Area 538 acres (2.2 km) Established September 26, 1908 | Nearest city Fort Myers | |
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Location Lee County, Florida, United States Governing body U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Website Matlacha Pass National Wildlife Refuge Management United States Fish and Wildlife Service | ||
The Matlacha Pass National Wildlife Refuge is part of the United States National Wildlife Refuge System, located within the Matlacha Pass estuary, approximately 8 miles northwest of Cape Coral, Florida. The 538 acre (2.2 km2) refuge was established on September 26, 1908. It is administered as part of the J.N. 'Ding' Darling National Wildlife Refuge Complex.
Contents
FloraEdit
Trees that can be seen here include red mangrove (Rhizophora mangle), black mangrove (Avicennia germinans), white mangrove (Laguncularia racemosa), buttonwood (Conocarpus erectus) and cabbage palm (Sabal palmetto). Also found in the area are tropical species such as seagrape (Coccoloba uvifera), Florida strangler fig (Ficus aurea) and gumbo limbo (Bursera simaruba).
FaunaEdit
Some of the threatened or endangered animal species which make the refuge home are the West Indian Manatee, American crocodile, eastern indigo snake, wood stork and bald eagle.