FRIENDS MATTER - Friends of the Tampa Bay ...
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Spring 2021
Friends of the Tampa Bay National Wildlife Refuges, Inc.
FRIENDS MATTER
President’s Message
Barb Howard
As more folks are getting their COVID vaccinations, we are hoping to hear from USFWS that we
can start all our volunteering activities as groups again. The Egmont Key Guardhouse has been
closed for over a year now and no one has been able to see the beautiful exhibits and learn about
the Refuge.
Friends is signing up to exhibit at great festivals this year. In the works are Shark Con August 7-8
and the FL Birding and Nature Festival, October 14-17. As more environmental and community
organizers begin marketing their events we will be signing up. Hopefully COVID will be in the
rear view mirror. Festivals offer important outreach opportunities for us to inform folks about
our Tampa Bay Refuges as well as the National Wildlife Refuge System. We also bring a
collection of Florida native animal skulls to teach kids of all ages about our wildlife.
Friends has contracted with Jenn Brown from Into Nature Films to create a video that will tell the
story of the Tampa Bay Refuges. Jenn comes to us highly recommended by the Friends of
Weedon Island, which produced Gulf Islanders: the Story of Weedon Island. Her clients also include
the National Park Service, Archbold Biological Station, and Loxahatchee NWR.
With her unique and fresh perspective, Jenn creates artistic nature conservation films that
encompass the ecosystems and historical character of her subjects. She has been busy filming the
wildlife and historic sites on Egmont key and the Pinellas Refuges, including snorkeling next to
the ruins on the southwest corner of Egmont where she filmed the wonderful sea life making a
home there. Our target completion date for our video is the fall of 2021.
If you have friends or family who love nature tell them about Friends of the Tampa Bay NWRs,
they might want to join us. Or, give them a membership as a gift. Our numbers speak volumes
when we advocate for the refuges from local to federal government issues that would affect our
wildlife.
Thank you for supporting the Tampa Bay National Wildlife Refuges through education,
advocacy, volunteering, and financial support!
© 2019 Friends of the Tampa Bay National Wildlife Refuges, Inc. 1
Spring 2021
Friends of the Tampa Bay National Wildlife Refuges, Inc.
Managing a refuge island as
popular as Egmont is no easy
task, as everything comes and
goes via a 30 minute boat ride.
We’ve not had the use of our
boat slip and lift on Egmont
since the dock was destroyed
byTropical Storm Eta. We hope
to have that back in use soon.
Staff and volunteers still found
a way to transport materials
and equipment back and forth
for repairs and to prepare for
spring and summer nesting
season. Boat repair is never
ending, but luckily we have
volunteers that love to fix
things. A thank you to Dave
Howard for keeping things up
and running!
Volunteers and staff also
updated all the signs, both big
and small, on the seven Pinellas
NWR islands. The signs
provide important island
information and help to control access. Egmont and Passage Key always need sign work – the summer
storms take their toll.
Photos: 1 .Jenn Brown of Into Nature Films, filming wildlife on the Pinellas Refuge, 2.Rick Powell salvaging a
storm ravaged sign on Passage Key, 3.Edie Stone rescuing and releasing a struggling Magnificent Frigatebird
at Jackass Key, 4.Barb Howard counting birds in the Pinellas Refuge islands, 5.Mark Dietrich installing new
signs on the Pinellas Refuge islands, 6.Moving golf carts slated for repair off of Egmont Key, 7. A new fabric
sign test panel on Egmont Key, 8. Dave Kandz – boat repair, boat repair, and more boat repair while Dave
Howard organized the project standing below, and 9. Pat Mundus digging for buried sign treasure on Passage
Key.
CORRECTION: In the last issue of Friends Matter (Winter 2121) we included a photo of who we thought was Fred Schultz, Tampa
Bay Wildlife Sanctuaries Game Warden from 1934-1963. The photo was actually of Dr. Herbert R. Mills and Harry Mingo.
© 2019 Friends of the Tampa Bay National Wildlife Refuges, Inc. 2
Spring 2021
Friends of the Tampa Bay National Wildlife Refuges, Inc.
Egmont Key
Bird
Sanctuary
Tour by boat
with
Friends of the
Tampa Bay
National Wildlife
Refuges
Friday June 11 and Saturday June 12, 2021, 5-8pm
June 12th is sold out but we have openings on June 11. If you can only do the trip on Saturday please
let me know since a few participants are flexible on their dates.
Reservations and prepayment required. Arrive at the Bay Pier at Ft DeSoto no later than 4:30pm to
get checked in. The ferry will be at a lower capacity to increase social distancing between families.
Join Friends for its eighth annual (well, except we had to skip 2020) tour of the Egmont Key Bird
Sanctuary with a stop at the Ft Dade ruins, Lighthouse and, hopefully, a Black Skimmer colony.
The Egmont Key Ferry will take us around the south tip of Egmont Key to view where we usually
see 30,000+ pairs of birds nesting. These areas are not accessible by foot and can only be seen by visitors
with boats. The chicks from our Laughing gulls, Royal terns, and Sandwich terns should be exploring
on the beaches. It is quite the spectacle. Brown pelicans, White ibis, Mottled ducks, and American
oystercatchers also nest on Egmont and we may see their precious chicks as well.
Space is limited and this event sells out quickly
Send your reservation to TampaBayRefuges@msn.com You will get payment instructions once your
reservation is confirmed.
Cost:
Members of Friends of the Tampa Bay NWR: $30 each
Individual Guests/ Non-Members: $45 each. Includes a 1-year individual membership.
Family of 2 guests or non-members: $85. Includes a 1-year family membership. Additional family members,
add $30 each. Questions: call Barb Howard at 727 512-4914 or email TampaBayRefuges@msn.com
© 2019 Friends of the Tampa Bay National Wildlife Refuges, Inc. 3
Spring 2021
Friends of the Tampa Bay National Wildlife Refuges, Inc.
Notes from Egmont Key
Spring break seemed like it would never end. It was busy, then busier, on Egmont Key! In early
March, the ferry brought over 300 passengers to the island on just one weekend, in addition to all the
other ferry operators and private boats! The action has settled down now as we move into summer.
In May, Sea turtle nesting began. A Bald eagle was at Egmont hunting and an Osprey pair continued
to chase it away. In April State Park staff counted 18 osprey nests, all of them on eggs.
Osprey prefer to eat fish unless supply is short, but eagles eat fish as well as, mammals, birds, and
carrion. The tenacious osprey pair continued to protect their nest and the eagle finally got the
message and left. There should be chicks by the time this newsletter is out and, possibly, some will
have fledged.
There have been many box turtle sightings
along with one newborn this spring.
They’re not always easy to find so we’re
confident that there are more. With no
predators on Egmont except for possibly a
few snakes, the population is doing well.
The gopher tortoises have been very active
as well.
Thanks to Nancy Whitford for keeping us
informed on the sea turtle nesting progress
and the photo to the left. We are hoping for
a calm summer with no big storms or high
tides, giving our baby turtles a better
chance to be successful. When salt water
inundates a nest, the eggs are damaged and the turtles do not hatch.
We offer symbolic adoptions of Egmont Key sea turtle nests each year. See the announcement in this
newsletter for details – the plaques with all your nest statistics are adorable!
Many birds of all species have already come to Egmont on their spring migration and will continue
arriving this month. We have seen lots of birders on the trails. The south-end sanctuary is hosting its
usual Laughing gulls, Royal and Sandwich terns, American oystercatchers, Brown pelicans, White
ibis, Willets, and more. If you love birds be sure to sign up for the Egmont Key Sanctuary tour. In
addition to viewing the nesting sites from our ferry transportation, we take a short hike in the
interior of the island to view some of the ruins as well as a west beach tour of nesting Black
Skimmers.
If you want a guided tour at Egmont during the fall migrant season, the Florida Birding and Nature
Festival offers a field trip. The festival runs from October 14 – 17, 2021 and is being held at the
TECO Manatee Center. Tickets will be available soon at www.FloridaBirdingAndNatureFestival.org
© 2019 Friends of the Tampa Bay National Wildlife Refuges, Inc. 4
Adopt a Nest: Egmont Key
Sea Turtle Survival Program
FRIENDS OF THE TAMPA BAY
NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGES
PO Box 40782
St. Petersburg, FL 33743-0782
Friends@TampaBayRefuges.org
A 501c3 Florida Non-Profit Corporation
Why Should I Adopt a Nest? Did you Know That…
Because beach erosion and sea level rise create • Sea turtles can live for 80 - 100 years.
constant threats to nesting habitats, sea turtle nests • Adult females lay 100 eggs per nest and up to 8
need to be protected and monitored. By adopting a nests per season.
nest, you also support educational materials, • Only 1 out of a 1,000 hatchlings may survive to
displays, programs, nourishment, and advocacy to adult size
further protect Egmont Key turtles.
Adopt a Nest for You or a Loved One. Only $100. Here’s How:
Donate by check or go to: flyer and either mail or plaque honoring you or
www.TampaBayRefuges.org email to us at: your loved one, in the
1. Click on DONATE in far left Friends@TampaBay Egmont Key Guardhouse’s
column. Refuges.org. Turtle room.
2. Complete the requested 4. Upon our receipt of your 5. When the nest hatches, we
information. We accept completed Adoption Form, will mail you your turtle
major credit cards and we will send you an plaque that will include all
PayPal. Adoption Certificate of the nesting and hatching
3. Complete the Adoption suitable for framing and details.
Form on the back of this place a wooden turtleYou can also read
