St. Vincent National Wildlife Refuge

St. Vincent National Wildlife Refuge

Description St. Vincent National Wildlife Refuge encompasses all of St. Vincent Island, a 12,358-acre undeveloped barrier island located just offshore from the mouth of the Apalachicola River in Franklin and Gulf Counties and 22 miles southwest of Apalachicola, FL. Four miles wide at the east end and nine miles long, this triangular island is larger and wider than most of the northern Gulf Coast barrier islands. The interdune areas vary from freshwater lakes and sloughs on the east end to dry upland pine forests on the western end of the island.

Type 2 habitat can be found along the 14 miles of beaches along the south and east shores of St. Vincent Island. Type 1 habitat occurs at the three corners of St. Vincent Island: St. Vincent Point in the northeastern corner; the southern beaches along West Pass; the point at Indian Pass in the northwestern corner, which is permanently closed year round for nesting and wintering birds. Type 1 habitat is also located along the exposed mudflats of Sheepshead Bayou, a shallow tidal flat area in northeastern St. Vincent Island with some shell substrate. Oyster Pond is a 112-acre lake located at the south end of the island. The water levels of Oyster Pond are allowed to fluctuate naturally, so when the water level is low, mudflats are exposed and extensively used by shorebirds. Lakes 1-5 are located to the east of Oyster Pond, and the lakes are linked by a canal but managed as two separate impoundments. Lakes 1-3 are managed for migratory shorebirds, and the refuge attempts to manage the water levels to coincide with migration. The lack of pumping capabilities makes water level management difficult when competing with the tides. Lakes 4 and 5 are managed as a freshwater impoundment for fisheries, so the water level remains at a high level and receives little shorebird use.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service owns St. Vincent NWR, which is only accessible by boat. A public boat ramp is located at the terminus of Florida Road C30B at Indian Pass. Oyster Pond can be reached by entering the pond’s outlet channel on the island’s southern shoreline three miles west of West Pass. Oyster Pond may be difficult to access if the water level is low. The Outlet Channel near West Pass may be used for access to Lakes 1-5. The St. Vincent Creek structure may be open and low water levels may make the lakes difficult to access difficult during that time period. The point at Indian Pass cannot be accessed directly but can be viewed successfully from the opposite side of Indian Pass on Indian Peninsula.

Barbara Stedman surveys the beaches in May for nesting birds and simultaneously conducts an ISS survey. Tom Lewis and a skilled volunteer have surveyed the impoundments for waterbirds since 1993 usually once every month year round, and since 1992 they have conducted intermittent shorebird surveys along the beach. They also do nesting and fall shorebird surveys every year with emphasis on listed species. The most numerous species based on maximum counts from the International Shorebird Surveys are: BBPL (42), AMOY (37), WILL (115), RUTU (29), REKN (75), SAND (68), SESA (40).

St. Vincent NWR will issue a special use permit if PRISM sends an abstract proposal for conducting shorebird migration surveys at the refuge. St. Vincent NWR will work with us to provide the transportation necessary to conduct the surveys.

Survey Method: Survey the beaches using an ATV or 4WD vehicle shortly after or before high tide when the shorebirds that forage on the flats will go further inland to roost on the beach. The shorebirds will be too spread out at low tide. Survey the point at Indian Pass from Indian Peninsula. Sheepshead Bayou should be surveyed at low tide when the mud flats are exposed. Drive to the nearest point of the bayou, and then walk about one-eighth of a mile to the bayou to an oyster shell spit in Apalachicola Bay, which provides a good view of the bayou. Survey the impoundments by boat at the time of day that is best to see shorebirds because tidal influence is insignificant. Visibility is excellent with a spotting scope at most of these sites.

Selection Bias: Big Bayou has potential Type 1 habitat, but is very difficult to access due to extremely shallow water at low tide when the mudflats are exposed and the shorebirds feed. The shorebirds are not present during high tide.

Measurement error: *

Measurement bias: *

Pilot Studies: A method for surveying Big Bayou at low tide should be determined. The area is difficult to access even in an airboat at low tide, so an aerial survey may be the best option for an initial survey of Big Bayou. Several lakes located in southern St. Vincent Island are also potential shorebird habitat when the conditions favor lower water levels.

Local Contacts: Tom Lewis, Biologist, St. Vincent NWR