| Radio programs for the week of 16 October 2000 (fe01016 - fe01020) |
For more information: Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge - Titusville Florida |
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NASA's space for wildlife As much attention was given to this month's 100th space shuttle launch, few were thinking of what NASA might mean to earth-bound plants and animals. The 140,000 acre Kennedy Space Center property is actually one of the largest protected wildlife areas in the state. Dorn Whitmore is Refuge Ranger at the space center property, managed as the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge (Dorn Whitmore, Refuge Ranger, Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Department of the Interior)... "To the south is Cocoa Beach and to the north is New Smyrna Beach and there's about 35 miles in between that is government owned. It's the largest stretch of barrier island and undeveloped land that's along the east coast of Florida." The huge Kennedy Space Center property was purchased in the 1950s and 60s, and became a wildlife refuge in the 70s "It is a large barrier island and all the waters and lands were purchased. It's unique in that sense because most waters are owned by the state of Florida. But in this case they're (U.S.) government owned as well." Those backbay waters are an important feature of the refuge "It's unique in the sense that there are no homes, no sewage or industrial or agricultural outfalls running into it, and there's no causeways going across it. So it's probably one of the more pristine bodies of water." For more information, visit www.floridaenvironment.com. With help from its Environmental Studies Program, we're produced at the Whitaker Center at Florida Gulf Coast University and funded by SWFCEE, the Southwest Florida Council for Environment Education. |
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 fe01017NASA and Florida wildlife When NASA's 100th space shuttle launch took off this month, it left from one of the state's largest wildlife preserves. That's because the 140,000 acres that Kennedy Space Center sits on, is also managed as the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. The Refuge Ranger is Dorn Whitmore... "When the Kennedy Space Center acquired this property back in the late 50s and early 1960s, they purchased a wonderful area for wildlife. And someone had some foresight to ask NASA what they were going to do with this very large unused portion of their property." Whitmore says NASA's space operations actually only occupy a small part of the property, leaving more than 35 miles of beaches and tens of thousands of acres of wildlands protected for fish and wildlife... "In 1963, Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge was established as an overlay on top of the Kennedy Space Center. NASA owns the property, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service manages most of it. In 1975, several years later, they entered into another agreement with the National Park Service and Canaveral National Seashore now manages the beaches." For more information, visit www.floridaenvironment.com. With help from its Environmental Studies Program, we're produced at the Whitaker Center at Florida Gulf Coast University and funded by SWFCEE, the Southwest Florida Council for Environment Education. |
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| ue01018 Rocketing around wildlife One of Florida's largest wildlife refuges was home to a rocket launch this month. In fact, since the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge is the same 140,000 acres that houses the Kennedy Space Center, it has been home to all the Space Center's launches. Refuge Ranger Dorn Whitmore says since the beginning of space exploration, scientists studied the effect launches had on wildlife... "It was kind of like a clap of thunder. It lasted like 20 seconds or so, but it was over. So wildlife was startled, but then they went right back to what they were doing before." Changes in rocket fuels have added some concerns, but the refuge's wildlife continues to flourish... "There was more chemicals involved and more environmental impacts, but it is contained to a very small area right around the launch pads. There's been a lot of monitoring going on to look at those impacts to see what effects are occurring to wildlife and there have been very few." Perhaps because the impacted area is around the launch pad, which the refuge's animals avoid... "There's a lot of activity around the pads during a launch and I think wildlife senses that and the birds and other critters probably move out and away from that area. There's a beehive of activity around those launch pads. So in that sense, I don't think there are many impacts." For more information, visit www.floridaenvironment.com. With help from its Environmental Studies Program, we're produced at the Whitaker Center at Florida Gulf Coast University and funded by SWFCEE, the Southwest Florida Council for Environment Education. |
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| fe01019 NASA security benefits wildlife The Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge was formed to manage 140,000 acres of Florida wildlands occupied by the NASA's Kennedy Space Center. Refuge Ranger Dorn Whitmore says while the NASA facility might seem enormous, the vast majority of the property is still wild... "They have their two launch pads, complex 39a and b, the vehicle assembly building, the shuttle runway, and their support buildings that they use to house about 12,000 employees that work out here. But most of it -- it sounds like a lot -- but most of it is contained in a relatively small space." Because of security at Kennedy Space Center, about half the refuge is closed to the public... "There's a very large core in the middle that is not open to the public. And in that sense, it has been a benefit to wildlife." The benefit to wildlife is a virtual absence of human beings... "Manatees, for example, have discovered that no boats can go into these areas. And manatee numbers have been increasing quite significantly since NASA purchased the property." For more information, visit www.floridaenvironment.com. With help from its Environmental Studies Program, we're produced at the Whitaker Center at Florida Gulf Coast University and funded by SWFCEE, the Southwest Florida Council for Environment Education. |
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| fe01020 Space coast wildlife As NASA's 100th Space Shuttle launch left Kennedy Space Center this month, hundreds of thousands are only now beginning to head that way... They are migratory birds, that will be stopping on the space center property, which is protected as the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. Dorn Whitmore is the Refuge Ranger... "Because NASA came along when they did, in the late 1950s and early 1960s, and preserved such a large tract of land, this unique habitat, this coastal habitat that is so important to wildlife, was set aside. It was not intended for that purpose, but it was one of those side benefits." With NASA's attention to flight, it is fitting that birds benefit from its protected land... "We have over 330 different species of birds that have been identified. We have over 500 National Wildlife Refuges across the country, there's only two National Wildlife Refuges that have more bird species than we do at Merritt Island." Many of those birds are now preparing for their winter trek to or through Florida... "We winter several hundred thousand birds every year that come into Florida in the winter season, to migrate." For more information, visit www.floridaenvironment.com. With help from its Environmental Studies Program, we're produced at the Whitaker Center at Florida Gulf Coast University and funded by SWFCEE, the Southwest Florida Council for Environment Education. |
