St. Vincent Island is a barrier island protecting the western entrance to Apalachicola Bay in the Florida Panhandle. This 12,300 acre island is truly a microcosm of Florida, featuring small freshwater lakes, hills, forests of virgin pine growth, and swamps. Its first human residents were Native Americans (over 2,000 years ago), and has also served as a Spanish military camp, an outpost for Confederate soldiers, a cattle ranch, and a resort and hunting preserve. In 1968, the Nature Conservancy purchased the island and the United States Fish and Wildlife Service promptly designated St. Vincent Island as a National Refuge.

WGI recently had the unique opportunity to visit the island and perform a detailed topographic survey of existing features (including bungalows built by Dr. Pierce in 1909) to allow for the proper design of new storage structures, for equipment that remains on the island. With no bridges connecting this isolated island to the mainland, the adventure began on a small barge to get our truck across Indian Pass with a fierce out-going tide, combined with stiff winds from the northeast. The crew then voyaged 10 miles along rugged jeep trails to reach the project site on the far east side of the island. With Hurricane Matthew quickly approaching, the crew immediately established control with RTK GPS and efficiently gathered all the necessary spatial data, including existing structures/utilities, trees, and soil borings.