Credit: NEMCON
The Environmental Management Branch at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida has been working on coastline restoration efforts to develop dunes that have been affected by beach erosion and storm surges– an effort that beach mice appear to value quite.
While the primary function is to safeguard the launch pads and surrounding facilities from storm impacts and rising water level, the dunes also supply a sustainable wildlife environment. Constant research study and tracking conducted along Kennedys beaches show that quickly after the dunes are developed and native greenery is planted, beach mice and gopher tortoises are drawn to the new habitat.
Little sufficient to suit the palm of a human hand when fully grown, the beach mouse is a threatened species and is the only protected small mammal known to live in the coastal dunes and close-by scrub at Kennedy.
By NASA
September 21, 2021
Environmental teams keep an eye on the health of these mice by trapping them, evaluating their weight, gender, and condition, and after that tagging them for release. These and other little mammals in the area have actually proven to be in excellent condition and reveal favorable indications that biologists look for, such as diversity in age class and reproductive status.
The spaceport offers an useful environment for a range of wildlife as it shares space with the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, where more than 1,000 species of plants,117 species of fish, 68 types of reptiles and amphibians, 330 ranges of birds, and 31 various types of mammals live.