Kiosk Effectiveness Regarding Public Awareness of Flora and Fauna on BHI
- 1. M I C H A E L P E R E Z C A L I F O R N I A S T A T E U N I V E R S I T Y , L O N G B E A C H E N V I R O N M E N T A L E D U C A T I O N I N T E R N S U M M E R 2 0 1 2 Kiosk Effectiveness Regarding Public Awareness of Flora and Fauna on BHI
- 2. "In the end we will conserve only what we love; we will love only what we understand and we will understand only what we are taught.“ -Baba Dioum
- 3. Goals of Research Project — Determine how often kiosks are being utilized by the public — Gain insight to public opinion regarding kiosks maintained by the BHI Conservancy — Discover ways to improve future kiosk designs
- 4. Kiosk Information — The kiosks owned by the BHI Conservancy are used to help educate the public ¡ upcoming events, wildlife, and habitats — Four locations on Bald Head Island ¡ Kent Mitchell Trail, Beach Access 42, Stede Bonnet Wynd, BHI Conservancy
- 5. Kiosk Photos Stede Bonnet Wynd Beach Access 42 Kent Mitchell Trail BHI Conservancy Campus
- 6. Survey Methods — Surveys conducted between July 22nd, 2012 and August 3rd, 2012. — Surveys at each kiosk location twice ¡ Two hour period at each location
- 7. Survey
- 8. Hypothesis — The Beach and Dune habitat is underrepresented in kiosks and the public would like to see that included. — Sea Turtle will be the animal most desired by the public to be added to future designs.
- 9. Survey Numbers — Total of 133 surveys given between the four different kiosk locations. 14% 27% 30% 29% Breakdown of Survey Numbers by Kiosk Location Kent Mitchell Trail Beach Access 42 Stede Bonnet Wynd BHI Conservancy
- 10. Recognition of Kiosks 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 Kent Mitchell Trail Beach Access 42 Stede Bonnet Wynd BHI Conservancy Kiosk Sighting Breakdown by Kiosk Site Kent Mitchell Trail Beach Access 42 Stede Bonnet Wynd BHI Conservancy 0% 54% 15% 31% Kiosks Unnoticed, by Location Kent Mitchell Trail Beach Access 42 Stede Bonnet Wynd BHI Conservancy
- 11. Lacking vs. Sufficient Information 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 Helpful Information on Kiosk by Location Upcoming Events News Stories Habitat Animals Protection0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 Information Lacking on Kiosks by Location Upcoming Events News Stories Habitat Animals Habitat/Wildlife Protection
- 12. Habitats to be Featured for Future Designs 52 54 56 58 60 62 64 66 68 70 72 Beach/Dunes Maritime Forest Salt Marsh Habitat Totals Total: 133 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 Habitat Beach/Dunes Maritime Forest Salt Marsh
- 13. Animals to be Featured in Future Designs 0 5 10 15 20 25 Animals Birds Deer Sea Turtles Fox Alligators Other 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 Birds Deer Sea Turtles Fox Alligator Animal Totals Total: 133
- 14. Other Animals to be Included — “More information on Osprey.” — “I’d like to see Marsh Animals on Kiosks.” — “What animals eat and when they are most active.” — “More bird and plant information would be helpful.”
- 15. Other Opinions on Kiosks — “I’d like to see a map of the trail with a list of animals you could see while on the trail.” — “Additional information on birds.” — “It would be nice if the kiosk included a tide chart to reference.” — “A “Kid’s Quiz Sheet/Treasure Hunt” that would encourage them to find answers on the kiosks.” — “More information on turtle nesting and hatching would be great.” — “Some kiosks are set too far back and hard to access. Maybe paint them brighter colors so they are more noticeable.”
- 16. Improvement — Larger sample size — Even distribution of survey numbers by kiosk location — Decrease response bias — More consistent survey methods ¡ Time, day of week, etc.
- 17. Discussion — Highest priority ¡ Beach Access 42 Kiosk — Information ¡ Beach and Dunes ¡ Sea Turtles ¡ Habitat/Wildlife Protection — Other Suggestions ¡ Location of kiosks, coloration, frequency of updates.
- 18. Sand Dunes The dunes on Bald Head Island are integral to the integrity of the coastal ecosystem and the island as a whole. Sand is picked up from the wind it is moved to other points on the beach. Over ?me, an accumula?on of this sand creates a mound which eventually forms a dune. The dune helps protect the interior of the land from storm surges and the harsh wind that the sea carries in. The dunes themselves are held in place largely due to the vegeta?on, such as Sea Oats (Uniola paniculata) and Pennywort (Centella asia/ca), which grows on them. This vegeta?on is able to grow in soil with sporadic water availability, low nutri?onal value, high salinity levels, and is exposed to high temperatures in direct sunlight. Without this vegeta?on to anchor the dunes, erosion occurs in a maFer of years, leaving the island vulnerable to storms and hurricanes. Though the vegeta?on plays such a large role in maintaining a dune ecosystem, they are fragile. The vegeta?on that so sturdily protects the dunes from the harsh wind is suscep?ble to abuse from humans. Riding vehicles through the dunes or the simple act of walking among the dunes will trample the plants due to their thick, briFle stalks. Helping preserve our dune ecosystem that helps protect so much of our island is incredibly simple. Avoid walking among the dunes and do not disrupt their root system. Dispose of trash and hazardous material, even if it isn’t your own. Storms can wash up liFer on the dunes, which can kill the beach grass and disrupt the ecosystem. American Oystercatcher (Haematopus palliates) These birds can be found on Bald Head Island for their breeding season, which is between May and August of every year. It can be iden?fied by its black and white body as well as its thick, orange beak. When nes?ng, Oystercatchers will choose a high, sandy loca?on such as a dune and then make a depression in the sand. Once the depression has been made, they will line the nest with shells or pebbles. Like many other shore birds, their eggs are speckled like sand to help hide against predators. If predators do come, parents will oOen fly away from the nest to lure predators towards them and away from the eggs. If you find a shorebird egg, the best op?on is to leave it alone as the parent is probably close to the nest and wai?ng for you to leave so they can resume incuba?on. Loggerhead Sea Turtle (Care5a Care5a) Loggerhead Sea Turtles are one of several sea turtle species that can be found foraging off the shores of the Atlan?c Ocean throughout the year. They grow to three feet long with an average weight of 250 to 350 pounds. As the name suggests, Loggerheads have a large head compared to sea turtles of similar sizes. These marine rep?les need large heads, which are full of jaw muscles, to help them capture prey such as crustaceans and mollusks. These turtles are the main species nes?ng on Bald Head Island, making up over 90 percent of our total nests. The nes?ng period begins in mid-‐May and con?nues into September, with each nest containing between 100 and 120 eggs. AOer a 50 to 70 day incuba?on period, the hatchlings emerge in what is known as a boil, where all of the hatchlings in the nest will emerge at the same ?me, crea?ng the impression of boiling water. The hatching period is from late July to October. Like all other sea turtle species, Loggerheads are listed as Endangered under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Since 1983, the Bald Head Island Conservancy has sponsored the Sea Turtle Protec?on Program to preserve these animals for future genera?ons. The program aids in documen?ng sea turtles nes?ng on the island to beFer our understanding of the sea turtle popula?on along the Atlan?c coast, in addi?on to protec?ng nests from predators. If you would like to aid in our protec?on efforts, please inquire about our Adopt-‐A-‐Programs or consider becoming a member of the Conservancy. If you are at the beach at night, please use red lights between May and October to help prevent female turtles becoming disoriented. Courtesy of Ted Ledge5
- 19. Acknowledgements In addition to all of the BHI Conservancy staff, I’d like to especially thank Tracey Ritchie for helping me along with my project and answering any of the many questions I’ve asked this summer. Tracey, you are the best of the best. Of course, I’d also love to thank all of this summers interns that I’ve had the opportunity work with . Each of you is so amazing in your own way and I feel as if I’ve gained a second family this summer. The love and support that I’ve received from each of you has been incredible. I’ll miss you more than you can imagine. So, for you, I’ll end with this quote. “If ever there is tomorrow when we're not together... there is something you must always remember. you are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think. But the most important thing is, even if we're apart... I'll always be with you.” ― A.A. Milne
- 20. Questions