News

Teddy Roosevelt created safe harbor for Florida birds, other wildlife

By Dave Osborn, Fort Myers News-Press & Naples Daily News USA Today Network via Reuters Connect
President Theodore Roosevelt in February 1908 signed an executive order establishing Mosquito Inlet Reservation to preserve mangrove islets and sandbars in Volusia County for protection of native birds.
President Theodore Roosevelt in February 1908 signed an executive order establishing Mosquito Inlet Reservation to preserve mangrove islets and sandbars in Volusia County for protection of native birds. Provided by U.S. government arch USA TODAY Network, Reuters

In his award-winning book, author and historian Douglas Brinkley began with a reference to Pelican Island, Florida

"I would like to see all harmless wild things, but especially all birds, protected in every way," he quoted Roosevelt in "The Wilderness Warrior: Theodore Roosevelt and the Crusade for America."

"Spring would not be spring without bird songs, any more than it would be spring without buds and flowers, and I only wish that besides protecting the songsters, the birds of the grove, the orchard, the garden and the meadow, we could also protect the birds of the sea-shore and of the wilderness."

The Pelican Island preserve website says Roosevelt's 1903 executive order was "the first step in what would become the National Wildlife Refuge System. It was the first time the federal government had set aside land for the protection of wildlife."

"President Roosevelt went on to create 54 more National Wildlife Refuges during his two terms in office," the reserve website said.

Roosevelt's conservation actions via executive orders to protect birds in Florida included:

  • Pelican Island Reservation (March 1903): Established as the nation's first federal bird sanctuary, near Sebastian, to protect threatened brown pelicans and other wading birds from mass slaughter by commercial plume hunters.
  • Indian Key Reservation (February 1906): Created to protect a 90-acre island in Tampa Bay as a native bird breeding ground.
  • Mosquito Inlet Reservation (February 1908): Established to preserve mangrove islets and sandbars in Volusia County for protection of native birds.
  • Pine Island National Wildlife Refuge (September 1908): Established Pine Island National Wildlife Refuge in Lee County.
  • Island Bay Wildlife Refuge (October 1908): Created refuge in Charlotte County.
  • Enlarging Pelican Island (January 1909): Enlarged the Pelican Island Reservation to include all mangrove and surrounding islands in the area.

Creating national forests

February 1905: Roosevelt signed the act establishing the National Forest Service. The act also laid the foundation for major timber and land protection in the South, as his policies enabled the eventual creation and protection of Florida's immense natural forests, including Ocala National Forest.

November 1908: Roosevelt signs into existence the Ocala National Forest, the oldest national forest east of the Mississippi River and the nation's southernmost national forest. It was created to protect the world's largest contiguous sand pine scrub.

That same year, Roosevelt established the Choctawhatchee National Forest in Florida's Panhandle that later was transferred to the Armed Services in 1940 and became Eglin Air Force Base.

'Is not St. Augustine lovely?'

Other Teddy Roosevelt facts, connections to Florida.

  • Roosevelt and his Rough Riders stayed in Tampa before sailing to Cuba in 1898 to fight in the Spanish-American War.
  • The Theodore Roosevelt Area in Jacksonville is a 600-acre natural treasure of hardwood forest, wetlands, and scrub vegetation. It's within the Timucuan Preserve has more than five miles of hiking trails.
  • Roosevelt in October 1905 visited St. Augustine and delivered historic addresses and stayed at the luxurious Ponce de Leon Hotel, which is now Flagler College. In a letter to his daughter Ethel, Roosevelt described the trip to the oldest city in the U.S. "Is not St. Augustine lovely?" And he later added, "Last night we had a banquet warranted to make your hair stand on end."

Dave Osborn is the regional features editor of the Naples Daily News and The News-Press. Contact him at dosborn@usatodayco.com and follow him on Instagram @lacrossewriter.

This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Teddy Roosevelt created safe harbor for Florida birds, other wildlife

Reporting by Dave Osborn, Fort Myers News-Press & Naples Daily News / Fort Myers News-Press

USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Photo of Col. Theodore Roosevelt, far right, and other members of the 1st U.S. Volunteer Regiment, better known as the "Rough Riders," in Tampa, Florida, in 1898.
Photo of Col. Theodore Roosevelt, far right, and other members of the 1st U.S. Volunteer Regiment, better known as the "Rough Riders," in Tampa, Florida, in 1898. Provided by Library of Congress USA TODAY Network, Reuters
Hundreds attended the Pelican Island Wildlife Festival at Riverview Park on March 3, 2018, in Sebastian, Florida. The festival celebrated the 115th anniversary of the establishment of Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge, the first in the country, in 1903.
Hundreds attended the Pelican Island Wildlife Festival at Riverview Park on March 3, 2018, in Sebastian, Florida. The festival celebrated the 115th anniversary of the establishment of Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge, the first in the country, in 1903. SAM WOLFE/SPECIAL TO TCPALM USA TODAY Network, Reuters

Copyright Reuters or USA Today Network via Reuters Connect

This story was originally published June 30, 2026 at 10:39 AM.