Blue Spring State Park

Great blue and one footed salute to manatee mom and calf

1.24.10

Photo by Mark M.

Road to Olustee 2010

Road to Olustee 2010-22
Originally uploaded by City of Jacksonville

The Road to Olustee is taking place at Camp Milton this weekend. Weather should be great on Sunday.

Photo by Wes Lester

Blue Spring State Park

Not so hungry American alligator

1.24.10

Photo by Mark M.

Manatee Festival

Jungle Jim and friend

Note the Master Naturalist patch. I have one more class to go before I earn mine.

1.24.10

Lake Winona

Sandhill cranes

1.24.10

Photo by Mark M.

Blue Spring State Park - Manatee Festival

Great blue attends the festival to watch the manatees.

Photo by Mark M.

1.26.10

Please click on image for best viewing.

Orange City

"Harley Davidson," the amazing frisbee dog

at the Manatee Festival

from the Disc Connected K9s show

Jacksonville

Castaway Island Preserve

1.20.10

Photo by Mark M.

St. Lucie County

Lakela's mint

Indrio Savannahs

Photo by Mike M.

Status: Endangered.

See:

Florida Natural Areas Inventory

Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge

Great blue heron

Photo by Mark M.

1/8/10

Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge

Wood stork

Photo by Mark M.

1/8/09

Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge

Juvenile little blue heron (I think)

Photo by Mark M.

1/8/10

Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge

Roseatte spoonbills

Photos by Mark M.

1/8/10

Please click on image for best viewing

Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge

Cold front approaches

Photo by Mark M.

1/8/10

From the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service:

Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1963 as an overlay of NASA’s John F. Kennedy Space Center.  Consisting of 140,000 acres, the Refuge provides a wide variety of habitats:  coastal dunes, saltwater estuaries and marshes, freshwater impoundments, scrub, pine flatwoods, and hardwood hammocks provide habitat for more than 1,500 species of plants and animals. Many recreational opportunities are offered at the Refuge.  Bird and wildlife observation, a wildlife drive, manatee observation deck, fishing and hunting opportunities, and boating and paddling are examples of available activities.
The Visitor Information Center located 4 miles east of Titusville, Florida, is a great place to start your visit.

Refuge roads, trails, and boat ramps are open daily from sunrise to sunset.  However, closures can be expected for space shuttle operations.

From I-95, take Exit 220 (Titusville, State Road 406 Exit). Drive east on SR406, also known as Garden Street. Continue east on Garden Street for 4 miles and travel over the Max Brewer Causeway Bridge.  The Refuge begins at the east side of the causeway.

To reach the Visitor Information Center, continue 4 miles past the Refuge entrance (remain to your right at the fork in the road) and the Visitor Center entrance sign will be on your right.

From the north, access is available from US 1 on the Kennedy Parkway (SR 3) about two miles south of the community of Oak Hill.  Access is not available from the south on SR 3 because of the restricted area surrounding the Kennedy Space Center.  From the south, visitors must use the Titusville entrance.

Map of Refuge

Travel distances from common destinations include:

• Cocoa Beach - 37 miles
• Daytona Beach - 39 miles
• Jacksonville - 135 miles
• Melbourne - 49 miles
• Miami - 226 miles
• New Smyrna Beach - 37 miles
• Ocala - 130 miles
• Orlando - 52 miles
• Tallahassee - 296 miles
• Tampa - 126 miles 

Merritt Island website

Ft. Matanzas National Monument

Photos by Mark M.M.

Ft. Matanzas National Monument

Photos by Mark M.M.

Crescent Beach

Ft. Matanzas National Monument

Photo by Mark. M. M.

Guest contributor

From the National Park Service:

The area of the Matanzas inlet, now preserved within the park boundaries, was the scene of crucial events in Spanish colonial history. The massacre of French soldiers here in 1565 was Spain's opening move in establishing a colony in Florida. Later, the construction of Fort Matanzas in 1740-1742 was Spain's last effort to ward off British encroachments from the north.

Fort Matanzas National Monument is open every day of the year except December 25. The park is located on Hwy A1A, fourteen miles south of downtown St. Augustine, the oldest continually occupied European settlement in the continental United States and home of the Castillo de San Marcos which is also a unit of the National Park system.


Free Ferry Service to the fort leaves every hour at half past the hour, 9:30 am -- 4:30 pm from the dock behind the visitor center. Tours generally last 45-50 min.

Port St. Lucie

Near the North Fork of the St. Lucie River

Photo by Mark M.

You know the Florida real estate market is bad when your only tenants are buzzards.