 | This article relies largely or entirely on a single source .(December 2016) |
Fort White Wildlife and Environmental Area (WEA) protects 1,610 acres of primarily sandhill habitat four miles west of Fort White in Gilchrist County, Florida. [1]
| | This article relies largely or entirely on a single source .(December 2016) |
Fort White Wildlife and Environmental Area (WEA) protects 1,610 acres of primarily sandhill habitat four miles west of Fort White in Gilchrist County, Florida. [1]
| Fort White Wildlife and Environmental Area (WEA) | |
|---|---|
  | |
| Location | Gilchrist County, Florida |
| Nearest city | Gilchrist County, Florida |
| Coordinates | 29°54′31″N82°46′54″W / 29.90861°N 82.78167°W Coordinates: 29°54′31″N82°46′54″W / 29.90861°N 82.78167°W |
| Area | 1,610 Acres |
| Governing body | Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission |
The imperiled Sherman's fox squirrel, gopher tortoise, Florida mouse, and gopher frog all live in the open sandhills of Fort White WEA. [2] In addition, river otters, beavers, and even manatees may be seen in the adjacent Santa Fe River that flows along the eastern boundary. [3] Birds are represented by numerous migratory and resident species including swallow-tailed kite, barred owl, and Bachman's sparrow.
Gray squirrel, wild turkey, and white-tailed deer hunting take place here during their respective seasons and bass fishing is popular along the Santa Fe River. [4] [5] Loop trails, both along the river and through the sandhills, permit access to much of the area. Paddlers can access the large bald cypress trees and wildlife-viewing opportunities on the Santa Fe River from a boat ramp located near the parking area on NE 2nd Way. [6]
Ochlockonee River State Park is a Florida State Park located in Wakulla County, Florida, south of the town of Sopchoppy in the Florida Panhandle. Located off of U.S. 319 on the Ochlockonee River, just north of the Gulf of Mexico coast, it is surrounded by the Apalachicola National Forest and the St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge and provides important habitat for the endangered red-cockaded woodpecker.
The Apalachicola National Forest is the largest U.S. National Forest in the state of Florida. It encompasses 632,890 acres and is the only national forest located in the Florida Panhandle. The National Forest provides water and land-based outdoors activities such as off-road biking, hiking, swimming, boating, hunting, fishing, horse-back riding, and off-road ATV usage.
The Santa Fe Swamp is 95-percent floodplain 7,046-acre (2,851 ha) swamp. Along with Lake Santa Fe and Little Lake Santa Fe, it serves as headwaters of the Santa Fe River, which drains into the Suwannee River and then finally the Gulf of Mexico. It is located to the north of those lakes in Bradford County and Alachua County in Florida.
Gold Head Branch State Park, a Florida State Park, is just shy of 2400 acres (8 km²) of rolling sandhills, marshes, ravines, lakes and scrub located midway between Gainesville and Jacksonville, six miles (10 km) north of Keystone Heights on SR 21. Gold Head is one of the earliest state parks in Florida. Some of its amenities, including cabins, were originally constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in the 1930s.
O'Leno State Park is a Florida State Park located on the Santa Fe River six miles north of High Springs on U.S. 441. Many facilities at the park were built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s.
Silver Springs State Park, formerly known as Silver River State Park, is a Florida State Park located on the Silver River in Marion County. The park contains Silver Springs, Florida's first tourist attraction.
Tosohatchee Wildlife Management Area is located along the St. Johns River east of Orlando in Christmas on Taylor Creek Road, off SR 50.
The Florida Trail is one of eleven National Scenic Trails in the United States. It currently runs 1,000 miles (1,600 km), with 300 miles (480 km) planned, from Big Cypress National Preserve to Fort Pickens at Gulf Islands National Seashore, Pensacola Beach. Also known as the Florida National Scenic Trail, the Florida Trail provides permanent non-motorized recreation opportunity for hiking and other compatible activities and is within an hour of most Floridians. The Florida National Scenic Trail is designated as a National Scenic Trail by the National Trails System Act of 1968.
The Santa Fe River is a 75-mile (121 km) river in northern Florida. The watershed of the river is approximately 1,380 square miles (3,574 km2) and spreads across southern Columbia, southern Suwannee, western Bradford, far southern Baker, Union, northern and eastern Gilchrist, and northern Alachua counties. The headwaters of the river are Lake Santa Fe, near Keystone Heights. The Santa Fe River is usually a slow-flowing river. This slow speed, combined with the abundant leaf-drop from nearby trees, especially Bald Cypress, leads to a very dark-brown river due to dissolved tannins.
Chassahowitzka Wildlife Management Area (WMA) preserves 24,243 acres of sandhill, mesic hammock, and forested wetland habitat ten miles north of Weeki Wachee in Hernando County, Florida. The area consists of one large tract of land, with three satellite tracts nearby.
The Circle B Bar Reserve is an area of protected lands in Polk County, Florida. Comprising 1,267 acres (5.13 km2) at 4399 Winter Lake Road near Lakeland, Florida, the area is managed by the Polk County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC). It is jointly owned by the BOCC and the Southwest Florida Water Management District. The park was purchased in 2000 for $7.4 million using funds provided by an environmental lands acquisition referendum approved by voters in 1994.
Not to be confused with Camp Branch Wetlands Natural Area Preserve
Andrews Wildlife Management Area is located on the Suwannee River, five miles north of Chiefland in Levy County, Florida.
Apalachicola River Wildlife and Environmental Area (ARWEA) contains 63,257 acres of pine upland, floodplain swamp, savanna, and estuary habitat north of Eastpoint and Apalachicola in Franklin County and Gulf County, Florida.
Okaloacoochee Slough Wildlife Management Area (WMA) protects 2,992 acres of the larger Okaloacoochee Slough ecosystem approximately 30 miles east of Fort Myers in Hendry County, Florida.
Escribano Point Wildlife Management Area (EPWMA) contains 4,057 acres of salt marsh, shrub bog, and sandhill habitat fourteen miles north of Pensacola in Santa Rosa County, Florida. In 2004, an initial 1,166 acres were acquired by the Florida Forever program and leased to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to establish the EPWMA.
Apalachee Wildlife Management Area (WMA) consists of 7,952 acres of upland longleaf pine and wetland habitat three miles north of Sneads in Jackson County, Florida. The area is broken up into three management zones, all located along Lake Seminole and the Chattahoochee River.
Suwannee Ridge Wildlife and Environmental Area (WEA) conserves 1,428 acres of longleaf pine uplands, karst topography and hardwood hammocks ten miles southwest of Jasper in Hamilton County, Florida.
Aucilla Wildlife Management Area conserves 50,471 acres of hydric hammock, mesic flatwoods, upland forest, and spring-run river twelve miles southeast of Tallahassee in Jefferson County, Florida.
Florida is host to many types of fauna