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The Emerald Coast Wildlife Refuge is a wildlife sanctuary and rehabilitation center in Navarre, Florida.[1][2][3]

Emerald Coast Wildlife Refuge

Date opened	December 7, 2019
Location	3051 Cloptons Circle, Navarre, Florida 32566
Coordinates	30.4444835°N 86.8829648°W / 30.4444835; -86.8829648
No. of animals	~130 at any given time
Director	Crystie Baker
Website	https://emeraldcoastwildliferefuge.org/

History

The refuge was originally located in Okaloosa County, Florida, in 1994. At first, while there, the program operated out of private homes, before eventually opening makeshift facilities in 2000.[4] The program, with the help of the local community managed to find more permanent facilities in 2005, before eventually moving to new purpose-built facilities in Navarre.[4]

The refuge opened in the location in Navarre in 2019. The new facility cost approximately $1 million, and was greatly assisted by local volunteer and charity organizations, such as the Boy Scouts of America, the local Navarre Garden Club, and the Girl Scouts of the USA.[1]

Facilities and programs

The refuge includes a raptor rehabilitation center, public environmental outreach to the regional area, and professional animal-care staff.[5][6] The refuge has also assisted law enforcement and wildlife authorities in the investigations of deaths of endangered animals.[1][7]

The ECWR responds to certain crises involving local animals that animal control services cannot easily manage, such as issues involving birds of prey or beached marine mammals.[5][8] The facility cares for approximately 130 animals at any one given time for rehabilitation purposes, but often takes in more after natural disasters.[9]

References

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