Great White Heron National Wildlife Refuge

The Great White Heron National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1938 as a haven for great white herons, migratory birds and other wildlife. The reserve is located in the Lower Florida Keys and consists of 25 km ² of land and 502 km ² water surface. It extends north of the Keys from Marathon to Key West and is popularly called Backcounty.

The islands are mostly mangrove islands, but some of the larger consist of land mass and are forested with pine and tropical hardwood. This vast wilderness is home to nesting, feeding and resting places for more than 250 bird species.

Great White Egrets are a subspecies of the Great Blue Heron and found only in the Florida Keys. The reserve was created to preserve the Great white egret from extinction. Their feathers were popular to decorate feather hats. Today you see these snow-white birds on hundreds of small islands in the morning and dusk while foraging.

With the green turtle, the loggerhead turtle and the hawksbill turtle, three species of sea turtles in Backcounty are native.

Access to the protected area

The reserve can be reached only by boat. The visitor center is located ¼ mile north of the traffic light on Key Deer Boulevard in the Big Pine Key Shopping Plaza.

Sources and links

  • The National Park
  • Photos Great White Egret
  • Photos of green turtles
  • Photos of real turtle
  • Photos of loggerhead turtles

Great White Heron National Wildlife Refuge in the Geographic Names Information System of the United States Geological Survey

24.701478 - 81.5486730Koordinaten: 24 ° 42 '5 " N, 81 ° 32' 55 " W

  • National Wildlife Refuge
  • Florida Keys
  • Monroe County ( Florida)
Marathon (Florida)
278403
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