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Gasparilla Island State Park

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Description: 127 acre park located at the south end of Gasparilla Island.

Vegetation Communities: beach dune, coastal strand, maritime hammock, mangrove swamp, and beachfront.

Location: Located on Gasparilla Island (Boca Grande).   Follow the Boca Grande Causeway to Fifth Street turn right.   At Gilchrist turn left.   Four public parking beaches are along the way with the Lighthouse Museum at the south end of the island.

Amenities: Public beach, parking ($3 fee), restrooms, boardwalks, trails, fishing, swimming, birding, shelling, Lighthouse Museum.   The museum was built in 1890 and is one of the oldest structures found in Lee County. For information call 941-964-0375.

Birding by Kayak on Gasparilla Island: Lee County has a non-motorized boat lanch at 19th Street. Free parking and an excellent put-in area. No picnic or restroom facilities. Paddling north from the launch, you will encounter uninhabited keys on the way to Gasparilla Sound and Charlotte Harbor. The southward paddle is through a residential area to Gasparilla Sound and Charlotte Harbor.

For further information on the web see:
1.
http://tampa.about.com/library/parks/blgasp.htm
2.
http://www.captiva.com/stateparks/Gasparilla.htm
3.
http://www.fortmyers-sanibel.com/moreinfo.php/ZID23=7993/page=attr/ClassID=3
4.
http://www.floridaparks.com/stprks/south_west/gasparillaisland.htm
5.
http://www.dep.state.fl.us/gwt/guide/regions/westcentral/trails/gasparilla_island.htm

Animal Species: Not all of these species can be seen year-round.

Birds that you will likely encounter year-round include:

Anhinga Cormorant, Double-crested Egret, Great Egret, Snowy Flicker, Yellow shafted
Gannet, Northern Gull, Laughing Gull, Ring-billed Heron, Great Blue Heron, Little Blue
Heron, Yellow-crowned Night Mocking bird Osprey Pelican, Brown Skimmer, Black
Tern, Least Tern, Royal Tern, Sandwich Willet Woodpecker, Red-bellied
Wren, Carolina        

In the fall and winter you will also likely see:

Catbird Eagle, Bald Pelican, White Plover, Black-bellied Plover, Snowy
Plover, Wilson's Sanderling Turnstone, Ruddy Warblers, Assorted  

Documented Mammal:

Dolphins

Fox, Gray

Manatee, Florida Opossum, Virginia

Rabbit, Marsh

Raccoon

Rat, Palm

Squirrel, Gray  

 

Documented Amphibians:

         

Documented Reptiles:

Gopher Tortoise

Loggerhead Turtle

Green Turtle Anole, Cuban Brown*

Green Iguana*

Mexican Spiney-tail Iguana*

Black Racer Snake

Red Rat Snake  

 

*Non-native Species

 

AudubonAudubonAudubonAudubonAudubon

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Site Redesigned by: Gregg Klowden, 1/2004

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Page last reviewed or modified:
September 6, 2009