People were drawn to this outpost at the joining of the Manatee River, Terra Ceia Bay, and Tampa Bay for its abundance. Amerindians first came for the shellfish of the surrounding waters and other food and raw material resources of the interior hammocks. Later, pioneers farmed here, bringing fruit trees and other plants not native to the area but now found throughout the park. The area still offers a rare chance to see native Florida plants and, at times, animals that inhabit the preserve, including gumbo limbo trees, centuries-old live oaks, strangler figs, wild coffee, mangrove trees, bobcats, foxes, gopher tortoises, and other species threatened or endangered by extinction. Emerson Point and Snead Island are surrounded by the estuaries of greater Tampa Bay, known as nurseries of the sea, where submerged seagrass meadows, oyster beds, and mangrove fringes support a wide variety of sea life. The waters surrounding Emerson Point receive special protection under state and federal law, with Tampa Bay included in the National Estuary Program and Terra Ceia Bay designated a state Aquatic Preserve and Outstanding Florida Water to help conserve vital habitats.