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Kiosk Effectiveness Regarding Public Awareness of Flora and Fauna on BHI
1. M I C H A E L P E R E Z
C A L I F O R N I A S T A T E U N I V E R S I T Y , L O N G B E A C H
E N V I R O N M E N T A L E D U C A T I O N I N T E R N
S U M M E R 2 0 1 2
Kiosk Effectiveness Regarding Public
Awareness of Flora and Fauna on BHI
2. "In the end we will conserve only what we love; we will love
only what we understand and we will understand only what
we are taught.“
-Baba Dioum
3. Goals of Research Project
— Determine how often kiosks are being utilized by the
public
— Gain insight to public opinion regarding kiosks
maintained by the BHI Conservancy
— Discover ways to improve future kiosk designs
4. Kiosk Information
— The kiosks owned by the BHI Conservancy are used
to help educate the public
¡ upcoming events, wildlife, and habitats
— Four locations on Bald Head Island
¡ Kent Mitchell Trail, Beach Access 42, Stede Bonnet Wynd,
BHI Conservancy
6. Survey Methods
— Surveys conducted between July 22nd, 2012 and
August 3rd, 2012.
— Surveys at each kiosk location twice
¡ Two hour period at each location
8. Hypothesis
— The Beach and Dune habitat is underrepresented in
kiosks and the public would like to see that included.
— Sea Turtle will be the animal most desired by the
public to be added to future designs.
9. Survey Numbers
— Total of 133 surveys given between the four different
kiosk locations.
14%
27%
30%
29%
Breakdown of Survey Numbers by Kiosk
Location
Kent Mitchell Trail
Beach Access 42
Stede Bonnet Wynd
BHI Conservancy
10. Recognition of Kiosks
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
Kent Mitchell
Trail
Beach Access 42 Stede Bonnet
Wynd
BHI Conservancy
Kiosk Sighting Breakdown by Kiosk
Site
Kent Mitchell Trail
Beach Access 42
Stede Bonnet Wynd
BHI Conservancy
0%
54%
15%
31%
Kiosks Unnoticed, by
Location
Kent Mitchell Trail
Beach Access 42
Stede Bonnet Wynd
BHI Conservancy
11. Lacking vs. Sufficient Information
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
Helpful Information on
Kiosk by Location
Upcoming Events
News Stories
Habitat
Animals
Protection0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
Information Lacking on
Kiosks by Location
Upcoming Events
News Stories
Habitat
Animals
Habitat/Wildlife
Protection
12. Habitats to be Featured for Future Designs
52
54
56
58
60
62
64
66
68
70
72
Beach/Dunes Maritime Forest Salt Marsh
Habitat Totals
Total: 133
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
Habitat
Beach/Dunes
Maritime Forest
Salt Marsh
13. Animals to be Featured in Future Designs
0
5
10
15
20
25
Animals
Birds
Deer
Sea Turtles
Fox
Alligators
Other
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
Birds Deer Sea
Turtles
Fox Alligator
Animal Totals
Total: 133
14. Other Animals to be Included
— “More information on Osprey.”
— “I’d like to see Marsh Animals on Kiosks.”
— “What animals eat and when they are most active.”
— “More bird and plant information would be helpful.”
15. Other Opinions on Kiosks
— “I’d like to see a map of the trail with a list of animals you could see while on the trail.”
— “Additional information on birds.”
— “It would be nice if the kiosk included a tide chart to reference.”
— “A “Kid’s Quiz Sheet/Treasure Hunt” that would encourage them to find answers on the
kiosks.”
— “More information on turtle nesting and hatching would be great.”
— “Some kiosks are set too far back and hard to access. Maybe paint them brighter colors
so they are more noticeable.”
16. Improvement
— Larger sample size
— Even distribution of survey numbers by kiosk
location
— Decrease response bias
— More consistent survey methods
¡ Time, day of week, etc.
17. Discussion
— Highest priority
¡ Beach Access 42 Kiosk
— Information
¡ Beach and Dunes
¡ Sea Turtles
¡ Habitat/Wildlife Protection
— Other Suggestions
¡ Location of kiosks, coloration, frequency of updates.
18. Sand
Dunes
The
dunes
on
Bald
Head
Island
are
integral
to
the
integrity
of
the
coastal
ecosystem
and
the
island
as
a
whole.
Sand
is
picked
up
from
the
wind
it
is
moved
to
other
points
on
the
beach.
Over
?me,
an
accumula?on
of
this
sand
creates
a
mound
which
eventually
forms
a
dune.
The
dune
helps
protect
the
interior
of
the
land
from
storm
surges
and
the
harsh
wind
that
the
sea
carries
in.
The
dunes
themselves
are
held
in
place
largely
due
to
the
vegeta?on,
such
as
Sea
Oats
(Uniola
paniculata)
and
Pennywort
(Centella
asia/ca),
which
grows
on
them.
This
vegeta?on
is
able
to
grow
in
soil
with
sporadic
water
availability,
low
nutri?onal
value,
high
salinity
levels,
and
is
exposed
to
high
temperatures
in
direct
sunlight.
Without
this
vegeta?on
to
anchor
the
dunes,
erosion
occurs
in
a
maFer
of
years,
leaving
the
island
vulnerable
to
storms
and
hurricanes.
Though
the
vegeta?on
plays
such
a
large
role
in
maintaining
a
dune
ecosystem,
they
are
fragile.
The
vegeta?on
that
so
sturdily
protects
the
dunes
from
the
harsh
wind
is
suscep?ble
to
abuse
from
humans.
Riding
vehicles
through
the
dunes
or
the
simple
act
of
walking
among
the
dunes
will
trample
the
plants
due
to
their
thick,
briFle
stalks.
Helping
preserve
our
dune
ecosystem
that
helps
protect
so
much
of
our
island
is
incredibly
simple.
Avoid
walking
among
the
dunes
and
do
not
disrupt
their
root
system.
Dispose
of
trash
and
hazardous
material,
even
if
it
isn’t
your
own.
Storms
can
wash
up
liFer
on
the
dunes,
which
can
kill
the
beach
grass
and
disrupt
the
ecosystem.
American
Oystercatcher
(Haematopus
palliates)
These
birds
can
be
found
on
Bald
Head
Island
for
their
breeding
season,
which
is
between
May
and
August
of
every
year.
It
can
be
iden?fied
by
its
black
and
white
body
as
well
as
its
thick,
orange
beak.
When
nes?ng,
Oystercatchers
will
choose
a
high,
sandy
loca?on
such
as
a
dune
and
then
make
a
depression
in
the
sand.
Once
the
depression
has
been
made,
they
will
line
the
nest
with
shells
or
pebbles.
Like
many
other
shore
birds,
their
eggs
are
speckled
like
sand
to
help
hide
against
predators.
If
predators
do
come,
parents
will
oOen
fly
away
from
the
nest
to
lure
predators
towards
them
and
away
from
the
eggs.
If
you
find
a
shorebird
egg,
the
best
op?on
is
to
leave
it
alone
as
the
parent
is
probably
close
to
the
nest
and
wai?ng
for
you
to
leave
so
they
can
resume
incuba?on.
Loggerhead
Sea
Turtle
(Care5a
Care5a)
Loggerhead
Sea
Turtles
are
one
of
several
sea
turtle
species
that
can
be
found
foraging
off
the
shores
of
the
Atlan?c
Ocean
throughout
the
year.
They
grow
to
three
feet
long
with
an
average
weight
of
250
to
350
pounds.
As
the
name
suggests,
Loggerheads
have
a
large
head
compared
to
sea
turtles
of
similar
sizes.
These
marine
rep?les
need
large
heads,
which
are
full
of
jaw
muscles,
to
help
them
capture
prey
such
as
crustaceans
and
mollusks.
These
turtles
are
the
main
species
nes?ng
on
Bald
Head
Island,
making
up
over
90
percent
of
our
total
nests.
The
nes?ng
period
begins
in
mid-‐May
and
con?nues
into
September,
with
each
nest
containing
between
100
and
120
eggs.
AOer
a
50
to
70
day
incuba?on
period,
the
hatchlings
emerge
in
what
is
known
as
a
boil,
where
all
of
the
hatchlings
in
the
nest
will
emerge
at
the
same
?me,
crea?ng
the
impression
of
boiling
water.
The
hatching
period
is
from
late
July
to
October.
Like
all
other
sea
turtle
species,
Loggerheads
are
listed
as
Endangered
under
the
Endangered
Species
Act
(ESA).
Since
1983,
the
Bald
Head
Island
Conservancy
has
sponsored
the
Sea
Turtle
Protec?on
Program
to
preserve
these
animals
for
future
genera?ons.
The
program
aids
in
documen?ng
sea
turtles
nes?ng
on
the
island
to
beFer
our
understanding
of
the
sea
turtle
popula?on
along
the
Atlan?c
coast,
in
addi?on
to
protec?ng
nests
from
predators.
If
you
would
like
to
aid
in
our
protec?on
efforts,
please
inquire
about
our
Adopt-‐A-‐Programs
or
consider
becoming
a
member
of
the
Conservancy.
If
you
are
at
the
beach
at
night,
please
use
red
lights
between
May
and
October
to
help
prevent
female
turtles
becoming
disoriented.
Courtesy
of
Ted
Ledge5
19. Acknowledgements
In addition to all of the BHI Conservancy staff, I’d like to especially thank Tracey Ritchie for helping me
along with my project and answering any of the many questions I’ve asked this summer. Tracey, you
are the best of the best.
Of course, I’d also love to thank all of this summers interns that I’ve had the opportunity work with .
Each of you is so amazing in your own way and I feel as if I’ve gained a second family this summer. The
love and support that I’ve received from each of you has been incredible. I’ll miss you more than you
can imagine. So, for you, I’ll end with this quote.
“If ever there is tomorrow when we're not together... there is something you must always remember.
you are braver than you believe,
stronger than you seem,
and smarter than you think.
But the most important thing is, even if we're apart... I'll always be with you.”
― A.A. Milne
