Nature
Picayune Strand State Forest is a 78,000-acre protected area in western Collier County, southwest Florida, within the Big Cypress Basin. Its cypress swamps, wet pine flatwoods, prairies, and hardwood hammock provide important habitat for wildlife including black bear, wood stork, Big Cypress fox squirrel, and Florida panther. The area’s modern history reflects a failed mid-20th-century attempt to drain and develop Golden Gate Estates, a massive subdivision promoted on unsuitable wetland. The canals disrupted natural water flow, harmed nearby ecosystems, and caused habitat loss. Beginning in 1985, Florida began acquiring the land for restoration, and the forest was officially named in 1995.
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Florida · United States
