Oscar Scherer State Park near Osprey, between Sarasota and Venice, protects South Creek and a diverse landscape of pine flatwoods, scrubby flatwoods, and hardwood hammock while serving as a major recreation area. It began with the 462-acre South Creek Ranch, which Elsa Scherer Burrows left in 1955 to become a public park and wildlife sanctuary in memory of her father, Oscar Scherer, and it opened in 1956. Later conservation efforts expanded it with land from Palmer Ranch in 1992 and another donation in 2008, bringing it to about 1,400 acres. The park is especially important for sustaining Florida scrub jays and also supports many other native plants and animals.