New preserve manager on board

He's wrangled invasive brown tree snakes in Guam, researched Alabama cottonmouths, organized prescribed burns in Maine, Georgia and Florida, and has worked for Nature Conservancies across the country.

Matt Greene is now settled in Port St. Joe as the new manager of the St. Joseph Bay State Buffer Preserve, a job, he said, that keeps surprises him.

 "Everyday could be different," Greene said. "The job will require a fair amount of field work, which is good because I like to be outside."

With two weeks under his belt, Greene is busy learning the lay of the 5,500 acres of land he is now responsible for managing, which has led him to spot eagles' nests, bear tracks, shore birds, white pelicans, coyotes, raccoons and many species of rare plants and wildflowers in the preserve since he began Dec. 5.

With a degree in zoology from Auburn University, the wildlife biologist, nature photographer and self-proclaimed Longleaf Pine enthusiast is hoping to spread the word about the many splendors of the buffer preserve to those who may not know about it.

"I've been told that people in this area don't know that we're there and they don't know what we do," Greene said. "We're just hoping to get the word out about the park. It's such a great resource."

The St. Joseph Bay State Buffer Preserve consists of 5,500 acres of land acting as a buffer between areas of development and the aquatic ecosystem of St. Joseph Bay and offers public hiking trails, boat launches and an observation tower overlooking St. Joseph Bay.

Greene wears many hats at the preserve, focusing on preservation of the wetlands, measuring the health of seagrass beds, running prescribed fire operations, tracking water quality, computer mapping and more.

"We do burns throughout the year, but mostly in the spring and summer," Greene said. "The fresh growth has a lot of protein and is important to the wildlife."

He said there are six to eight plant species in the preserve that are classified by the federal government as threatened. Another responsibility calls for Greene to measure the density of these rare plants.

The preserve has recently received land acquisition grants from the federal government and is looking into purchasing more land surrounding the area to expand its boundaries.

Greene said he will explore grant writing later in the year to see if the preserve would qualify for grants to fund new public education and outreach programs, a project that falls under one of his goals as the new preserve manager.

"I hope to have a few things ready in the summer," said Greene, who is interested in conducting informational sessions on bird diversity, water quality, bay scallops, native plants and invasive species in the near future. "Building an education program is something I really want to do with time."

Educating the public about identifying and treating invasive plant species like Cogon grass, the Chinese tallow tree and the Japanese climbing fern that have a tendency to smother native plant species could help reduce the problem, Greene said. 

He would like to eventually hire somebody to teach and coordinate the different workshops, as well as a new maintenance mechanic, but with the state cutting back on funding, it may not be possible.

"The state has been slimming down," Greene said. "If a position is vacant for too long, it often isn't replaced. But that also offers us the chance to streamline and become more efficient at what we do."

Greene has lived in the Panhandle since 2008, and grew up in on the coast in Fairhope, Alabama, so he is no stranger to the brutal heat, humidity and hurricanes the Gulf Coast is famous for.

 His most recent position was as a private lands biologist for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission in Marianna, a position similar to his new one as the preserves manager.

"Each job has its own challenges," Greene said. "You can't take a cookie-cutter formula and apply it from one land tract to another."

Greene encourages anyone to come out to the preserves center, located at 3915 County Road 30A in Port St. Joe, to enjoy the many gifts nature brings with each season. He said recent rainy weather will bring out singing frogs.

"Different times of year offer different forms of wildlife," Greene said. "Just come on out and see for yourself."