- February 5, 2025
-
-
Loading
Loading
It's been about five months since a little island nestled south of the Dunlawton bridge in the Halifax River was designated as a critical wildlife area due to the many birds that make the island their home, and a few changes have taken place.
Since the establishment order for the Critical Wildlife Areas was signed on Jan. 5, 2018, temporary critical wildlife area signs have been posted, and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is completing permitting for in-water markers to be installed in the fall.
Michelle VanDeventer, FWC critical wildlife coordinator, said that last year she remembers being contacted by multiple residents concerned about the birds being disturbed by people going out to the island. So far, VanDeventer has not received any calls of that nature.
"I hope that's an indication that we are seeing less disturbance issues out there now that the designation is in place," VanDeventer said. "We're getting more outreach and working on signage."
VanDeventer said that the last report of the island showed there were more than 200 Brown Pelicans and more than 100 egrets.
It's all part of an ongoing process that was spurred by a goal to keep the bird species, and their nests, safe. However, moving the process ahead took some time.
According to David Hartgrove, Halifax River Audubon vice president and conservation chair, for many years the island hosted a large number of nesting Brown Pelicans, Double-crested Cormorants, Cattle Egrets, Great Egrets and other wading birds. Some of these birds are on the state list of birds whose population status merits special levels of protection. According to VanDeventer, the Port Orange CWA also supports a pair of the state-threatened American oystercatchers.
Hartgrove said that being close to the bridge meant that fishermen, either actively fishing or casting nets for bait fish, would land on the island. Some photographers would also land and approach too close to the nesting birds in order to get photos.
"All of this activity is potentially harmful to the bird’s nesting success by causing them to flush and fly away from their nests." David Hartgrove, Halifax River Audubon vice president and conservation chair
"All of this activity is potentially harmful to the bird’s nesting success by causing them to flush and fly away from their nests," Hartgrove said. "This places eggs and nestlings at risk of predation by other birds. People, for the most part, are not aware of the danger their activities pose to the nesting birds."
Hartgrove said that since the signs went up, he has not seen fishermen on the island as he once did.
CWA designation process
Port Orange was originally part of a 2016 initiative during which the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission was involved in discussions and worked with stakeholders on new CWA proposals. In November 2016, the Commission approved 13 new CWAs and five re-establishments.
However, Port Orange was delayed due to uncertainty about ownership and easements. Once those concerns were resolved, the proposal went back to the Commission and was approved on December 7, 2017, before the establishment order was signed this year. This includes a seasonal closure from January 1 through August 31.
Added protection
With the designation in place, FWC Law Enforcement has included the Port Orange CWA in their patrol area, and there is also an emphasis on educating boaters about the CWA designation and relevant rules. FWC biological staff, along with partners at Volusia County and Halifax River Audubon, are monitoring nesting activity on the island each month, according to VanDeventer.
VanDeventer said that one of the motivating reasons for establishing the site is that it is very accessible, and many times people are unaware that they are disturbing the birds and their nests.
Jennifer Winters, Volusia County Habitat Conservation Plan manager, said that without the designation people can only be discouraged from walking on the island. Now, Winters said it will be a violation of Florida law to disturb the birds when nesting activity occurs. Winters said that because disturbances can lead to birds fleeing their nests for extended periods of time, they put the eggs in danger and threaten future bird populations, such as Brown Pelicans, which were previously on the endangered species list.
"The nesting numbers are very few," Winters said. "It's alarming."
Future questions
While the island now has its CWA designation, there is still one more issue at hand — a reduction in the size of the island due to erosion on the eastern shore.
According to Hartgrove, the erosion is due to wake, which in turn has caused the mangroves to topple over and wash into the river. He said this reduces the nesting habitat for the birds.
Hartgrove said he has explored the possibility of installing some form of barrier to protect the shoreline but expense, permitting and other regulations means this is a solution full of problems. He said that this problem could also be causing some birds to migrate down to another island on the east side of the Intracoastal Waterway about a quarter mile south of the bridge.
This second island became an alternative nesting site three years ago, and its remoteness and the shallow water around it offer protection. However, it does not currently have a special protection.
"There are also a couple of islands in New Smyrna Beach that host nesting colonies of some of the same bird species," Hartgrove said. "A planned new marina there would bring docks within very close distance to the birds and create an undesirable threat to them at that location. So another CWA designation would be helpful there."
