Black skimmers gather on the sand's edge on Lanark Reef this week. The mostly submerged island is a haven for nesting sea and shore birds, as well as migratory and wintering species. / Jennifer Portman/Democrat
LANARK REEF — After decades of worry by conservationists about the future of one of Florida’s most important destinations for nesting and migrating sea and shorebirds, this fragile strip of sand flats and sea oats is now entirely in safe hands.
Audubon Florida announced this week it has purchased the last privately held parcel on the low-lying reef located in the Gulf of Mexico less than a mile south of Lanark Village.
Lanark Reef is an avian hotspot. It is home to the largest of the Panhandles’ four brown pelican rookeries, and supports large numbers of nesting shorebirds, including black skimmers, willets and the American Oystercatcher, which is a threatened species in Florida. The reef is considered an “Important Bird Area” by Audubon, and is designed a critical habitat for the Piping Plover by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. More than 250 species of birds use the reef for spring and summer nesting and as a stopping point for winter migration.
“Lanark Reef is one of the most important breeding, wintering and migratory sites for coastal birds in the state of Florida,” Julie Wraithmell, Audubon Florida’s Director of Wildlife Conservation told the Tallahassee Democrat on a trip to the reef this week. “It’s a bird factory.”
The purchase was completed quietly last month, when the nonprofit paid $33,000 to Premier Bank, which acquired the property in 2011 from Tallahassee developer Hurley Booth. Though large areas of the six-mile long reef are submerged at high tide, the state in the 1950s conveyed parts of the island that mostly remain dry into private ownership. Booth had the title to the remaining 1.7-acre parcel for about a decade and five years ago sought to build home sites on the narrow swath of sand. The submerged lands of the reef are owned by the state.
The scant dry land, however, is not zoned for development of any kind and is not part of Franklin County’s land use map, said director of Administrative Services Alan Pierce. While permits for several septic tanks were granted by a county department in 2007, Pierce said the county turned down Hurley’s request to build seven homes on the reef.
“We said no, it’s not land that can be suited for development,” Pierce said. “It’s just a sandbar as far as we are concerned.”
Audubon Florida purchased the land from the bank with money provided by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation from the sale of recovered oil from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Private donations from around the nation also contributed toward the purchase and ongoing management of the reef.
“There is something fitting about using that money,” Wraithmell said of the recovered oil funding.
John Himes, northwest regional biologist for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, said he is glad the reef now will be protected. Not only does it provide nursery and resting grounds for threatened and endangered sea and shore birds, it is also home to the diamond back terrapin, a rare salt marsh turtle.
“It is a really important area,” he said, pointing out its obvious shortcomings for residential development as it is frequently washed over during storms. “It’s not like we are taking anything away from anyone.”
As ill-suited as the reef is for human habitation, it is ideal for the many bird species that flock there. In the spring and summer, thousands of birds crowd its uplands free from the threat of mammal predators such as racoons and coyotes. Its relative remoteness discourages harmful disturbances by people and pets.
“Our coasts are home to species of birds that live their entire lives in this dramatic landscape of sand and wind and salt,” Wraithmell said. “Even though you think they’d be really tough, in fact they are very vulnerable.”
The nests and eggs of many nesting shorebirds are camouflaged and easily destroyed by even the most well-meaning human contact. While the reef is safely viewed up close from a boat, people are encouraged to not walk on the islands. Stepping on the island causes birds to leave their nests, leaving their young vulnerable to predatory birds or the hot sun.
“People don’t know the harm they can cause,” Wraithmell said. “There is this tendency to say, ‘It’s just this once,’ but once is enough to do damage.”
Himes said looking at the birds is fine “as long as you keep your distance.” The place is a bird sanctuary.
Though the notion of houses on the small spits of sand seems improbable, Wraithmell said private ownership was still a risk.
“Unfortunately, in the current times, I’m not sure what I would put off the table,” she said.
Wraithmell said acquiring the land is just the beginning of protecting it for the future. Audubon Florida plans to work with the state to develop a management plan for the entire reef.
“Everyone has to take responsibility for keeping this place as special as it is,” she said. “Wildlife brings so much to our quality of life. It’s a big part of what Florida is. We’ve got a chance up here to hold on to it. There is no time to lose.”
Gail Phillips, an Audubon volunteer and nearby Gulf Terrace resident whose home looks out on the reef, is pleased it will now be protected and managed in a consistent way.
“I am absolutely thrilled,” Phillips said. “It’s a hidden jewel.”
-By Jennifer Portman