Friends of St. Marks Wildlife Refuge
Reflections Newsletter, February, 2022
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A Very Special Invitation
Want an opportunity to get involved with the Refuge in a unique and rewarding way? How about a chance to connect with Refuge staff, other volunteers, and feel like a real “insider"? Plus get to interact with visitors to St. Marks NWR from down the road, across the country, and all over the world! And, you get to shop—in a big way!
Well, if this sounds interesting…read on.
After 5 years as the volunteer manager of the Friends Nature Store, I’ve decided to transition to a more supportive role and help new folks assume store management. The timing seems right. Recent parking lot sales helped whittle down our inventory. Products were put in storage when the pandemic hit, leaving the store area basically empty. The new manager(s) could redesign the space and decide on new products to carry. And I’ll be there to provide training, tech support, whatever’s needed for a smooth transition.
Shopping: This is a really fun part of the job—finding unique products that relate to the Refuge in some way: nature guides; mugs and shirts depicting wildlife or our iconic lighthouse; jewelry; books to introduce children to the natural world; and so much more.
Managing Inventory: Since 2018, we’ve been using ShopKeep (a point of sale system) that lets us scan items at checkout, keeps track of inventory, and really streamlines running the store. It’s awesome!
Volunteers: These folks are the core of the operation. They love the Refuge, offer visitors lots of information in addition to ringing up their orders and are fabulous to work with.
Support for the Refuge: Most importantly, this work directly impacts Refuge programs—more than 60% of the money raised by the Friends for the Refuge comes from the Nature Store.
Consider playing a part in determining the next version of the Nature Store.
Please contact me if you (and a friend or two) might be thinking about managing the store, or if you'd like to talk more about this.
Finally (weather permitting), we’ll be holding another “Nature Store in the Parking Lot” event on Saturday, February 26 from 10-3. Come down and visit, meet the volunteers who work in the Nature Store, and support the Refuge you love!
Rita LeBlanc, Volunteer Nature Store Manager
naturestoremanager@gmail.com
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Happy Valentine's Day
There's so much to love about YOUR Refuge, not only on this day, but every day of the year. Don't be a stranger! Visit often.
Photo courtesy Phillip Pollock
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Meet the Spring Carney and VanderMeer Interns
Three new faces will be active on the Refuge over the coming spring months. It's a pleasure to introduce Olive Chen, Emma Jones, and Heather Poyner to all of our Friends.
Through the continued generosity of Friends Dr. Ed and Hilda Carney (Red-cockaded Woodpeckers and Longleaf Pines) along with Jeff VanderMeer and VanderMeer Creative (Frosted Flatwoods Salamanders), funding for the interns is made available each year. This important tie between these wonderful sponsors and our energetic and knowledgeable interns is so important to all of our wildlife and environmental Refuge initiatives. Also, a special thank you to Biological Technician Chloë Dubben who leads the way at St. Marks in supervision of intern activity
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Olive Chen (top, right) is a graduate of Bard College in New Jersey. Olive has had field experience with Painted Turtles found in the Hudon Valley, and she also has a keen interest in amphibians. She will be a great fit for our intern program. You can read her complete bio by following this link.
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Emma Jones (top, left) graduated from Tennessee Technological University. In her tenure there, she has developed strong skills in considering different approaches to conservation, research, and sustainability. She has had extensive time in the field tagging and monitoring Loggerhead Sea Turtles. You can read her complete bio by following this link.
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Heather Poyner (top, center) is a University of Virginia graduate. Heather studied biology with a concentration in environmental and biological conservation and a double minor in environmental sciences and Spanish. She has had extensive field work in the areas of data collection and herpetology. You can read her complete bio by following this link.
It is with great pleasure that the Friends welcome Olive, Emma, and Heather. Don't hesitate to say hello and welcome them if you see them working at the Refuge.
Text courtesy Phillip Pollock, Photos courtesy the interns
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2022 Spring Plan for Carney and VanderMeer Interns
Major Projects
Amphibian Habitat Monitoring and Flatwoods Salamander Recovery
The primary focus for the spring interns will be trapping wetlands for adult and larval flatwoods salamanders to determine pond occupancy and trends, raising larvae in cattle tanks to increase survival, and trapping adults along drift fences to monitor survival and dispersal. They will also learn to process and tag captured salamanders. The search for eggs and freshly-hatched larvae to be raised in tanks - a process called headstarting. Headstarting involves raising young salamanders until they are at an advanced larval stage or have undergone metamorphosis, lost their external gills, and are ready to leave the water and begin life on land. This procedure allows metamorphs from different ponds to be released at our research ponds to increase genetic diversity. They will also work closely with a USGS biological technician to collaboratively complete these projects.
Red-cockaded Woodpecker Recovery – The interns will assist with surveying RCWs across the Refuge in preparation for nesting season. They will monitor early nesting by using a camera mounted on a pole and assist in banding early season nestlings.
Bachman’s Sparrow Play-back Survey – The interns will conduct a survey of Bachman’s Sparrows by playing a recording of the sparrows' calls and documenting responses. This is part of a multi-partner project to monitor this at-risk endemic species of the Longleaf Pine ecosystem throughout the region.
Other Activities
St. Vincent Island – Olive, Emma, and Heather will also assist in the husbandry and radio telemetry tracking of the endangered Red Wolves on the island.
Otter Lake Wading Bird Roost Survey – As time permits, the interns will conduct a survey of the wading bird roosts on Otter Lake and will assist with other bird surveys.
Data Analysis – When driven indoors by weather or equipment issues, the interns will input the salamander and RCW data. They will also assist in data organization and analysis of salamander camera trap photos from the research ponds.
Text courtesy Chloë Dubben
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"Year-round Residents"
Bookmark Set 3
Now Available
Everyone knows that the Refuge abounds in all sorts of beautiful animals, and the ecosystems these animals live in are exciting to investigate as well. Of these animals, birds do tend to get a lot of attention from many visitors because they are, often, so showy, and there are lots of them to see.
Recently the Friends have capitalized on this love affair with birds. It was a wonderful surprise to us all to find that, in the fall and winter of this past year, the two sets of bird bookmarks that have been sold in the Friends Nature Store were very well-received. The bookmark sets have been inexpensive and they are attractive to both art-lovers and bibliophiles who visit the Refuge.
During the past month, artist and Board of Directors' President Phillip Pollock, again, went back to the drawing board to create a new 3rd set of bookmarks for the Store. Phillip commented on his work on the set, saying, "When I painted the eight bookmarks that went into the first two sets, I never realized at the time that the Store would sell them or that they'd be popular. That, fortunately, did become a reality. But now knowing the potential these have for us, I concentrated extra-hard on this third group of four. I wanted the colors of the birds to be truer and to give more attention to the backgrounds the birds were painted against. Given the very small size of the bookmarks, I still worked to make the birds as correct as possible".
To increase the public's interest further, this set of four is being printed actual size, and the bookmarks are being printed against a much heavier, 140# watercolor paper. Phillip said, "The printing process has also been enhanced to make this set as close to the originals as possible. Having the originals and the reproductions side-by-side, I have trouble separating the two".
You can see the completed bookmark set above. The set has been titled "Year-round Residents" because Phillip wanted to paint a group of four birds that the public could, on any given day, count on seeing, regardless of the time of year. We hope you enjoy them.
Shop on the Wild Side!
Friends of St. Marks Wildlife Refuge Nature Store
Text courtesy Friends Board of Directors president, Phillip Pollock; Photos and packaging design courtesy volunteer Nature Store Manager and Friends Board of Directors member, Rita LeBlanc
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Volunteers Completing Education Building Access Walkway
The weather in the St. Marks region is not friendly over time where building materials are concerned. Over the past two years, the walkway leading to the Education Building at the Visitor Center was a good example of weather-related deterioration.
However, under the direction of Mark (top, right) and Bonnie Gaboury (not pictured) and Refuge assistance from Jonathan Phillips (top, left), the entire walkway leading to the Education Building is nearing completion. Mark and Bonnie are Refuge volunteers who have been working on this project with Jonathan for several months. In addition, volunteers from the Community Training Works, Inc. - Young Americans Conservation Corps (right) are shown here assisting in the work. When asked how the corps volunteers assist, Mark said, "They do everything. They cut, measure, carrying lumber and supplies, plus anything we ask them. Their assistance allows us to get more done each time we schedule work, but also get it done much faster."
The Friends thank Mark, Bonnie, Jonathan, the corps volunteers, and others who are making this access walkway, not only accessible to all, but 'safe' again.
Text and photos courtesy Phillip Pollock
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Quiet Refuge Inhabitants - The Green Anole
The Green Anole (a member of the lizard family) is commonly seen at the Refuge and throughout a good part of the South and Southeast, and it is the ONLY anole native to the U.S. While numbers of these anoles have declined (perhaps due to the invasive introduction of the Brown Anole from Cuba many years ago) in recent years, they are still be sighted readily throughout the Refuge.
Though the Green Anole does have the ability to change its coloration to brown, it is not a true chameleon. When it does change color, it is most easily distinguished from the similar brown anole by green or lightly patterned brown coloration and by its pinkish throat fan.
Sightings of the Green Anole at the Refuge are driven by warmer weather, and, like this juvenile resident, is often found basking in the sun. So how do these delicate, small anoles survive the cold of North Florida? Typically, over the winter and cold periods, they hide under tree bark or in the depths of detritus at ground level. Sometimes, anoles will even group together in one location to help further protect them from the extreme colder temperatures.
As our days continue to warm up over the next weeks and months, look for these small, harmless Refuge residents.
Text and photo courtesy Phillip Pollock
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Old School - Ducks at a Distance
In 1978, the US Fish and Wildlife Service published a small pocket guide that still has relevance today. Not only does the publication provide useful and accurate identifications of waterfowl, but it also has a comparative size chart toward the back (similar to the cover) to further help in identification of ducks. This would have been helpful for birders back in the day, though I think it was probably produced primarily for a sport hunting audience. I personally recall owning a copy of this little publication years ago, and I was not a duck hunter.
But, as the author of this publication Bob Hines points out, hunters could contribute to the sport of hunting by not firing on duck species that were either protected or scarce. In addition he says (I'm sure with a smug look on his face), "knowing a mallard from a merganser has the additional side effect for gourmets who prefer a corn-fed mallard to a fish duck".
At the time of this printing, there was a point system in place for waterfowl; a lower point bird was a more common species, while a high point bird was considerably more scarce. Whoever owned this guide had carefully penned in the points ascribed to each of the ducks illustrated for future reference.
Sometimes 'old school' was a pretty good school.
Text and photo Phillip Pollock
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Don't Forget the Great Backyard Bird Count
February 18-21
The Great Backyard Bird Count is just about upon us, and the good news is that you still have plenty of time to sign-up. The GBBC is sponsored by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, the National Audubon Society, and Bird Canada.
The Great Backyard Bird Count is a wonderful way to experience the world of birds, feel the warmth of the birding community, and discover wonders in your own neighborhood. Follow this link to see how to participate in the 2022 count.
If you plan to participate, you can also view a free webinar Wednesday, Feb. 16, at 2 pm, to help you make your GBBC easier.
Text courtesy Phillip Pollock
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Photo captions: (top left) Tessa Ricker and Olive Chen with the first salamander larvae caught this season; (top center) Heather Poyner tagging an adult salamander; (top right) Ella Shively with a jawbone she pulled at St. Vincent with biologist Amanda Bessler; (near left) Emma Jones with a toad she caught at the drift fence
An All-Female Biological Team Helps Refuge Celebrate
International Women and Girls in Science Day
February 11 was celebrated as the International Day of Women and Girls in Science by St. Marks National Wildlife Refuges’ all-female biological team. In December we welcomed Ella Shively, and she was pivotal to helping our staff continue to check drift fences, camera traps, and fix traps during adult frosted flatwoods salamander migration to their breeding ponds. On January 3, Olive Chen, Emma Jones, Heather Poyner, and Tessa Ricker joined the crew. Ella and Tessa are USGS-hired technicians who assist the Refuge staff and interns monitor frosted flatwoods salamander movement and breeding success. Olive, Emma, and Heather (see their bios above in this newsletter) are spring interns hired through funds generously provided by Friends donors to aid the Frosted Flatwoods Salamander and Red-cockaded Woodpecker recovery projects.
Since their first day, these young scientists have been checking traps set along the two drift fences surrounding three of our salamander ponds to catch adults moving in and out of the breeding ponds. This season, we have caught 44 salamanders moving in and out of three ponds. The bio team has also been checking traps to catch salamander larvae to try to headstart freshly-hatched salamanders. Headstarting involves raising young salamanders until they are at an advanced larval stage or have undergone metamorphosis, lost their external gills, and are ready to leave the water and begin life on land. These salamanders are raised in tanks where they are protected from ponds drying out too early and from predation, and they are given plenty of plankton and aquatic worms (their favorite food!). We have so far caught 57 larvae in five ponds as of February 12. Our crew hopes to catch as many larvae as possible to move salamanders to new breeding ponds to increase the genetic diversity at these sites.
The crew also got to help run check stations at the public muzzleloader hunt at St. Vincent National Wildlife Refuge. Interns and technicians got the chance to help pull jaw bones to determine ages of deer, perform meat runs to pick up hunters and their deer, salvage leftover meat from deer for supplementary feeding for a new male endangered American red wolf, and track the other two Red Wolves on the island.
While trapping for larvae and adult salamanders, a bycatch (incidental catches) species has been eastern newts which are processed in very similar ways to salamanders; both species get swabbed for fungal diseases, measured, weighed, photographed, and tagged. Studying the newts we capture allows us to have an abundant amphibian indicator for disease and mercury concentration in salamander ponds. Eastern Newts, while commonplace, are also understudied, and our capture-mark-recapture study also allows us to better understand the population dynamics of this species that is a predator of flatwoods salamander larvae.
As we continue to trap, study, and recover native wildlife, our wonderful team of interns and technicians continue to learn northern Florida ecosystems and species and gain experience that will further their careers in conservation.
Donations to the Friends Group as well as the Groups' support of our internship program is crucial to continuing the level of work we are able to accomplish on the Refuge’s imperiled species. Consider making a donation now.
Text and photos courtesy Chloë Dubben
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We Encourage our Friends to SHARE!
As almost all of you know, the Friends give 100% of their support to the St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge. An important way for you increase that support is to share our message. Therefore, when you get this newsletter, we encourage you to send it on to a friend. You can share it via email or through various other social media. Here's the link to the Friends Newsletter page. Scroll to the "current" entry and copy the link.
Phillip Pollock
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Bird Reports Assist Visitors
Don Morrow and Matt Johnstone, St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge volunteers and expert birders, lead in-depth bird tours at the Refuge frequently throughout the year. Their tours are currently on hold until the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service deems it is safe for groups to gather. However, both Don and Matt keep us up-to-date on what we can see from week-to-week. To see what THEY see, so that YOU can as well, check out their sightings on our website.
Photo and text, Phillip Pollock
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Refuge COVID-19 Virus Update
As most of you are undoubtedly aware, the concerns about COVID-19 have changed almost all of our day-to-day activities that we normally take for granted. Therefore, for the foreseeable future, there are no tours, classes or other events scheduled at the Refuge.
Visitors are NOT allowed access to the Visitor Center at this time. However, at the VC parking area, a phone number is posted to call (850-925-6121) regarding entrance fees and passes. A staff person will then meet you at the VC ramp entrance to assist. For any payments, we suggest credit card use to avoid contact with cash.
Restrooms at the VC are therefore not open as well. However, the Mounds' restrooms are still open, and there is a portalet in the VC parking lot as well as at the salt water boat ramp. Thank you.
For a more complete Refuge report and to stay updated about the federal government message about activities at the Refuge, please visit the Refuge Public Health Update. |
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Have you considered including the Refuge in your will? We would appreciate hearing from you if so. The Friends of St. Marks Wildlife Refuge can provide information and guide you through the process. Just call the Refuge at 850-925-6121, and ask to be contacted by the Friends' Development Committee, or email us. |
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Reflections newsletter is a benefit of membership for Friends of St. Marks Wildlife Refuge.
It also serves as an important supplement to
Both the newsletter and the web site provide members and the public information about volunteer activities and events at the Refuge.
Reflections editor: Phillip M. Pollock
Reflections Editor, Phillip M. Pollock
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