- Guana River State Park
Guana River State Park is a
state park , located onSan Pablo Island , abarrier island onFlorida 'sFirst Coast . It has recently been designated as theGuana Tolomato Matanzas National Estuarine Research Reserve (GTMNERR), and is the 25th National Estuarine Research Reserve in the United States. [http://www.dep.state.fl.us/COASTAL/sites/gtm/] The park is located on portions of San Pablo Island along State Highway A1A, between St. Augustine and Jacksonville. Located both in St. Johns and Duval Counties, the park is a federal/state partnership with theFlorida Department of Environmental Protection as the state program administrator.Within its convert|60000|acre|km2 are
beach es,sand dune s,salt marsh es,mangrove s, tidalwetland s, tidal creeks, oyster bars, estuarinelagoon s, maritime hardwood hammock, freshwater depression marshes,pond pine flatwoods and shell mound forests.Biology
The GTMNERR is an important calving ground for the endangered North Atlantic
Right Whale and is also home to other aquatic and amphibious wildlife, likeporpoise s,manatee s,sea turtle s, gopher tortoises, Americanalligator s,indigo snake s andriver otter s. The reserve is home toperegrine falcon s,bald eagle s, and the endangered Anastasia Island beach mouse ("Peromyscus polionotus phasma"). Other birds that can be viewed are diving and wading birds, brown and white pelicans,wood stork s, androseate spoonbill s. The reserve also contains the northern most extent of mangrove habitat on the east coast of the United StatesLatitude 30.02332706365836Longitude -81.32672309875488
Recreational activities
Activities include
hiking ,fishing ,boating ,picnic ing, andwildlife viewing.Amenities include over nine miles (14 km) of
nature trail s and an unspoiled natural setting. The reserve also contains seventeenarchaeological site s,shell midden s at Shell Bluff Landing and Wright's Landing, as well as aprehistoric earthen burial mound. Guana continues to be a community gathering for fishing, canoeing, and other aquatic activities.References
* [http://www.abfla.com/parks/GuanaRiver/guanariver.html Guana River State Park] at [http://www.abfla.com Absolutely Florida]
* [http://areas.wildernet.com/pages/area.cfm?areaID=FLSPGu&CU_ID=1 Guana River Reserve] at [http://www.wildernet.com Wildernet]
* [http://www.dep.state.fl.us/COASTAL/sites/gtm/ GTMNERR]
* [http://www.dep.state.fl.us/COASTAL/sites/guana/info.htm Guana River Marsh Aquatic Preserve]
* [http://nerrs.noaa.gov/GTM/welcome.html Guana Tolomato Matanzas Reserve, Florida]
* [http://www.magazine.noaa.gov/stories/mag192.htm The Guana Tolomato Matanzas National Estuarine Research Reserve]
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