Which site was the heritage designation of Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge between Jun 1993 and Dec 1993?
Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge is a United States National Wildlife Refuge ( NWR ) , and part of the Everglades Headwaters NWR complex , located just off the western coast of North Hutchinson Island in the Indian River Lagoon east of Sebastian , Florida . The refuge consists of a island that includes an additional of surrounding water and is located off the east coast of Florida of the Indian River Lagoon . Established by an executive order of President Theodore Roosevelt on March 14 , 1903 , Pelican Island was the first National wildlife refuge in the United States . It was created to protect egrets and other birds from extinction through plume hunting . Management . Pelican Island is administered as part of the Everglades Headwaters NWR complex along with Archie Carr NWR , Lake Wales Ridge NWR , and the Everglades Headwaters NWR and Conservation Area , created in 2012 ( 556th unit of the National Wildlife Refuge System ) with a donation and other lands covering approximately north of Lake Okeechobee . will be held under conservation easements through the U.S . Department of the Interior and the U.S . Fish and Wildlife Service . This allows landowners the right to retain ownership of the land , with the ability to continue farming or ranching , ensuring that the land cant be subdivided or developed . Pelican Island NWR has been placed on the List of Ramsar wetlands of international importance along with other areas of wetlands in the United States . Early history . Pelican Islands bird populations were threatened because of increased American settlement around the area in the mid-19th century . Many of the exotic birds were killed for their feathers , used in the fashion industry . Plumes from the birds were used to adorn ladies hats of the day and at the time were worth more than their weight in gold . Paul Kroegel , a German immigrant , moved to Florida in 1881 and lived on the west bank of Indian River Lagoon . He was fascinated with the pelicans on the island . Being able to see the island from his home , Paul would watch the pelicans and other water birds . He eventually took an interest in the island and its protection . However , there was not any state or federal law to help him so he took control of the situation himself . Kroegel sailed to the island to stand guard and protect the birds and the island . A few naturalists visited Kroegel at Pelican Island . A curator at the American Museum of Natural History in New York , Frank Chapman , was one of the naturalists showing interest in the island as well . He discovered that Pelican Island was one of the last rookeries of Brown pelicans on the eastern coast of Florida . The American Ornithologists Union and the Florida Audubon Society led a campaign to pass legislation for protection of non-game birds in 1901 . Knowing that the protection of Pelican Island would require more legislation , Chapman and his fellow advocate , William Dutcher went to President Theodore Roosevelt at his home in New York . The two appealed their case to Roosevelts conservative ethics . President Roosevelt signed an executive order that established Pelican Island as the first federal bird reservation . This was the first time that the federal government put land aside for the sake of wildlife . The area , however , was open for big game hunters . Recent threats . During the 1960s , Pelican Island was threatened by attempts to sell the surrounding wetlands and islands to developers . Local citizens led a fight to protect Pelican Island by stopping the sale of the wetlands . The Indian River Area Preservation League , formed by local citrus growers , commercial fishermen , and sportsmen , joined with Florida Audubon Society to convince the State to include the islands as a part of the refuge . Later in 1963 , Pelican Island was designated as a National Historic Landmark by the Secretary of the Interior because of its status as the first federal area set aside specifically to protect wildlife . In 1968 , Florida agreed to expand to include nearly 5000 acres ( 20 km² ) of mangrove islands and other submerged lands . And then in 1970 , Pelican Island became the smallest wilderness area in the National Wilderness Preservation System . Since , the refuge has gained over 500 acres ( 2 km² ) through purchases , management agreements , and conservation easements to provide a buffer against encroaching development and also to be a link to the Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge . Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge was added to the list of wetlands of international importance under the Ramsar Convention signed in 1971 . Today , Pelican Island is also threatened by shoreline development . Shoreline development has many negative impacts associated with it . Shoreline development can reduce the water quality by increasing the runoff of sediments , fertilizers , and pesticides . These runoffs will cause decline in water quality , and this can directly affect the food base that sustains the islands nesting bird colonies . Waterfront development will also lead to more boat traffic . This extra boat traffic will also negatively affect the birds on the coast . Not only this , development of the shorelines of Pelican Island will permanently flaw the pristine character of this unique National Historic Landmark . Physical environment . The environment of Pelican Island consists of climate , topography , geology , air quality , and waterways . Climate . The climate at Pelican Island NWR is subtropical and temperate and experiences an average temperate of . Pelican Island has long , warm , and humid summers and short , mild winters and has an average rainfall of about annually . Pelican Island may experience tropical storms in the period from May to November . Topography . The elevation of Pelican Island changes from east to west . It rises sharply from sea level to about and then drops back down more slowly to below sea level in the Indian River Lagoon . The land between the Indian River Lagoon and St . Sebastian River is . Even further west , there is an ancient dune that rises in elevation from to . Geology . The landscape of Pelican Island area is made of Pleistocene ( glacial ) and Holocene ( recent ) origin . Submerged lands were exposed during the late Pleistocene period , allowing for the spread of flora and fauna from the peninsula . Wetlands , salt marshes , mangroves , and other swampy formations make up the uplands and submerged lands . Soil . The general soils in the Pelican Island Refuge are Canaveral-Captiva-Palm Beach , which is characterized by the gently sloping , somewhat poorly drained to moderately drained sandy soils with shell fragments , and McKee-Quartzipsamments-St . Augustine , which is characterized by level , somewhat poorly drained soils mixed with sand and shell fragments . Other soils include Canaveral Fine Sand , Quartzipsamments , Captiva Fine Sand , McKee Mucky Clay Loam , and Kesson Muck . Air quality . Good air quality is vital for the refuge to maintain itself . A few problems dealing with air pollution are carbon monoxide , lead , nitrogen dioxide , ozone , particulate matter , and sulfur dioxide . The primary producers of these pollutants are vehicle emissions , power plants , and industrial activities . The Indian River Lagoon area is said to have good air quality . Sometimes occasional temperate increases can temporarily degrade the air quality below the accepted levels . Waterways . The Indian River Lagoon stretches from Ponce de Leon south of Daytona Beach to Jupiter Inlet near West Palm Beach , a distance of about , and contains a number of small rivers , creeks , and canals . The Intracoastal Waterway is the deepest part of the Lagoon . St . Sebastian River and Turkey Creek provide freshwater to the Lagoon . Water quality is also a concern in the refuge : cadmium , lead , mercury , nutrients , selenium , thallium , and dissolved oxygen . The water circulation is affected by the Intracoastal Waterway , winds , inlets , and causeways . Within the refuge boundary , the water quality is generally better compared to portions of the Lagoon . Wildlife . Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge holds hundreds of species of animals including birds , fish , plants , and mammals . The wetlands of Pelican Island are a major ecological system supporting the huge biological diversity . Fifteen federally listed threatened and endangered species live in Pelican Island NWR and around Indian River Lagoon . Of the endangered species , West Indian manatees and sea turtles occupy parts of the lagoon . Around the lagoon in the refuge are two wood stork refuges . These birds along with other wading birds that nest on the island thrive on the tremendous fish population . Pelican Island is home to many nesting birds including brown pelicans , great egrets , snowy egrets , reddish egrets , great blue heron , little blue heron , tricolored heron , black-crowned night heron , American white ibis , glossy ibis , double-crested cormorant , anhinga , and American oystercatcher . Visiting . Pelican Island is only accessible by boat or chartered tours . Nesting birds are easily disturbed , so people are not allowed to get too close or to disembark . Visiting during nesting season ( late November through late July ) , one can expect to see brown pelican , wood storks , white ibises , black-crowned night herons , double-crested cormorants , reddish , snowy , and great egrets , and great blue , little blue and tricolored herons . Traveling in the winter , look for lesser scaup , blue-winged teal , mottled ducks , great northern divers , laughing gulls , American white pelicans , and red-breasted mergansers . Summer visitors should watch for roseate spoonbills , magnificent frigatebirds and least terns . Pelican Island also features some marine life in the Indian River including sea turtles , dolphins , and manatees . New public facilities were opened and dedicated on March 14 , 2003 , in ceremonies marking the centennial of Pelican Island and the National Wildlife Refuge System . A 37¢ US Commemorative Stamp in honor of the NWR Centennial was issued as part of the celebration . The new facilities include a 1/4 mile boardwalk and observation tower to view Pelican Island , two salt marsh impoundment foot trails , interpretive signs , informational kiosks , restrooms and parking areas . The facilities are west of Highway A1A on the north end of Historic Jungle Trail . They were produced through a partnership with Indian River County , St . Johns River Water Management District , Florida Inland Navigation District , Florida Power and Light , ConocoPhillips , Wild Birds Unlimited , the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation , and many others . Future plans include additional boardwalks , an overlook , a photo blind and a wildlife drive . Jungle Trail . The historic Jungle Trail is a 7.8 mile sandy road with a section that goes through the refuge . Citrus growers originally built this road in the 1920s and it is now on the National Register of Historic Places . Budget cuts . Pelican Island , along with many other wildlife refuges , has been experiencing budget cuts . Many problems arise from the stagnant budget and lack of maintenance in the wildlife refuges . These are vital to preserve the habitat and the wildlife and to provide public education and recreation . This situation worsened further because of the failure of congress to timely pass federal funding bills . Staffing at Pelican Island is made up of U.S . Fish and Wildlife Service . The staff members have recently fallen from six to two which has had many negative consequences . The cuts have led to limiting refuge work and restricting public visitation . Another consequence is the end of 14-year tradition of the wildlife festival . Pelican Island will be losing its only public-use staff and eliminating all active outreach at the nations first wildlife refuge . Pelican Island Refuge manager and project leader Paul Tritaik said in 2006 that reductions to a full-time staff would lead to the end of some refuge activities and the loss of several trails .