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NR 26 1994 DESCRIPTION AND CONDITIONS A few months ago, the Board complaints that signage at the Refuge (PINWR) is inadequate. residents expressed concerns that signs do not provide sufficient opportunities within the refuge. BOOK 92 PACE 284 of County Commissioners heard Pelican Island National Wildlife Specifically, a number of area standard federal refuge boundary information regarding public use Subsequently, at the Board's January 25, 1994 meeting, representatives of the U. S. Fish and .Wildlife Service (FWS) explained that there are federal constraints to significantly modifying standard refuge boundary signage. At this meeting, it was discussed that county staff would pursue filing a Florida Inland Navigation District (FIND) grant application to fund the posting of additional signs, to better inform the public of refuge location and use opportunities. County staff has since met with FWS and Environmental Learning Center (ELC) staff to draft a grant application for PINWR signage and an informational brochure. Attached is a copy of the proposed FIND grant application for the -Board's consideration. ALTERNATIVES & ANALYSIS FIND Grant Among its other activities, FIND provides "waterways assistance" grants for local government waterways projects. FIND's top five priorities under this program include projects proposing waterway signs (and buoys) for safety, regulation or information along the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW). The PINWR fronts approximately 5 miles of the ICW, roughly +25% of the total ICW length in Indian River County. Therefore, improved information signage at the Pelican Island NWR would clearly meet certain priority objectives of the FIND Waterways Assistance grant program. Project Description Following is a summary of the FIND grant proposal (see the attached application map and drawings for conceptual design and location): * Three doubled -sided 4' x 6' signs erected perpendicular to the ICW channel, providing refuge identification and referencing information availability at the ELC; * One 2' X 6' sign (addition to an ELC sign) at the east end of the ELC dock, visible from the ICW channel, referencing PINWR information availability at the ELC; * One "kiosk" information center located at the Wabasso Causeway county park-, providing information about the refuge and the Indian River Lagoon; and * Design and production of brochures about the Pelican Island NWR, to be available for distribution at the ELC. The brochures will provide a map of the refuge, and an overview of refuge history. The brochure would also inform the public of recreational use opportunities in the refuge, as well as any regulations, as applicable. For purposes of grant application submittal-, project design and locations are conceptual, subject to modifications based on considerations such as safety, signage visibility, and specific sign and brochure wordage. 31