Myakka Headwaters Preserve

The Story

Why it Matters

The now 432-acre Myakka Headwaters Preserve is adjacent to the 2,300-acre Flatford Swamp Preserve, which contains the river’s largest forested wetland. This an exceptional part of the Myakka River and the greater coastal Florida ecosystem, containing numerous diverse habitats. The preserve’s floodplain forests contain tupelo and red maple, uncommon on the lower Myakka, and support threatened orchids and airplants, including the Myakka River airplant (tillandsia simulata). The marshland forms a seasonally dry meadow with sandy ridges supporting lowland loosestrife, a Florida-endangered flower found in twelve counties and no place else in the world. The 69-acre addition cradles the Myakka River, sheltering it among 16 acres of floodplain marsh and 53 acres of upland forests. Among the forests are 30 acres of longleaf pine forest, a rare natural community and national conservation priority. Less than five percent of the original longleaf pine forests across the Southeastern United States remain. The preserve also contains more than a mile of uplands and oak hammocks buffering both sides of Flatford Swamp and the Myakka River. Here, longleaf pine flatwoods are home to gopher tortoise, a keystone species, and rare plants such as Florida Alicia. Oak hammocks are also present, hosting additional orchids, airplants, and ferns. Myakka Headwaters Preserve is part of our growing Southwest Florida Wildlife Corridor, a land conservation initiative stretching from south Tampa Bay to the Everglades and connecting to the more well-known Florida Wildlife Corridor. These critical lands provide vital habitats for plants and animals, help capture pollution, act as natural buffers along coasts and riverbeds, and absorb rainfall from intense storms.

Need to Know