Giving Days: How to help the Pelican Island Audubon Society help the Indian River Lagoon
It was 1961 and a dredge-and-fill housing project was proposed along the Indian River Lagoon near Pelican Island, the nation's first national wildlife refuge established in 1903 by then President Theodore Roosevelt. A group of citrus growers, commercial fishermen, sportsmen and concerned citizens fought against it and expanded the refuge's boundaries.
It was the first action by an organization that would soon become the Pelican Island Audubon Society in Vero Beach. The nonprofit has helped preserve land and educate residents and visitors in Indian River County for six decades. It won the Florida Audubon Society's coveted Best Chapter award again in 2023.
While a scrub jay is not exactly a lagoon animal, it is the only species of bird found exclusively in Florida. Students at Pelican Island Elementary School in Sebastian and members of the Pelican Island Audubon Society chapter have worked together to preserve Florida scrub jay habitat at the Martha Wininger Reflection Park adjacent to the school,
"Habitat loss continues to be the greatest threat to Florida scrub jays. The high, dry habitats that scrub jays depend on are being rapidly converted for human use; however, the property at Wininger Park is preserved," nonprofit board Chair Richard Baker said. "The high uplands of the scrub are an important component of the entire watershed. The development and paving over of scrub has undoubtedly led to multiple problems for the lagoon."
The scrub’s porous sandy soil filters rainwater as it recharges groundwater. The nonprofit wants to complete park renovations by adding educational signs to the trail and replacing the last of the old split rail fencing, which will make a better and more accessible scrub jay site.
How to help
Wish: Buy educational signs and complete the replacement of an old split-rail fence
Cost: $20,000
How to donate: PelicanIslandAudubon.org or call 772-567-3520 or mail checks payable to Pelican Island Audubon Society at P.O. Box 1833, Vero Beach, FL 32961.
About this series
Treasure Coast nonprofits that research, protect, restore and advocate for clean water and a healthy environment need more than holiday cheer to continue their missions. Find out what they need and how you can help them, as TCPalm.com highlights a different organization each day from Nov. 27-Dec. 1 and Dec. 4-8.
Nov. 27: Environmental Learning Center
Nov. 28: Florida Oceanographic Society
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Giving Days: How to help the Pelican Island Audubon Society in Vero
