Volunteer Presentation John Petraglia Pinckney Island NWR Agenda - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

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Volunteer Presentation John Petraglia Pinckney Island NWR Agenda - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

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Friends of the Savannah Coastal Wildlife Refuges Visitor Accessibility & Programs at Pinckney Island NWR Volunteer Presentation John Petraglia Pinckney Island NWR Agenda Visitor Accessibility & Programs at Pinckney Island NWR

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Friends of the Savannah Coastal Wildlife Refuges

Visitor Accessibility & Programs at Pinckney Island NWR

Volunteer Presentation

Pinckney Island NWR John Petraglia

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Agenda

Visitor Accessibility & Programs at Pinckney Island NWR

  • Background: Grant, ….
  • Project Status & Schedule
  • Volunteer Positions &

Organization

  • Discussion
  • Volunteers Select Positions

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Partnership

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Savannah National Wildlife Refuge

  • The National Wildlife Refuge System includes more than 560

Refuges covering more than 150 million acres of land and water across the US and territories. The system is managed by the US Fish and Wildlife Service Service, part of the US Department of the Interior.

  • The Savannah National Wildlife Refuge lies on both the South

Carolina and Georgia sides of the Savannah River.

  • Complex Headquarters and Visitor Center – Hardeeville, SC
  • The Savannah Coastal Refuges Complex consists of seven

National Wildlife Refuges scattered along nearly 100 miles of coastal South Carolina and Georgia.

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Refuge Locations in SC

Pinckney Island NWR Bluffton, SC Ga./SC Border Visitor Center Hardeeville, SC Kingfisher Pond Discovery Center Tybee NWR Jasper County, SC Page 5

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Friends of the Savannah Wildlife Refuges

  • Working closely with and supporting the efforts of the F&WS

staff assigned to our refuges

  • Public outreach and education
  • Fund raising to support the refuge
  • Staffing Savannah NWR Visitor Center and Nature Store
  • Refuge maintenance and improvement
  • Advocating for the refuges at all levels of government
  • and much more

The Friends Website: http://www.coastalrefuges.org/ The Giving Marketplace: Friends of the Savannah Wildlife Refuges

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Friends of the Savannah Wildlife Refuges

  • 501(c)(3) in South Carolina since 2008
  • No paid staff --- All Volunteers
  • Friends Mailing List: 852 Total, 370 paid Members; 564 active

Members (194 with late dues)

  • The Friends manage the Visitor Center nature store, The

Gator Hole. The stores yearly sales are approximately $40,000 – $50,000.

  • Projected Annual Revenue/Expenses - $62,500/$19,850.00
  • All net income is used for projects on our Refuges in

consultation with Refuge staff.

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Community Foundation Grant

Visitor Accessibility and Programs at Pinckney Island NWR

  • Grant items: Electric Shuttle, bikes, binoculars, signage, etc.
  • The grant items are to facilitate in-depth educational experience

and outdoor activities including wildlife photography classes, staff/volunteer led tours, roving volunteer interpreters.

  • Provide accessibility to the refuge for the elderly, the very

young and mobility impaired.

  • Provide increase visitor comfort, safety and refuge information.
  • The grant is consistent with unfunded Refuge plans for Pinckney

Island NWR and the grant proposal will be submitted with the approval of the Refuge Complex Project Leader.

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Pinckney Island NWR

  • Pinckney Island is between the mainland (Bluffton) and Hilton

Head - 4,053 acres

  • Most heavily visited of the Savannah Refuges

Visitors (approx. per year): 200,000*

* Based on traffic counter Page 9

Pinckney Island History NWR

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Pinckney Island NWR Map

Hilton Head Bluffton 14 Miles of Trails Haigh Landing Page 10

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Pinckney Island Trails

14 miles of hiking trails on the refuge and nine recommended hikes

  • Ibis Pond - 1.2 miles (1.9 km), round trip; one and a half hours
  • Shell Point - 4.6 miles (7.4 km), round trip; four hours and 15 minutes
  • Wood Stork Pond - 2.7 miles (4.3 km), round trip; two and a half

hours

  • Osprey Pond - 3.0 miles (4.8 km), round trip; three hours
  • Nini Chapin Pond - 3.6 miles (5.8 km), round trip; three and a half

hours

  • Bull Point - 5.0 miles (8.0 km), round trip; five hours
  • Dick Point - 7.4 miles (11.9 km), round trip; six and a half hours
  • Clubhouse Pond - 6.2 miles (10.0 km), round trip; five and a half

hours

  • White Point - 7.8 miles (12.6 km), round trip; seven hours

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Grant Cost Items

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Year 1 Year 2+ Item # Equipment Items Grant Friends Friends 1 15-Seat Electric Shuttle for programs and roving nature interpreters $22,000

  • a. 15-Seat Electric Shuttle

$22,000 $0

  • b. Shuttle maintenance (1 year)

$0 as needed as needed 2 Bikes: for group programs and loaners to reach remote parts of the refuge

  • a. Bikes (15)

$3,500 $0

  • b. Bike maintenance (per year)

$0 as needed as needed 3 Trailer to transport bikes to/from storage

  • a. Transport

$2,500 $0

  • b. Maintenance (1 year)

$0 as needed as needed 4 Brochures & advertising to announce events $750 $0 as needed 5 Reception tent, table, chairs, picnic tables $500 $0 as needed 6 Signage: descriptions, directions, trail kiosks, etc. $5,500 as needed as needed 7 Binoculars (15) for individuals and programs. $2,250 $0 as needed 8 Bottled Water $0 as needed as needed Total $37,000

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Equipment

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  • Birding, Nature, Photography, etc.
  • Adult and Children Only Programs
  • Shuttle, Bike, Walking Tours
  • Loan binoculars
  • Shuttle Tours:

–Water available on very hot days –Bathroom on specified tours

Guided Tours

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Self-Guided

  • Loaner bicycles (future)
  • Loaner binoculars

Roving Docent

  • Short rides
  • Commentary and Guidance
  • Water available on very hot days

Services

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Status

  • Equipment
  • Majority Received or Ordered
  • Logistics
  • Completed
  • Volunteers
  • Over 50

Schedule

  • Aug 16th
  • Volunteer Meeting
  • Mid Nov.
  • Trail Run: BoD and Refuge Staff
  • Late Nov.
  • Inaugural Programs

Project Status / Schedule

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  • Manager & Assistant
  • Report to BoD PKN Committee
  • Supervise all PKN Committees
  • Programming and Services
  • Volunteers
  • Publicity
  • CF reporting & compliance with grant requirements
  • Financials
  • Equipment Maintenance
  • Monthly Shuttle battery topping, maintain Shuttle,

bikes, etc.

Organization

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Volunteer Positions

  • Visitor Assistants

– Check-in participants, loan bikes/binoculars, purchase supplies, and everything else!

  • Docents Tour Guides

– Roving Docent

  • Shuttle Drivers

– Drive shuttle for tours and roving docent

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Volunteer Status

Over 50 Volunteers as of Dec. 1, 2016 The more volunteers the more frequent the programs.

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Volunteer Position Selection

Select Volunteer Position(s) & Send to John Petraglia johnpetr17@gmail.com

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Thank You

On Behalf of the

Friends of the Coastal Wildlife Refuges

and

Savannah Coastal Refuges Complex Thank You for Volunteering

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Contact Information

John Petraglia

johnpetr17@gmail.com

Vice-President Friends of the Savannah Coastal Wildlife Refuges, Inc. 649 Beech Hill Lane Hardeeville, SC 29927 A 501(c)(3) Nonprofit Organization www.coastalrefuges.org http://www.fws.gov/refuge/savannah 19

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