In 1968 St. Martins Marsh, one of the original aquatic preserves, was created by the state legislature. The state began to realize the unique ecological qualities and the economic importance of these submerged lands and moved to protect them. A later addition was Big Bend Seagrasses Aquatic Preserve, the largest in the state. As knowledge of ecological processes increased, it was realized that the aquatic preserves could not be protected if the water quality was not protected, and that water quality could not be protected without protecting the surrounding watersheds. In the middle to late 1970’s the state began to purchase land surrounding St. Martins Marsh. These tracts of land were originally named Crystal River State Buffer Preserve. Today the land total is approximately 30,000 acres with parcels from Yankeetown to Homosassa Springs. The Buffer Preserve became Crystal River Preserve State Park on January 1, 2004.