Archie Carr Refuge Receives Highest Rankings Yet on State and Federal Land Priority Lists
By David Godfrey
When it comes to deciding how limited state and federal
funds will be spent to purchase environmentally sensitive land, both governments
rely on ranking systems that prioritize land acquisition projects based
on their ecological importance. At the federal level, projects ranked highest
in the Land and Water Conservation Fund Priority List (LWCF) receive the
most funding through the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. In Florida, the
Conservation and Recreational Lands Priority List (CARL) dictates where
limited state dollars will be spent.
Both the LWCF and CARL lists have ranked the Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge since it was  established
as a state and federal land acquisition project in 1990. Not until this
year, however, did the Carr Refuge rank among the top two (out of over
one hundred ranked projects) on both priority lists. Late last year, new
CARL and LWCF lists were developed that set spending priorities for the
1997 and 1998 fiscal years, respectively. The Archie Carr Refuge, a globally
important nesting ground for sea turtles that is located on the central
east coast of Florida, was ranked number two on both lists. These high
rankings speak to the ecological value of the region, and they are likely
to mean greater levels of state and federal spending for land acquisition.
Ever since the Carr Refuge was established, CCC and its
Sea Turtle Survival League program (STSL) have worked to raise awareness
about the importance of the refuge. The STSL, along with organizations
such as the Nature Conservancy and the Center for Marine Conservation,
have focused on convincing state and federal decision-makers that the Carr
Refuge should receive the highest possible priority ranking. Members of
these organizations, such as yourself, have been instrumental in sending
letters in support of the project. STSL Program Director David Godfrey
has also met personally with key officials, such as Secretary of the U.S.
Department of the Interior Bruce Babbitt, to discuss the Carr Refuge. In
addition Godfrey recently participated in a national satellite broadcast
sponsored by Turner Educational Services that highlighted STSL's Sea Turtle
Migration-Tracking Program, which was kicked off last summer at the refuge.
All these efforts seem to have paid off with the latest
priority lists. And these high rankings couldn't have come at a better
time, as coastal construction in the region is threatening the remaining
undeveloped parcels.
Coastal Development Threatens the Carr Refuge
Sea turtles need long stretches of quiet, undisturbed
sandy beaches, with little or no artificial lighting, to ensure nesting
success and the production of new hatchlings. The Carr Refuge still provides
such habitat to sea turtles, but an influx of new coastal development is
threatening the quality of the habitat. The effort to complete land acquisition
in the Carr Refuge has literally become a race against time. Faster than
undeveloped parcels can be brought into public ownership, they are being
paved over and lined with new beachfront homes. The only way to stop this
trend is to make more funding available to the state and federal agencies
that are buying land in the refuge.
Of the original 9.3 miles of beachfront identified for
acquisition, about 4.7 miles have been acquired from willing sellers. About
1.6 miles of property originally identified for protection have been purchased
for private development and are no longer available. Escalating coastal
development in Brevard and Indian River counties threatens the remaining
3 miles of beachfront property that has been identified for acquisition.
The remaining habitat is becoming more fragmented, and new beachfront homes are increasing the level of artificial lighting. In addition, because the Florida Legislature overturned a ban on coastal armoring within
the Carr Refuge, every new house built on the ocean is a candidate for
future armoring.
"If the Carr Refuge is to remain a thriving nesting
site for threatened and endangered sea turtles," said Godfrey, "then
the remaining undeveloped land must be brought into public ownership while
a narrow window of opportunity still exists. The high state and federal
rankings are a step in the right direction."
Refuge Important to Turtles
Dr. Llew Ehrhart, a research professor at the University
of Central Florida and a member of CCC's Scientific Advisory Committee,
has been studying sea turtle nesting along Florida beaches for decades.
He was the first to document that the region now designated as the Archie
Carr Refuge is one of the most significant nesting areas in the world for
loggerhead turtles, the most significant nesting area for green turtles
in North America, and an increasingly significant nesting area for leatherbacks.
In the summer of 1996, nest surveys conducted by Dr. Ehrhart
and his students, along with Paul Tritaik, manager of the Archie Carr Refuge,
catalogued the second highest number of nests ever recorded within the
refuge, with 17,937 loggerhead nests, 933 green turtle nests, and a record
10 leatherback nests (The Carr Companion, vol. 1, no. 1).
Federal Funding for Land Acquisition Has Fallen Short
The largest contributions to land acquisition in the Carr
Refuge have come from the State of Florida and local county partnerships,
which account for more than 70 percent of the land acquisition expenditures.
The private Richard King Mellon Foundation accounts for more than 21 percent
of funding spent on acquisition on the barrier island. To date, federal
acquisition efforts account for only about 8 percent of the purchases.
Hopes that Congress would appropriate more funds for land
acquisition in 1997 were dashed when, due to a data entry error, the Carr
Refuge was ranked number 96 on the LWCF instead of in the top five where
it should have been placed. The number two ranking for 1998 will almost
assuredly mean increased federal land acquisition funds. It is critical,
however, that Congress appropriate sufficient funds for U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service land acquisition projects. That budget decision will take place
this year. Meanwhile, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has pledged $300,000
left over from 1996 to support land acquisition efforts in the Carr Refuge
during 1997.
What You Can Do To Help
You can help save sea turtles by supporting state and
federal land acquisition programs. These programs, by purchasing property
from willing sellers, are the most important barriers to destruction of
vital sea turtle nesting grounds. You can also write or call your Congressional
delegates and ask them to appropriate the highest amount of money possible
for land acquisition in 1998 for the Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge.
The addresses for your U.S. senator and representatives are listed in the
front of your phone book. For more information, please call CCC at 1-800-678-7853.
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