St. Vincent National Wildlife Refuge, in Franklin County, Florida, is an undeveloped barrier island just offshore from the mouth of the Apalachicola River, in the Gulf of Mexico. The refuge is managed to preserve, in as natural a state as possible, its highly varied plant and animal communities. Ten separate habitat types have been identified: tidal marsh; freshwater lakes and streams; dunes dominated by live oak/mixed hardwood understory; scrub oaks; relatively pure stands of cabbage palm; and four different slash pine communities, each with its own unique understory species. St. Vincent is an important stop-off point in the Gulf of Mexico region for neo-tropical migratory birds. The island is a haven for endangered and threatened species, including bald eagles, sea turtles, indigo snakes, and gopher tortoises. Wood storks use the refuge during their migration. In addition, the refuge serves as a breeding area for endangered red wolves
The island is disseceted by dune ridges, which are geological records of ancient beaches and fluctuating sea levels over the last 5,000 years. Many of the sand roads on St. Vincent follow these ridges, extending from east to west the length of the island.
The interdune areas vary from freshwater lakes and sloughs on the east end to dry upland pine forests on the western end of the island. The climate is mild and subtropical, typical of the Gulf of Mexico, with an average annual rainfall of 57 inches. Four miles wide at the east end and nine miles long, this triangular island is larger and wider than most of the northern Gulf Coast barrier islands.
The refuge has managed to preserve, in as natural a state as possible, its highly varied plant and animal communities. Ten separate habitat types have been identified: wetlands, consisting of tidal march and freshwater lakes and streams; dunes dominated by live oak/mixed hardwood overstory, scrub oaks, or live oak/scrub oak mix; relatively pure stands of cabbage palm; and for different slash pine communities, each with its own unique understory species.
Prior to becoming a National Wildlife Refuge, St. Vincent was used primarily as a private hunting and fishing preserve. Two of its previous owners introduced a variety of exotic wildlife to the island. A population of sambar deer; and elk native to Southeast Asia, still roams the island today. Adult sambar deer average 500-600 pounds - much larger than the native white-tailed deer; which average 100-130 pounds on the refuge. These two species have co-existed on St. Vincent by occupying different ecological niches. Generally, the white-tailed deer prefer drier uplands habitats, while the sambar deer spend most of their time in the marshes and other wetlands.
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