Projects and Research
The refuge is involved in several ongoing projects including manatee protection, monthly manatee counts, manatee health assessments, and the coordination of manatee rescues and releases with Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. The refuge also provides visitor services, completes bird surveys, and partners with local organizations to restore Kings Bay habitat.
The cisco (Coregonus artedi) and the bloater (Coregonus hoyi) both played critical roles in the trophic dynamics of the Great Lakes. They were the primary native prey species for top predator fish such as the lake trout. By the 1950’s, however, overfishing and competition with non-native, plankton-eating prey fish (alewife) caused the collapse of these native prey species, and subsequently...
Up to 46 percent of the plants and animals federally listed as endangered species have been negatively impacted by invasive species (Wilcove, et al. 1998, National Invasive Species Council 2001). Refuges in the North Atlantic Appalachian Region initiated an effort to systematically identify, locate, and map invasive plant species occurring on refuge lands leading to an effective...