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Kim Wren - Kim.Wren@dep.state.fl.us
350 Carroll Street
Eastpoint, FL 32328
850-670-4783 FAX: 850-670-4324
Office hours: 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Monday - Friday
The Preserve lies just east of the Apalachicola estuary. Alligator Harbor, enclosed
by the Alligator Point sand spit, has been described as a neutral estuary and a
barrier spit lagoon. There is little freshwater inflow and salinities do not vary
much from those in the adjacent inshore Gulf of Mexico. The harbor is approximately
four and one-half miles long and one and one-half miles wide. The Alligator Point
sand spit extends about 4.8 miles westward from Lighthouse Point. The western end of
the harbor, connecting with the Gulf, is almost closed by a shallow sandbar except
for a deeper channel on the north end.
1969
Florida Statutes Section 258,
Florida Administrative Code Rule 18 - 20.002.
County - Franklin
Nearby towns or cities - Alligator Point, St. Theresa, Turkey Point, Lanark Village
Adjacent roads - U.S. Hwy. 98, C370, C377, C30
14,366 acres
Name of Watershed - Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint
Size of watershed - 19,600 square miles
The Alligator Harbor habitat includes seagrass
beds, salt marshes, and
nearshore coastal communities.
Commercial, recreational, and ecologically important species:
Recreational species include tarpon, redfish, sea trout, flounder, pompano, jack,
bluefish, and Spanish mackerel. Commercial species are shrimp and clams.
Nursery area:
The seagrass beds and salt marshes of Alligator Harbor serve as important nursery
grounds and refuges for important commercial and recreational juvenile fish and
invertebrate species.
Forage area:
Alligator Harbor is a major forage area for migratory birds, in particular for
trans-gulf migrants in the fall and spring.
Migratory species:
Alligator Spit is an important landfall for migratory birds flying across the Gulf
states. Many listed species such as the piping plover utilize this area as a vital
resting spot.
Rare / Endangered Species
Common Name |
Scientific Name |
State |
Federal |
| |
|
|
|
Reptiles |
|
|
|
| American alligator |
Alligator mississippiensis |
SSC |
T (s/a) |
| Atlantic loggerhead turtle |
Caretta caretta |
T |
T |
| leatherback turtle |
Dermochelys coriacea |
E |
E |
| Kemp's ridley |
Lepidochelys kempi |
E |
E |
| |
|
|
|
Birds |
|
|
|
| Arctic peregrine falcon |
Falco peregrinus tundrius |
E |
E |
| Wakulla seaside sparrow |
Ammodramus maritimus juncicolus |
SSC |
n/a |
| bald eagle |
Haliaeetus leucocephalus |
T |
T |
| brown pelican |
Pelecanus occidentalis |
SSC |
n/a |
| least tern |
Sterna antillarum |
T |
n/a |
| Southeastern American kestrel |
Falco sparverius paulus |
T |
n/a |
| black skimmer |
Rynchops niger |
SSC |
n/a |
| Southeastern snowy plover |
Charadrius alexandrinus tenuirostris |
T |
n/a |
| snowy egret |
Egretta thula |
SSC |
n/a |
| reddish egret |
Egretta rufescens |
SSC |
SSC |
| tricolored heron |
Egretta tricolor |
SSC |
n/a |
| little blue heron |
Egretta caerulea |
SSC |
n/a |
| piping plover |
Charadrius melodus |
T |
T |
| American oystercatcher |
Haematopus palliatus |
SSC |
n/a |
| white ibis |
Eudocimus albus |
SSC |
n/a |
| seaside sparrow |
Ammodramus maritimus |
SSC |
n/a |
| grasshopper sparrow |
Ammodramous savannarum |
E |
E |
| Florida sandhill crane |
Grus canadensis pratensis |
T |
n/a |
| marsh wren |
Cistothorus palustris |
SSC |
n/a |
State listings are taken from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission or as with
plants, Florida Department of Agriculture. Federal listings are taken from the United States
Fish and Wildlife Service. E= Endangered. T= Threatened. T (s/a)= Threatened due to similarity
in appearance. SSC= Species of Special Concern. UR= Under review. n/a= information not
available or no designation listed.
The Alligator Harbor area is part of a broad, sandy shore plain which is constantly
being altered by wind, rainfall, and sea level change. The barrier islands and spits
in the area began forming about 5,000 years ago when sea level had risen essentially to
its present position.
Alligator Harbor is bordered by several prominent offshore shoal systems, Dog Island
Reef to the southwest, South Shoal to the southeast, and the Ochlockonee Shoal to the
east. Dog Island is considered to be an example of a submerged barrier island; the South
Shoal was probably deposited by the Ochlockonee River during a lower stand of sea level;
and the Ochlockonee Shoal probably represents a downed barrier island or headland.
Most of the archaeological sites in the vicinity of Alligator Harbor are small and
disturbed in varying degrees. However, one of the best known examples of the late
Deptford-early Swift Creek (1,000 B.C. - 500 A. D.) ceremonial mound is the Yent Mound,
located on Alligator Harbor. Another important site located on the Harbor is the Tucker
site, which contains some Swift Creek phase materials, but is primarily an example of
the Weeden Island Phase (500 A.D. - 1,000 A.D.). This site also contained a burial mound,
as well as a village area.
Recreational:
Recreational activities include: fishing, hunting, boating, hiking, camping, birding,
and beach-oriented activities such as surf-fishing and sunbathing.
Commercial:
Species harvested commercially within the aquatic preserve include shrimp and clams.
Educational:
At this time, the educational goals of the Alligator Harbor Aquatic Preserve are focused
on public awareness and appreciation. Educational presentations and poster displays, along
with the distribution of informational materials, are currently provided at local committee
meetings, international symposia, state sponsored workshops, and regional festivals.
Research:
Projects research staff are currently involved in include sea turtle nest protection and
monitoring, responding to marine mammal and sea turtle strandings, compilation of a
computerized library system, developing a boater’s guide, and acting as a member of a task
force for clam aquaculture within the Preserve.
Basic field sampling equipment, boats, and a fully equipped laboratory are also available
to researchers and graduate students to help in their scientific efforts. Technical and
additional logistical support is available for many projects, especially those dealing with
priority issues that threaten the health of the Alligator Harbor system.
Adjacent Land Use:
The adjacent land uses for the area surrounding Alligator Harbor include conservation,
recreation, agriculture (forestry), residential, mixed commercial/residential, and public.
Designation:
The area has state designations as: Aquatic Preserve, Outstanding Florida Water, and Class
II Shellfish Harvesting Waters.
Designated as an EPA Gulf of Mexico Ecological Management Site
Manager:
Management of the Preserve is accomplished by the manager of the Alligator Harbor Aquatic
Preserve, and for permit application reviews, by district staff in the Pensacola branch
office.
Management issues, threats, and needs:
At the present time, clam aquaculture leases are being created in Alligator Harbor. The
preserve manager has played an integral part in determining the best locations (areas
without seagrasses present) for these leases. In the future, the water quality surrounding
these lease sites will also need to be monitored closely.
An informative boater’s guide will be developed in the future for the Alligator Harbor and
Ochlockonee Bay areas. This guide will help to protect seagrass beds, migrating birds, and
sportfish by notifying boaters of their presence, locations, and any pertinent regulations.
Department of Environmental Protection. Alligator Harbor Aquatic Preserve Management Plan.
1986. 113 pp.
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