 As early as 1903, U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt was convinced of the need to declare Pelican Island in Florida a National Wildlife Refuge to protect the bird colonies (including the nesting brown pelicans), and in 1909 he protected the Farallon Islands.Today many important seabird colonies are given some measure of protection, from Heron Island in Australia to Triangle Island in British Columbia.Island restoration techniques, pioneered by New Zealand, enable the removal of exotic invaders from increasingly large islands.