J.N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge (Sanibel)
The J.N. "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge is located on the subtropical barrier island of Sanibel in the Gulf of Mexico. The refuge is part of the largest undeveloped mangrove ecosystem in the United States. It is world famous for its spectacular wading bird populations.
Lake Seminole (Chattahoochee)
In a rural setting, the lake features rugged ravines, cypress ponds, limesinks and hardwood and pine forests. Nationally known for its largemouth bass and wide variety of plant and animal life, this lake also offers very good birdwatching. Concessionaires around the lake offer a changing variety of services.
Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge (Vero Beach)
Pelican Island holds a unique place in American history, because on March 14, 1903, President Theodore Roosevelt designated it as the Nation's first National Wildlife Refuge to protect brown pelicans and other native birds nesting on the island. This was the first time the federal government set aside land for the sake of wildlife.
Pine Island National Wildlife Refuge (Sanibel)
The Pine Island NWR is located on the southwest coast of Florida, north of Sanibel Island in the Pine Island Sound. It is administered as part of the J.N. "Ding" Darling NWR. The refuge was established by President Theodore Roosevelt through Executive Order 939 in 1908 to protect the thousands of herons, egrets, and pelicans that were being hunted to support the plume trade in the early 1900's. The refuge has also been designated as a Florida State Aquatic Preserve.
Big Cypress National Preserve (Ochopee)
The first National Preserve in the National Park System, Big Cypress has a mixture of pines, hardwoods, prairies, mangrove forests, cypress strands and domes. White-tailed deer, bear and Florida panther can be found here along with the more tropical linguus tree snail, royal palm and cigar orchid. This meeting place of temperate and tropical species is a hotbed of biological diversity.
Castillo De San Marcos National Monument (St. Augustine)
The Castillo de San Marcos, built 1672-1695, served primarily as an outpost of the Spanish Empire, guarding St. Augustine, the first permanent European settlement in the continental United States, and also protecting the sea route for treasure ships returning to Spain. Although the Castillo has served a number of nations throughout its history, it has never been taken by military force.
Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary (Marathon)
Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary supports one of the most diverse assemblages of underwater plants and animals in North America. Although bestknown for is coral reefs, the shallow nearshore waters contain interconnecting and interdependent marine habitats that include fringing mangroves, seagrass meadows, hardbottom regions, patch reefs, and ban reefs. This complex marine ecosystem is the foundation for the tourism and commercial fishing based economies that are so important to Florida.
Apalachicola National Estuarine Research Reserve (Eastpoint)
Apalachicola Bay is one of the most productive estuarine systems in the Northern Hemisphere. Apalachicola National Estuarine Research Reserve features 1, 162 subspecies of vascular (or "higher-level") plants, 308 species of birds, 186 species of fish and 57 species of mammals. It has the largest natural stand of tupelo trees in the world. The Apalachicola Basin has the highest species density of amphibians and reptiles in all of North America, north of Mexico.
Guana Tolomato Matanzas Reserve (St. Augustine)
The Guana Tolomato Matanzas National Estuarine Research Reserve encompasses approximately 55, 000 acres of salt marsh and mangrove tidal wetlands, oyster bars, estuarine lagoons, upland habitat and offshore seas in Northeast Florida. It contains the northern most extent of mangrove habitat on the east coast of the United States.The coastal waters of the GTM Reserve are important calving grounds for the endangered Right Whale.
Lake Wales Ridge National Wildlife Refuge (Titusville)
Lake Wales Ridge National Wildlife Refuge (LWNWR) is the first Refuge designated primarily for the preservation of endangered plants. Thirty-one rare plants can be found within the project boundary, 22 of them federally listed as endangered or threatened, and nine candidates for such listing. Four federally listed vertebrates as well as 40 rare invertebrate species are also present.
Passage Key National Wildlife Refuge (Crystal River)
One of the first national wildlife refuges, Passage Key National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1905. This 30-acre meandering barrier island was once a mangrove island with a fresh water lake but a hurricane in 1920 had destroyed most of the island. The island hosts the largest royal tern and sandwich tern colonies in the state of Florida.
Lake Okeechobee/Okeechobee Waterway (Clewiston)
Located at the center of South Florida's heartland, Lake Okeechobee is Florida's largest lake and the second largest freshwater lake in the United States. Eight Corps recreation areas are located along the 152-mile waterway, which offers excellent boating, bass fishing, biking, wildlife viewing, and waterfowl hunting. This convenient commercial link with the Florida coast also offers recreational boaters protected waters, peaceful anchorages, and pleasant shore stops.
National Forests in Florida: Apalachicola-Ocala-Osceola (Tallahassee)
Florida has three National Forests comprising over 1.25 million acres. The Apalachicola and Osceola National Forests are in the northern half of the State, while the Ocala National Forest is located in central Florida. Representing only three percent of Florida's land base, these Forests provide the largest supply of forest recreation opportunities in the State.Forests provide the largest supply of forest recreation opportunities in the State.
Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge (Vero Beach)
The Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge stretches across 20.5 miles between Melbourne Beach and Wabasso Beach along Florida's east coast. The refuge was established in 1991 and was named after the late Dr. Archie Carr, Jr., in honor of his extraordinary contribution to sea turtle conservation. The Refuge is a direct result of Dr. Carr bringing attention to the world's declining turtle populations due to over-exploitation and loss of safe habitat.
Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge (Boynton Beach)
Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge is located seven miles west of the city of Boynton Beach in Palm Beach County, Florida. The refuge was established in 1951 under the authority of the Migratory Bird Conservation Act and is managed through a license agreement between the South Florida Water Management District and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. In total, the refuge includes 145, 800 acres of northern Everglades habitat.
Caloosahatchee National Wildlife Refuge (Sanibel)
The Caloosahatchee National Wildlife Refuge (NWR), administered as a satellite refuge of J.N. "Ding" Darling NWR, is located in Lee County on the Caloosahatchee River within the city of Fort Myers. The refuge was established by President Woodrow Wilson on July 1, 1920, through Executive Order 3299 as a ". . . preserve and breeding ground for native birds". Originally, the Caloosahatchee refuge consisted of several mangrove islands.
Cedar Keys National Wildlife Refuge (Chiefland)
Cedar Keys National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1929 by President Herbert Hoover to protect a breeding ground for colonial nesting migratory birds during a time when market hunters, desiring feathers for the ladies' apparel industry, were slaughtering millions of birds. Today, the threat is much different - coastal islands are being rapidly developed and habitat is lost forever.
Chassahowitzka National Wildlife Refuge (Crystal River)
The Chassahowitzka National Wildlife Refuge, established in 1941, is comprised of over 31, 000 acres of saltwater bays, estuaries and brackish marshes at the mouth of the Chassahowitzka River. The refuge, located approximately 65 miles north of St. Petersburg, FL, was established primarily to protect waterfowl habitat and is home to over 250 species of birds, over 50 species of retiles and amphibians, and at least 25 different species of mammals, including the endangered West Indian Manatee.
Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge (Crystal River)
The Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge, was established in 1983 specifically for the protection of the endangered West Indian Manatee. This unique refuge preserves the last unspoiled and undeveloped habitat in Kings Bay, which forms the headwaters of the Crystal River. The refuge preserves the warm water spring havens, which provide critical habitat for the manatee populations that migrate here each winter.
Egmont Key National Wildlife Refuge (Crystal River)
The Egmont Key National Wildlife Refuge, was established in 1974 and protects a diverse community of animals and plants, many of which are either threatened or endangered. This island refuge was once the site of the former United States Army Fort Dade Military Reservation, and abundant reminders of this unique military past can be found scattered throughout the island today.
Great White Heron National Wildlife Refuge (Big Pine Key)
Great White Heron National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1938 as a haven for great white herons, migratory birds, and other wildlife. The refuge is located in the lower Florida Keys and consists of almost 200, 000 acres of open water and islands that are north of the primary Keys from Marathon to Key West. The islands account for approximately 7, 600 acres and are primarily mangroves with some of the larger islands containing pine rockland and tropical hardwood hammock habitats.
Hobe Sound National Wildlife Refuge (Hobe Sound)
Hobe Sound National Wildlife Refuge, was established September 30, 1969. It is a coastal refuge bisected by the Indian River Lagoon into two separate tracts of land totaling over 1000 acres. The 735 acre Jupiter Island tract provides some of the most productive sea turtle nesting habitat in the United States, and the 300 acre sand pine scrub mainland tract is valued because more than 90 percent of this community type has been lost to development in Florida.
Island Bay National Wildlife Refuge (Sanibel)
Island Bay NWR, administered as a satellite of the J.N. "Ding" Darling NWR, is located in the Cape Haze area of Charlotte Harbor, Charlotte County, Florida--southwest of Punta Gorda. The Refuge was established as a ". . . preserve and breeding ground for native birds" on October 23, 1908, through Executive Order 958 signed by President Theodore Roosevelt. Later, on October 23, 1970, President Richard Nixon signed Public Law 91-504 establishing the refuge as a Wilderness Area.
Key West National Wildlife Refuge (Big Pine Key)
Key West National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1908 by President Theodore Roosevelt as a preserve and breeding ground for native birds and other wildlife. This refuge was the first established in the Florida Keys and one of the earliest refuges in the United States. The refuge encompasses more than 200, 000 acres with only 2, 000 acres of land. The area is home to more than 250 species of birds and is important for sea turtle nesting.
Lake Woodruff National Wildlife Refuge (Deleon Springs)
Lake Woodruff National Wildlife Refuge Lake Woodruff NWR was established in 1964 to provide habitat for migrating and wintering birds. The refuge contains 21, 574 acres of freshwater marshes, 5, 800 acres of Cypress and mixed hardwood swamps, 2, 400 acres of uplands, and more than 1, 000 acres of lakes, streams, and canals.
Lower Suwannee National Wildlife Refuge (Chiefland, F)
Lower Suwannee National Wildlife Refuge, established in 1979, is located along the southern edge of the Big Bend region of Florida's west coast, approximately 50 miles southwest of Gainsville. This 54, 000 acre refuge is one of the largest undeveloped river delta - estuarine systems in the United States and was established to protect natural ecosystems of the Suwannee River's lower reaches and coastal marsh, as it empties into the Gulf of Mexico.
Matlacha Pass National Wildlife Refuge (Sanibel)
Matlacha Pass NWR, administered as a satellite refuge of J.N. "Ding" Darling NWR, is located within the Matlacha Pass Charlotte Harbor estuary, Lee County, Florida, approximately 8 miles northwest of Fort Myers. On September 26, 1908, three small islands were established as a ". . . preserve and breeding ground for native birds" by President Theodore Roosevelt through Executive Order 943. Since then, the refuge has grown to 23 islands encompassing about 512 acres.
Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge (Titusville)
Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge (MINWR) headquarters is located five miles east of U.S. 1 in Titusville, Florida. The Refuge, which is an overlay of the John F. Kennedy Space Center, was established in August 1963 to provide a buffer zone for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in the quest for space exploration. Approximately one half the Refuge's 140, 000 acres consist of brackish estuaries and marshes.
National Key Deer Refuge National Wildlife Refuge (Big Pine Key)
The National Key Deer Refuge was established in 1957 to protect and preserve Key deer and other wildlife resources in the Florida Keys. The refuge is located in the lower Florida Keys and currently consists of approximately 9, 200 acres of land that includes pine rockland forests, tropical hardwood hammocks, freshwater wetlands, salt marsh wetlands, and mangrove forests.
St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge (St. Marks)
St. Marks NWR, located 25 miles south of Tallahassee along the Gulf Coast of Florida, is a well-known oasis of natural Florida habitats for wildlife, especially birds. Natural salt marshes, freshwater swamps, pine forests and lakes provide a haven for wildlife and people. Fishing, hiking, birdwatching, butterfly-watching, hunting, and viewing the historic St. Marks lighthouse on beautiful Apalachee Bay attract visitors from around the world.
St. Vincent National Wildlife Refuge (Apalachicola)
St. Vincent National Wildlife Refuge, in Franklin County, Florida, is an undeveloped barrier island just offshore from the mouth of the Apalachicola River, in the Gulf of Mexico. The refuge is managed to preserve, in as natural a state as possible, its highly varied plant and animal communities.
Timucuan Ecological & Historic Preserve (Jacksonville)
The 46, 000 acre Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve was established to protect one of the last unspoiled coastal wetlands on the Atlantic Coast, and to preserve historic and prehistoric sites within the area. The estuarine ecosystem includes salt marsh, coastal dunes, and hardwood hammocks, all rich in native vegetation and animal life. Archaeological evidence indicates 6, 000 years of human habitation in the area.
Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (Naples)
Located at the northern end of the Ten Thousand Islands on the gulf coast of Florida, Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve represents one of the few remaining undisturbed mangrove estuaries in North America.The Rookery Bay and Ten Thousand Islands ecosystem is a prime example of a nearly pristine subtropical mangrove forested estuary. Rookery Bay Reserve is located in the West Florida subregion of the West Indian Biogeographic Region.
Crocodile Lake National Wildlife Refuge (Key Largo)
Crocodile Lake National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1980 to protect critical breeding and nesting habitat for the endangered American crocodile and other wildlife. The refuge is located in north Key Largo and is currently comprised of 6, 700 acres including 650 acres of open water. It contains a mosaic of habitat types including tropical hardwood hammock, mangrove forest, and salt marsh. These habitats are critical for hundreds of plants and animals including six federally-listed species.
Ten Thousand Islands National Wildlife Refuge (Naple)
Ten Thousand Islands NWR is located in Collier County on the southwest coast of Florida. Established in 1996, this 35, 000 acres refuge protects important mangrove habitats and a rich diversity of native wildlife, including several endangered species. The refuge is part of the largest expanses of mangrove forest in North America. Approximately two thirds of the refuge is mangrove forest, which dominates most tidal fringes and the numerous islands (or keys).
St. Johns National Wildlife Refuge (Titusville)
St. John's National Wildlife Refuge (SJNWR) was established in 1971 to protect the dusky seaside sparrow. In 1990, the species was officially declared extinct and the critical habitat was delisted. Today, SJNWR is managed to provide habitat for several species of birds listed as species of special management concern by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and for wildlife and habitat diversity, primarily by prescribed fire.
Pinellas National Wildlife Refuge (Crystal River)
The Pinellas National Wildlife Refuge, was established in 1951 as a breeding ground for colonial bird species. Herons, cormorants, egrets, endangered brown pelicans and many more species use this quiet refuge for nesting. Tarpon key, one of the islands making-up the refuge, hosts the largest brown pelican rookery in the state of Florida. The abundant green sea grass beds around the island are protected from motorized boat activity.
Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge (Naples)
Florida Panther NWR was established in 1989 under the authority of the Endangered Species Act to protect the Florida panther and its habitat. The refuge consists of 26, 400 acres and is located within the heart of the Big Cypress Basin in southwest Florida. This subtropical ecosystem covers more than 2, 400 square miles of diverse wetland and upland habitat types. The refuge encompasses the northern origin of the Fakahatchie Strand, which is the largest cypress strand in the Big Cypress Swamp.
Biscayne National Park (Homestead)
It?s a moody place, Biscayne National Park. Some days, Biscayne Bay's shallow waters are glassy smooth, a window on another world. Other times, the wind whistles and whips, creating white waves that bite like teeth at an angry sky. Some days are quiet and still, the silence broken only by the sound of ocean ripples lapping at the mangrove-fringed shoreline, the exhalation of a manatee, or a crab scuttling across the leaf-strewn forest floor.
Canaveral National Seashore (Titusville)
Canaveral National Seashore is on a barrier island which includes ocean, beach, dune, hammock, lagoon, salt marsh, and pine flatland habitats. The barrier island and adjacent waterways offer a blend of plant and animal life. Records show that 1, 045 species of plants and 310 species of birds can be found in the park.
De Soto National Memorial (Bradenton)
On a sweltering day in May of 1539, Hernando de Soto and an army of over 600 soldiers splashed ashore in the Tampa Bay area. They arrived in nine ships laden with supplies: two hundred and twenty horses, a herd of pigs, a pack of vicious war dogs, cannon, matchlock muskets, armor, tools and rations. It was everything they would need to execute the order of King Charles V: sail to La Florida and "conquer, populate and pacify" the land.
Dry Tortugas National Park (Key West)
Almost 70 miles (112.9 km) west of Key West lies a cluster of seven islands, composed of coral reefs and sand, called the Dry Tortugas. Along with the surrounding shoals and waters, they make up Dry Tortugas National Park. The area is known for its famous bird and marine life, and its legends of pirates and sunken gold. Fort Jefferson, one of the largest coastal forts ever built, is a central feature. The Tortugas were first discoverd by Ponce de Leon in 1513.
Everglades National Park (Homestead)
Spanning the southern tip of the Florida peninsula and most of Florida Bay, Everglades National Park is the only subtropical preserve in North America. It contains both temperate and tropical plant communities, including sawgrass prairies, mangrove and cypress swamps, pinelands, and hardwood hammocks, as well as marine and estuarine environments.
Fort Caroline National Memorial (Jacksonville)
Fort Caroline National Memorial was created to memorialize the Sixteenth Century French effort to establish a permanent colony in Florida. After initial exploration in 1562, the French established "la Caroline" in June 1564. Spanish forces arrived 15 months later. Marching north from their newly established beachhead (San Augustin) they captured la Caroline in September, 1565.
Fort Matanzas National Monument (St. Augustine)
Throughout its history, the story of Fort Matanzas has been closely intertwined with that of the city of St. Augustine and the Castillo de San Marcos. This Spanish outpost fort was built in 1740-1742 to guard the Matanzas Inlet and to warn St. Augustine of British or other enemies approaching from the south. Fort Matanzas now serves as a reminder of the early Spanish empire in the New World.
Gulf Islands National Seashore (Gulf Breeze)
More than 80 percent of Gulf Islands National Seashore is under water, but the barrier islands are the most outstanding features to those who visit. The Seashore stretches 160 miles from Cat Island in Mississippi to the eastern tip of Santa Rosa Island in Florida. There are snowy-white beaches, sparkling blue waters, fertile coastal marshes, and dense maritime forests.