The Charlotte Harbor Focus Area spans five sub-watersheds in western Charlotte County: two on the western side of Charlotte Harbor – Trout Creek-Catfish Creek Frontal, and Buck Creek-Coral Creek Frontal – and three on the eastern side – Myrtle Slough-Webb Wildlife Management Area, Lower Alligator Creek Frontal, and Yucca Pen Creek Frontal. These sub-watersheds drain into the Charlotte Harbor, a designated National Estuary that supports extensive mangroves, seagrass beds, and tidal creeks.
Our Strategic Focus
Charlotte Harbor is the largest and most intact coastal ecosystem within our service area and contains an unusually high concentration of federally designated Critical Habitats for federally listed species. This focus area may be conceptually grouped together with the Lower Myakka River, Lower Peace River, and Cape Coral Focus Areas – all of which surround the harbor.
As sea levels rise, the most productive part of the estuary will be pushed upstream into where the river channel narrows. This causes the estuary to shrink and become less productive, unless adjacent land is available to be flooded, widening the river channel and becoming the new parts of the estuary. For this reason, it is crucial to preserve the lands along the mouths of the three rivers – Myakka, Peace, and Caloosahatchee.
Additionally, the sub-watershed Trout Creek-Catfish Creek Frontal, found within this focus area, contains the highest concentration of carbon reserves within our service area, behind the Everglades.
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Charlotte Harbor Focus Area Map
