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[MUSIC PLAYING]

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This incredible,
unique habitat that we

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have here of mangroves and
dunes the perfect site for sea

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turtles.

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Birds.

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Manatees.

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Right next to six
million people.

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[MUSIC PLAYING]

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The most visited preserve
that the Nature Conservancy

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has in the entire US.

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But we still have a
beautiful habitat.

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And you can really
immediately get a sense

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that it's unlike any other
place you've visited.

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[MUSIC PLAYING]

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This is a really unique
preserve and frankly,

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probably unlike any of our
other preserves in Florida.

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It's tucked away in this
highly developed urban area

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with this amazing
rare habitat that

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has been developed and
decimated elsewhere in Florida.

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It really is an oasis.

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We've got coastal strand
and coastal scrub,

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which are in Florida,
imperiled ecosystems.

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We also have coastal mangrove
forests and swamps, beach dune

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habitat along the
ocean shoreline,

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and we've got tropical
maritime hammocks

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that have big ancient
subtropical trees growing

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in them.

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Each winter, we get about two
pairs of osprey that will nest.

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We get wonderful
butterfly diversity.

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We also get an enormous
amount of songbirds.

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It's also a very important
sea turtle nesting beach.

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We actually have loggerhead
turtles, green sea turtles,

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and leatherback
turtles nesting here.

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We have a dark beach here
at Blowing Rock Preserve.

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We're not developed,
and lighting

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is a problem for sea
turtles that are nesting.

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So we found that
they predominantly

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come to our site and nest
on our preserved beach area.

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OK.

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All right.

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All right.

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Blowing Rocks Preserve does
have a unique sea turtle rescue

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program really run by
volunteers and by our staff.

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We patrol the beach
every morning,

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and we just look
for turtles that

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might be wedged between the
ledges and other things.

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They want to save any
turtle that comes on shore.

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It's only a few a year,
but everyone counts.

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Good job.

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[MUSIC PLAYING]

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If you would have come to this
place hundreds of years ago,

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you would have come to a
pristine coastal barrier

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island.

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The biologists for the Nature
Conservancy, back in the 1980s,

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recognized there was a need to
restore those natural systems

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back to what they
originally were.

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We underwent a 20-year
massive habitat restoration

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where we removed thousands
of invasive species

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from the preserve and replanted
native plants back in place.

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That was thanks to the efforts
of thousands of volunteers.

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So not only were we
restoring the landscape,

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we were engaging the
community in learning

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about why these habitats
are important and steps

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that they can take at home.

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There's tons of sea turtle
nesting throughout February.

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The community was a big
participant in this.

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They've been a part of
the preserve ever since.

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We offer lecture series and
opportunities for schools

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to come out and do some
research and see the wildlife.

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And then we hope, of course,
that the more educated they

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are about these
issues, the more that

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will influence
their own actions.

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And their support for our work.

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There are no islands.

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[MUSIC PLAYING]

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Sea level rise and
coastal resilience

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are huge issues for
us here in Florida.

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Part of what the Nature
Conservancy is trying to do

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is educate people on the role
that natural habitats can

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play in helping our communities
be more resilient, things

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like mangroves and dunes.

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So this is a perfect place
to bring people and talk

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about the role that that plays
in protecting our communities.

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It's an area that is
experiencing issues

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with sea level rise
currently and forecasted

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to be even worse in the future.

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We have a high population
area right next to us,

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so we also have
opportunities to look

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at how we can use
our coastal habitats

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and environments
to really mitigate

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some of the effects of sea
level rise and climate change

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that we're starting
to experience.

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If we hadn't protected this
place, this place where we have

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Anastasia limestone, with
one of a kind vegetation,

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with threatened and endangered
species, would be condos

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or would be houses,
those sea turtles

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that nest here would be looking
for another place to nest.

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There's just been
tremendous successes.

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Not to say we're
going to stop here.

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We intend to continue to build
and have more successes here

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in the future.

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[MUSIC PLAYING]

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