Riverview Park in Sebastian was packed with a multi-generational crowd last Saturday at the 24th Annual Pelican Island Wildlife Festival hosted by the Pelican Island Preservation Society in partnership with the City of Sebastian and the Indian River County Historical Society.
The event celebrated the 113th anniversary of the Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge, established by President Theodore Roosevelt on March 14, 1903, as the first in the nation.
Roosevelt himself – aka famed re-enactor Joe Wiegand – was on hand to speak about the importance of conservation, as were representatives of all variety of local, state and federal organizations protective of our natural resources and wildlife.
There was also plenty of music and entertainment, vendors, exhibitors and wildlife presentations, and pontoon boat tours to view Pelican Island itself.
