St. Marks Wildlife Preserve, Gulf Coast, Florida, USA by David Whited

St. Marks Wildlife Preserve, Gulf Coast, Florida, USA

David Whited

St. Marks Wildlife Preserve, Gulf Coast, Florida, USA

Digital photography

Inv: LP-1055

St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge in St. Marks, Florida, was established in 1931. Stretching along 45 miles of the Gulf Coast in northern Florida, the refuge is of vital importance to the local community, maintaining healthy ecosystems that protect residents and their property and attract over 320,000 visitors annually. The St. Marks Refuge is part of the North American Coastal Plain “biodiversity hotspot,” one of 36 biologically rich and deeply threatened regions across the globe targeted by Conservation International for plant and wildlife conservation and critical to human survival. The St. Marks Refuge protects 32,000 acres of pristine Apalachee Bay through an Executive Closure Boundary to benefit migratory birds and marine resources.