#3 - Marsh Overlook

As you pause to enjoy the view, do you notice a difference between the two sides of the road? To the east is a managed pool; to the west, a wilderness salt marsh. Both habitats are important to the refuge.

The salt marsh is actually part of a formal Wilderness Area designated by Congress in 1975. No development or motorized equipment is permitted in the Wilderness. Only prescribed burning is allowed.

This marsh, with its tidal creeks and safe havens of black needlerush, protects many young forms of marine life in its "nursery." The marsh filters stormwater runoff from as far north as Tallahassee. Also, the marsh buffers the coast from strong storm waves and winds. Hurricanes, such as Kate in 1985, have winds reaching 85 m.p.h.! Yet, little damage was done inside the marsh. Scan the horizon, looking for eagles or other birds of prey perched on the trees scattered throughout the marsh.

This managed pool, Mounds Pool #1, has higher land mass levels in its center than other pools. The heavy cover of grasses and sedges protects rats, mice and birds. The dead trees, called "snags", are used as hunting perches from which birds of prey can seize the small animals that venture too far into the open. In the spring, bluebirds often use cavities in the snags for nesting and roosting. White and glossy ibis, plus many other types of wading birds search for small fish, shrimp, frogs and snakes along the edges of the pool.