Great White Heron National Wildlife Refuge
The Great White Heron National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1938 as a refuge for great white herons , migratory birds, and other wildlife. The reserve is located in the Lower Florida Keys and consists of 25 km² of land and 502 km² of water. It stretches north of the Keys from Marathon to Key West and is popularly known as the backcounty .
The islands are mostly mangrove , but some of the larger ones are made up of land mass and are forested with pine and tropical hardwood. This vast wilderness is home to nesting, feeding and resting places for more than 250 species of birds.
Great white herons are a subspecies of the great blue herons and are found only in the Florida Keys. The reserve was created to save the great white herons from extinction. Their feathers were popular to adorn feather hats. Today you can see these snow-white birds looking for food on hundreds of small islands at dawn and dusk.
With the green turtle , the loggerhead turtle and the hawksbill turtle , three species of sea turtles are native to the backcounty.
Access to the reserve
The protected area can only be reached by boat. The visitor center is located ¼ mile north of the lights on Key Deer Boulevard in the Big Pine Key Shopping Plaza.
Sources and web links
- The National Park
- Photos of great white herons
- Photos of green turtles
- Photos of the hawksbill sea turtle
- Photos of the loggerhead sea turtle
Great White Heron National Wildlife Refuge in the Geographic Names Information System of the United States Geological Survey
Coordinates: 24 ° 42 ′ 5.3 " N , 81 ° 32 ′ 55.2" W.