The Lower Myakka River Focus Area includes three sub-watersheds: Curry Creek, Lower Myakka River, and Tippecanoe Bay, located in Sarasota and Charlotte Counties. These sub-watersheds front the Myakka River, a federally designated Wild and Scenic River known for its ecological significance and scenic beauty. This lower reach of the river flows through Deer Prairie Creek Preserve and Myakka State Forest and into Charlotte Harbor.
Our Strategic Focus
This area is home to extensive wetlands and riparian habitats that provide critical ecosystem services such as flood protection and wildlife corridors along the riparian corridor of the Myakka River. The Myakka supports high biodiversity and is designated Critical Habitat for the federally-threated Manatee. The Lower Myakka River sub-watershed contains the only natural warm-water winter-refuge for Manatee within our service area, Warm Mineral Springs Creek.
These lands support coastal resilience by offering areas for marsh migration in response to rising sea levels, preserving habitat for aquatic and terrestrial species. The sub-watersheds of Lower Myakka River and Curry Creek have the highest concentration of marsh migration corridors within our service area, outside of certain sub-watersheds in the Everglades (which were not included as Focus Areas due to their low development risk). The floodplains of the Lower Myakka River help mitigate the impacts of storms and protect downstream water quality, and conservation of first-order tidal creeks within this watershed will preserve essential habitat for juvenile tarpon and snook.
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Lower Myakka River Focus Area Map
