Contact

Dr. Mike Shirley - Michael.Shirley@dep.state.fl.us
GTM Reserve
Environmental Education Center
505 Guana River Road
Ponte Vedra Beach, FL 32082
904-823-4500
904-825-6829 fax

Description of Site

Guana River Marsh Aquatic Preserve has a rich association of habitats including; estuarine systems along the Tolomato and Guana Rivers, a large (2400 acre) artificial freshwater/brackish water lagoon, and open ocean. There are also numerous freshwater ponds and extensive salt marshes located within the interior of the preserve. This diversity provides habitat for a wide variety of resident and migratory wildlife. Bird rookeries, including a sizable breeding population of the endangered wood stork, are found within the preserve. The preserve also contains 13 miles of high-energy beach fronting the Atlantic Ocean. These beaches provide breeding and nesting habitat for ground-nesting shorebirds such as the threatened least tern. The beach also provides nesting areas for sea turtles.

The Guana property represents a complete cross-section of a relatively undisturbed barrier island. Within its boundaries can be found an unusually extensive natural area of undisturbed Atlantic coastal strand (scrub) vegetation, excellent ocean-front beach with high dunes stabilized with native coastal vegetation, and extensive maritime hammock containing an unusual natural association of mature trees. The preserve also contains archeological and historic resources such as numerous aboriginal middens, burial grounds, and artifacts of aboriginal and Spanish colonial origin. This combination of natural and cultural resources provides an outstanding example of essentially natural Florida found nowhere else in the region.

Established

Designated an Aquatic Preserve by the Florida Legislature in 1985, the 11,500 acre property was purchased by the state of Florida in 1984 with Conservation and Recreation Lands (CARL) and Save Our Coast (SOC) funds because of its unique character.

Location

Northeast St. Johns County, seven miles south of Jacksonville Beach and seven miles north of St. Augustine.

Size

The preserve covers approximately 40,000 acres including 11,500 acres within the state owned Guana River tract and 25,000 acres of open Atlantic Ocean.

Watershed

The Guana River Marsh Aquatic Preserve is located within the Florida East Coast Drainage Basin which drains directly into the Atlantic Ocean or into coastal lagoons. This basin is divided into upper and lower sub-basins. The Upper East Coast sub-basin contains seven drainage areas, including the Tolomato and Guana Rivers. The Tolomato River has a drainage basin encompassing 84 sq.miles, and is part of the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway (AIW). Smith, Deep, Sweetwater, Marshall, Stokes, and Casa Cola Creeks all drain in the Tolomato River from the west.

The Guana River begins north of the preserve in Ponte Vedra Beach and flows south to join the Tolomato River. In 1957, an earthen dam was constructed across the Guana River creating the largest wetland area in the preserve. Called Lake Ponte Vedra, this wetland is approximately 2,400 acres, and provides both open water and marsh habitats. This shallow lagoonal lake extends 10 miles north from the dam. South of the dam the river follows its original meandering course past Guana Point to join the Tolomato River. At high tide, saline water floods the adjoining tidal marshes and flooding through the gates of the water control structure on the dam create a brackish/freshwater lake. The drainage basin includes approximately 7,800 acres extending from the dam 17 miles north into Jacksonville Beach.

Habitat

The preserve consists of beach dunes, a lagoon, relict ridges, swales, tidal flats, tidal beaches, tidal marsh, oyster bars, basin marshes, cypress swamps, hardwood swamps, pine flatwoods, scrub, and shell middens. There are at least seven marine terraces parallel to the present Atlantic shoreline that become progressively higher from east to west. There are over 20 species of mammals, including river otters and bobcats, over 200 species of birds, over 30 species of reptiles, including American alligators and green turtles, 7 species of amphibians, and around 75 species of fish. Approximately 10,000 ducks, 30,000 coots, snipes, rails, doves, and woodcock migrate to the preserve every year.

Ecological Importance

The preserve has a rich association of habitats. This diversity provides for a wide variety of resident and migratory wildlife from bird rookeries to beach nesting areas for sea turtles. Besides possessing numerous aquatic resources, the preserve also contains several rare upland habitats within the Guana River tract. The Guana property represents a complete cross-section of a relatively undisturbed barrier island. Within its boundaries can be found an unusually extensive natural area of undisturbed Atlantic coastal strand (scrub) vegetation, excellent ocean-front beach with high dunes stabilized with native coastal vegetation, and extensive maritime hammock containing an unusual natural association of mature trees. Purchase of these lands was deemed necessary because of their environmental sensitivity and to protect several species of endangered and threatened plants and animals.

Rare / Endangered Species

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

Geomorphic Features

The preserve is located on the lower part of the Atlantic Coastal Plain, which occupies a physiographic division known as the Coastal Lowlands. This region of the Florida Plateau is described as a belt of land along the coast characterized by ancient marine terraces and dune ridges. The largest contiguous land area within the preserve is the Guana peninsula between the Tolomato and Guana Rivers. The peninsula is 12.5 miles long and varies in width from ¼ to ¾ miles. The flat and poorly drained character of this region, where from the west slope of the peninsular the land dips gradually to the Tolomato River, is inundated twice daily by tidal fluctuation. This type of tidal marsh is also found adjacent to the lower Guana River in the southern portion of the preserve. The largest contiguous wetland on the Guana River tract is Lake Ponte Vedra, which includes the impounded bed of the Guana River, and extends northward from the dam for approximately 10 miles.

A distinct topographic feature of the Guana River tract is the high dunes between State Road A1A and the beach. The dunes rise to an elevation of 35-40 feet above (mean sea level), with the highest dune crest at 42.5 feet. The Guana dune system is high and stabilized with vegetation providing an effective storm barrier.

Archaeological Features

The Guana River Marsh Aquatic Preserve contains several significant prehistoric and historic cultural sites. The history of the area dates back more than 4,000 years and artifacts found range from the late Archaic period (2500-1000 bc.) to the late 19th century pottery. To date, 23 archaeological and historic sites have been identified and the discovery of up to 40 additional sites is anticipated. Preliminary surveys identified 8 of the 23 known sites as being archaeologically significant.

Notable among these is the "Guana River Shell Ring". This is a large (100-meter diameter) shell ring made up of oyster, clam, conch, and coquina shells. Artifacts found indicate a late Archaic period (2500-1000 bc.) date for the ring’s construction. This is the only archaic shell ring reported to date in the state of Florida.

Also notable, is the "Guana River Site". This extensive shell midden site extends over 100 meters along a ridge overlooking Lake Ponte Vedra. The midden is made up of layers of zones believed to date from the preceramic Archaic period (prior to 2500 bc.) in the lowest zone, to historic European occupation (1763-1900 ad.) in the upper zone. This site appears to have been occupied (or reoccupied) over a period of several thousand years.

Uses

The preserve offers exceptional water related recreational activities. Guana - Tolomato - Matanzas National Estuarine Research Reserve (GTMNERR) provides four beach access areas to the Atlantic Ocean for swimming, surfing, and fishing. The GTMNERR-managed Guana Dam Use Area provides parking and boat launch facilities and access to both Lake Ponte Vedra and the Guana River for fishing, boating, shrimping, and crabbing. The upland areas offer great opportunities for hiking, bicycling, horseback riding and birding.

There are ongoing programs to conserve, protect, restore, and maintain the quality of natural and/or man-modified aquatic resources of the preserve. This includes fire management, restoration of natural water flow patterns, and management of water level manipulations to emulate natural wetland fluctuations to enhance conditions for fish and wildlife. Continued research activities include a multi-species management plan for game and non-game wildlife and fisheries with the following objectives: control of cattails and rank stands of submergent vegetation, restore natural wildlife fish habitats, restore traditional public use and access, maintain and enhance a mosaic of natural plant communities under a multi-species management plan, provide a desirable interspersion of wildlife food and cover plants and open water, and increased public recreational use of the lake resources.

Management Status

The state of Florida purchased the 11,500-acre preserve property in 1984 with Conservation and Recreation Lands (C.A.R.L.) and Save our Coast (S.O.C.) funds. Management authority is granted to the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Office of Coastal and Aquatic Managed Areas (CAMA), in cooperation with, St. Johns River Water Management District (SJRWMD), Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC).

References

Management Plan for Guana River Marsh Aquatic Preserve; and the Guana Tolomato Matanzas National Estuarine Research Reserve (GTMNERR) Final Management Plan.