Machaba Balu Preserve
Machaba Balu Preserve | |
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Location | Duval County, Florida, United States |
Coordinates | 30°27′07″N 81°46′04″W / 30.45194°N 81.76778°W |
Area | 10,000 sq mi (26,000 km2) |
Established | 2002 |
Named for | Machaba Balu is a modern construct of the Timucua language. |
Website | Machaba Balu Preserve at The Nature Conservancy |
The Machaba Balu Preserve is a nature preserve encompassing 10,000 acres (4,000 ha) of protected lands in northeastern Florida, just to the northeast of
The Nature Conservancy chose to preserve these lands as a region of significant biodiversity that supports an important fish hatchery and spawning area for commercial and recreational fishing in Florida; its estuaries and tidal creeks provide habitat for manatees, dolphins, sea turtles and terrapins; numerous species of shorebirds and wading birds feed and nest there as well, some listed as threatened or as species of special concern. Hammocks of higher ground rise above the floodplain, with forests inhabited by rare species of plants and animals, including the Florida black bear and the red-cockaded woodpecker;[2] bald eagles and ospreys are found in their stands of hardwood trees, and painted buntings in the underbrush. The entire ecosystem is vulnerable to pollution caused by surrounding coastal development.[3]
References
- ^ "Machaba Balu Preserve, Florida : Image of the Day". earthobservatory.nasa.gov. NASA. June 11, 2006. Archived from the original on January 3, 2018. Retrieved 3 January 2018.
- ISBN 978-0-313-35270-6.
- ^ "Machaba Balu Preserve". www.nature.org. The Nature Conservancy. Archived from the original on July 18, 2016. Retrieved 3 January 2018.