FRIENDS MATTER. Celebrating Celery Fields. Friends of the Tampa Bay National Wildlife Refuges

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1 FRIENDS MATTER Celebrating Celery Fields Photo by Dave Howard Did you know that Sarasota County s primary storm-water management area is also a very important bird sanctuary managed by the Florida Audubon Society? About 20 Friends members and guests carpooled there March 17 th to learn about this vital habitat restoration project and view some of the many bird species that can be seen from the boardwalks and trails that wind through the 360 acre marsh. Before 1920 the Celery Fields area was a rich muckland known as either Big Camp Saw Grass or Tatum Saw Grass that was drained and channelized to create 8,000 acres of agricultural fields. Wetlands attract many species of wading birds. Taking flight in the above photo are White Ibis, Glossy Ibis, Roseate Spoonbills, and a Tri-color Heron Although varying vegetables were planted, by 1927, most weren t successful and Friends of the Tampa Bay National Wildlife Refuges

2 celery became the crop of choice. The celery farms continued to produce until the property was acquired by the county in 1995 in an effort to improve stormwater management. After acquiring the property, Sarasota County began an ambitious restoration project to isolate the ground contamination created by decades of agricultural chemicals and provide flood mitigation. As a key element of the restoration, the county worked with Sarasota Audubon to restore 100+ acres in the southern cells into a more traditional wetland. The county also constructed two boardwalks to provide excellent opportunities for wildlife watching. Two-hundred seventeen species of birds have been recorded at the Celery Fields. On our trip, Friends spotted many of the area s abundant birds, including Sandhill Cranes, Limpkin, Purple Gallinules, Roseate Spoonbills, Blue Winged Teal, White and Glossy Ibis, and many varieties of egrets and herons. We caught terrific views of Hooded Mergansers in breeding plumage, a nesting Common Gallinule and a Bald Eagle. After working up an appetite birding, visiting the Audubon Center, and hiking up the Celery Fields hill that is made of dredge spoil from the wetlands restoration, our group headed to the weird and wonderful Linger Lodge in Bradenton to soak up some Old Florida atmosphere. The jambalaya was fantastic and the taxidermy display is extensive at this off the road side attraction established in Many thanks to Emma Mason and Bobbi Grant for their help in planning and leading this fun expedition! Photo by Dave Howard A beautiful wading bird, the Limpkins, see one pictured above, have an unusual loud wailing call, kkrraaow, mainly at night. They eat apple snails (and other freshwater snails), crustaceans, insects, and frogs. Friends field trips ALWAYS are interesting, informative, and fun! Each year we plan two trips to natural areas in Florida (and sometimes in Georgia). All members are welcome to participate. Be sure and watch your s for notices of future trips they typically sell out super fast! Friends of the Tampa Bay National Wildlife Refuges

3 Meet Stan It is official. The Friends of the Tampa Bay NWR s is pleased to report that we have a dedicated visitor services manager, Stan Garner. We couldn t be happier! Since the fall of 2013, Stan has served as the Refuge liaison for our Friends group in addition to his full time job as Federal Wildlife Office for the Central Florida Zone. Previous to his job as zone officer, Stan was the Refuge law enforcement (LE) officer for the Tampa Bay, Crystal River, and Chassahowitzka NWR s. He was often around the Tampa Bay Refuges, frequently working closely with managers and the Friends group. His love of the Refuges shows and he is happy to be starting this new adventure as its manager. He will also be our LE, which comes in very handy on the Refuges during nesting season. Smile, You re on Amazon. Please help us raise funds for the support of the Refuges and the Friends programs by shopping at and choosing Friends of the Tampa Bay National Wildlife Refuges. AmazonSmile donates 0.5% of your eligible purchases to Friends of the Tampa Bay National Wildlife Refuges each time you shop. Signing up for AmazonSmile is easy. You can sign in to AmazonSmile through this link, smile.amazon.com/ch/ , which takes you directly to a link that will designate Friends as your charity. Bookmark the page in your browser, and you ll go directly to the site without having to think about it. If for some reason you run into problems going directly to our sign-on page, type in and search the charities for Friends of the Tampa Bay National Wildlife Refuges. AmazonSmile is the same Amazon you know. Same products, same prices, and same service. But, you MUST DESIGNATE FRIENDS for our organization to benefit. Questions? us at. Friends of the Tampa Bay National Wildlife Refuges

4 Tampa Bay Refuges Welcomes Guests From the US State Department and Malaysian Wildlife Organization On April 18, 2017, the U.S. Department of State hosted a Malaysian contingent of the Sabah Wildlife Department s Wildlife Rescue Unit from the World Partnership Organization to the Tampa Bay National Wildlife Refuges (Egmont Key, Passage Key, and Pinellas National Wildlife Refuges). Sabah is a Malaysian state in the northern part of the island of Borneo. It's famed for its 4,095m-tall Mount Kinabalu and is also known for its beaches, rainforest, coral reefs, and abundant wildlife, much of it within parks and reserves. What you may not have known, is that Sabah is also a large producer of palm oil which, sadly has led, in combination with urban sprawl and poaching, to significant declines of native charismatic creatures, including the Bornean Elephant, Crocodiles, Orangutans, and the Sun Bear. The State Department, which promotes partnerships and sharing knowledge and solutions, led the visitors, who were interested in natural resource management and protection, to our area. Staff from the Crystal River NWR headquarters accompanied the group, answering questions related to the management of Tampa Bay s Refuges most of which were related to interaction with the public. The Sabah Wildlife Department guests also shared information on their natural resource protection efforts, with issues that are different in some ways, but much the same in others. One very clear message was that products that contain palm oil as an ingredient ultimately lead to deforestation. Our solution: choose another product. If you d like to learn more about a wildlife rescue program that the country has enacted in Sabah, go to _The_Role_Of_The_Malaysian_Oil_Palm_Industry_In_Wildlife_Conservation_in_Sabah_Th e_wildlife_rescue_unit_as_a_case_study.pdf. Friends of the Tampa Bay National Wildlife Refuges

5 Calendar of Events Months Dates Event Times Details May May 27, 28, 29 June June 17 Egmont Key Bird Sanctuary Boat Tour 5-8PM Boat transportation provided Join us to view more than 100,000 birds on the south end of Egmont Key. Members: $25. Non-Members Pay Additional. June 3, 4, 10, 11, 17, 18, 24, 25 Boat transportation provided. June 11 Pinellas Bird Survey Contact Barb Howard at or June 14 Ales & Wild Tales Educational Programs 6PM The Ale & Witch, nd Ave NE, St Petersburg in the courtyard. July July 8, 9 Shark Con Volunteer (free to volunteers) or stop by and say Hi. This is an indoor event at the Florida Fair Grounds with an admission charge. July 11 Pinellas Bird Survey Contact Barb Howard at or July 1,2,3,4,8,9,15, 16,22,23,29,30 Volunteers NEEDED. Transportation provided. Contact Barb Howard at or August August 23 Pinellas Bird Survey Contact Barb Howard at or August 5,6,12,13,19,20, 26,27 Volunteers NEEDED. Transportation provided. Contact Barb Howard at or September September 2,3,4 Volunteers NEEDED. Transportation provided. Contact Barb Howard at or September 26 Clean-Up: Audubon Miller Island TBD Contact Barb Howard at or October October Florida Birding and Nature Festival October 21 Marine Quest 10AM - 4PM Volunteers Needed. Hillsborough Community College, South Shore Campus, th Street NE, Ruskin Volunteers Needed. FWC Fish and Wildlife Research Institute, 100 Eighth Avenue SE, St. Petersburg, Friends of the Tampa Bay National Wildlife Refuges

6 Adopt a Nest: Join the Egmont Key Sea Turtle Survival Program Friends of Tampa Bay National Wildlife Refuges PO Box St Petersburg, FL A 501c3 Florida Non-Profit Corporation All donations are tax dedcutible. Why Should I Adopt a Nest? Because beach erosion and sea level rise create constant threats to nesting habitats, sea turtle nests need to be protected and monitored. By adopting a nest, you support educational programing and the Eckerd College interns who will protect, monitor, and collect nesting data during the nesting season. Did You Know That Sea turtles can live for years. Adult females lay 100 eggs per nest and up to 8 nests per season. Only 1 out of a 1,000 hatchlings may survive to adult size. Adopt a Nest For You or a Loved One: Only $100. Here s How it Works! Donate by check or go to: 1. Click on DONATE in far left column. 2. Complete the requested information. We accept major credit cards and PayPal. 3. Complete the Adoption Form on the back of this flyer and mail or to us at:. 4. Upon our receipt of your completed Adoption Form, we will send you an Adoption Certificate suitable for framing and place a wooden turtle plaque honoring you or your loved one, in the Egmont Key Guardhouse s Turtle Room. 5. When the nest hatches, we will mail you your turtle plaque that will include all of the nesting and hatching details.