Waccasassa Bay Preserve State Park
Encyclopedia
Waccasassa Bay Preserve State Park is a 30784 acres (124.6 km²) salt marsh
that stretches from Cedar Key
and Yankee Town
, and is only accessible by boat. Some access points are from County Road 40
in Yankee Town, County Road 326 in Gulf Hammock, and Cedar Key.
It is the home to numerous species of saltwater
fish
and shellfish
, as well as many endangered and threatened species
, including manatee
s, alligator
s, bald eagle
s and black bear
s.
Salt marsh
A salt marsh is an environment in the upper coastal intertidal zone between land and salt water or brackish water, it is dominated by dense stands of halophytic plants such as herbs, grasses, or low shrubs. These plants are terrestrial in origin and are essential to the stability of the salt marsh...
that stretches from Cedar Key
Cedar Key, Florida
Cedar Key is a city in Levy County, Florida, United States. The population was 790 at the 2000 census. According to the U.S Census estimates of 2005, the city had a population of 958. The Cedar Keys are a cluster of islands close to the mainland. Most of the developed area of the city has been on...
and Yankee Town
Yankeetown, Florida
Yankeetown is a town in Levy County, Florida, United States. The population was 629 at the 2000 census. According to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2004 estimates, the town had a population of 672.-History:...
, and is only accessible by boat. Some access points are from County Road 40
State Road 40 (Florida)
State Road 40 is an east–west route across central Florida, running from US 41 in Rainbow Lake Estates eastwards through Ocala over the Ocklawaha River and bridge and through the heart of the Ocala National Forest to State Road A1A in Ormond Beach...
in Yankee Town, County Road 326 in Gulf Hammock, and Cedar Key.
It is the home to numerous species of saltwater
Seawater
Seawater is water from a sea or ocean. On average, seawater in the world's oceans has a salinity of about 3.5% . This means that every kilogram of seawater has approximately of dissolved salts . The average density of seawater at the ocean surface is 1.025 g/ml...
fish
Fish
Fish are a paraphyletic group of organisms that consist of all gill-bearing aquatic vertebrate animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish, as well as various extinct related groups...
and shellfish
Shellfish
Shellfish is a culinary and fisheries term for exoskeleton-bearing aquatic invertebrates used as food, including various species of molluscs, crustaceans, and echinoderms. Although most kinds of shellfish are harvested from saltwater environments, some kinds are found only in freshwater...
, as well as many endangered and threatened species
Threatened species
Threatened species are any speciesg animals, plants, fungi, etc.) which are vulnerable to endangerment in the near future.The World Conservation Union is the foremost authority on threatened species, and treats threatened species not as a single category, but as a group of three categories,...
, including manatee
Manatee
Manatees are large, fully aquatic, mostly herbivorous marine mammals sometimes known as sea cows...
s, alligator
Alligator
An alligator is a crocodilian in the genus Alligator of the family Alligatoridae. There are two extant alligator species: the American alligator and the Chinese alligator ....
s, bald eagle
Bald Eagle
The Bald Eagle is a bird of prey found in North America. It is the national bird and symbol of the United States of America. This sea eagle has two known sub-species and forms a species pair with the White-tailed Eagle...
s and black bear
American black bear
The American black bear is a medium-sized bear native to North America. It is the continent's smallest and most common bear species. Black bears are omnivores, with their diets varying greatly depending on season and location. They typically live in largely forested areas, but do leave forests in...
s.