Our Great Parks
Matlacha Pass National Wildlife Refuge
Park Type: National Wildlife Refuge
The Park is located in: FL
Address:
1 Wildlife Drive
Sanibel, FL 33957
Phone: 941-472-1100
Park Details:
Matlacha Pass NWR, administered as a satellite refuge of J.N. "Ding" Darling NWR, is located within the Matlacha Pass Charlotte Harbor estuary, Lee County, Florida, approximately 8 miles northwest of Fort Myers. On September 26, 1908, three small islands were established as a ". . . preserve and breeding ground for native birds" by President Theodore Roosevelt through Executive Order 943.
Since then, the refuge has grown to 23 islands encompassing about 512 acres. The most recent addition of lands to the refuge was on April 10, 1991, when Public Land Order 6843 withdrew approximately 312 acres of public lands from surface entry and mining for 40 years for use by the USFWS. Designated by the State of Florida as an Aquatic Preserve, the refuge islands are part of a highly productive estuary which supports a diverse array of wildlife. The islands contain two basic vegetative zones, upland sand ridges and mangroves.
http://southeast.fws.gov/MatlachaPass
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