In 1979, Harry and Darlene Kelton moved into a houseboat in Pelican Harbor Marina. Harry had convinced his wife to try life on a houseboat for just six months while the apartment building they lived in was being renovated. Soon after moving in, the Keltons began noticing injured pelicans congregating in the marina. The Keltons began paying out of pocket for the treatment of the earliest patients and set about creating a facility for their care. By 1980, the Keltons had incorporated Pelican Harbor Seabird Station for the purpose of healing injured seabirds. The first Seabird Station was an unglamorous prefabricated shed with a steel deck hatch for an office desk. The first aviary was the remaining posts of an old shed with chain link sides.
     In 1988 the Miami-Dade County Parks Department, who owns Pelican Harbor Marina, decided to renovate the Marina and ordered the Seabird Station to move. After more than a year of continuous efforts, the Keltons successfully negotiated with the county to allow the Seabird Station to remain in the marina. Our current facility was built during the marina renovation and is now leased to us by the county.

The Present

     The Seabird Station is now stronger than ever. Wendy Fox is now the executive director. Harry passed the torch on to Wendy in 2003, but remains as active as ever in his current role as the Seabird Station's treasurer. Sadly, Darlene Kelton passed away in December of 2003.

The Future

     The demand for our services is steadily growing. The volume of birds we take in, the number of programs we put on and the number of research projects we participate in annually are all increasing steadily. To meet this increasing demand, the Seabird Station's board of directors is working on plans to sustain our long term growth. In 2005 we plan to establish our own private foundation, which will cover part of our annual operating expenses. We're also working on developing an expansion plan to present to the county Parks Department. Our intention is to build a small addition to our current facility, which will increase our education and animal care capabilities.