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Help Us Protect Our Dunes

In St. Johns County, dunes also protect the Endangered Anastasia Island Beach Mouse...

Why do we protect our dunes? Well, it’s obvious that sea oats, those tall fronds that wave in the slightest breeze, help prevent erosion when there is a severe storm. They have deep roots that have a stabilizing effect on the drifting mounds of soft sand that gradually slope from the uplands to the high tide line.

That’s why we use wooden walkways to get to the beach. In St. Johns County, dunes also protect the Endangered Anastasia Island Beach Mouse, the only mammal native to the dunes. Buff colored fur with white markings on the face and nose provide good camouflage for living among the sea oats and panic grass. They make burrows for storing food and nesting in undisturbed dunes, but you can sometimes see their tiny footprints around the creeper vines that extend out from the dunes.