HALIFAX RIVER AUDUBON
A Florida Chapter of the National Audubon Society
Serving greater Daytona Beach area
Founded 1923

revised 1/2/2009

Island #3, locally referred to as "Pelican Island" or "Seabird Island" is located just south of the Dunlawton Bridge in Port Orange.  This environmental treasure is endangered by boaters landing and turning their dogs loose and by wakes from larger boats cruising the Intracoastal Waterway.  Wakes from these larger boats cause erosion on the east side of the island.  Because of these concerns, sometime in 2002-2003, HRA began trying to determine which government entity has jurisdiction over the islands in the Halifax River.  After being shuttled from one agency to another, we learned the Florida Inland Navigation District (FIND) administers the islands but has no enforcement branch.  Additional communication revealed that in February 1960--48 years ago--the island was designated the Port Orange Wildlife Sanctuary by FIND, and responsibility for its care was assigned to what was then the Florida Audubon Society.  Conrad H. Ekdahl and T.J. Wetherell of Halifax River Audubon and C. Russell Mason of the Florida Audubon Society (now Audubon of Florida) put together a petition that was presented to the Board of Commissioners of FIND at their meeting in West Palm Beach on February 26, 1960.  The petition outlined the importance of the islands along the ICW in Volusia County as rookeries for a variety of nesting wading birds and their allies. 

In October 2005 City staff from Port Orange agreed to assist HRA in reestablishing the Port Orange Wildlife Sanctuary.  According to an article published in the March 6, 1960 Daytona Beach News-Journal, the Sanctuary contains 975 acres and according to the aerial photo map provided by FIND Director, David K. Roach, it runs along the west side of the ICW almost to Ponce Inlet. 

The resolution establishing the sanctuary placed certain responsibilities on the Florida Audubon Society.  Among these were:  "...a proper and attractive sign be erected to that effect, and that the proper POSTED signs also be placed..."  We assume this was done back in 1960 and that due to hurricanes, salt water and time, the signs disappeared.  The people who were instrumental in the establishment of the sanctuary had passed on and it seems there was no one around to replace the signs when they disappeared.  So the fact of the sanctuary's establishment was lost to current memory.  New signs were installed to mark the north and south boundaries of the Port Orange Wildlife Sanctuary.  Using his boat, John Roessler (Chapter President at that time and seen standing on deck,) David Hartgrove (who took the photo) and Bart Paulding (standing in the water) installed the signs on Saturday morning, March 18, 2006.

Over the following months City staff from Port Orange continued to work with David Hartgrove and Ken Russell to ensure the protection of the Sanctuary.  HRA contacted a sign company which will create a design to be approved by Port Orange.   A committee was formed to put the whole process in motion.

A public ceremony was held to dedicate the sign announcing the Port Orange Wildlife Sanctuary at 10:00 a.m. on Thursday, November 2, 2006. The ceremony was held in Port Orange Causeway Park (beneath the Port Orange Bridge) just west of the boat ramps. The photo below, taken by Kent Donohue shows Pete Atwood, Port Orange Environmental Advisory Board; Glenn Walker, Port Orange Parks Dept.; Ken Parker, Port Orange City Manager; Jerry Penny, Ponce Inlet Port Authority Advisory Board member; David Hartgrove, HRA Conservation Chair; Ken Russell, HRA Board member and Rachel Ramsey, HRA Treasurer.  All the community representatives present at the dedication agreed that this is just the beginning of the cooperative support of preserving, protecting and maintaining this unique sanctuary.

The photo on the right, taken by David Hartgrove, shows the view of the Sanctuary beyond the sign.