County portion of the refuge. With Hurricane Dorian occurring later in the nesting season, Green sea turtle nests were those most impacted because they nest from May-October. Even with a loss of 8,000 nests, we were spared by the hurricane and thankful it wasn't worse. Sea turtles have been around for millions of years and evolved to handle extreme weather events like these. Although this loss is sad, thousands of nests still and will hatch along the Archie Carr Refuge!
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Sea turtle nest washed out after Hurricane Dorian.
Photo: Kristin Fonseca, FOCR member
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Photo: National Wildlife Refuge Association
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Drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is full of biodiversity and beauty. Bears, caribou, and migratory birds are just some of the wildlife dependent on refuge. Unfortunately, pro-drilling forces are doing all that they can to push oil and gas development in this area. If this happens, there will be permanent and irreversible impacts to the refuge's biodiversity.
As of September 12th, the House passed a bill to prohibit oil exploration in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge! This is a big win for the refuge system, however the fight is not over. Now we must turn our attention to the Senate, and get them to pass a bill that would protect the Refuge from drilling for oil. Follow this link to contact your senator and ask them to protect the arctic!
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