LAIDLAW  PRESERVE .  The Beulah A. Laidlaw Preserve is 272 acres of land in Washington County, about four miles north of Vernon and west of State Route 79.  The Preserve is owned by Florida Audubon Society.  Bay County Audubon Society has a Memorandum of Agreement to manage and oversee the property.  There are complications on access across private lands, so the property is not open to the public or to Audubon’s membership except by appointment with one of the key holders.  Ed Keppner and Neil Lamb wrote an Adaptive Management Plan for the Preserve in June 2009 and have updated the Plan as part  of the ongoing work at the  Preserve.  Dawn Barone is the                                                                             Preserve Manager with assistance from Neil Lamb and numerous                                                                                         volunteers.  We have received  various grants for projects such as                                                                                        boardwalks, a pole barn shelter, and other amenities.  The management                                                                              plan is designed  to promote wildlife through enhancement of the                                                                                        natural  topography of swamp, bog, uplands, and clearings that support                  a rich and diverse flora and fauna.  Three signature species of the                                                                                         Preserve are the Swainson’s warbler, flame azalea, and gopher                                                                                             tortoise that are present in good numbers on the property.

                                                                      An Eagle Scout Project and another Boy Scout Project by Troop 562 of                                                                                Santa Rosa Beach, FL provided benches for the shelter and an outstanding                                                                         photography blind overlooking the central bog and beaver pond.   The trails and points of interest are sign-posted and mapped for use.

  Management strategies include clearing old man-made trails and

game trails to allow easier access while at the same time maintaining

more of the edge habitat that supports the species richness of the

property.  Brush piles created by the clearing are intentionally and

strategically located to offer harborage and shelter to many species,

especially over-wintering sparrows.

  Winter mowing of meadows instead of using fire maintains the

open areas that are so critical to many species.  Purple martin

nest boxes, wood duck nest boxes, and Eastern bluebird nest boxes

have been installed and are being used.  A barn owl nest box is located

in the shelter in the hope of attracting a barn owl.  Trail cameras are

used to augment daytime sightings and have proved most informative about the gopher tortoise activities, wild turkeys, active movements of the alligators around the property (using our cleared trails!), river otters, beaver, bobcats, Eastern woodrats, armadillos, raccoons, deer, and opossum. 

                                                               

                                                                Click on thumbnails for better viewing.

AUDUBON ISLAND NESTING MATERIAL.   Our chapter has a long history of involvement with this small spoil island next to Port Panama City in St. Andrew Bay.  The island is the only nesting place for brown pelicans in Bay County and it is a critical nest location for the entire western Panhandle.  Besides the 300+ brown pelicans, several hundred laughing gulls, great blue herons, and a few other species nest on the island.  Various storms over the past few years have washed away much of the vegetation on the island, so through the initiative of Dr. John Himes of the FL FWC, some volunteers hauled boatloads of tree branches out to the island for use by the brown pelicans to build nests among the rip-rap and jumbled concrete. The pelicans grabbed the branches even as they were being unloaded.

                                                                                   Click on the thumbnails below for better viewing.

                            

Conservation Action

The BCAS Conservation Committee consists of Neil Lamb, Lisa and Ed Keppner, and Candis Harbison (and others who are willing to help on various issues). They have been busy, as you can see from this list of some of their activities.  Anyone wishing to work on these issues contact members of the committee.

ALL MEMBERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO ATTEND MEETINGS AND WRITE LETTERS AND EXPRESS THEIR PERSONAL CONSERVATION RELATED OPINIONS AT EVERY OPPORTUNITY. ALL OPINIONS EXPRESSED IN THE NAME OF BCAS MUST BE APPROVED BY THE PRESIDENT OR THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS.

CONSERVATION

Pam's Pond at Laidlaw                        Photo by Neil Lamb

BAY BIRD SURVEYS.  At the encouragement of Jim Barkuloo of the St. Andrew Bay Resource Management Association, we have commenced doing twice a month bird surveys of St. Andrew Bay and West Bay on the regular water sampling trips of the RMA pontoon boat.  These surveys were conducted by Neil Lamb from November 2003 – December 2005 and enumerated the numbers of birds and the species of birds and other wildlife on the bay.  This type of citizen science is very valuable for assessment of the health of the St. Andrew Bay ecosystem and to gauge impact of human activities and development on the bird life.  Ron Houser and Neil Lamb have initiated the surveys once again and will continue over several years to establish enough data for comparisons with the previous surveys.  We welcome other good birders who want to train for these surveys and take turns on these very demanding expeditions to identify and record bird species. 

CONSERVATIONIST OF THE YEAR - 2011.  Our chapter recognized

Ronald S. Peterson of the Florida Trail Association, Panhandle Chapter for the

dedication and hours of volunteerism he has devoted to creation, maintenance, and

promotion of the hiking trails where people can enjoy the Florida outdoors.

Ron is a strong advocate of individuals and families getting to know the plants,

animals, and topography of the Florida Panhandle and is a partner in the same

endeavors that motivate Audubon members.  We were proud to give Ron our

annual recognition award . 

GOULD’S TREE FARM.  Ed Keppner and Neil Lamb accepted the invitation from the owners of a 640-acre tree farm in Washington County to visit the property and assess the potential for future Audubon field trips to their tree farm.  A magnificent part of the land is on the bluffs of the Choctawhatchee River in an area without much public access, so it is intriguing from that aspect alone.  Our short tour on July 5th resulted in a bird list of 24 species including summer tanager, yellow-billed cuckoo, hooded warbler, and yellow-breasted chat.  This is a fine example of a managed pine tree farm with other preserved habitat.  The population of pyramid magnolia on the property is an example of a great tree species to see.  We will try to schedule a field trip there.  

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CURRENT ACTIONS. On August 4, 2011, BCAS sent a letter to Florida Department of Environmental Planning asking them to acquire part of the West Bay Preservation Area under the Florida Forever Program to fulfill the long term vision and planning for the extensive area of the St. Andrew Bay watershed.  Click here to read the entire letter.