| Estero Marsh Preserve (EMP) contains over 243 acres and was acquired as two parcels in 1999 and 2001. EMP is located in southern coastal Lee County, southwest of US 41. Portions of the Preserve are located directly adjacent to and contiguous with the existing Estero Bay Preserve State Park, west of Island Park Road and Island Park Village, south of The Forest Country Club Community, and north of Park Road.
Estero Marsh Preserve consists of eight native plant communities: estuarine tidal swamp and marshes, mesic and wet flatwoods, mesic hammock, tidal swamp lake, brackish marshes, and tidal salt barren. There are a number of designated plant and animal species that can be found on site. It also includes other land use types including berms, dikes and levees, previously cleared land, primitive trails, electrical power transmission lines, tidal swamp lake, as well as a large area of wet flatwoods and exotics communities.
There is an ongoing Lee County Department of Transportation mitigation effort (Island Park Regional Mitigation Project) to remove invasive exotic plants, plant native vegetation, perform hydrologic restoration, including the installation of 4 culverts along the FPL right-of-way and the creation of filter marshes.
Since the Preserve is designated as a Category 4 Resource Protection and Restoration Preserve with limited legal access, and the entire site is covered by a conservation easement, there will be no recreational facilities planned for this site. A pedestrian gate has been installed at the corner of Island Park & Park Roads for primative hiking opportunities. If there is public interest, staff may provide guided field trips when there are no safety concerns and it is compatible with protecting the animal and plant communities found at EMP. Refer to the Land Stewardship Plan for more information. |
