Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge

A snowy egret is one of the many wading birds on this island.

Pelican Island, a three-acre island along Florida's east coast, holds a unique place in America's conservation history. In 1903, President Theodore Roosevelt made it the first national wildlife refuge to protect birds from plume hunters to egg collectors.

Nine federally-listed threatened and endangered species live within the refuge, including the Florida manatee.

The refuge is located with in the Indian River Lagoon, which contains 4300 different animal and plant species, more species than any other estuary in North America.

Nesting bird species include brown pelican, wood stork, great egret, snowy egret, tri-color heron, white ibis, double-crested cormorant, reddish egret, little blue heron, great blue heron and oyster catcher.

The island is closed to the public; however, commercial charters in Sebastian and Melbourne Beach take visitors to within a few hundred yards of the island to view the rookery and its birdlife. Visitor facilities include more than five miles of foot trails, a wheelchair-accessible boardwalk, an observation tower for viewing Pelican Island and restrooms.