OPENING OF FLORIDA CIRCUMNAVIGATION SALTWATER PADDLING TRAIL
Posted: March 3, 2006 9:54 am
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 27, 2006
CONTACT: Sarah Williams, (850) 245-2112
OPENING OF FLORIDA CIRCUMNAVIGATION SALTWATER PADDLING TRAIL SEGMENT
--Trail will travel around the state from Pensacola to Georgia border--
KEY LARGO - Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Secretary Colleen M. Castille this weekend joined Monroe County Commissioners and other community leaders to open the first segment of the Florida Circumnavigation Saltwater Paddling Trail. The beginning of a 1,300-mile project, the Keys Overseas Paddling Trail (Segment 15) stretches 110-miles from John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park in Key Largo to Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park in Key West.
“The Florida Circumnavigation Saltwater Paddling Trail is part of a plan to further protect our coastal resources through education, while providing outstanding outdoor recreational opportunities,” said DEP Secretary Castille. “This saltwater paddling trail will help preserve historical and cultural sites throughout the state and create recreational greenways and blueways for outdoor enthusiasts to enjoy.”
Funded by DEP’s Coastal and Aquatic Managed Areas as part of Governor Bush’s Florida Oceans Initiative, the trail will begin at Big Lagoon State Park near Pensacola, extend around the Florida peninsula and Keys, and end at Fort Clinch State Park near the Georgia border. It has been divided into twenty-six unique segments, ranging from the remote Big Bend Coast and Everglades/Florida Bay wilderness to the more urbanized coastlines of Pinellas County and Fort Lauderdale.
The Florida Circumnavigation Saltwater Paddling Trail will educate paddlers on Florida’s 37 aquatic preserves. In addition, paddlers will have access to nearly all of Florida’s coastal state parks, recreation areas and historic sites. The National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, businesses, private citizens, local leaders and community organizations contributed to the project.
DEP’s Office of Greenways & Trails is establishing a statewide system of greenways and trails for recreational and conservation purposes. The Office of Greenways and Trails manages eight State Trails, including the Marjorie Harris Carr Cross Florida Greenway, Florida's longest green corridor stretching 110 miles from the St. Johns River near Palatka to the Gulf of Mexico. DEP also maintains five rail-trails, which are railroad tracks restored and converted to recreational trails for hiking, biking and skating.
Over the last six years, the State has added more than 450 miles of trails and more than 3,860 acres to the Greenways and Trails system. Through Florida Forever, the State’s premier land acquisition program, $4.5 million dollars is spent annually to purchase land for future trail areas and build and maintain Florida’s greenways and trails.
For more information or maps of the Florida Circumnavigation Saltwater Paddling Trail, visit www.FloridaGreenwaysAndTrails.com.
CONTACT: Sarah Williams, (850) 245-2112
OPENING OF FLORIDA CIRCUMNAVIGATION SALTWATER PADDLING TRAIL SEGMENT
--Trail will travel around the state from Pensacola to Georgia border--
KEY LARGO - Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Secretary Colleen M. Castille this weekend joined Monroe County Commissioners and other community leaders to open the first segment of the Florida Circumnavigation Saltwater Paddling Trail. The beginning of a 1,300-mile project, the Keys Overseas Paddling Trail (Segment 15) stretches 110-miles from John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park in Key Largo to Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park in Key West.
“The Florida Circumnavigation Saltwater Paddling Trail is part of a plan to further protect our coastal resources through education, while providing outstanding outdoor recreational opportunities,” said DEP Secretary Castille. “This saltwater paddling trail will help preserve historical and cultural sites throughout the state and create recreational greenways and blueways for outdoor enthusiasts to enjoy.”
Funded by DEP’s Coastal and Aquatic Managed Areas as part of Governor Bush’s Florida Oceans Initiative, the trail will begin at Big Lagoon State Park near Pensacola, extend around the Florida peninsula and Keys, and end at Fort Clinch State Park near the Georgia border. It has been divided into twenty-six unique segments, ranging from the remote Big Bend Coast and Everglades/Florida Bay wilderness to the more urbanized coastlines of Pinellas County and Fort Lauderdale.
The Florida Circumnavigation Saltwater Paddling Trail will educate paddlers on Florida’s 37 aquatic preserves. In addition, paddlers will have access to nearly all of Florida’s coastal state parks, recreation areas and historic sites. The National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, businesses, private citizens, local leaders and community organizations contributed to the project.
DEP’s Office of Greenways & Trails is establishing a statewide system of greenways and trails for recreational and conservation purposes. The Office of Greenways and Trails manages eight State Trails, including the Marjorie Harris Carr Cross Florida Greenway, Florida's longest green corridor stretching 110 miles from the St. Johns River near Palatka to the Gulf of Mexico. DEP also maintains five rail-trails, which are railroad tracks restored and converted to recreational trails for hiking, biking and skating.
Over the last six years, the State has added more than 450 miles of trails and more than 3,860 acres to the Greenways and Trails system. Through Florida Forever, the State’s premier land acquisition program, $4.5 million dollars is spent annually to purchase land for future trail areas and build and maintain Florida’s greenways and trails.
For more information or maps of the Florida Circumnavigation Saltwater Paddling Trail, visit www.FloridaGreenwaysAndTrails.com.