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ProcCamation <br />DEDICATING THE WABASSO SCRUB CONSERVATION AREA OVERLOOK <br />IN HONOR OF JOE CARROLL <br />-Whereas, Joe Carroll, over a long public sector career, served in the U.S. Army during World War II <br />and later worked at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to conserve wildlife and habitat; and <br />-Whereas, until his passing on October 14, 2022, Joe had served on the County's Conservation Lands <br />Advisory Committee, maintained an active membership in both the Florida Native Plant Society and the <br />Pelican Island Audubon Society, and co-founded the IRC JayWatch Program, which uses volunteers to track <br />the population of Florida Scrub -jays; and <br />-Whereas, the Wabasso Scrub Conservation Area, or WSCA, was one of several scrub -jay lands that <br />Joe tirelessly monitored for the County, featuring an overlook of a beautiful wetland with the opportunity to <br />hear scrub -jays in their natural habitat; and <br />-Whereas, since the Sebastian Area -Wide Florida Scrub jay Habitat Conservation Plan was approved <br />by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in the year 2000, the conservation and management of WSCA has been <br />an integral component of mitigating for the incidental take of Florida Scrub -jays within platted lots of the <br />Sebastian Highlands; and <br />-Whereas, the WSCA has also been utilized as a recipient site for relocated Florida gopher tortoises <br />that, along with scrub -jays, are often considered "keystone" species whose presence plays a major role in <br />maintaining the composite balance of species in an area; and <br />-Whereas, on October 19, 2021, the Board of County Commissioners approved a motion to name the <br />WSCA wetland overlook after Joe, with the official ribbon cutting taking place on March 17, 2023. <br />Now, Therefore, be it Proclaimed by the Board of County Commissioners of Indian <br />River County, Florida, that the Board dedicates the Wabasso Scrub Conservation Area overlook to the <br />memory of Joe Carroll, who in both his professional and private lives spent decades working to preserve scrub - <br />jay habitats and the plants and animals that live in these vital areas. <br />Adopted this 7th day of March, 2023. BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS, <br />INDIAN RIVER COUNTY, FLORIDA <br />Joseph H. Earman, Chairman <br />Susan Adams, Vice Chairman <br />Joseph E. Flescher <br />Deryl Loar <br />Laura Moss <br />4 <br />