History and Culture

Home to abundant and rare wildlife and providing many recreational opportunities, the St. Marks NWR also encompasses and manages significant historical and cultural resources. The mission of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service is to conserve, protect and enhance fish, wildlife, and plants and their habitats. This includes protecting, conserving and interpreting many important national cultural resources.

View a History and Culture Timeline for the St. Marks NWR and vicinity.

Interpretive Kiosks

In order to fulfill some of the goals the Refuge listed in their Comprehensive Conservation Plan, the Friends of St. Marks association received a grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation to produce and install a series of interpretive kiosks and informational brochures about some of the resources.

Additional assistance was provided by:

• State Archives of Florida

• Mays Leroy Gray

• TexasBeyondHistory.net

• Texas Archeological Research Laboratory

• The University of Texas at Austin

The Friends of St. Marks, with a matching grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, produced the signs and brochures for the St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge History Trail. Friends is a 501(c)(3) organization that supports educational, environmental, and biological programs of St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge.