October 9th, 2020
October Newsletter
2020 Sea Turtle Nesting Season in the Archie Carr Refuge
Video Premiere Event
October 15th @ 6pm on Facebook LIVE

Join us as we premiere our 2020 Sea Turtle Nesting Season in the Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge video on October 15th at 6pm! This will be a Facebook Live event streaming through our Facebook page, Friends of the Carr Refuge. Learn about trends from this years nesting season, receive a nesting numbers update, and hear from special guests throughout the refuge! We will also be highlighting the impacts COVID-19 had on our organization.​

Friends of the Carr Refuge is a small non-profit organization that relies heavily on memberships and donations to assist the Refuge and accomplish our goals of community education and conservation. Our main fundraising event each year is our popular Turtle Walks and Digs. Unfortunately the cancellation of these events this year left a major impact on our funds to carry out our goals. Funds raised through individual donations from this event will help carry out our 2020 goals and make up for the cancelled events. 
Thank you for your support!

Facebook Live Link

The link to this event will be shared prior to the event in an email, but you can follow our Facebook page, Friends of the Carr Refuge, so you can be notified when we go live!
Nest Count Update - September 21, 2020
Nest counts are provided by UCF Marine Turtle Research Group, Sebastian Inlet State Park and Ecological Research, Inc. for the 20.5 miles of the Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge.

The nesting season is almost over but the hurricane season has impacted the shoreline along the refuge.

Chris Long of UCF noted that this is the fifth largest Green nesting season since the counting began - and it's a low year in the cycles of Green Turtle nests.

Get an update on nesting numbers and learn about this 2020 nesting season as a whole by tuning into out video premiere event on October 15th. More information regarding this event is located above.
Native Plants and Pollinator Gardens
Has the COVID-19 pandemic caused you to pick up new hobbies? In March, many started to pick up gardening and becoming #plantmoms as their new hobby. Did you know that it is easy to turn gardening into an environmentally friendly activity! Native plants and pollinator gardens will benefit your community, planet earth, and wildlife!

Fall in Florida is the perfect time to plant some native wildflowers and grasses! By planting wildflower seeds in fall you will follow Mother Nature's cycle! Flowers naturally drop their seeds in the fall, and they overwinter, then germinate and bloom in spring! Click on the PDF from Florida Wildflower Foundation to learn about 20 easy to grow wildflowers!

Wildflowers are not only gorgeous, but they provide crucial habitat for our pollinators! Pollinators are insects and other animals that move pollen from the male anther of a flower to the female stigma of a flower. This triggers fertilization in the flower which is important for the production of crops, as well as habitat and ecosystems that many wildlife rely on. By providing pollinator habitat, you are helping increase pollinator populations which are on the decline.
Refuge News: Experimental Plan Crashes on Melbourne Beach
On September 11, 2020 around 9:15 am a small experimental plane crashed along Melbourne Beach.

The pilot took off from the Valkaria airport earlier that day, but unfortunately the engine died before landing on the beach. Upon landing the plane flipped and ended up upside down.

There were two people aboard the aircraft, with only one taken to the hospital. Thankfully there was no fuel leak, and the plane did not catch fire.

No new updates from the FAA on the cause of of the crash.

It's not everyday a plane crashes along the Refuge! We are hoping for a speedy recovery for the injured passenger.
Video: Click Orlando
Photo: Brevard Zoo
Sea Turtle News:
Perseverance
Perseverance is a 347 pound loggerhead sea turtle patient being taken care of at the Brevard Zoo's Sea Turtle Healing Center.

Her story began on the Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge where she was seen struggling to nest for several nights in a row. Upon examination at the Zoo, it was clear she was having issues passing eggs and needed to be induced. Her clutch of 128 eggs was given to UCF and buried back in the Refuge!

Perseverance has been recovering greatly since her procedure. The last report from the Zoo on September 21st mentioned that she is eating a lot, loves clams, and they hope to release her soon!
Photo: Paso Pacifico
Sea Turtle Research:
New technology to track sea turtle egg trafficers by using GPS decoy eggs
The conservation organization Paso Pacifico developed these decoy eggs named, "InvestEggator", to address the illegal trade of endangered sea turtles in Central America.
Photo: FDOT, Proposed toll highways.
Advocacy Corner:
Opposition to the Suncoast Connector
and other proposed toll highways
The new M-CORES program created by Governor Desantis has proposed the Florida Department of Transportation to build three new toll highways in Florida. All three of these will cut through some of Florida's last remaining wild places.

Specifically one of these proposed highways, the Suncoast Connector, will directly harm important seagrass and juvenile sea turtle habitat. The "Suncoast Connector, would slice through the Big Bend coastal region of northwest Florida and cause irreparable harm to the area’s pristine coastal waters and productive seagrass habitat" (Sea Turtle Conservancy). This habitat has been shown to be important for juvenile green, loggerhead, and Kemp's ridley sea turtles, as well as many other organisms. The production of this toll highway will negatively effect the water quality by increasing development in the area.

A Task Force was created to determine the need for each corridor. Right now the Florida Department of Transportation is accepting comments on each corridors Task Force Report from now until October 14th. These roads are not official yet, so please voice your concern and opposition to the Suncoast Corridor and other proposed toll highways below.
Curious about joining Friends of the Carr Refuge?

If you are not already a member, we invite you to join us today! Helping the Carr turtles is not the only benefit of membership. Normally, we plan "members only" events throughout the year and offer early registration to members for our Turtle Walks and Digs! Use the button below to learn about our various membership levels or make a one-time donation. Don't forget to connect with us on Facebook and Instagram!