Hálpata Tastanaki Preserve

Hálpata Tastanaki Preserve near Dunnellon in Marion County protects 8,146 acres along the Withlacoochee River under the Southwest Florida Water Management District. Its floodplain swamp, oak scrub, longleaf pine turkey oak sandhills, isolated wetlands, and recharge-prone uplands support rare habitat, including recovering scrub that helps sustain the threatened Florida scrub-jay. The land also carries historical importance through its name, which honors Seminole leader Hálpata Tastanaki, or Chief Alligator, who joined Osceola, Jumper, and about 1,000 warriors in the largest battle of the Second Seminole War in 1836. It also includes the site of Stockton, a community founded soon after the war.

Florida · United States