St. Lucie River Tour

Make your reservations now for a Tour. Canoe trip on portions of the North Fork and in parts of the Indian River Lagoon are planned.

Flora and fauna you will see is listed below.

Tour Fees: In order to make visits affordable to the broadest range of the public, required is a fee of $75 US per person for day trips and $125 US per person for overnight trips. Longer trips can be arranged. The above fee will include transportation as scheduled.

In addition to the project site there is the option of spending two to three days along the St. Lucie to visit many of the areas rare and beautiful natural settings [see below]. Overnight accommodations can be arranged ahead of time if requested. Costs of accommodations are up to each traveler. A CD Rom is also being available for $20 US.

go back to previous page

Background Flora and Fauna: More than 1,700 rivers of all sizes flow in the state of Florida. Most of these river systems, because of the relatively flat topography of the state, are slow flowing and support a diverse assemblage of freshwater and marine flora and fauna.

Some areas, such as floodplains (the low-lying areas next to rivers and lakes that flood with Florida's seasonal rains and hurricanes), contain a variety of wetland habitats, including hardwood forests of water-tolerant trees and extensive, low freshwater marshes like those along the Kissimmee River.

One of the plant types abundant in the forested wetland community, compared to other plant communties in the state, are the vascular epiphytes. Vascular epiphytes, a plant form centered in the tropics, are plants which gain support on other plants (tree branches) without being parasitic on those plants. Many orchids, bromeliads, and tropical fern species are very common in the southern portions of the state. Over 80 species of epiphytes are present in the state, with the estimated percentage occurring primarily in forested wetlands being at least 60 species.

Along Florida's south coast and halfway up the peninsula, mangrove swamps, dense forests of tropical mangrove trees, are common on sheltered tidal shorelines. Florida's two most prominent mangroves are easily identified by their roots. Red mangrove develops long, arching prop roots that grow down from larger branches. Black mangrove has hundreds of roots the size of pencils that grow up from the soil. Tall white mangrove and buttonwood usually grow upland of the red and black mangroves.

Mangroves are very hardy, having become adapted to a harsh environment where water and salinity levels fluctuate. Freshwater flows bring nutrients into the system and reduce salt stress. Although mangrove swamp sediments contain little or no oxygen, special pores in the trees' exposed root systems allow them to "breathe." Mangroves can be damaged by storms or freezes but usually recover.

Florida has the largest population of breeding bald Eagles than any other southeastern state. Ospreys are in abundance as well and, hunts and breeds near freshwater lakes, reservoirs and rivers. Ospreys are found breeding near salt water estuaries and bays and, although Eagles are also fish eating raptors, they seem to inhabit more inland areas. There are some nestings of both in the area.

The Turkey Vulture's scientific name, Cathartes aura, means "pacifier" or "cleanser." The Cherokee Nation of the U.S. gave the bird the honorific "peace eagle," because, unlike the eagle which it resembles from a distance, the Turkey Vulture does not kill.

The Turkey Vulture is family oriented and live in roosts. Some roosts are known to be 100 years or more old. Vultures do not build a nest as such, but simply lay two eggs on the bare ground.

Location: The St. Lucie River and Estuary is an essential component of the environmental and economic well-being of Martin and St. Lucie counties. There is an intersection of waterways in Martin County, commonly known as the "crossroads." This is the place where the Indian River Lagoon, the mouth of the St. Lucie River and the St. Lucie Inlet meet.

Traveling northwest from this point into the main body of the St. Lucie River, just west of the Roosevelt Bridge, the St. Lucie River divides. To the right, is the North Fork of the river which flows through Martin County, then into St. Lucie County. To the left, the South Fork of the river meanders along, connecting with the cross-state Okeechobee Waterway at a distance of about 15 miles from the crossroads. This 152-mile-long waterway was constructed by the Army Corps of Engineers and was completed in 1937.

An estuary is an area where freshwater meets salt water such as a bay, the mouth of a river, a salt marsh or a lagoon. Estuaries are transition zones between rivers and the sea and provide habitat for a unique assortment of plants and animals.

More specifically, an estuary is a semi-enclosed coastal body of water with a free connection with the ocean and within which seawater is measurably diluted with freshwater from land drainage.

Estuaries are critical for the survival of many species of birds, mammals, fish and other wildlife. These brackish water ecosystems provide marine and other life with the habitat for shelter, food and reproduction.

Estuaries are among the most productive ecosystems in nature. Rivers and streams drain into estuaries, bringing in nutrients from uplands. Plants use these nutrients, along with the sun's energy, carbon dioxide and water to manufacture food. As long as nutrient-rich freshwater flows and tides interact without human interference, estuaries will remain productive. Snook, trout, mullet, jack, grouper, redfish, silver perch, spot, catfish, sheepshead, spiny lobster, shrimp, crabs, oysters and clams are example of the diverse marine animals dependent upon healthy estuaries. Estuaries also provide breeding and nesting areas, or rookeries, for many coastal birds. Otters are often seen in the area.

Okeechobee is a natural lake, not a man-made impoundment. Historically, the lake level rose and fell according to rainfall and the seasons. During periods of high water the lake overflowed its banks and spilled out into its flood plain. Vegetation in the main body of the lake died out, but plants in the flood plain provided refuge and food for fish. But in 1928, a massive hurricane drove an avalanche of water over the lake’s south rim, flooding the area and killing almost everyone in its path.

Lake Okeechobee is approximately 700 square miles of subtropical ecosystem that is the centerpiece of the Kissimmee-Okeechobee-Everglades ecosystem. The second largest lake wholly within the United States. Lake Okeechobee and the adjoining St. Lucie and Caloosahatchee estuaries are important fish and wildlife habitat.

Top of page