| Savannas Preserve State Park | |
|---|---|
IUCN category V (protected landscape/seascape) | |
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| Location | St. Lucie County, Florida, United States |
| Nearest city | Fort Pierce,Port St. Lucie andJensen Beach,Florida |
| Coordinates | 27°22′44″N80°18′16″W / 27.37889°N 80.30444°W /27.37889; -80.30444 |
| Governing body | Florida Department of Environmental Protection |
Savannas Preserve State Park is aFlorida State Park, located along much of theAtlantic Coast betweenFort Pierce andJensen Beach.Savannas Preserve also has a group of youth volunteers, the Junior Friends of Savannas Preserve State Park.
Savannas Preserve State Park is predominantly asavanna; open grasslands with sparse South Floridaslash pine trees. The park is made up of pine flatwoods, basin marsh, scrubby flatwoods, wet prairie and the Atlantic scrub ridge. Protecting southeast Florida's largest freshwater marsh, the Savannas Preserve State Park manages over 7,000 acres. It is home to many species, most notably: the threatenedFlorida scrub jay andgopher tortoise, theAmerican alligator, and thesandhill crane. The park is also the home to a rare plant that only grows in the Savannas Preserve State Park in the world, the savannas mint.
The Savannas Education Center has live exhibits, a gift shop, self-guided tour booklets, and information on many of Florida's State Parks. Interpretive guided tours and canoe/kayak trips are offered by the Friends of Savannas Preserve State Park (a nonprofit citizen's support organization).
Fishing is allowed, there is an equestrian entrance, and biking is permitted (although difficult because of the sand). The park also has nearly 13 miles (21 km) of public trails from Jensen Beach Blvd to Easy Street.
This park contains nearly all of the remaining populations of thefragrant prickly-apple (Harrisia fragrans), an endangered cactus species.[1]
The main entrance to Savannas Preserve State Park is located at 2541 SE Walton Road, Port St. Lucie, Florida 34952.
