By Audrey DeRose-Wilson
Director of Bird Conservation
Published July 17, 2024
This article is from 勛圖窪蹋 Florida
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Thanks to a generous donation from Mahaffey Management, LLC, the Florida 勛圖窪蹋 Society now owns Dot Dash Dit Critical Wildlife Area in the Tampa Bay region.
Dot, Dash, and Dit are three small mangrove spoil islands on the Braden Riverimportant breeding and nesting sites for a mixed wading bird colony that includes Roseate Spoonbill, Little Blue Heron, Tricolored Heron, and Wood Stork. 勛圖窪蹋 staff have managed the islands since the early 1990s, conducting monitoring surveys, posting no trespassing signs, and removing trash and other debris. We are thrilled to now have official ownership of this important property.
勛圖窪蹋 will manage in partnership with the State of Florida, which owns the southern 40% of Dash Island. We plan to construct a living shoreline breakwater similar to the mile-long breakwater currently protecting islands from erosion at Alafia Bank Bird Sanctuary, leased from and managed in collaboration with the Mosaic Company. This construction is possible thanks to a grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.
The islands present a unique opportunity for 勛圖窪蹋 to own a regionally important waterbird roosting and nesting site that has been recognized by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission as a Critical Wildlife Area of statewide significance. ~ Audrey DeRose-Wilson, Director of Bird Conservation, 勛圖窪蹋 Florida
This article originally appeared in the 2024 Summer edition of the Naturalist.