Starting in the Panhandle, Florida wildlife officials are holding a few public workshops on the potential designations of Critical Wildlife areas. The goal is to protect vulnerable wildlife—mainly birds—from human disturbances and predators.
St. George Causeway in Franklin County is among 20 Critical Wildlife Areas, or CWAs, across the state. Kipp Frohlich is with the Deputy Director of habitat and species conservation for Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. He says for that workshop, officials will talk about extending the period the Island is closed and are hoping for public input.
“We also have two new proposed CWAs,” he said. “One are the Flagg Islands and those are very important areas for a variety of seabirds and shorebirds. And, then the other is called Lanark Reef. There’s a couple of Islands right off Lanark village and those are also some very important areas for hundreds and hundreds of birds that nest and roost there.”
The workshop for Lanark Reef is Monday at 6:30 p.m at the Lanark Village Boat Club in Carabelle. The public workshop for Flagg Island and St. George Causeway takes place Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. the Apalachicola National Estuarine Research Reserve in Eastpoint.
“Really hoping that folks will come out, learn more about the wildlife that use these areas, learn a little bit more about what we’re proposing and we’d like to get the public input and any concern folks would have and have a good public meeting,” Frohlich added.
For more information on these and other workshops across the state, visit the FWC’s website.
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