Additional Information for Collier-Seminole State Park
Resources
The 6,430 acres that make up Collier-Seminole State Park feature a wealth of vegetation and wildlife that is typical of the Everglades region of Florida. One special feature of the park is a tropical hammock dominated by trees that are characteristic of coastal forests of the West Indies and Yucatan. The rare Florida royal palm is a common species here. Much of the park is extensive mangrove swamp. Also found in the park are cypress swamps, salt marshes and pine flatwoods which further add to the park’s botanical diversity.
Many species of wildlife have been seen in the park, including several of the state’s threatened and endangered species. The brown pelican, wood stork, bald eagle, roseate spoonbills, American crocodile and Florida black bear are among the animals that make the park their home. The official state marine mammal, the West Indian manatee, may also be seen occasionally in the Blackwater River.
Collier-Seminole State Park houses a unique piece of history. The Bay City Walking Dredge # 489 was dedicated as a "National Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark" on February 19, 1994 at Collier-Seminole State Park. This machine, built in 1924 was used to build the highway through the Everglades that is today known by two names, U.S. 41 and the Tamiami Trail . Because of the extreme hardships in building this highway, normal means were not possible, This machine was developed specifically for the job. It was designed for use over swampy terrain where wheeled or tracked vehicles would bog down. This machine, instead, distributed its weight over "shoes". To move, the middle movable shoes were lowered to take some of the weight off the corner shoes. The frame then was pulled forward about ten feet, using both an on-board winch and the shovel bucket, then lowered back onto the corner shoes. The Walking Dredge was capable of walking at the lightning speed of one mile per day. It was a long tedious job but one that could not have been accomplished without this machine.
Collier-Seminole State Park is home to a 4,760 acre wilderness preserve located in the mangrove swamp. The preserve is a prime example of how this region looked before the arrival of the first European explorers. A limited number of visitors are allowed to visit the preserve each day by canoe. It is a 13.5 mile canoe trip to the preserve which offers primitive camping for overnight stays.
Are you interested in learning more about the State Parks in Southwest Florida?
District 4’s biology staff continually monitors the biological aspects of our State Parks. Their effort includes scientific reports on flora and fauna found in our area and impacts on the environment from "civilization".
The reports are an excellent source of scientific information for school projects, or more advanced studies.
You can access all of the District 4 reports via the following link:
District 4 Biology Reports
Once there the reports are listed by year. After selecting the year group the reports are listed by title. Example: Select 1997 Annual Reports. Then select a report (they are titled by park and subject). Example: Collier Seminole SP –Gopher Tortoise Burrow Survey.
Then open the attached report.
Links
Florida Division of Recreation and Parks neither endorses links nor approves of links to external sources. External links are made available to assist the Internet user in his or her search. The Florida Division of Recreation and Parks takes no responsibility a link's operation or content. The links that are shown are not an exclusive listing of organizations available within the State.
