Grant: 23-012C
Project Title: UTV for T.H. Stone Memorial St. Joseph Peninsula State Park Sea Turtle Surveys
Project Manager: Clint McCahill
Organization: Friends of St. Joseph State Parks (Non-Profit Organization)
Grant Amount: $13,464.20
Completion Date:
Summary: This project involves the purchase a new Kawasaki UTV to be used for sea turtle nesting surveys (Index and Statewide) at T.H. Stone Memorial St. Joseph Peninsula State Park (SJPSP). SJPSP is a critical nesting site and vital to sea turtle nesting data within the panhandle of Florida. This state park has been part of the Index Nesting Beach Survey (INBS) program since 1997. This long peninsula in Gulf County consists of nine miles of state park, with the last five miles consisting of wilderness preserve. This means no paved roads and no visitor accommodations other than primitive camping and trail system. The limited accessibility of the survey zones makes the use of an UTV critical to daily data collection. The purchase of a new UTV is critical to ensure park staff and long-term volunteers will have reliable transportation to continue sea turtle nesting surveys and ensure continuity of INBS data collection.
Results: