ENVIRONMENTAL PARKS & CONSERVATION CHARLOTTE PRESERVES Charlotte County Community Services invites you to experience nature’s beauty at one of your environmental parks or preserves. Walk through the beautiful pine flatwoods and wetlands at Charlotte Flatwoods, bring your binoculars to view migratory and wading birds around Lemon Lake at Amberjack, or hike to the top of “Mount Tippecanoe” for a scenic view. Come and explore natural Florida in Charlotte County. Oyster Creek Entrance: Travel west on SR 776 (from Port Charlotte) and turn left onto 775 (Placida Rd). Immediately after Lemon Bay High School the Park is on the left side across the street from Cedar Point. This park has ADA accessible trails.
Ann & Chuck Dever Regional Park Entrance: Travel west on SR 776 (from Port Charlotte) and turn left onto San Casa Drive, the Park is on the right side of the road, use the skate park entrance, approximately 2 miles, the Preserve is on the right side of the road. This park has ADA accessible trails. Cedar Point Environmental Park Cedar Point is one of the last remaining large tracts of undeveloped land on Lemon Bay in Charlotte County. Cedar Point has pine flatwoods, scrub, scrubby flatwoods, mangrove swamps, salt marshes, and wetlands. Many species of animals inhabit pine flatwoods at Cedar Point, including bobcat, grey fox, yellow rat snake, pileated woodpecker, and bald eagle. Mangrove swamps are tidal wetlands that inhabit low energy shorelines in the coastal areas of southwest Florida. Mangrove trees are specially adapted to salt- and brackish- water environments. Mangroves provide habitat and nursery grounds for many species of fish and invertebrates. Situated on Lemon Bay, a long narrow estuary, Cedar Point is a great place to see wading birds in the mangrove fringes, watch for dolphins near the adjacent seagrasses and explore the pine flatwoods to find bald eagles, gopher tortoises, as well as a myriad of native plants. The park is located in Englewood south of SR 776. Travel west on SR 776 (from Port Charlotte) and turn left onto SR 775 (Placida Rd). Immediately after Lemon Bay High School on the right is Cedar Point Environmental Park. This park has ADA accessible trails. Charlotte Flatwoods Environmental Park Charlotte Flatwoods Environmental Park is 487 acres of mature pine flatwoods, hydric pine flatwoods, dry prairie, depressional marsh wetlands, and permanent freshwater ponds. Charlotte Flatwoods Environmental Park abuts both Southwest Florida Water Management preserve lands as well as Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission preserve lands, creating an important wildlife corridor to the Babcock/Webb Wildlife Management Area. The depressional marsh wetlands and larger slough system are home to several species of wading birds, as well as a family of sandhill cranes. The wetland areas also provide habitat for a wide assortment of reptiles and amphibians including the American alligator, banded water snake, and cricket frogs. Bobcats, deer, otters, and turkeys can be observed roaming through the pine flatwoods and dry prairies.
All trails are open from sunrise to sunset. Trail maps for each environmental park and Conservation Charlotte Preserve are available on the Charlotte County Parks and Natural Resources webpage at CharlotteCountyFL.gov. For more information on any of the environmental parks preserves, please call the Department’s Environmental Land Management Specialist at 941.613.3220. ENVIRONMENTAL PARKS Amberjack Environmental Park Amberjack Environmental Park is a 225 acre preserve made up of rare and unique scrub, pine flatwoods, marshes, and other beautiful natural areas, located on the southern half of the Cape Haze peninsula. Many different wildflowers can be seen blooming year-round in these habitats. Amberjack Environmental Park is traversed by two wetlands, one that formed the headwaters of a tributary to the Lemon Bay Aquatic Preserve, and one that drains into the west branch of Coral Creek. They are havens for several species of wading birds, including great blue herons, glossy ibis, roseate spoonbills, and snowy egrets. The park is located on the southern half of the Cape Haze peninsula in Englewood. Travel west on SR 776 (from Port Charlotte) and turn left onto CR 775 (Placida Rd). Drive approximately 4.3 miles and turn left on Gasparilla Pines Blvd.. Drive to the end of Gasparilla Pines and the park is on the right side of the road. This park has ADA accessible trails.
Ann & Chuck Dever Regional Park and Oyster Creek Environmental Park
Ann & Chuck Dever Regional Park encompasses over 250 acres of environmental lands. In the park you will find a sanctuary of old growth pines, scrub habitat, and mature pine flatwoods with mangrove fringe along Oyster Creek. Throughout these areas gopher tortoises have been observed, and along the creek perching snags are commonly used by osprey and the bald eagle. The boardwalk crossing Oyster Creek displays the variety of birds that utilize Oyster Creek and the surrounding tidal mangroves. The wetlands and mangroves provide habitat for wading birds species such as the wood stork, white ibis, roseate spoonbill, little blue heron, reddish egret, snowy egret, limpkins, and tricolored heron. The parks are located in Englewood south of SR 776.
12
Find us on social media
Made with FlippingBook - PDF hosting