Want to be the first to explore St. Lucie County’s newest conservation area?
A grand opening ceremony at 10 a.m. Thursday will welcome the public for the first time to Lake Indrio Preserve, located on U.S. 1 across from Florida Atlantic University’s Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute.
The reserve offers 2.8 hectares of recreational space for picnicking, fishing, kayaking and walking through scenic bushland. Upon entering the reserve, visitors can walk along a footbridge that leads to a highland island. Although the reserve is new to visitors, it has been maintained by the county since 2010.
A separate, inaccessible area will be preserved as a habitat for Lakela’s mint, a rare, aromatic shrub known for its lavender-colored flowers and minty scent. The plant is native to South Florida and grows only in St. Lucie and Indian River counties.
“Lakela’s mint is here and a little further up in Indian River County, and it doesn’t grow anywhere else in the world,” said Amy Griffin, the county’s environmental resources director. “Populations are recovering. It’s a beautiful little purple-colored plant that grows low to the ground.”
The plant has been on the federal endangered species list since 1985. Over five years of painstaking work by volunteers, such as manually removing invasive species from nearby areas, have halted the decline in the plant population.
Griffin is excited for the public to explore the recreational area of the preserve, which is also connected by a hiking trail to the 119-acre Indrio Savannahs Preserve to the south.
Both conservation areas are valuable, unique gems that were almost converted into suburban developments, Griffin said.
“It was so close to becoming a development with houses and lawns. Hundreds and hundreds of houses and lawns. In 1997, the county bought the preserve and saved it from development,” she said. “It’s so important to get people out to these natural areas. They can enjoy them and reap the benefits, take responsibility and appreciate nature.”
Indrio Savannah Nature Reserve
- What: Opening ceremony
- When: 10am Thursday, August 29th
- Where: Park at Indrio Savannahs Preserve, 5275 Tozour Road, and take a free shuttle to the new preserve.
- Note: The district recommends that visitors arrive early.
