In his award-winning book, author and historian Douglas Brinkley began with a reference to Pelican Island, Florida
“I would like to see all harmless wild things, but especially all birds, protected in every way,” he quoted Roosevelt in “The Wilderness Warrior: Theodore Roosevelt and the Crusade for America.”
“Spring would not be spring without bird songs, any more than it would be spring without buds and flowers, and I only wish that besides protecting the songsters, the birds of the grove, the orchard, the garden and the meadow, we could also protect the birds of the sea-shore and of the wilderness.”
The Pelican Island preserve website says Roosevelt’s 1903 executive order was “the first step in what would become the National Wildlife Refuge System. It was the first time the federal government had set aside land for the protection of wildlife.”
“President Roosevelt went on to create 54 more National Wildlife Refuges during his two terms in office,” the reserve website said.
Roosevelt’s conservation actions via executive orders to protect birds in Florida included:
Creating national forests
February 1905: Roosevelt signed the act establishing the National Forest Service. The act also laid the foundation for major timber and land protection in the South, as his policies enabled the eventual creation and protection of Florida’s immense natural forests, including Ocala National Forest.
November 1908: Roosevelt signs into existence the Ocala National Forest, the oldest national forest east of the Mississippi River and the nation’s southernmost national forest. It was created to protect the world’s largest contiguous sand pine scrub.
That same year, Roosevelt established the Choctawhatchee National Forest in Florida’s Panhandle that later was transferred to the Armed Services in 1940 and became Eglin Air Force Base.
‘Is not St. Augustine lovely?’
Other Teddy Roosevelt facts, connections to Florida.
Dave Osborn is the regional features editor of the Naples Daily News and The News-Press. Contact him at dosborn@usatodayco.com and follow him on Instagram @lacrossewriter.
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Teddy Roosevelt created safe harbor for Florida birds, other wildlife
Reporting by Dave Osborn, Fort Myers News-Press & Naples Daily News / Fort Myers News-Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Dave Osborn, Fort Myers News-Press & Naples Daily News | USA TODAY Network
