South Florida Information Access - Virtual Tour
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From 1924 to 1926, the original freshwater ecosystem of this area was dredged, filled and divided for development. As part of a wetlands mitigation program the land was purchased, and between 1985 and 1993, a multi-agency effort re-created 203 acres of mangroves, mudflats and tidal pools. Today, West Lake Park is a 1,500-acre restored mangrove preserve that is about 1 mile in width. Early settlers to South Florida regarded mangrove forests as being useless, mosquito-infested, uninhabitable lands. Today, ecologists realize their important role in coastal ecosystems. Mangrove leaves, trunks and branches fall into the water and are transformed into detritus, which is the basis of an elaborate food chain. Mangroves provide protected habitat, breeding grounds and nursery areas to many terrestrial and marine animals. Mangroves also provide shoreline protection from wind, waves and floods. Visitors can observe the West Lake Park via electric-powered boats, canoes or interpretive walking trails. An informational nature center with an observation tower is also available. For more information, please visit the West Lake Park and Anne Kolb Nature Center website. Come climb the nature center's five-story observation tower with us and take a walk along the interpretive nature trails.
Three species of mangroves are found in Florida: the red mangrove, black mangrove and white mangrove. Typically, red mangroves grow along the water's edge, black mangroves grow on slightly higher elevations than the red mangrove and white mangroves grow upland from the red and black. Mangroves grow in flooded saltwater areas and are salt tolerant. (Right) Looking down from the Anne Kolb Nature Center's five-story observation tower at an extensive mangrove canopy and West Lake. A power plant can be seen on the horizon.
At both low and high tide, fiddler crabs come out of their burrows in search of food. They eat by picking up sediment with their claw and scraping food materials such as decaying plant matter from the sediment. The sediment is then placed back down on the ground. (Right) A male fiddler crab. Female fiddler crabs have two small claws while males have one small claw and one much larger claw. The male's larger claw is used to attract females and to defend territory. Small claws are used for picking up sediment and eating.
Raccoons are mammals that are mostly nocturnal. They are common in wetland areas throughout most of the United States. Raccoons may eat a variety of foods including fruits, insects, frogs, fish, small mammals and birds.
Mangroves bordering the West Lake mud flats exposed by low tide.
Related SOFIA Information Below we have listed science projects and publications for studies that are being conducted, or have been conducted, in the area of the West Lake and Anne Kolb Nature Center. Follow these links to read about each project and to see project-related publications and data. Science Projects:
Related Publications:
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U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey, Center for Coastal Geology
This page is: http://sofia.usgs.gov
/virtual_tour/wlak/index.html
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Last updated:
January 06, 2006 @ 08:20 AM
(HSH)