Location:
Merritt Island National Wildlife refuge is located in northern
Brevard County bounded by the Indian River to the west and the Atlantic
Ocean to the east. The refuge includes almost all of the northern Banana
River north of State Road 528, Banana Creek, Canaveral National Seashore
and the southern Mosquito Lagoon extending into Volusia County to the
north. The no motor zone was established in the southern portion of the
refuge in the Banana River between the Nasa Parkway and State Road 528.
Extensive seagrass meadows are present within this area and are comprised
of Cuban shoal grass, manatee grass and widgeon grass (Ruppia maritima).
Composition of the seagrass community in this portion of the Banana River
shifts with extended periods of dry and wet weather, where widgeon grass
dominates during periods of wet weather (lower salinity conditions) and
the other seagrasses dominate during periods of dry weather (higher salinity
conditions).
Date
of Seagrass Protection Zone Authorization:
March, 1990 (lower refuge no motor zone); 1963 (since
the establishment of the Kennedy Space Center) by order of NASA (8,263
acres of the extreme northern Banana River and eastern Banana Creek closed
to all public entry for safety and security reasons)
Authorization:
The authority to regulate use of the waters within this
federal wildlife refuge stems from the 1969 dedication of the submerged
lands from the Board of Trustees of the Internal Improvement Trust Fund
of the State of Florida to the U.S. Federal Government. The northern Banana
River is a part of the lands owned in fee title by NASA and managed by
the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service under a Memorandum of Understanding
executed June 2, 1972. Development of the no motor zone was based on the
authority granted through the Federal Refuge Administration Act. Appropriate
Special Regulations are published in 50 CFR, Section 26.33.
Wording
on Signs:
4'x3' metallic signs with "Motorboats Prohibited;
Manatee Refuge" for the no motor zone between the NASA Parkway
and State Road 528 and signs of the same dimension with "No
Entry; Manatee Refuge" north of the NASA Parkway and at
the eastern entrance to Banana Creek.
Enforcement:
Officers of the National Wildlife Refuge, U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service and the Florida Marine Patrol.
Enforcement
Action:
Violations of no entry zones are treated as misdemeanors with citations
provided to the vessel operator and fines ranging from $100-300 assessed.
If violators of these zones demonstrate blatant or willful action, they
may be found guilty of manatee harassment as described in the Marine Mammal
Protection Act. Note: The northern " No Entry" zone acts as
a manatee sanctuary. As such entry by people in any form (i.e. boat, on
foot, etc.) is a violation.
History:
Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1963
as part of the development of the NASA John F. Kennedy Space Center. The
refuge encompasses 140,000 acres and was dedicated in part to provide
habitat and protection for endangered and threatened species (one of four
main objectives of the refuge). The closure to public access of 8,263
acres of the northernmost portion of the Banana River and Banana Creek
also in 1963 for public safety and security concerns provided indirect
protection to manatee habitat including extensive seagrass communities.
Aerial surveys performed by Dynamac Corporation as part of on-going wildlife
assessments for NASA during the 1980s showed that manatee use of refuge
waters was considerable and was increasing. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
staff identified this area as the most important springtime habitat for
the east coast population of manatees during this period. A high level
of watercraft-related manatee death and the fact that approximately 300-400
manatees used refuge waters during the springtime migration period, led
refuge managers to establish the extended no entry zone to the southern
limit of the current no motor zone in March of 1990, adding 10,544 acres
to the protection area for a total of 18,807 acres (29.3 square miles).
Following the preparation of an Environmental Assessment after the closure
of this area in 1990, in which a preferred alternative to prohibit only
motorized watercraft was specified, the lower portion of the no entry
zone was converted into a non-motorized watercraft area. The public was
and continues to be allowed to enter the lower zone by wading and use
of any non-motorized vessel. During the five year period after establishment
of this zone, warm season aerial survey data for manatees show a greater
than 60% increase in manatee use of this area. This increase in use is
attributed to improved habitat quality (lack of disturbance by humans,
reduced propeller scarring of seagrasses, etc.) associated with the no
motor zone development.
Merritt
Island National Wildlife Refuge
No Motor Zone in Brevard County Map
