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Pelican Island Preservation Society The Pelican Island Preservation Society (PIPS) hosted Pelican Island NWR anniversary celebrations every year since 1993, culminating in the two-day Pelican Island Wildlife Festival for the Refuge Centennial celebration in 2003, which attracted approximately 25,000 participants. This huge undertaking featured exhibits from 60 NWRs and over 100 environmental organizations, generating local and nation press coverage and increasing public awareness of the refuge system's role in environmental preservations and stewardship. PIPS coordinated with refuge staff, local city and county officials, and chambers of commerce, bringing together diverse organizations in a spirit of community cooperation. But as impressive an accomplishment as this was, PIPS has not lost sight of their dedication to protecting the refuge itself, helping in shoreline restoration and expanding the refuge to provide a land buffer to project the Pelican Island rookery from encroaching developments. They provide educational programs for the local community and throughout Florida. |