The "Kroegel Homestead" project will protect and preserve an important part of Florida's and this nation's heritage. The subject property is the homestead of Paul Kroegel, the first federal wildlife warden of the nation's first wildlife refuge, Pelican Island. In 1903, President Teddy Roosevelt established the Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge, marking the beginning of the National Wildlife Refuge System, the world's largest and most diverse assemblage of lands for wildlife. The project is adjacent to the Indian River Lagoon, an estuary of national significance, and is an integral part of the Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge, which is located directly east of the Kroegel Homestead. The purpose of the project is to preserve and open to the public the Homestead, which is of state and national significance in "completing the story" of the natural and cultural heritage of the federal refuge system and of the nationally significant Indian River Lagoon. In addition, public acquisition will direct potential multi-family development away from a special flood hazard area, in that the project is located in a 100-year flood plain. The project will also protect remnant coastal hammock areas and a pre-historic shell midden, and will provide a public land-based access point to the Indian River Lagoon.
Public access improvements will be designed so as not to disturb the natural and cultural integrity of resources on the property. A small riverfront viewing pier and a defined walking path will be established, including signs and displays explaining the cultural and natural features of the site. The site is not currently open to the public.