The Big Bend Seagrasses Aquatic Preserve is an ecologically diverse and largely untouched gem of natural Florida Wildlife Habitat. It serves as one of Florida's few remaining largely pristine areas of coastline, providing habitat for such species a mullet, sea trout, redfish, scallops, oysters, clams, shrimp, blue crab, seagrasses, and Juncus. These creatures serve both ecologically and economically important roles in the area. The whole of the preserve, with its seagrass beds and saltmarshes, provides a nursery area for finfish and shellfish and a forage area for the aforementioned species as well as manatee, osprey, bald eagles, sea turtles, sturgeon, and dolphin.  

The preserve consist encompasses a large, undeveloped, remote expanse of submerged seagrasses and nearshore marshlands located along the 150 miles of the northeast Gulf Coast where the Florida peninsula joins the panhandle, and has been designated as an Outstanding Florida Water. The preserve boundary encompasses all tidal lands, islands, seagrass beds, shallow banks, and submerged bottoms from the mean high water line, and extending 9 miles into the Gulf of Mexico. Landward, it includes all natural waterways tidally connected to the preserve to the extent of state jurisdiction.

For more information on the area, visit: http://www.dep.state.fl.us/coastal/sites/bigbend/info.htm 

Numerous estuaries, which nurture a diverse flora and fauna, are formed at the confluence of the many rivers and streams that flow into the preserve. Open waters and submerged bay bottoms of these estuaries support numerous species of commercially and recreationally important fish. The shoreline is dominated by intertidal marsh grasslands, a temperate natural community that exists predominantly intact for wildlife suitability today has it has for eons.

The preserve stretches along the entirety of Florida's Big Bend Region, its northernmost portion beginning in Wakulla County and reaching through Jefferson, Taylor, and Dixie counties until finally arriving its southernmost point in Levy county. Nearby towns and cities include such locales as Cedar Key, Inglis, Yankeetown, Chiefland, Cross City, Suwannee, Horseshoe Beach, Steinhatchee, and St. Marks.

The preserve provides a vast array of opportunities for recreation, wildlife viewing etc. as well as a plethora of natural resources that deserve much attention in the form of conservation and appreciation. The area has been largely spared in the rapid spread of urbanization and development of recent years in the state. It is primarily for this reason that it remains one of the most untouched and pristine refuges for Florida wildlife as habitat suffers continual shrinkage as a result of encroachment of such human activities as residential development and urban sprawl.  

For more information see: http://myfwc.com/recreation/big_bend/wildlife_viewing.asp and http://gorp.away.com/gorp/resource/us_nwr/fl_bend.htm

As more development proposals are being made in the Big Bend, concern grows for the continuation of wildlife habitat, preservation of its quality and protection of vital ecological pathways and habitat connectivity. For a few interesting articles concerning wildlife, their habitat and potential development issues in the area, check out: http://watchdog.gainesville.com/default.asp?item=737978 , http://www.floridahabitat.org/creature-of-habitat/topics/Population, and for a little information on specific area species, see: http://cedarkeynews.com/All/1692.html?15.