Anastasia Island Beach Mice Surveys

On the mornings of June 18 and 19, we had the privilege of joining the Department’s Division of Recreation and Park’s (DRP) beach mice expert, Alice Bard, on her Anastasia Island Beach Mice surveys.  

Our Beaches, Inlets and Ports Program (BIPP) and Coastal Engineering and Geology group — Jessica Simental, Guy Weeks and Maddie Williams — were joined by DRP’s Kathryn Badolato, Anastasia State Park ranger Amber Hamilton-Smith, the US Fish and Wildlife Service’s Michael Gillikin, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s Scout Hogan and St. Johns County’s environmental supervisor, Ashley Raybould.  

Alice has been surveying these beach mice since 1993 (with a brief pause during the COVID). Other ecologists had been studying them sporadically throughout their range since they were described in 1898, but they’ve been studied at the park since 1989. Her surveys take place quarterly in the same locations, marked with pink tape. She uses seasonal traps baited with black oil sunflower seeds, a snack that the mice love that won’t attract ants - a discovery of a student years ago.  

Over the two days, we visited 40 different stations, with 2 traps at each. For every mouse we captured, recorded their sex, checked for a tag or tagged them with an individually numbered ear tag, noted reproductive status, estimated age and recorded weight.  We caught eight mice on the first day and 10 on the second, with only a few managing a quick escape.  

Conducting this field trip also assisted the BIPP team to have a better understanding of the beach mouse habitat within the state park and adjacent beach areas outside the state park at Cresent Beach. Recent storm activity of nor’easters in 2021 and Hurricane Nicole in 2022 has impacted the dune system of Cresent Beach significantly. Due to this known wildlife habitat loss, this segment of beach is planning to be designated as critically eroded by the Department (2025). 

As the Florida summer starts to settle in, spending a couple days in Anastasia State Park remains as magical as ever. However, it is an important reminder that Anastasia Island is one of the few places remaining where the endangered beach mice are endemic. Alongside natural threats, coastal development and human-related activities such as walking and biking through dune areas, introducing pets, particularly cats, and removing native vegetation have further degraded their habitat. Preserving and protecting this fragile habitat is vital to the species’ survival.  

We’re deeply grateful to Alice for allowing us to take part in such a meaningful and educational experience — a powerful reminder of this important work and of the small, significant wildlife we’re committed to protecting.