"The St. Martins Marsh Aquatic Preserve is one of the best investments ever made by the State of Florida. Whether it’s as a buffer to hurricanes’ impacts, a producer of commercial and recreational fisheries or an ecotourism magnet, the preserve is the investment that keeps on giving generation after generation."

Gary Maidhof, Citrus County Development Services Director

Key Accomplishments

• Twice annually, St. Martins Marsh Aquatic Preserve staff partners with Crystal River Preserve State Park, local commercial blue crab fisherman, and members of the community to identify, retrieve, and dispose of derelict blue crab traps.
• Each year, the aquatic preserve staff participate in many public outreach events and educational programs including Florida Master Naturalist, Citrus Springs Elementary Wetlands Fair, Bay Fest, Refuge Week, and Save Our Waters Week festivities to promote CAMA goals, preserve management, and environmental stewardship.
• A GIS database has been established to record seagrass and marsh scars within the preserve. This information will enable better protection measures for these valuable resources.
• Every school semester, the aquatic preserve staff mentor high school students from the Environmental Science Academy. Students participate in various projects gaining practical hands on experience.

Location:

Citrus County

Acreage

23,000 acres of sovereign submerged lands

Contact:

Melissa Charbonneau
Aquatic Preserve Manager
3266 North Sailboat Avenue
Crystal River, FL 34428
352-563-0450

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Further information about St. Martins Marsh Aquatic Preserve

St. Martins Marsh Aquatic Preserve Management Plan

Environmental Science Academy interns conducting diamondback terrapin surveys.

Star coral and loggerhead sponges are some predominant hardbottom species.

Every winter flocks of white pelicans return to St. Martins Marsh Aquatic Preserve.

Large expanses of salt marsh filter pollutants before reaching the estuary.

• The St. Martins Marsh Aquatic Preserve was established on October 21, 1969.
• St. Martins Marsh Aquatic Preserve’s freshwater tributaries includes two 1st magnitude spring fed rivers; the Homosassa River to the south and Crystal River to the north.
• Spring discharge does not fluctuate dramatically from season to season allowing a constant flow of freshwater into St. Martins Marsh’s productive and well-balanced estuary.
• The area’s vast coastal salt marshes, mud flats, oyster bars, mangrove islands, and seagrass beds are the southern terminus for migratory waterfowl of the Atlantic and Mississippi flyways. St. Martins Marsh provides stopover and wintering areas for many migratory species.
• The Springs Coast is characterized by unique limestone outcroppings and exposed karstic features. Habitats associated with these areas are hardbottom sponge and coral communities and sargassum meadows.