Archie CarrFact Sheet |
Fact Sheet for Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) in Florida. Published by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS).
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U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
Archie Carr
National Wildlife Refuge
Refuge Facts
■ Established: 1991.
Acres: 252.
■
Located: Brevard and Indian River
counties, Florida.
■
Other management: The refuge
is a unique partnership of multiagency land owners and managers
including U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service, State of Florida, Brevard
County, Indian River County
and Hubbs SeaWorld Research
Institute.
USFWS
■
■
USFWS
Blair Witherington
USFWS
■
Layne Hamilton, Project Leader
Charlie Pelizza, Refuge Manager
Archie Carr NWR
c/o Pelican Island NWR Complex
1339 20th Street
Vero Beach, FL 32960
Phone: 772/562 3909
Fax: 772/299 3101
Website: www.fws.gov/archiecarr
Location: the refuge is located on
central Florida’s Atlantic coast
between Melbourne Beach and
Wabasso Beach and spans both
Brevard and Indian River Counties.
Administered as a staffed satellite
refuge of Merritt Island NWR
Complex. Pelican Island NWR
Complex has a shared staff with
and manages Archie Carr and Lake
Wales Ridge NWR’s.
Natural History
■ Refuge is the most important
nesting area for threatened
loggerhead sea turtles in the
Western Hemisphere.
■
Refuge is the most important
nesting area for endangered green
sea turtles in the U.S.
■
Refuge is also an important nesting
area for endangered leatherback
sea turtles.
■
Provides habitat for several
other threatened and endangered
species, including southeastern
beach mice and Florida scrub jays.
Financial Impacts of Refuge
■ All public facilities are on partner
owned lands.
■
Shared funding and staff for
Pelican Island NWR also support
Archie Carr and Lake Wales Ridge
NWR’s.
Refuge Objectives
■ Protect nesting habitat for sea
turtles.
■
Protect, enhance, and restore
barrier island habitats for
threatened and endangered species.
■
Increase public understanding
through outreach, environmental
education, and compatible
recreation.
■
Enhance habitat protection and
management through partnerships.
Management Tools
■ Partnerships through Archie Carr
Working Group.
■
Sea turtle nest monitoring.
■
Sea turtle research through the
University of Central Florida’s
Marine Turtle Research Group.
■
Predator control to protect sea
turtle nests.
■
Law enforcement.
■
Mechanical/chemical control of
exotic plants.
■
Volunteer program.
■
Prescribed fire.
■
Financial support through Friends
of the Carr Refuge.
Public Use Opportunities
■ Beach access and surf fishing
through county managed parks and
Sebastian Inlet State Park.
■
Four interpretive trails on county
and state park owned lands.
■
Fishing by jetty, catwalk, bank and
boat through Sebastian Inlet State
Park.
■
Seasonal sea turtle watch
programs.
■
Wildlife observation and
photography.
■
Interpretation/Outreach/
Environmental Education.
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
Questions and Answers
Where is it?
The refuge spans 20 miles on
central Florida's Atlantic coast
from Melbourne Beach in Brevard
County to Wabasso Beach in Indian
River County. Within this area, four
segments have been identified for
acquisition totaling 9.3 miles. Signs
have been posted at the north and
south ends of the refuge which helps
to delineate the boundaries.
Is the refuge open to the public?
Yes. Indian River County, Brevard
County and the State of Florida
manage all public access within the
refuge. There are no public access
facilities on Service owned lands
within the refuge. In 2008, the
Brevard County Environmentally
Endangered Lands Program
dedicated a new Visitor Center,
the Barrier Island Sanctuary
Management and Education Center.
Although owned and operated by
Brevard County, this center will serve
as the main visitor contact point for
the Archie Carr NWR. The center
is open Tuesdays - Sundays. Both
Indian River and Brevard County
Parks and Recreation Departments
manage beach accesses within the
refuge that are open during daytime
hours. Sebastian Inlet State Park
is also within the refuge boundary
and is open 24 hours a day. Brevard
County Environmentally Endangered
Lands Program and Sebastian Inlet
State Park manage a total of four
interpretive foot trails and seven
miles of mountain bike trails on the
west side of Highway A1A in Brevard
County.
Does the refuge have a Visitor Center?
Yes. The Barrier Island Sanctuary
Management and Education Center,
opened in 2008, serves as the main
visitor contact point for the refuge.
The Center is owned and operated
by Brevard County Environmentally
Endangered Lands Program and
features exhibits, environmental
education programs and tours on sea
turtles and other wildlife and habitats
of the barrier island ecosystem. The
Center is closed on Mondays and is
located on Highway A1A in south
Brevard County, just three miles
north of Sebastian Inlet.