| St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge | |
|---|---|
IUCN category IV (habitat/species management area) | |
 St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge shoreline near Lighthouse | |
  Map of the United States | |
| Location | Wakulla County,Jefferson County,Taylor County,Florida, United States |
| Nearest city | St. Marks, Florida |
| Coordinates | 30°09′03″N84°08′50″W / 30.15083°N 84.14722°W /30.15083; -84.14722 |
| Area | 83,000 acres (340 km2) |
| Established | 1931 |
| Governing body | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service |
St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge is a wintering ground formigratory birds inFlorida. Established in 1931, it encompasses more than 83,000 acres (340 km2) spread betweenWakulla,Jefferson, andTaylor Counties in the state ofFlorida.[1]
The refuge includes severalGulf of Mexico coastal habitats, such assaltwater marshes, islands,tidal creeks, and theestuaries of several north Florida rivers. It is home to a diverse range of plants, animal life and structures such as theSt. Marks Lighthouse.
The refuge is inhabited byblack bears,bobcats,otters,raccoons,foxes,coyotes,amphibians,alligators,snakes,freshwater andsaltwaterfish, as well as many different species of birds, includingwading birds,waterfowl, andraptors.
The St. Marks Refuge Association's friends' group and the photography club supply the majority of volunteers for the St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge.
From 2009-2016, St. Marks NWR served as a winter home for young, endangeredwhooping cranes. These captive-hatched cranes were taught to follow an ultra light aircraft piloted by costumedOperation Migration pilots on a journey of more than 1,200 miles (1,900 km) from central Wisconsin to Florida.[2] The refuge is also a stopping point for the yearlymonarch butterfly migration. The festival is hosted annually to educate people on the practice of taggingmonarch butterflies as they continue through their migration.
Designated in 1975 by the U.S. Congress as part of theNational Wilderness Preservation System, theSt. Marks Wilderness makes up 17,350 acres of the refuge. TheFlorida National Scenic Trail traverses the refuge for 41 miles (66 km), including a portion of the wilderness area.[3]
Public access points to the refuge are located at:[4]
There is no paved public access to the refuge in Jefferson County.
The St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge and theSt. Marks Light lighthouse are the settings ofJeff VanderMeer's 2014 horror novelAnnihilation and the2018 horror film of the same name based on the novel.[5] Some exterior shooting was done of the national wildlife refuge and the lighthouse for the film, but ultimately the film was not shot there.[6]
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This article incorporatespublic domain material from websites or documents of theUnited States Fish and Wildlife Service.
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