Refuge Facts:
Natural History:
Refuge Objectives:
Management Tools:
Public Use Opportunities
Questions and Answers Where is Island Bay NWR? Island Bay National Wildlife Refuge is located in the Cape Haze area of Charlotte County, Florida. The refuge is located on the north side of Charlotte Harbor in Turtle Bay. The refuge currently includes portions of five islands and is 20 acres in size. The nearest population centers are Port Charlotte, lying approximately 15 miles to the east, and Fort Myers, which is about 23 miles southeast.How do I get there? Access to the islands that makeup the Island Bay NWR is by boat only. Boaters should consult navigational charts and tide schedules before attempting to visit any of the refuge islands. Numerous oyster bars and shallow back bay/estuary waters are difficult to navigate and damage to fragile seagrass beds is common due to boaters running aground.Why is the refuge closed to public uses? The Island Bay NWR receives little public use. Occasionally, boaters visit some of the islands with uplands such as Bull Key but mosquitoes are usually so numerous that visiting any of the islands is extremely uncomfortable. |
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Little Blue Heron | Denny Souers | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Island Bay NWR after Hurricane Charley | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Susan White/USFWS | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sea Grape | Cindy Anderson/USFWS | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Nesting Pelicans | Toni Westland/USFWS | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
White Ibis | Theresa T. Baldwin | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Back to Top |
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Contact Us |
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Patrick Martin, Deputy Refuge Manager |
Phone: (239) 472-1100 |
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1 Wildlife Dr. |
Fax: (239) 472-4061 |
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Sanibel, FL 33957 |
Email: dingdarling@fws.gov |
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