Emerald Coast Wildlife Refuge (ECWR) has been rescuing and rehabilitating wildlife in the Florida Panhandle for more than 15 years. Caring for a variety of wildlife found sick, injured or abandoned, ECWR has taken in everything from an injured osprey to orphaned beavers to abandoned exotic pets.
ECWR recently relocated to Santa Rosa Blvd. on Okaloosa Island from its formerly cramped quarters in Destin. The new 4,000 sq. ft. facility is four times the size of their previous location. The staff has also been increased now that the facility has growing room.
“We brought in more than 57 raccoons this year alone,” assistant director Patrick Gault, said.
ECWR has 17 ambassador animals and birds that are permanent residents at the facility. The ambassadors are wildlife that, for various health reasons, can no longer be reintroduced into the wild. These ambassadors serve as educational diplomats during educational presentations ECWR offers to the public. Read More…
Jarhead and a sibling elude biologists trying to capture it. Photo courtesy FWC
Black bear cub in Marion County recovers from sticky situation
It took 10 days for Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) biologists to catch a black bear cub in Marion County that was days away from death. They were ultimately successful, but it took extraordinary efforts from both FWC employees and local residents working together.
The 6-month-old cub, its two siblings and mother were regular visitors to unsecured trash containers in a small community near Weirsdale, in the Ocala National Forest. One day in late July, FWC dispatch got a call from one of the residents concerned about a cub running around with a clear, industrial-size plastic jar stuck on its head. The jar made it almost impossible for the cub to eat or drink.
The FWC’s Mike Orlando, Brian Scheick and Cathy Connolly, and Mike Connolly, a bear-response agent for the agency, knew that if they didn’t catch the cub, affectionately dubbed “Jarhead,” it would die, so they developed a plan to trap it.
“It was a lot easier said than done,” Orlando said. “The residents were really great about calling us when they saw the bears, but it seemed like we were always about 20 minutes behind.” Read More…
This young fawn rests comfortably and protected under branches along the Florida Trail near Alaqua. Photo courtesy Nonie Maines, http://www.noniesark.com/
Rescues may do more harm than good
This time of year, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) begins getting calls about “abandoned” baby wild animals that well-meaning people believe are in need of rescue. These rescues are unnecessary, and they actually may do more harm than good.
After giving birth, adult wildlife must forage to provide food for themselves and their young. That requires the adult animals to leave their newborns for short periods. The little one may look like it’s been abandoned, but that seldom is the case.
Common targets of unnecessary rescues are baby deer, temporarily left in a safe place while their mothers feed nearby.
“In most cases, it is absolutely not in the fawn’s best interest to try and rescue it,” said Allan Hallman, wildlife biologist at the FWC’s Camp Blanding field office.
Hallman says what typically happens is someone discovers a young deer waiting for its mother. Often, people stumble onto fawns in palmetto patches or in recently burned areas, where a doe has placed her new offspring for protection. These settings tend to help mask the fawn’s scent, thus providing good protection from the keen nose of a predator. Read More…
Learn about safety and living in harmony with black bears
On Sunday, Aug. 22, from 3:30 – 5 p.m., Northwest Florida State College and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission will be hosting “Living in Bear Country.”
Location: Northwest Florida State College, Ft. Walton Beach campus.1170 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Fort Walton Beach, – In auditorium (Bldg.8)
Alan Knothe, Wildlife Assistance Biologist for the Northwest Region for FWC, will teach about bear safety and management. There are benefits to living in harmony with bears. Natural areas that support bears are home to many other animal species. Learn all about bears and the best ways to prevent them from becoming a nuisance on your property. These same steps help to prevent other animals from becoming problems. FWC’s new 15 min. DVD “Living with Florida Black Bears” will also be shown.
The talk is FREE and open to the public. For more information contact Alan at (850) 265-3676
A look at the dedicated volunteers that nurse injured wildlife back to health
Ever wonder what to do if you found an injured bird, turtle or squirrel? As we edge closer to spring, this could be the case, as sometimes young are found abandoned, or a baby bird has fallen from a nest.
It is comforting to know that there is help available, and there are two groups in the Walton area that are able to nurse the animal back to health.
Wildlife Rehabilitators Partnership of Northwest Florida is a full-time volunteer organization that has been rehabilitating injured wildlife in the Niceville area since 2005.
Founding members Lisa Miller and Kim Henderson operate an all-volunteer network of animal rehabilitators, and are certified by State of Florida and U.S. Fish and Wildlife to handle rehabilitation of animals.
Miller harbors many of the injured or abandoned wildlife at her home, which a large portion of, been converted into a sanctuary.
“We have the ability to watch over the animals 24/7,” Miller explained.
“Our mission to rehabilitate and release. The animals that are not able to be released, we incorporate into our educational program.” Miller continued.
The group gives interactive presentations about wildlife to groups as a service to the community.
Wildlife Rehabilitators can be reached at 850.678.6584 or 850.974.6584, or 850.729.0197.
For more information about Wildlife Rehabilitators, go to: http://wildliferehabilitatorspartnership.com/
I visited with the Lisa Miller and her partners at a recent event. Below is a portion of one of their demonstrations:
Emerald Coast Wildlife Refuge (ECWR) is another facility to call if you are in need of assistance. For more than 14 years, the ECWR has cared for a variety of wildlife – from stranded dolphins to injured eagles, to orphaned foxes.
Patrick Gault with a barred owl.
Supported mostly through the donations of local residents and businesses, the ECWR is also involved in education, conservation and rehabilitation of natural fauna.
The ECWR is located on Okaloosa Island at 105 Santa Rosa Blvd
Fort Walton Beach, FL 32548. To contact ECWR, call 850.650.1880, or visit their website at www.ecwildliferefuge.com
I took a visit over to the refuge and met with Patrick Gault, the assistant director of the refuge. Gault and two volunteers, Lisa Werenskjold and Paul Brachcolmb showed me some of the residents and guests at the refuge.
Boating along adjacent waterways provide a for laid back day up the creek
Cypress and juniper trees along with saw palmetto line the banks of the Mitchell River.
Accessible from either the Choctawhatchee Bay or one of several boat ramps off of CR 3280 such as Black Creek Lodge, Black Creek and the Mitchell River are two waterways that offer the perfect opportunity to explore nature, fish or bird watch.
An osprey perched on top of a dead cypress tree.
Cypress and juniper trees hang lazily over the water, and the tall cypress provides the perfect perch for wetland raptors such as osprey and swallow-tailed kites. They are often seen scanning the water from above looking for their next meal.
A large variety of flowers bloom along the banks during the spring and summer, and include such species as spider lilies, pickerelweed, water lilies and trumpet creepers.
Makeshift campsites scattered along the raised banks of the Mitchell River provide the perfect spot to picnic or camp. Over they years, locals have built shelters and barbecue areas, making these locations great places to pull your boat up and picnic or camp overnight. Read More…
Sea turtle eggs removed from a nest on the Fort Morgan Peninsula of the Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge on June 27, 2010. The nest was the tenth found in the area this year and contained 114 eggs. Photo courtesy U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service by Bonnie Strawser.
Sea turtle hatchlings will get a chance for survival on Florida’s east coast
Sea turtle hatchlings face great challenges when they crawl to the water, swim offshore, and begin their lives in the ocean. They face many dangerous obstacles, both on the beach and in the water – some natural, some because of man – that make survival difficult.
This summer, the hatchlings of these threatened and endangered species emerging from nests on Northwest Florida beaches would face an additional, likely insurmountable obstacle in the form of large amounts of oil from the continuing Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
Oil products could cause problems for hatchlings on the beach, but the highest degree of danger lies in the ocean currents that determine where these young sea turtles go. They are the same currents that determine where the floating oil goes, which would constantly bring the young turtles to the floating oil. Read More…
A barred owl perched along the Chipola River. Lori Ceier/Walton Outdoors
Learn about the fascinating critters that live in our area
Location: Topsail Hill Preserve State Park on Scenic Road 30A, Santa Rosa Beach
June 26 at 11:30 a.m.
Come and join the Emerald Coast Wildlife Refuge as they present their rehabilitated wildlife for your viewing pleasure. Learn about the fascinating critters that are right here in the park and in Okaloosa and Walton County as they teach you what they eat, where they live and how they survive in the wild.
$6.00 entry admission per vehicle into the park. Outside tours canceled during severe weather. Call 267-8330 for more information.
Outside tours canceled during severe weather ::MAP::
Driving down the sloping gravel road, I felt the temperature drop slightly, and soon noticed the changes in the flora as I ventured into the swamp forest of the Choctawhatchee River Basin.
About 1.7 miles down, I felt a bit like Alice in Wonderland as she tumbled down the rabbit hole.
I finally arrived at the end of the road to Lost Lake; an oxbow-shaped lake filled with old-growth cypress trees and murky calm water. So quiet and peaceful, this place appeared frozen in time.
I felt I was intruding on Mother Nature’s artistry… an exemplary example of a swamp river forest, with the only interruption to this peaceful calm were water bugs, as they skated across the surface of the lake. Read More…
Knowledge is power when sharing the outdoors with these interesting reptiles
Florida has an abundance of wildlife, including a wide variety of reptiles. Snakes, and their cousins the alligators, crocodiles, turtles and lizards, play an interesting and vital role in Florida’s complex ecology.
Many people have an uncontrollable fear of snakes. Perhaps because man is an animal who stands upright, he has developed a deep-rooted aversion to all crawling creatures. And, too, snakes long have been use in folklore to symbolize falseness and evil. The ill- starred idea has no doubt colored human feelings regarding snakes. Read More…
