Pelican Island

Honoring a Legacy

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

Claudine Laabs ©
It all began with one man and one boat, protecting pelicans on a tiny five-acre

island in Florida. From that humble beginning arose the world’s largest and most

diverse network of lands

dedicated to the protection

and management of a

vast array of wildlife.

America’s National

Wildlife Refuge System

now encompasses over

93 million acres on over

500 refuges.

In 1903 Pelican Island

became the center of

an epic battle between

conservationists and

feather hunters. After

years of relentless

slaughter, many of our

most majestic birds were

at the brink of extinction. Pelican Island was the last breeding ground for brown

pelicans along the entire east coast of Florida and it was here that a stand was

made.

Urged on by a German immigrant named Paul Kroegel, many prominent people

rallied around this small island to spearhead the protection of the last remaining

areas vital to the survival of wildlife. Under the leadership of President Theodore

Roosevelt, wildlife protection became a national interest, and for the first time,

was based upon wildlife’s intrinsic worth rather than its utilitarian value.

With the stroke of a pen, on March 14, 1903, Teddy Roosevelt set in motion a

commitment to the preservation of our wildlife heritage and, in so doing,

prevented many species from certain extinction.

Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge, the birthplace of the magnificent

National Wildlife Refuge System, is threatened once again. This historic jewel is

losing its luster as it falls under the shadow of development. Waves continue to

erode away the island’s shoreline and alien plants are invading precious habitat.

Yet Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge, 5000 acres larger and almost 100

years older, still operates with just one man and one boat.

A Refuge to Remember USFWS
A Refuge at Risk

Land acquisition

for an upland buffer to

prevent condos from

towering over a threatened

rookery

$

Robin Lewis

$

The challenges facing

our first national

wildlife refuge are

symptomatic of the

challenges facing our

entire National

Wildlife Refuge

System. Encroaching

development,

degradation of habitat,

infestation by exotic

species, and

insufficient funding

and staffing threaten

to undermine the very

purposes for which all

refuges were created.

Pelican Island NWR

can set the stage for a

renewed commitment

to our refuges that will

benefit wildlife for the

next hundred years,

and beyond. We can

avoid losing the

cornerstone of our

wildlife heritage by

taking these important

steps: Shoreline stabilization

on Pelican Island to stop

erosion and prevent further

loss of nesting habitat

Habitat restoration

on the refuge to remove

invasive plants, increase

foraging opportunities for

wading birds, and provide

habitat for other wildlife.

Visitor facilities

to tell the story of Pelican

Island and provide wildlife

viewing opportunities for

the public.

The target date for meeting all of these

objectives is March 14, 2003, the

centennial anniversary of the birth of the

National Wildlife Refuge System.

1
Filling the Gaps

Our first national wildlife refuge has

expanded over the years, each time in

response to threats.

In 1909, President Theodore Roosevelt

added four small neighboring islands to

the refuge because the pelicans would

nest there when conditions were

unfavorable on Pelican Island.

In 1968, the refuge was enlarged to

protect the other neighboring islands

and wetlands that were threatened by fill

and construction.

Land Acquisition

Yet today, the eastern flank of the refuge

remains exposed as development

advances toward the fragile shoreline

overlooking Pelican Island.

Land acquisition along the eastern

boundary of Pelican Island National

Wildlife Refuge will not only provide an

effective buffer from approaching

development, but will also establish a

connection with Archie Carr National

Wildlife Refuge.

John and Karen Hollingsworth ©
1

Jungle

Trail

510

A1A

A1A

Atlantic Ocean

Indian River

Spratt

Creek

East

Channel

Wabasso

Island

Florida

East Coast 

Railroad

Duck

Point

Kroegel

Homestead

Pelican

Island

Pelican Island NWR 

approved acquisition boundary

Pelican Island NWR 

proposed expansion area

Archie Carr NWR
Shoreline

Stabilization

The Incredible

Shrinking Island

Pelican Island has changed dramatically

over the years. In 1858, it was lush with

mangroves and populated with many

varieties of nesting birds. In 1903, after

several hard winters and a massive

mangrove die-off, it became a barren

sand spit populated with only groundnesting brown pelicans. The size of the

island changed little until recently. Since

1943, the island has decreased in size by

more than 50%.

1996 1996 1996

Pelican Island in 1943 Pelican Island in 1978 Pelican Island in 1988 USFWS

USFWS

Pelican Island in 1961

Pelican Island in 1999

4
Stemming the

Tide of Erosion

The shoreline restoration plan for

Pelican Island involves two phases:

Phase 1

Planting smooth cordgrass and red

mangroves along the eroded northern

and western shorelines, and anchoring

bags of oyster shell around stressed

mangroves; and

Phase 2

Creating a natural wave break consisting

of either a coquina reef, oyster bar, or

sand bar offshore that would reduce or

deflect wave energy from the island, and

provide habitat for shorebirds.

Robin Lewis

Robin Lewis

Volunteers help staff

plant smooth cordgrass

as part of Phase 1.

5

Phase 1

Oyster shell reef Phase 1

Mangrove and 

cordgrass restoration

Phase 2

Natural wave break
Eliminating Exotics

The restoration plan for the refuge

buffer involves the removal of exotic

plants, such as citrus trees, Brazilian

pepper, Australian pines, and Johnson

grass.

Habitat Restoration

Indian River

Lagoon

Indian River

Lagoon

Indian River

Lagoon

Brazilian Pepper

Citrus Citrus

Hwy A1A

Australian

Pine

Maritime

Hammock

Coastal

Strand

Archie

Carr NWR

Atlantic

Ocean

ditch slough Jungle

Trail

Pelican Island

citrus grove

Brazilian pepper

Australian pines

Johnson grass

Robin Lewis

Robin Lewis

USFWS

Robin Lewis

6
Lending Nature

a Hand

The restoration plan on the refuge buffer

also includes restoration and creation of

mangrove forest, tidal marsh, freshwater

wetlands, palm prairies, hydric

hammocks, and maritime hammocks.

The water table will be restored to

historic, natural conditions and soils will

be excavated to appropriate depths

necessary to support natural fresh

andestuarine plant communities. These

habitats will be managed for the longterm benefit of wildlife.

Indian River

Lagoon

Indian 

River

Lagoon

Indian River

Lagoon

Mangrove

Forest

Cabbage

Palms

Freshwater

Wetlands

Jungle Hwy A1A

Trail

Coastal

Strand

Maritime

Hammock

Archie

Carr NWR

Atlantic

Ocean

Oyster 

Reef

Tidal

Marsh

Tidal

Slough

Spartina

Pelican Island

maritime hammock

salt marsh mallow

USFWS

USFWS

mangrove swamp

USFWS

freshwater wetland

Robin Lewis

roseate spoonbill

Claudine Laabs ©

7
Showcasing our Birthplace

A site plan combines creatively-designed visitor facilities

with habitat restoration efforts in an attempt to provide

the visitor with a natural, yet nostalgic experience.

Tree-lined trails wind through restored habitat into

open areas where the visitor is given the opportunity

to observe wading birds, shorebirds, and waterfowl.

Visitor Facilities

and Habitat Restoration

Archie

Carr

NWR

A1A

Jungle

Trail

Future

Purchase

and

Restoration

Future

Purchase

and

Restoration

Entrance

Road

Restored

Wetlands

Pelican Island

Viewing Tower

Pelican Island
The Kroegel

Homestead

USFWS

USFWS

USFWS

Kroegel home

Pelican Island circa 1910

Paul Kroegel circa 1910

9

Preserving a

Piece of History

Telling the story of the

birth of America’s first

national wildlife refuge

cannot be better

accomplished than on

the very grounds Paul

Kroegel lived and

worked. The Kroegel

Homestead remains

much the same way as

it did 100 years ago and

would be an ideal site

for a visitor center.

The Kroegel homestead

would be the perfect

setting for the

Centennial Celebration

of our National Wildlife

Refuge System.
Land acquisition of 250 acres of critical refuge buffer (estimate) .......................... $ 16,200,000

Land acquisition of 15 acres of Kroegel homestead (estimate) ................................. $ 1,500,000

Shoreline stabilization on Pelican Island ......................................................................... $ 500,000

Habitat restoration on 300 acres of current and proposed refuge buffer ................ $ 3,000,000

Recreation development (trails, boardwalks, tower) on refuge buffer ...................... $ 500,000

Visitor center development on Kroegel homestead ..................................................... $ 5,000,000

Historic restoration of Kroegel homestead ....................................................................... $ 300,000

Total ....................................................................................................................................... $27,000,000

Annual funding and permanent staffing are necessary

to protect our investment in Pelican Island.

Pelican Island can

become a showcase for

the National Wildlife

Refuge System.

Investing in

Our Future

10

Land Acquisition

Visitor Center

Habitat

Restoration

Land Acquisiton of 

Kroegel Homestead

Historic

Restoration

Recreation

Development

Shoreline

Stabilization
Fulfilling

the Promise

“To waste, destroy,

our natural

resources...will result

in the undermining in

the days of our

children the very

prosperity which we

ought by right to hand

down to them.”

— Theodore Roosevelt

Jim Angy ©

Theodore Roosevelt Collection, Harvard College Library

Dorn Whitmore

11

A promise was made almost one hundred

years ago by President Theodore

Roosevelt and carried out by all refuge

employees since. That promise was to

preserve wildlife and habitat for its own

sake and for the benefit of the American

people. Beginning with Paul Kroegel, a

legacy of leadership and dedication was

passed on to the likes of “Ding” Darling,

Aldo Leopold, J. Clark Salyer II, and

Rachel Carson.

That legacy was also shared by a host of

partners including Boone and Crockett

Club (which Teddy Roosevelt cofounded) and the National Audobon

Society. Frank Chapman, as National

Audubon Society co-founeder, was

instrumental in the protection of

important bird rookeries, such as Pelican

Island.

Those partnerships and many others

continue to this day as do the

responsibilities that come with honoring

a legacy. By honoring our past, we can

dedicate ourselves to wildlife

conservation in preparation for the

future.
The Fish and Wildlife Service has many

partners in this effort to address the

deficiencies at Pelican Island. They

include:

■ Environmental Learning Center

■ Florida Audubon Society

■ Florida Inland Navigation District

■ Florida Institute of Technology

■ Friends of the St. Sebastian River

■ Indian River County Board of

Commissioners

■ Indian River County Historical

Society

■ Lewis Environmental Services

■ Marine Resources Council

■ National Audubon Society

■ National Fish and Wildlife

Foundation

■ National Park Service

■ National Wildlife Refuge Association

■ Natural Resources Conservation

Service

■ North Beach Civic Association

■ Pelican Island Preservation Society

■ Pelican Island Audubon Society

■ Sebastian Inlet State Recreation

Area

■ Sebastian River Area Historical

Society

■ Sembler & Sembler, Inc.

■ St. John’s River Water Management

District

■ The Conservation Fund

■ The Disney Company

■ Theodore Roosevelt Society

■ Trust for Public Land

■ U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

12
“Pelican Island is by far

the most fascinating

place it has ever been

my fortune to see in the

world of birds.”

— Frank Chapman

Claudine Laabs ©
Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge

P.O. Box 6504

Titusville, FL 32782

Phone: 407/861 0667

Fax: 407/861 1276

E-mail: r4rw_fl.mrt@fws.gov

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

1 800/344 WILD

http://www.fws.gov/r4eao

November 1999 Claudine Laabs ©