A steady stream of visitors made their way to Riverview Park in Sebastian on a blustery but beautiful Saturday for the 28th annual Pelican Island Wildlife Festival, hosted by the Pelican Island Preservation Society and the City of Sebastian.

The event celebrates the anniversary of the March 14, 1903, establishment of the nation’s first National Wildlife Refuge by President Theodore Roosevelt to protect birds from being slaughtered for their plumage. The event featured wildlife shows, exhibitors and vendors, historical reenactments, boat tours to Pelican Island and an amateur photography contest.

The Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge, located by the Historic Jungle Trail, off A1A, is open daily to visitors from 7:30 a.m. until sunset.