A Resource Worth Protecting

To fulfill our mission of protecting, preserving, and restoring habitat in our region, St. Johns County Audubon participates in a number of conservation programs. Our efforts help keep birds and other wildlife healthy and abundant, and ensure that future generations of Floridians can enjoy the wonder of the natural world. Read an overview of our key programs below, and learn more by exploring the 'Conservation' tab at the top. ​

St. Johns and Flagler Shorebird Partnership

This award-winning project began as the St. Johns County Least Tern Project in 2007. Armed with a grant from Audubon Florida, the chapter set out to develop a program for protecting and monitoring nesting sites of Least Terns and Wilson’s Plovers. We later formed the St. Johns County Shorebird Partnership (now the St. Johns and Flagler Shorebird Partnership), the second such partnership in Florida. 

cfarrell@audubon.orgThe partnership includes: St. Johns County Audubon, Audubon Florida, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Florida State Parks, Guana-Tolomato-Matanzas National Estuarine Research Reserve, Ft. Matanzas National Monument, and St. Johns County. 

​Our efforts are twofold: our volunteers assist agency partners in posting nesting sites, and our dedicated bird steward volunteers monitor posted sites on weekends and holidays to ensure nothing disturbs or threatens the nesting birds. The stewards actively engage the public to make people aware of the necessity of protecting the birds and their nesting habitats. They also collect scientific data by surveying the birds and nesting sites on a year round basis. Our stewards primarily work at Matanzas Inlet and Porpoise Point, and occasionally at Anastasia State Park and Summer Haven when significant colonies are present.

Successes of the project include stopping vehicle traffic at Matanzas Inlet and limiting traffic on Porpoise Point during nesting season. Through the efforts of the stewards we have fostered a greater public understanding of the needs of beach-dependent birds. Our surveys help budget-strapped agencies collect the data they need to make informed management decisions.

In recognition of the project’s success, St. Johns County Audubon was awarded Audubon Florida’s Conservation Chapter of the Year award for 2007. In 2010, the project’s bird stewards were again recognized by Audubon Florida for their conservation efforts on behalf of beach-dependent birds.

Interesting in participating? Check out our Bird Stewardship page, or email Chris Farrell at Audubon Florida for more information.  

Audubon EagleWatch 

Bald Eagles are a national symbol of successful conservation measures. And with over 1,400 nesting pairs, Florida has one of the largest populations of Bald Eagles in the United States. Due to a rapidly changing environment, our Bald Eagles are frequently nesting in urban areas. This increased exposure to human activity and its resulting pressure on the eagle population prompted the formation of Audubon EagleWatch, to monitor active nest locations and note possible disturbances or threats to nesting activities. The program is designed to educate volunteer participants in general eagle nesting biology, applicable laws, the identification of nest threats, monitoring techniques and the verification of previously unrecorded active eagle nests. This data is compiled and used to assist the state's Mid-winter Annual Bald Eagle Nesting Survey by documenting both urban and rural eagle nesting activity, successes and failures. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) also utilizes EagleWatch data to enhance their conservation and law enforcement efforts.

In our area, our EagleWatch volunteers and the St. Johns County Environmental Services Division stay busy monitoring 30 active nests. Although pairs often return to the same nesting territory year after year, new nests are discovered annually, and we could always use more volunteers. If you are interested in participating in this Citizen Science program, sign up here or email Shawnlei Breeding at 
​eaglewatch@audubon.org. 

Have you found a nest that you think may be undocumented? Contact us and we'll make sure EagleWatch includes it. 
WILDLIFE ALERT EMERGENCY NUMBER TO REPORT FISH AND WILDLIFE VIOLATIONS: 1-888-404-FWCC ​​