- Edward Ball Wakulla Springs State Park
Infobox_protected_area
name = Edward Ball Wakulla Springs State Park
iucn_category = V
caption =
base_width = 290px
locator_x = 212
locator_y = 142
location = Wakulla County,Florida , USA
nearest_city = Tallahassee
lat_degrees = 30
lat_minutes = 13
lat_seconds = 58
lat_direction = N
long_degrees = 84
long_minutes = 17
long_seconds = 32
long_direction = W
area = 6,000 acres(24 km²)
established =
visitation_num =
visitation_year =
governing_body =Florida Department of Environmental Protection Edward Ball Wakulla Springs State Park is a Florida State Park in Wakulla County,
Florida , USA. This 6,000 acre (24 km²) wildlife sanctuary, located south of Tallahassee, is listed on theNational Register of Historic Places , and designated aNational Natural Landmark . It has three nature trail systems which lead the visitor throughpine forest s, bald cypresswetlands andhardwood hammock. Hikers, bicyclists and horse riders are welcome. The wildlife found in the forest includeswhite-tailed deer ,turkey , and many other bird species, whilealligator s, bass,gar , varioussnake s, andmanatee (during the winter) populate the springs,swamp s, andriver .The park draws its name from Edward Ball, the
DuPont family financial manager who sold the park lands to the state of Florida and its containedWakulla Springs , one of the world's largest and deepest first-order freshwater springs and an exit point of theFloridan Aquifer . Wakulla Springs' highest outflow has been measured at 860,000 US gallons per minute (54 m³/s). The spring's average flow is about 400,000 US gallons per minute (25 m³/s). The opening of the spring is 180 feet (55 m) down, through which cave divers, especially those of theWoodville Karst Plain Project have explored many miles of its underwater tunnels. The spring gives rise toWakulla River which flows several miles to the south where it empties into theGulf of Mexico .Paleo Indians are known to have camped at the spring 12,000 years ago, where they huntedmastodon s,bison and other ancient animals. The bottom of the spring bowl is littered with bones ofmastodon s,giant sloth s, giantarmadillo s andcamel s.Glass bottom boat tours of the spring and river operate all year.Sally Ward Spring andCherokee Sink are also part of the Park. Not officially part of the park, but nearby and part of the same karst system are theLeon Sinks .Recreational Activities
The park has such amenities as
birding , boat tours, cabins,hiking ,horse trail s,picnic king areas,snorkeling ,swimming andwildlife viewing. An interpretive exhibit andconcession s are also available.External links
* [http://www.floridastateparks.org/wakullasprings/default.cfm Information about Wakulla Springs at the Florida Online Park Guide]
* [http://www.floridasprings.org/exploration/featured/wakulla/text/exploring/ Exploration of Wakulla Springs from FloridaSprings.org]
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